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LECTURES

OS

T II E REVELATION.

BY

THE REV. WILLIAM RAMSAY,


CRTEFF.

WITH A DIAGIL\M OF THE SCIIF.Mf: OF THE PROPHF.CY.

EDINBURGH:
GRANT & TAYLOR, 21 GEORGE STREET.
LONDON: .JOONSTO NE & HUNTER, PATERNOSTER ROW.
GLASGOW: DAVID ROBERTSON. ABERDEEN: O. &I R. KING.
PERTH: T. RICHARDSON.

CRIEFF: A. M'DONALD.

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:EXPLANATION OF THE DIAGRAM.


No. l.
b this is exhibited the three grand divisions of the Book of Revelation.
I.-The first division is Christ in the midst of the golden candlesticks,
exhibiting an appearance symbolic of all his dispensations to his
Chnrch to the end of time. This is" what John had seen" (chapter
i. 19), and is symbolic of the second scene.
11.-The second scene, or division, is the Seven Churches of the Lesser
Asia, and Christ's Epistles to them, which is an expansion of the
first Beene, or Christ in the midst of the Churches. This division
e<>ntains "the things that are" (chapter i. 19), and is symbolic of
the third Beene.
Ill-The third division is the seven periods of the New Testament dispen
sation, being the second scene farther CJ:tended, or Christ still in
the midst of the ChnrcheB. This contains "the things which shall
be hereafter" (chapter i. 19).

No.2.
In this is exhibited the third grand division of the book, in ite three
dift"erent scenes or sub-divisions.
l,t Scene.-The opening of the book with seven sea.ls, which brings the
whole characters into the field.
2d Scene.-The seven trumpets introduced by the opening of the seventh
seal. The rise and reign of Antichrist.
3d Scene.-The vials introduced by the blast of the seventh trumpet, under
which the Antichristian system is brought to min.
NoTE.-Under the blast of the six trumpet, the kingdom of Antichrist is
here seen increasing (from the angle at the first trumpet to the line of the
eeven Tia.la) nntil the seventh trumpet sound, which proclaims ite downfall,
and introduces the seven vials. TheBe vials discharge their contents npon
that system, and bring it down in the same order in which it arose (decreas
ing from the line of the seven trumpets to the angle at the seventh vial)
until the seventh vial is poured into the air, which brings it to close,
lnd purifies both the Church and the world from the whole effects of the
'}'Item.

Jl:OfRl'RGH !
PRINTIIO liY ORA.NT ANO TAYLok, OIOROK STRsrr.

PREF ACE.
WERE any apology necessary for presenting to the public a.
New Commentary on the Book of the Revelation, we might
refer to those streams of light which the providence of God is
in the present day shedding upon Scripture prophecy. This
deeply interesting, sublime, and mysterious department of the
Word of God has for ages occupied the attention of many
learned, intelligent, and pious commentators, a great portion
of whom, although mighty in the Scriptures, owing to the times
in which they lived, or the circumstances in which they were
placed, had to plod their way amid darkness which is now fast
disappearing. With such disadvantages, it need not surprise
us although they often stumbled or mistook their path. But
are we, on that account, to throw aside their commentaries, or
discard their labours as useless? By no means. Many of these
are the production of powerful minds, of sanctified genius and
talent, and to the student of prophecy are highly valuable.
They may not have been able to penetrate into all the myste
rious depths of this rich mine of prophetic truth, or to explore
aJI its hidden treasures; nay, they may have often wasted their

VI

PREFACE.

energy and their labour in digging only in the neighbourhood


of the richest treasures; but their labour ha.s not been in vain.
They have broken the ground, they have opened the aha.ft, and
they have brought up such rich specimens of the golden ore as
to encourage and enable their successors to penetrate farther,
and to work out the rich veins which have been left by them
unexplored. Nor in doing this dare we bo11,St of superiority of
gifts or talents. We have advantages which they possessed
not. We live in times and amid events to which they were
strangers. he soul-stirring events of Divine Providence in
our time are casting such a flood of light upon the golden mine
of prophecy, as to make gems, hitherto wrapt in obscurity,
sparkle with brilliancy as at noon-day.
Without taxing the patience of the reader with a long list of
commentators and their various and conflicting opinions, the
Author begs to state that he differs from those who take a dis
jointed view of this prophecy, as if its different departments
had little or no connexion one with another. The Book of
Revelation appears to be one grand whole, exhibited to us in
the most connected and regular order. The whole book is "the
Revelation of Jesus Christ." He differs also from those who
mix literal and symbolic interpretation together, a plan which
leads to uncertainty and confusion. He also disapproves of the
application of the prophecy to events entirely connected with
the states or kingdoms of this world. The Church of Christ
seems especially to be the subject of prophetic narrative, and the
kingdoms of the world appear to be introduced only in so far
as their history bears upon the history of the Church, and so
far as they are affected by God's dispensations toward his
Church. Neither does he agree with those who apply many
of the figures in the prophecy to individuals, or to certain
localities. These figures are generally the symbols of systems,

PREI<'ACi,;.

