surf bathing. And so they did. Just as certain injurious political crowds among us can always be always depended upon to march up to the polls and vote the straight ticket, when the vanguard reached the waves, like all good true locusts, in they hopped, followed by all the rest, till the billows seemed to roll only grasshoppers; nor did the scene end until the last of the rear guard had skipped over the heaps of his dead comrades to make his last jump into the blue waters of the Mediterranean.”—Jer. 51:64.

And the flesh of horses. Did you not see the horses in Rev. 9:17, 18, and did you not eat them, fire, jacinth, brimstone and all?

And of them that sit on them.-Did we not find two hundred millions of these horsemen, and did you not eat them?-See Rev. 9:16.

And the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.-And did we not find all the rest of the men included in Rev. 9:20, 21, and did we not eat them in the same manner? We did, indeed. We ate or appropriated the truth concerning them. It is our eating of these truths that lead to the events next narrated.

19:19. And I saw the beast.-The Papacy restored to power. Weymouth's New Testament in Modern Speech translates this verse as follows, and adds a footnote that the "once for all," though not expressed in the Greek, is implied in the aorist tense of the verb: "And I saw the Wild Beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, all assembled to make war, once for all, against the Rider upon the horse and against His army."

And the kings of the earth.-Called to the war by demons. (Rev. 16:13-16.) "The kings of the earth set themselves [in opposition], and the rulers [not knowing that they are fighting against the establishment of the Lord's Kingdom], take counsel together against the Lord and against His Anointed, [but] He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall have them in derision." Psa. 2:2, 4; D52.

And their armies.-Their following, Civil, Social, Ecclesiastical and Financial.

Gathered together to make war.-"The war," Greek. Against Him that sat on the horse, and against His army. Although composed of the twelve symbolical tribes (Rev. 19:14; 7:4-8) they are, after all, but one army, all "One in Christ Jesus." "Let it be seen that the best and the worst of earth's nations are but 'kingdoms of this world,' whose lease of power from God is now expired, that they may give place to their ordained successor, the King. dom of Messiah, the Fifth Universal Empire of earth (Dan.

2:44; 7:14, 17, 27)—and it will do much to establish truth and to overthrow error. But as it is, the actions of Papacy in this regard, sanctioned by the Protestant Reformers, go unquestioned among Christian people. And since they should uphold the Kingdom of Christ, they feel themselves called to the aid of the present falling kingdoms of socalled Christendom-to the side of the kingdoms of this world, and the prince of this world, rather than to the side of the coming true Kingdom of Christ."-A270; Rev. 16:16; 17:13, 14.

19:20. And the beast was taken.-The Papacy was caught. (Jer. 50:43-46.) No doubt the publication of this book has come at a time unfavorable to the schemes of Papacy and will interfere greatly with its efforts at reestablishment.-Rev. 17:14.

And with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him.-The Image of the Beast.-Rev. 13:11, 13, 14, 15; 14:9, 11; 15:2; 16:2, 13; 19:20; 20:10; Matt. 24:24. With which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast.-Catholics.

And them that worshipped his image.-Protestants. These both.-Both of these systems, not the people. Were cast alive. While they are still organized and operative.-H59.

Into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.-Into the complete and everlasting destruction, of the anarchy (symbolized by fire) of the Time of Trouble. This utter destruction of these systems is the beginning of the annihilation of everything out of harmony with God's righteous arrangements. It was typified by the valley of Gehenna, just outside of Jerusalem. By the aid of brimstone the bodies of specially detestable criminals were there burned with the other refuse of Jerusalem. Standing upon the edge of this valley at night it had the appearance of a lake burning with fire and brimstone. Burning brimstone is the most deadly agent known, and symbolizes utter destructiveness.-Dan. 7:11.

19:21. And the remnant.-The people who are left after their systems are destroyed.

Were slain with the sword of Him that sat upon the horse.—Will, in due time, come into loving and cheerful submission to the truth.-Rev. 19:15; 2 Cor. 10:4.

Which sword proceeded out of His mouth.-All should be able to see that it is not a literal sword that is here referred to.

And all the fowls were filled with their flesh.-See Rev.

REVELATION 20

THE THOUSAND YEARS' REIGN

20:1. And I saw an Angel come down [from Heaven].The Messenger of the Covenant at His Second Advent.Mal. 3:1.

Having the key of the [bottomless pit] ABYSS.-Only Infinite Wisdom could provide the key to the solution of present difficulties in the earth. Here is a system of superstition and crime two thousand years old, and the praise and service of it ingrained into nearly every human being. All literature is poisoned with it. Public opinion is for it. The educated, the refined, the wealthy, the powerful are all for it and all against any change that would give the lower strata of society a fair chance. To overcome conditions like this is a task for Divinity itself. And a great chain in His hand.-The TRUTH, as contained in the Seven Volumes of Scripture Studies. This chain of Truth has been forged, link by link, over a period of forty years. Each volume has made it more certain that old systems can never hope to stand against it. 20:2. And He laid hold on the dragon. The iniquitous system of civil government which has associated with it the principle of holding the masses in subjection by preying upon their fears beyond this life. The subject of special condemnation in this regard, the masterpiece of Satan, is the old Roman Empire, still living in the Papacy and the Church-State governments of Europe. This system is about contemporaneous with the (seven) Times of the Gentiles (2520 years ending in Oct., 1914), which began in the Fall of 607 B. C., or, as we would say, at the beginning of 606, Jewish Time. Rome was already well started on its upward path at that time. "Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, fifth legendary king of Rome, 616-578 B. C., appointed guardian to the sons of Ancus Marcius, he succeeded in supplanting them on the throne on their father's death. He laid out the Circus Maximus, instituted the great games, built the great sewers, and began the construction of the temple of Jupiter on the Capitol. He removed from Tarquinii in Etruria to Rome by the advice of his wife, the prophetess Tanaquil. Tanaquil was famous for her shrewdness and prophetic gifts, which enabled her to foretell the future greatness of her husband." (Brit.)

