The Revelation of Jesus Christ - The Herald

those who fled to churches, and were murdered there by the holy crusaders, drenched the
altars and flowed through the streets."
It will be recalled that the fourth living one was like a flying eagle. The eagle's power of
flight seems to be the quality that constitutes the force of this symbol. In chapter 12 it is
stated that the woman, representing the virgin Church, was given "wings like a great
eagle." The symbol in general represents the protecting power of God over His people.
(Exod. 19:4.) It would seem in the symbol under consideration to represent the exercise of
the protecting power of God in giving a knowledge of the Holy Scriptures--lifting the
Church on eagles' wings as it were, above the false doctrines and idolatrous rites, thus
enabling her to escape the destruction that threatened her through Papacy's idolatries and
persecutions.
Thus did our Lord Jesus, in the breaking of these four seals, have given to Him a
knowledge of the rise and exaltation of the false, persecuting church system; thus did He
have revealed to Him the cruel and terribly trying circumstances and conditions which the
Heavenly Father in His infinite wisdom saw best to permit in order to develop the Little
Flock of joint-heirs of the Kingdom; and He in turn gives to the Church this revelation. The
details, the times and seasons, etc., of this history, are more minutely described in
succeeding visions.
The fifth seal opened
"And when He had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were
slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a
loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost Thou not judge and avenge our
blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of
them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their
fellow-servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be
fulfilled."--Rev. 6:9-11.
It will be of special assistance to the student in understanding this and other visions of the
book of Revelation, if he will keep in mind that the throne vision of Revelation 4 and 5 is
continually before the Apostle's sight; he is continually beholding the Lamb as He breaks
the seals and opens the book. For a time his attention would be diverted from the throne
scene to the movements of the horsemen upon the earth; but during this time he would
frequently hear voices proceeding from the actors of the throne vision. As an illustration,
the four "living ones" say to the horsemen, "Come"; and in connection with the opening of
the third seal, he heard a voice proceeding from the midst of the "living ones." And now in
connection with the opening of the fifth seal his attention is taken away from the actions of
the horsemen on the earth and turned again to the throne scene. Another object is
seemingly for the first time brought to view. It is that of an altar, evidently an altar of
sacrifice, as is shown in the symbolic transactions occurring in connection therewith. It
was on the altar of sacrifice in the services of the typical tabernacle that the "bullock,"
representing the man Christ Jesus, was sacrificed, was consumed. It was also on this altar