"If any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life."
A CORRECT interpretation of the Apocalypse is of more importance than may at first sight appear.
1. It was given "that his servants MIGHT KNOW" (1:1) the things it treats of, and if a wrong view of it prevails, the object of its communication is to that extent frustrated.
2. The Spirit pronounces a blessing on those who understand it (1:3), from which it follows that a wrong apprehension of its import deprives the wrong apprehender of the blessing.
3. Jesus pronounces a curse on those who take away from its words (22:19) and NO ONE TAKES AWAY MORE EFFECTUALLY THAN THE MAN WHO MISREPRESENTS ITS MEANING.
That misrepresentation of its meaning which asserts its inapplicability to the present constitution of things in the world, and teaches that it has no fulfillment till the saints are removed at the coming of Christ, is especially mischievous in its effects, for it interferes with a scriptural attitude in relation to things and systems which are therein condemned, and participation in which is declared to implicate the participators in the doom awaiting those things and systems.
The Ecclesiastical systems and practices of Europe are exhibited under symbols perfectly intelligible to the students of God's Word. A Beast and its Image, a Ten-horned Monster, and a Woman are introduced as representatives of the constitution of things in Papal Europe. And a peculiarity of the Saints therein described is
THAT THEY
"Worship not the Beast, neither his Image, nor receive his mark upon Their foreheads, nor in their hands. (20:4)
THAT THEY
"Obtain the victory over the Beast and over his Image, and over the number of his name. (15:2)
THAT UNLIKE those dwelling on the Earth "whose names are not written in the Book of Life" and who worship the Beast who makes war upon the saints) they (the Saints) "keep the sayings of the Prophecy of this Book"
WHICH DECLARES
"If any man worship the Beast and his Image, and receive his mark in his forehead or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God" (14:9-10).
Now if you regard the whole matter as future to the Lord's coming, do you not loosen and undermine the terrible obligations arising from these sayings?
Certainly you place these obligations beyond the circle of a Saint's duties, and you leave him at liberty to imagine that he may safely take part with any system extant in his own day.
Such views are a serious impediment to the co-operation which you are disposed to ask on the part of the Christadelphians. They could not admit such an element of corruption amongst them. They could not identify themselves with so complete a neutralization of the last message of Jesus sent to His servants They could not make themselves responsible for such a departure from his testimony which he himself has fenced with special imprecations with such a state of mind with regard to the important directions he has given for the guidance of his servants in the Apocalypse, it is impossible they could enter upon that co-operation which has for its basis an intelligent apprehension of the mind of will of Christ.
The idea that the Revelation is future in its fulfillment would be dispelled by the effectual realization of 1 or 2 points which we mention by way of conclusion.
The angel interpreting to John the meaning of the 7 heads of the scarlet colored Beast, says, "There are 7 kings; 5 are fallen, 1 is and the other is not yet come" (17:10).
Here is proof that in the day when these words were addressed to John nearly 1800 years ago -- part of the symbolism had been realized in History. In connection with its developments (11:18) the time of the dead comes that they should be judged, which is inconsistent with the theory that those developments do not take place till after the resurrection of the Saints.
A similar argument arises in the fact that the Beast makes war upon the Saints and overcomes them (13:7) Surely this is not after the Saints are raised from the dead." So also with the fact that Saints, under the 6th seal are seen in a state of death, and allowed to rest (6:9) And that the Scarlet woman is drunk with the blood of the Saints (Surely she is not to kill them after they are made immortal). "In her was found the blood of prophets and saints" (18:24).
The Apostles were slain by her (Rome under the pagan constitution (18:20) Surely the Apostles are not to be killed a second time.
In addition to these and many other points that might be mentioned, the general character of the book as to things said about to "shortly come to pass," and as to "keeping the things written in the book," conclusively show the fallacy of a theory which futurizes everything except the messages to the ecclesias, and places it to a thing of no practical consequence whatever.
(By Robert Roberts, August 1872)
