The Revelation of Jesus Christ - The Herald

St. John further informs us that he saw this tabernacle of the testimony in heaven. The
heaven referred to is the same heaven in which he saw the "seven angels having the seven
last plagues" (verse 1)--the symbolical heavens, the religious or ecclesiastical heavens. He
also tells us that he saw this tabernacle opened. St. John seems to represent the true Church
at the time of the vision's fulfillment. It seems designed, therefore, to teach that at the time
the vision meets fulfillment, the Lord's true saints would have disclosed to them the true
significance of those things typified by the tabernacle of the testimony.
It is well to notice the relationship this vision sustains to others heretofore explained. We
recall the vision of Rev. 13, where we are informed that besides other evil doings, the great
anti-Christian system there portrayed "blasphemed God and His tabernacle and those who
tabernacled in heaven." The meaning is that this system had misrepresented and distorted
God's character, and His true tabernacle, the Church; not alone by defiling the truths
concerning them, but also by claiming itself to be the true tabernacle--the Church of God.
We also recall the vision in which a command was given to St. John to "measure the
temple of God," etc. (Rev. 11:1.) Briefly stated the meaning of this measuring the temple
and its worshipers and altar, etc., would be to . . .
". . . take a just estimate of what constitutes the true Church, as distinguished from all
other associations of men; to institute a careful examination into the opinions in the
Church on the subject of sacrifice or atonement--involving the whole question about the
method of justification before God; and to take a correct estimate of what constitutes true
membership in the Church; or to investigate with care the prevailing opinions about the
qualifications for membership. This would find a fulfillment if there should arise a state of
things in the Church in which it would be necessary to draw a line between those who
properly constituted the Church and those who did not."
Such a state of things actually existed in the professed Church at the time the Reformation
began, and this symbolic measuring may in a sense be said to have begun at that time. The
vision under consideration, however, applies to the period in history when this symbolic
measuring was concluded namely the present harvest period.
The expression, "after these things," does not mean after in the sense of their fulfillment,
but after St. John saw the vision of the "victors of the glassy sea," mentioned by him in the
preceding vision. The fact seems to be that the two visions are contemporaneous in their
fulfillment.
"And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure
and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles."--Rev. 15:6.
It will be to the point in this connection to note two very striking correspondencies
between this vision and that of the seventh trumpet. (Rev. 11:15-19.) The correspondency
we notice first is that in both visions we have portrayed as opening to St. John's sight the
symbolical tabernacle or temple: "And the temple of God was opened in the heaven, and
there was seen the ark of the Lord's covenant in His temple." (Rev. 11:19.) And in the