Vll

and not of individuals-systems which continue in existence


and operation long beyond the period of the existence of any
individual.
But there is one mistake common to almost all preceding com
mentators, a mistake under which some intelligent expositors
labour even in the present day, viz., restricting the Antichris
tia.n system to the Church of Rome, or the Papa.I kingdom.
True, indeed, it was in that kingdom that Antichrist arose, and
that he arrived a.t the height of his power, and perhaps it is
still there that the greater portion of the carcass of the beast is
to be found. But there is abundance of convincing evidence
that his monstrous size has out-grown the boundaries of the
Romish Church. These writhings and quiverings, sent to his
very extremities by the burning contents of the vials of God's
wrath, which are being poured out upon his carcass, arc dis
covering where his limbs are, and a.re plainly shewing that they
have been stretched out into Churches and societies where our
forefathers little suspected. Even in the occasional ostentation
and external display of Dissenting Churches, there may be
heard the echo of that voice which proceeds from the "mouth
speaking great things;" and in the attempts sometimes ma.de
to dictate and to lord it over God's heritage, there may be seen
the side-glances of that "look that is more stout than his fel
lows." Restricting the Antichristian system to the Pa.pal
kingdom is a mistake which has embarrassed the minds of the
most intelligent commentators. Even the acute and powerful
mind of the late Mr CULBERTSON appears to have been
hampered by it. His Exposition of the Book of Revelation is
a work of great research, displaying no ordinary talents-a.
work which supersedes almost every commentary of the kind
that has preceded it, and a work to which the Author of this
volumo gratefully acknowledges his obligations; but labouring

viii

PREFACE.

under the idea, in common with a host of other expositors,


that Antichrist was Rome, and that the two antagonist powers
in this prophecy were Popery and Protestantism, we sometimes
find him shrouded in mist, which otherwise wouJd have dis
appeared before the brightness of his powerful intellect.
In this exposition the Author has endeavoured to mark the
line of distinction between the two great antagonist systems
exhibited to view in this book-between Christ and his cause
on the one side, and Antichrist or the beast and his kingdom
on the other. He has endeavoured to trace the monster to his
den, and to discover where his haunt is-a task which is the
less difficuJt, inasmuch as his track is generally strewed with
spoil, and the prints of his feet marked with blood-a circum
stance which will enable any attentive observer to follow him
through all his windings until his body is given to the burning
flame, and until the Church is heard raising her shout of
triumph, ".Alleluia; for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth."
In all this the Author has endeavoured to be guided by the
light of Scripture, which he has uniformly found to be its own
best interpreter. He has never hesitated to follow other com
mentators when they appeared to him travelling in the plain
and legitimate path of interpretation; but neither has he hesi
tated to leave them when he was convinced that they had
deviated from that path. He wouJd reckon it presumption to
imagine that his investigation of this sublime and mysterious
book is perfect, or that he has exhausted the subject; but he
will reckon it no small acquisition if one hidden gem has been
brought to light, or a path discovered by which future com
mentators may more easily discover other and richer veins of
the precious ore.
In most of those views where he has found it necessary to
differ from other commentators, he has been encouraged and

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PREFACE.

ix

supported by the approbation of many of his brethren of the


highest talent, and in some of them he has been confirmed by
their fulfilment, in God's providence, since the Lectures were
first delivered. These Lectures were given to his own congre
gation, in the ordinary course of his ministrations, upwards of
ten years ago, and are now presented to the public considerably
condensed, although not abridged. On this account the sub
stance of two Lectures is often thrown into one, the Author
judging it necessary to omit several points of doctrinal and
practical discussion, in order to prevent the work from being
voluminous, which would have placed it beyond the reach
of many who might incline to peruse it.
While the Author cherishes the most unfeigned gratitude to
his numerous subscribers, who have so frankly responded to his
proposal of publishing the work, it is his earnest prayer that
they, and multitudes of others, may experience" the blessedness
of those who read, and who hear the words of this prophecy,
and keep those things which are written therein; for the time
is at hand."
CBIEFF, Novembt"T, 1849.

OUTLINE

on .ANALYSIS OF THE BOOK OF REVELATION.

Tera book appean to form three grand divisions, the preceding being
symbolic of the one which follows it. The tint division is contained in
Chapter I. In this chapter is the opening scene-Christ in the midst of the
lleTen golden candlesticks, arrayed in all the emblems of his future dispen
utions to his Church. Thia is symbolic of the two following depart
ments, and is a mmmary of the whole. In the 20th verse Christ shews the
connexion between this and the following division.
Chapters II. and III. contain Christ's seven epiatles to the Seven Churches
of the Lesser Asia, which is the second grand division of this prophetic book,
-wider exte111ion of the first division, and symbolic of the third; Christ's
epistles being directed to the Church in all the T&rious periods of her
exiatence-" he that bath ears to hear let him hear," and these Churches
uhibiting the characteristics of the Church in all her future hiatory.
The third grand division of the Book is contained in the remaining portion
of it, from Chapter IV. to the end, and is just the expansion of the two pre
eeding diTisions, and contains a prophetic narrative of the history of tho
Church and of Christ's dispensations towards her to the end of time.
In Chapter IV., before the prophetic operations of the scene begin, John
baa a view of the glory of the ETERNAL, and of the awful aplendour of his
throne, erected amid the myriads of bis worshippers both in heann and in
earth.
In Chapter V. the glory of God i11een beaming around his throne, while
.He that sits on it holds in his hand the book containing the future destinies
of tho Church, and his future dispe!lll&tions toward her. Christ takes this
book, and proceeds to open it, and to reveal the whole scheme in regular and
well-ordered departments. These departments, into which this third grand
division of the book is sub-divided, are three1. The 18TeU seals ;
2. Tho seven trumpets ;
3. Tho seven vials.
These form the three great divisions of the prophecy in its expanded Conn.

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