The Revelation of Jesus Christ - The Herald

about 1829 that a distinctive Advent movement began to be felt world-wide in the Church;
and it was not until some years after what is termed the Miller disappointment, which
occurred in 1844, that the clear full light came.
"And the night in like manner": These are the closing words of this fourth trumpet symbol.
"Night" by the law of analogy as contrasted with day represents the time of the reign of sin
and death. The special lights for the night are the moon and the stars. The darkening of the
night, therefore, would mean that the reflected light from the moon, proceeding from the
prophecies, types, and shadows, etc., of the Law dispensation pointing to this Millennial
Day would be dimmed, so as to make the darkness of this night of the reign of sin and
death more intense.
The Lord's saints are creatures of hope. They are called in the Scriptures "the children of
the day." (1 Thess. 5:5.) They, in this night time of sin and death live by faith in the light of
this coming day. The hope that was set before them in the beginning of the Age was that of
the coming and the reign of Christ, including the hope of reigning with Him. The hope of
the resurrection, not only of the just but of the unjust as well (Acts 24:15), was perverted
and distorted by the teaching of the immortality of the soul, etc., so as to cause these
precious truths to be deprived of their blessed influence over the Lord's saints in both their
life and teaching. The true hope of the Church became darkened, and thus were many
deprived of the help and comfort designed to be given to the Church in its pilgrimage,
wilderness state. In this way was the little flock of persecuted ones sorely tried. However,
He who walked in the midst of the candlesticks was with them as He promised, supplying
through faithful ones raised up for that purpose, the oil of truth necessary for their
sustenance.
This fourth trumpet vision is quite generally applied by Historical expositors, to the
overthrow of the Western Roman Empire, 476 AD. The sun, moon, and stars are applied
by these expositors to the civil ruling powers. The darkening of these luminaries is
explained by them to describe the evil influences upon the people of the Roman Empire,
by the overthrow of the Roman government.
There are those who apply the symbols of this trumpet to the Baptist movement beginning
in the days of the great Reformation. It cannot be truthfully said, however, in the light of
history, that the Baptist Church movement caused the eclipse of these heavenly luminaries
so that the Millennial hopes and prospects were lost to the Church. These blessed hopes,
etc., had already been lost sight of before the Reformation began, and each reform
movement, the Baptist included, has had measurably, at least, an influence to restore them
again.
In our expositions thus far we have found that the Papal system has been quite frequently
referred to. We have found its gradual rise portrayed in the horsemen of the second, third,
and fourth seals--these describing the desire to rule in the Church, which at last
culminated in this rulership becoming centered in the Roman Bishop. In the third trumpet
we have depicted its embittering or poisoning the fountains and rivers of truth. In the