The Revelation of Jesus Christ - The Herald

vision under consideration: "And after these things I saw, and the temple of the tabernacle
of the testimony in heaven was opened."--Rev. 15:5.
There can scarcely be any question that the two visions refer largely to the same thing and
apply to the same time. Both occur in connection with the beginning of the sounding of the
seventh trumpet; and both imply that during the whole period of Antichrist's power and
evil influence the significance of this symbolical temple or tabernacle was misunderstood.
This does not mean, however, that there were none called, or that none made their calling
and election sure to the heavenly inheritance during the long period of the temple's
defilement. In the Divine overruling, all the truth and light necessary to the
accomplishment of the Lord's purpose in the call--the consecration and development of the
heavenly class of joint-heirs of the Kingdom--has been permitted to shine.
The second correspondency is that stated in the words, "Thy wrath is come" (Rev. 11:18),
evidently referring to the false religious systems of Christendom. This expression is
doubtless a general statement of that which is more particularly described in the symbols
of the seven last plagues, "for in them is filled up the wrath of God."--Rev. 15:1.
In regard to the general significance of angels, as employed in the Apocalypse, the
following is to the point:
"The mighty angels, messengers or agents of His power, are various, and may properly be
understood as applying and including all the various agencies, animate and inanimate,
which shall be used by our Lord in the overthrow of the evil systems of the present, and
the chastisement of evil doers."
As the special part of the work that the "victors of the glassy sea" are to accomplish in
connection with this destruction seems to be represented in this vision, we would
therefore understand that the "seven angels" represent the living saints, those who had
gotten the victory over the beast, and his image, and mark, etc. A difficulty in this is that
the saints in their earthly state seem to do the work of smiting or destroying the false
religious governments and religious systems. Would not this be out of harmony with our
Lord's instructions in regard to the work appointed for the Church of the Gospel Age?
In order to understand that this is only a seeming objection, it will be necessary to have in
mind the two phases and stages of the work that is to accomplish the overthrow of the
false religious systems. One phase is that of exposing the falsity of the claims, as also the
errors of these false religious systems; the other has to do with the agencies used to
destroy them. Both of these works are stated in the Scriptures as accomplished by the
Lord. It is the first that is represented in this vision and in other places as the work of the
saints. It will be the unfolding and disseminating of those Scriptures that describe the true
Gospel of God, as well as those that expose the real condition of nominal Christianity, that
is the work described as being accomplished by the living saints of the closing years of the
Age. This is in perfect harmony with other Scriptures that describe these judgments of
God. The words of St. Paul in 2 Thess. 2:8, "Whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit
of His mouth [that is, by the proclamation of His Truth], and destroy with the brightness