The Revelation of Jesus Christ - The Herald

Papacy's power in this direction, we would look for momentous disturbances in the
French government. Mr. Guinness makes the following interesting observation:
"Taken as a whole the French Revolution was a convulsion, in which the angry passions of
men, set free from all restraint, manifested themselves with a force and fury
unprecedented in the history of the world, against monarchial, aristocratic, ecclesiastical,
and religious institutions. Let these things be considered in the light of a mighty and
successful revolt against, and overthrow of absolute monarchial power, and Papal tyranny
and usurpation, and it will at once be granted that nothing similar had ever occurred
previously, in the history of the fourth great empire. Terribly iniquitous had been the
career of the monarchial power thus rudely overthrown; and fearfully corrupt the
priesthood and religion thus utterly and with abhorrence rejected. A solemn character of
retribution attaches to even the worst excesses of the French Revolution. The Papacy in the
hour of its agony was exultingly reminded of its own similar cruelties against Protestants.
Papists were treated according to the example set by Papists of other days, and the worst
barbarities of revolutionary France could not out-herod the previous barbarities of Papal
France."
To this agree the words of Mr. Russell:
"In the symbolic language of Revelation, the French Revolution was indeed a 'great
earthquake'--a social shock so great that all 'Christendom' trembled until it was over; and
that terrible and sudden outburst of a single nation's wrath, only a century ago, may give
some idea of the fury of the coming storm, when the wrath of all the angry nations will
burst the bands of law and order and cause a reign of universal anarchy. . . . A nation
intoxicated with Babylon's wine of false doctrines in church and state, and long bound by
priestcraft and superstition, there vomited forth its pollution and spent the force of its
maddened rage. In fact, the French Revolution seems referred to by our Lord in His
Revelation to John on Patmos as a prelude to, and an illustration of, the great crisis now
approaching. It should be observed also that the same causes which operated to bring
about that great calamity, are now operating to produce a similar, but far more extensive
revolution, a revolution which will be world-wide."
This great revolution began with an outbreak or insurrectionary movement at Paris in
July, 1789, including the destruction of the Bastille. On January 21, 1793, Louis XVI was
beheaded. It was brought to an end in 1794 when Robespierre himself suffered on the
guillotine the fate to which he had condemned countless numbers of his countrymen. Thus
was fulfilled the first event of the sixth seal.
Concerning the other symbols and their fulfillments it has been observed:
"The sun as a symbol represents the Gospel light, the Truth--and thus Christ Jesus. The
moon as a symbol represents the light of the Mosaic Law. As the moon is a reflection of the
light of the sun, so the Law was the shadow or reflection beforehand of the Gospel. The
[twelve] stars as symbols represent the inspired teachers of the Church--the Apostles. The
heavens, as already shown, represent the ecclesiastical powers of Christendom. A