Chapter 16

of the city of God for twelve hundred and sixty years correspond to the beast-power of chapter 13.

Wonderful truth is represented in the vision of this chapter. The symbols are drawn from Old Testament history, from the religious life of the Jews--God's chosen people in contrast with the uncircumcised Gentiles. It is evident, therefore, that the true church and the false church of the gospel era are represented.

Notice carefully the symbols: holy city, temple, altar, worshipers, and living witnesses, or prophets. These represent the sum and substance of all divine revelation in the Mosaic age: holy city, Jerusalem--_the place where God set his name_; the temple--_divinely authorised, holy, acceptable worship_ based on careful adherence to God's commandments formerly given; the altar--_the great symbol of atonement, the reconciliation of humanity with the divinity_; the worshipers in one temple--_all of God's people in unity_; the prophets--_the divinely commissioned representatives of God bearing a living message for the people of their time_. These conditions represent the Judaic ideal. Whether they were ever able to reach their ideal or not, it is evident that the Jews had the conception of a unified, holy, acceptable service (see Isa. 4:3; 52:1; 62:1-7). The two witnesses referred to are clearly represented as prophets; for the work ascribed to them as attesting their divine commission is a repetition of the miraculous works of Moses and Elijah by which they established their claims to be prophetic leaders authorized by Jehovah. The witnesses seem to be distinguished from the worshipers simply on account of their power and message.

[Sidenote: The two witnesses]

These symbols represent the true apostolic church. It is the holy city, Jerusalem, his temple, whose holy, united worshipers obey the commands of God. The application of the "witnesses" particularly specified as they are in the description, requires further explanation. It is said, "These are the two olive trees and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth" (Rev. 11:4). Whatever these two witnesses signify in particular, they are the same as the olive trees and candlesticks spoken of. It appears that allusion is made to Zechariah 4, where two olive trees are represented as standing, one on each side of a golden candlestick, distilling into it their oil for light. When the angel was asked for an explanation of these two olive trees and the candlestick, he answered, "This is the _Word_ of the Lord ... by my _Spirit_ saith the Lord" (verse 6). We are to understand, therefore, that God's Word and Spirit are the "two witnesses" in his church; that is, they signify the divine element operating in his church. Just as the mediation of the prophets was necessary in the olden times to maintain constant contact with God, without which the religious exercises degenerated to mere formalism, so the living _Word_ and _Spirit_ of God were present in the apostolic church to elevate its service above mere human systems and forms of worship. That the Word of God and the Spirit of God are special witnesses is proved by many texts. Jesus said, "Search the scriptures ... they are they which _testify_ of me" (John 5:39). "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a _witness_ unto all nations" (Matt. 24:14). "The Holy Ghost also is a _witness_" (Heb. 10:15). "The Spirit itself beareth _witness_" (Rom. 8:16). "It is the Spirit that beareth _witness_" (1 John 5:6).

Of the uncircumcised Gentiles it is said, "The holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months." This signifies the great apostasy that overspread the earth, defiling and perverting the true worship of God. The burden of this series, however, is not to describe the foreign element thus introduced, but to set forth in greater fulness the fact that during the same time that the idolatrous multitude of Gentiles trod down the holy city God preserved his own people. _The temple still remained_, and it had devout worshipers; _the two witnesses still prophesied_, although clothed in sackcloth, an emblem of melancholy and mourning. While the visions of the Revelator describe particularly the power of apostasy and iniquity reigning during the Dark Ages, they do not fail to give us the assurance that at the same time God had a people whose names were written in the book of life (chap. 13:8)--"saints" (chap. 13;10). And these were made the object of the most violent persecution (chap. 13:17; 17:6).

It is rather difficult to trace the true work of God during those times; for his "saints" were either ignored by the professed multitude or else regarded as heretics. But there existed in different countries bands of people who opposed the doctrines and ecclesiastical tyranny of Rome and who claimed adherence to the simple, primitive faith of Christ as expressed in the gospel. Among these were the Cathari, Lombards, Albigenses, Waldenses, and Vaudois. I will not say that all these so-called heretics are to be regarded as the true people of God, but from the few records that we have of them, derived chiefly from their enemies, it seems clear that there were among them many who were truly "saints" and who clung tenaciously to the true faith of Christ. God's Word and Spirit were therefore prophesying, although in an unnatural condition, symbolized by the sackcloth state of the witnesses. We must also remember that even among the Catholic party were to be found noble persons whose hearts were true to whatever truth they had and whose emotions and aspirations at times broke over the bounds of traditional theology and gave expression to sentiments Scriptural and sublime.

The time period first specified in this special scene is the same twelve hundred and sixty years that marks the reign of the beast and therefore closes with the reformation of the sixteenth century. We shall have occasion to return to this series later and trace its predictions down to our own times.