CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION

THE great nations of to-day: whence came they? what is their destiny? Of the great nations of ancient times these things were told; and so were known by those who would understand. Has nothing been told, so that none of this can be known, of the great nations of to-day?GNT 7.1

Of the great nations of ancient times, the rise, the course, and the destiny were told by the Lord, through His prophets. Has He said nothing of this concerning the great nations of to-day? This could not be, since He changeth not. He is “the same yesterday, and to-day, and forever:” therefore His care for men and nations is always the same.GNT 7.2

It is forever true that God “hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after Him, and find Him, though He be not far from every one of us: for in Him we live, and move, and have our being; ... for we are also His offspring.GNT 7.3

“Forasmuch, then as we are the offspring of God, we ought to think” that God is neglectful of His offspring in one age more than in another, or that He is at all neglectful in any age.GNT 7.4

The book of Daniel is the book of the Bible which particularly treats of the great nations of ancient time. It tells of the rise, the course, the character, and the destiny of the empire of Babylon; of the empire of the Medes and Persians; of the Macedonian Empire—Alexander and his successors; and of the Roman Empire. It tells also, though not so fully, of the nations which rose upon the fall of Rome.GNT 8.1

There is another book in the Bible which occupies the same position with respect to modern time that the book of Daniel does with respect to ancient time. It treats of modern nations as really as the book of Daniel treats of the ancient. It is, in fact, the complement of the book of Daniel. That book is the Revelation.GNT 8.2

The book of Daniel and the book of Revelation are, therefore, companion books with respect to the history of the nations, ancient and modern: with this difference, however, that, whereas in the book of Daniel National History is the principal subject, with Church History incidental: in the book of Revelation the great subject is Church History, with National History incidental.GNT 8.3

The key to modern history, to the great nations of to-day—their origin, course, and destiny—as contemplated in the book of Revelation, is found in the line of prophecy of the Seven Trumpets. Yet the Seven Trumpets themselves have a basis. The line of prophecy of the Seven Trumpets is a consequence. The events foretold therein occur because of certain things that have been done. These certain things are shown in the first three steps in each of the two preceding lines of prophecy in the book of Revelation: the Seven Churches and the Seven Seals. Therefore, to find the basis of the Seven Trumpets, we must glance at these things which are their cause.GNT 8.4

The line of prophecy of the Seven Churches is composed of seven letters addressed by the Lord to His Church in the seven phases of her experience, from the first advent of Christ unto His second. In each of these seven letters, not only is counsel given in the way of right, but there are pointed out the dangers and evils that beset the Church, against which she must be especially guarded, and which, in order to remain pure, she must escape.GNT 9.1

To the Church in her first state—“the Church of Ephesus”—He says: “I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works.” Revelation 2:4, 5. This points definitely to the “falling away” that is mentioned by Paul to the elders of the church at Ephesus (Acts 20:30), and that is dwelt upon especially in 2 Thessalonians 2; which falling away, when continued, developed “that man of sin,” “the son of perdition,” “who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 4.GNT 9.2

The letter to the Church in her second phase is wholly commendatory. This shows that, while individuals had continued in the apostasy mentioned in the first letter, the Church herself had heeded the counsel given by the Head of the Church, and had repented, and returned to “the first works.” The time of this phase of the Church’s experience is definitely suggested in the word that she should “have tribulation ten days.” Revelation 2:10. This refers to the ten years of persecution in the reign of Diocletian, from A. D. 303-313; which was ended by the Edict of Milan, issued by the two emperors Constantine and Licinius, March. A. D. 313.GNT 10.1

Then comes the third phase of the Church, in which the counsel from Christ mentions with commendation the fact that she had held fast His name, and had not denied His faith, “even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr.” Revelation 2:13. This word “Antipas” is not a person’s name, but is a term characteristic of the times. It is composed of two Greek words,—(anti) and (pappas). Anti signifies against, and pappas is our English, and also the universal, word for “papa.” The word “papa” is simply the repetition of the original root word, “pa.” And this word “papa” is the original of the word “pope.”GNT 10.2

Therefore this word “Antipas”—“against ‘pas’ or ‘papas’”—shows the growth of the papa-cy in the period immediately following A. D. 313. This was the period of Constantine, and onward, in which the papa-cy itself was distinctly made, and began openly to assert its authority. And in that time the history records that while the other principal bishops of the Church bore the title of “patriarch,” the bishop of Rome studiously avoided the title of “patriarch,” “as placing him on a level with other ‘patriarchs.’” He always preferred the title of “papa,“ or “pope;” and this, because “patriarch” bespeaks an oligarchical church government, that is, government by a few: whereas “pope” bespeaks a monarchical church government, that is, government by one—Schaff, “History of the Christian Church,” Vol. III, sec. 55, par 1, note. Thus the history and the word of the counsel of Christ unite in marking, as the characteristic of that phase of the Church, the formation of the papa-cy, and the assertion of the authority of the pope.GNT 10.3

This definitely brings us to the time of the making of the Papacy; and corresponds exactly, in point of time, to the facts of history following the Edict of Milan, which put an end of the “tribulation” mentioned in the previous letter to the Church. Thus the “falling away,” the leaving of the “first love,” mentioned in the first letter, had, in this time of the third letter, culminated in the papa-cy.GNT 11.1

Now this same course is traced in the first three steps of the line of prophecy of the Seven Seals. There, under the first seal, was seen going forth a white horse (Revelation 6:2), corresponding to the Church in her first phase, in her purity. But the counsel of Christ in His first letter said that there was a falling away from her first love; and this is signified in the second seal, under which “there went out another horse that was red.” And under the third seal “I beheld, and to a black horse.” Revelation 6:5. Thus the symbols in the seals, passing from white to black, show the course of the apostasy, as signified in the letters to the Seven Churches, from the first love, in which Christ was all in all in the first stage, to the third stage, in which, “where Satan’s seat” was, and where Satan dwelt, a man was put in the place of God, in the temple—the Church—of God. (Ephesians 2:21), showing himself that he is God. Verses 20-22.GNT 11.2

Now, the effect of this apostasy, which developed the Papacy in the Roman Empire, was the complete ruin of the Roman Empire. And this consequence of the apostasy traced in these first three steps in the two lines of prophecy of the Seven Churches and the Seven Seals, is portrayed in the line of prophecy of the Seven Trumpets.GNT 12.1