The Revelation of Jesus Christ - The Herald

very similar to the terrible scenes that are now closing this Age, and the causes leading up
to the same. In many respects, however, this application fails. The events of the French
Revolution particularly the Reign of Terror were to a large extent local and confined to
France, while those depicted in this vision are world-wide in extent. The events of the
French Revolution and Reign of Terror resulted largely in weakening the Papal system,
from which it has partially recovered; while the vision of this second plague has a special
reference--not to Papacy, but to the "sea" class of humanity, and describes a final ending of
the same. There can be no question, however, that Papacy will be affected indirectly by
this judgment plague; indeed, all the religious governments will be affected. These events,
as we shall see, are portrayed in a special manner in other of the "plague" visions.
Furthermore, this plague cannot be located so far back in history as the French Revolution,
but must meet its fulfillment after the image of the beast is formed, which was, as we
understand, in 1846. Still further, when this vision of the second plague begins to meet its
fulfillment, these evil occurrences among the irreligious classes symbolized, increase more
and more in severity until the "sea" class is absorbed in the new order, the new earth state.
Third vial poured on rivers and fountains of waters
"And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they
became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which
art, and wast, and shalt be, because Thou hast judged thus. For they have shed the blood
of saints and prophets, and Thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. And
I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are
Thy judgments."--Ver. 4-7.
Two of the principal symbols employed in this vision of the third plague, namely
fountains and rivers, are found in the third trumpet vision. In that, as also in this, the
fountains and rivers are affected, although in a different way. In the trumpet symbol the
fountains and rivers are represented as becoming embittered (poisoned); in this third
plague vision the fountains and rivers are changed to blood, thus becoming distasteful,
loathsome, to those accustomed to drink of them. The fountains and rivers, when pure, are
the true sources and channels of truth--Christ, the Apostles and Prophets, etc. In this
vision of the third plague the Protestant (so-called) impure, muddy channels seem to be
represented. These systems inherited from the "mother" system, Papacy, many egregious
errors, and for a long time they retained and taught zealously these errors in connection
with a certain measure of truth. In the symbol under consideration there seems to be
represented the fact that a time came when through increased knowledge and
independent thinking this mixture of truth and error became distasteful, loathsome. In the
vision this is represented by these fountains and rivers changing to blood.
We are familiar with the interpretations of this vision given by many expositors. Nearly all
of them since the Reformation make the fountains and rivers of this vision to represent
peoples, which is consistent with their erroneous interpretation of the same in the third
trumpet. The only interpretation that seems to meet all the requirements of the symbol is
the one given below; and its application to the history of the Protestant sects for the past