OBJECTION 48. — THE MARTYRS

“They raised the sword to kill us, but it broke and fell powerless as a straw.” Experience and Views, page 17. This is spoken of those who refuse to worship the beast and his image; but, says the objector, these persons according to John are killed. Revelation 20:4. And I saw thrones and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them; and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which has not worshipped the beast neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” The trouble with the objector here is, this text does not mean what he would like to have it. John does not here say that those who were beheaded were those who had refused to worship the beast or his image; for the words “and which had not worshiped,” etc., should be rendered, “and those who had not worshiped.” etc. Here a special class, in distinction from the martyrs, is pointed out. Then, says the objector, this would include millions of sinners. It might, perhaps, if John had not plainly informed us in the preceding chapter, that all of this class had just been slain by the sword of him that sat upon the horse. Mark the company presented to John. The wicked had all been slain, but the righteous dead had been raised, and of course the righteous living changed. This multitude of immortalized righteous ones, are the persons and the only persons, here spoken of by the prophet. And he singles out two classes of these and makes special mention of them: the martyrs, as one class, and those who had not worshipped the beast, etc., as the other. He does not class those who refuse to worship the beast and his image, among the martyrs. Hence there is no proof here that this class are to be slain, and nothing whatever to conflict with the vision on this point.VEGW 117.1