That old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan."While the name Old Serpent includes Satan, 'the prince of devils,' it is here evidently used as a synonym for all the sinful agencies and powers which had their rise in him." (S32.) "Our Lord's declaration that Satan is the great Adversary, not only of God, but of humanity, is by no means a fancy sketch, but the plain truth. Satan alone is the wilful, intelligent plotter and schemer who uses a superhuman intelligence and, so far as permitted, superhuman powers, in opposing righteousness and truth and those who are of the Truth. The inspired record asserts, persistently and consistently, that Satan began the rebellion against the divine law, and seduced our first parents into disobedience, through his own ambition for power; and that since man's fall this same Adversary has been the implacable opponent of God, of righteousness and of truth; and not only the ensnarer of mankind, but the opposer of the great Plan of Atonement which God devised and is prosecuting through Christ. From the Scriptural account it does not appear that Satan had any sympathizers or associate conspirators amongst the angels at the time of his secession and attempt to establish a lordship or dominion of his own in the earth."-F611.

And bound him.-" "The god of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.' (2 Cor. 4:4.) God wills that all should be so saved from all the train of evils following Adam's sin and curse, that they may come to a knowledge of the Truth. Why does He will this? To the intent that having a clear knowledge of the Truth they may make the very best possible use of the new trial for life secured for them by their Redeemer's Ransom-sacrifice. It is for the carrying out of this, God's will, that the Redeemer will inaugu rate His Millennial Kingdom, which will first bind Satan (restrain all outside evil influences) and then release man from his blindness;-as it is written, 'the eyes of the blind shall be opened.' (Isa. 35:5.) For the same reason, viz., that the new trial shall be most favorable for man, it is the Divine arrangement that its work shall be done gradually and require a thousand years." (E480, 470.) "The Millennial Day is dawning, with its change of earth's ruler ship from the control of the 'prince of this world' and his faithful, to the control of Him 'whose right it is' (by pur chase) and His faithful saints. We have seen that though the result of this change will be a great blessing; yet the time of the transfer, while the present prince, the 'strong man,' is being bound and his household driven out of power

(Matt. 12:29), will be a time of intense trouble." (C341.) "In reference to it Jesus said, 'No man can enter into a strong man's house and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man, and then he will spoil his house.' (Mark 3:22-27; Luke 11:22.) This effective binding of Satan is accordingly shown to be the first work of the New Dispensation." (A68.) "The Adversary's every deceptive and misleading influence will be restrained-so that evil shall no longer appear to men to be good, nor good appear undesirable, evil. Truth shall no longer appear to men untrue, nor falsehoods be caused to appear true." (D519.) "The words of inspiration give us to understand that Satan's struggles to retain control of mankind will be especially desperate at its close."-S78.

A thousand years.-The Millennial Day, the Day of the Lord's rest, following the six thousand years of evil which ended in 1874. "One Day is with the Lord as a thousand years." (2 Pet. 3:8; Psa. 90:4.) "It was the claim of the Papacy that the thousand years of Christ's Reign, the Millennium, promised in Scripture to follow Christ's Second Advent, began in the year 800 A. D., under Pope Leo III., who claimed to be the representative of Christ, His vice-gerent, to begin Christ's Reign in His stead. In that year the 'Papal states' were ceded to the Church by Emperor Charlemagne. Their 'Millennium' ended, it was claimed, in the year 1799, when Napoleon confiscated the territories granted to the Church and took the Pope, Pius VI., a captive to France, where he died. The succeeding freedom from Papal persecution, and the widespread circulation of the Bible in the languages of the people, was declared by the Papal leaders to be the 'little season' (Rev. 20:3) to follow the thousand-year Reign of Christ on earth; and they are hoping that soon they will regain their former power and prestige and once more reign supreme, and that their rule will be permanent. This Papal Millennium is known in history as the 'Dark Ages.' During those dark centuries millions were tortured, exiled and murdered for refusing to bow to the mandates of the apostate Church, under the leadership of Popes, Bishops and priests. Agents and spies were employed to apprehend and bring to punishment any who were found to express sentiments contrary to the Papal hierarchy, or who failed to bow in abject submission to their authority. Thus were the nations of Europe paganized, and steeped in error and superstition and in reverence for men who falsely claimed to be the special and authorized representatives of God on earth. They presumed to have authority to alter the Laws of God when it seemed advisable to them to do so, and