The Reformation: Its Divine Origin

Revelation X 1-7

THE series of Visions that follows, from Revelation X 1 to xi. 13, belongs still to the Sixth Trumpet, and symbolizes events during the progress of the Second or Turkish Woe, the passing away of which is not mentioned till Revelation XI 14. These events take place on earth, not in God's heaven, for the Mighty Angel stands on sea and land.

A Divine Interposition

Against the gloomy background of the prevalent idolatry, superstition, and corruption of morals described in Revelation ix. 20, 21, a series of glorious pictures is shown, representing a sudden, light-giving, world arousing intervention of the Lord Himself, on behalf of His true Spiritual Church. He appears as the Light of the soul, made manifest to all men, revealing afresh the Gospel of His grace, re-asserting His rights, vindicating His honor, and making His voice to be heard far and wide as the roaring of a lion; all this too at a time when idolatrous worship and its invariable accompaniment, gross immorality, widely prevailed.

Sudden, and most Public

In the Sealing Vision of Revelation vii. 2-8, the Lord's intervention was represented as comparatively quiet, secret, unperceived by the inhabitants of the world. But here the accompanying signs of glory and power openly displayed prefigured an interposition by the Lord Jesus, sudden, striking, altogether exceptional; in vindication of His covenant to the Church (signified by "the rainbow") in which He could display before mankind His enlightening beams as the Sun of Righteousness; would assert by word and deed His rights to the world as His inheritance; and with voice resounding throughout the whole Roman earth, as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, would strike terror into the enemies of His Church.

By the Little Book held opened in His left hand was prefigured the chief means whereby all this was to be accomplished by the re-publication of the teachings of His holy Word; by the public opening of His own book before the eyes of mankind; that is, either the whole Bible in a small form, or the New Testament alone. From this epoch onwards printing would begin to make it possible for the Book to be produced in much smaller size than of old, as well as for it to be far more widely distributed and made known.

His feet as "pillars of fire" from beneath the mantling cloud might signify that He would make the destroying fire of His power felt, to the confusion of His enemies, and the triumph of His cause and people. Or, bearing in mind His declaration, "I am come to send fire on earth," it might be an intimation' that the effect of the re-publication of His Gospel would be divisions, contentions, and fierce wars of opinion.

St. John a Representative Man

Throughout this series of Visions, as elsewhere in this book, St. John is a Representative Man. At each epoch he fills the place of Christ's true ministers and people, who hold apostolic faith and practice; and his share in the action means that at the time belonging to each Vision, they would experience or do, in actual history, the same as or like that experienced or done in the Vision by St. John himself.

Thus notwithstanding the cloud that mantled the Covenant Angel, St. John gazed upon and realized the glory and the divinity of His aspect, and heard His voice, When the Seven Thunders spoke, he was prepared to write, until deterred by warning from on high. He then heard a solemn declaration from the Covenant Angel as to the position of his intervention in the great drama of the world's history; namely that it was separated by only one more Trumpet blast from the consummation. Under the same heavenly impulse as before, he went and took the Little Book out of the hand of the Angel, ate it up, and tasted its sweetness and its bitterness. He received the Angel's charge to prophesy again. He was presented with a reed like unto a rod, wherewith to measure the Temple and its worshippers. Finally, there was set before him in retrospect the history of Christ's witnesses, through the dark ages preceding, even up to the time then present.

By all this was prefigured not only in general terms, some great re-awakening at era in the professing Church, of the apostolical spirit in all its energy of action; but something in the views, history actions, or experience of the Reforming Fathers and people-John's successors in office and spirit-corresponding in each particular with what was heard, done, or experienced by the Evangelist himself in Vision.

General Features of the Reformation

The series of visions comes accurately in its right historical position. First the Woe of the Saracen Locusts, and next that of the Turkish Horsemen, had proved ineffectual for repentance, and the and the condition of things seemed hopeless. Awful superstition and immorality prevailed, and Christ's witnesses existed only in secret.

The next great event in European history was the outburst of the glorious Reformation, just as it is pictured here. There is no other event but the Reformation, from St. John's time resent, that can be shown to answer to this series of Visions; but that one does, in every particular. Sudden, unexpected, the human instrumentality apparently so inadequate, the results of such surpassing and enduring importance if ever event had the character of some direct intervention of Divine Providence, this one had.

The history of the Reformation is the history of one of the greatest outpourings of life that cometh from God." Its most prominent characteristic as a religious revival was the public setting forth of the Lord Jesus as the true Light of the soul, the Sun of Righteousness, the Lord our Justification. All this was owned and felt by multitudes in different nations and lands.

It was a crisis in which, through the voice of the Reformers sounding wide and loud, the Lord rebuked His userping enemies, as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. By the providential overthrow of the Usurper's authority in a tenth part of the Apostate City the Lord asserted His rights to the earth as his inheritance.

"All the tithe of the land is the Lord's"(Lev. xxvii. 30).

The very proportion may have been meant to indicate that He claimed the whole, and that his claim was acknowledged.

All this was done in connexion with the re-publication of His Gospel, the public re-opening of His own written Word, so long cast aside and forgotten. New and wide publicity was given to the neglected oracles of God, and to the forgotten doctrines of His grace.

Finally this enlightenment and deliverance of His Church and religion was not accomplished without fiery contentions, long continued wars, and fierce conflicts of opinion; in all of which the Lord's power was displayed, to support His truth and to discomfit His foes.