The Revelation of Jesus Christ - The Herald

succeeding visions of this chapter, as we shall endeavor to show later, are portrayed as
performing a service under the leadership of Christ, who will be present though invisible,
that has an important bearing in connection with the full establishment of the Kingdom, in
its blessing aspects to the world. This work is, first, to declare a message, announcing that
the time of judgment is come--evidently the great thousand-year Judgment Day; second, to
announce the fall from favor of symbolical Babylon; third, to give a warning to the Lord's
people, counseling them to separate themselves from the beast system and its image, and
to be watchful and careful that they keep themselves free from the mark of the beast. This
work is recorded in the visions that follow.
All these things show that it is the beginning stages of Christ's presence that is described in
the vision of the Lamb standing on Mount Zion. Indeed it will be found to be true that all
the visions that follow, beginning with the one under consideration, refer to the closing
events in connection with the deliverance of the last members of the Church and the
judgments on Christendom; the only exceptions being those in chapters 17 and 18, where
the revealing angel gives in his explanation, a retrospective view of the doings of the anti-
Christian system of Papacy, and those of chapters 20, 21, and 22, which will be fulfilled
after the change of the Church. Many Bible students have for some time understood that
this assumption of authority by Christ will not be visible to either the Church or the world.
The fact of this assumption of authority will be made known gradually, first to the
watching ones of the Lord's people, and finally to the whole world. The period in which
the Lord is secretly present, gathering the faithful is called the "parousia" (presence) of the
Lord. The manner in which the "presence" will be made known, revealed to the world, is
described in the word "epiphania." The word epiphania means "bright-shining," and the
significance of the word in this connection is that the knowledge of His presence will be
made known to the world gradually, by the epiphania, bright-shining of truth along all
lines. This bright-shining noted in the outward signs of the times, will, of course, be first
realized by the Watchers, and finally by the world after the Church has been glorified. At
last the bright-shining of truth will be so clear, that even the supporters of the anti-
Christian systems will be made aware of the untruthfulness of their claims. This will cause
the work of destruction, as described by St. Paul: "whom the Lord . . . shall destroy with
the epiphania [bright-shining] of His parousia [presence]."--2 Thess. 2:8.
We quote in this connection from an article entitled, The Parousia of Our Lord Jesus and His
Subsequent Apokalupsis and Epiphania:
"Foregoing we drew the line of distinction between the parousia and the epiphania or
apokalupsis of our Lord quite sharply, to assist the reader in noting their difference of
signification. As a matter of fact, however, the bright-shining of the present One is due to
begin shortly after the parousia begins; and again as at the First Advent it will be true that
the 'Light shineth in the darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not.' The revealing of
the Lord's presence begins with the faithful of the Church speedily, and gradually extends
to the world in general. Up to the time when the strength of the trouble breaks forth, only
the faithful Watchers discern the parousia, and only by them can the bright-shining
[epiphania] of the Lord's presence be appreciated. To these the bright-shining of the Lord's