[1] The Author, in common with every other public speaker, and writer, on these themes, has been so often asked the question, "What of my loved ones who are out of Christ, how will they fare when we are gone, and the Church is gone?" Let me say that the more I study the Scriptures of the times of which this volume speaks, the more I am convinced that of the many who are brought to accept Christ (in the Gospel of His coming to reign, "the Gospel of the Kingdom,") through the sudden translation of the Church, even though they be ill-taught, perhaps only half-hearted, they will, under the preaching of the TWO WITNESSES, be wholly brought into fellowship with Christ, and will, themselves in turn, become faithful witnesses to the TRUTH. There is nothing in Scripture to warrant the belief that the preaching of the TWO WITNESSES will be confined to Jerusalem, and it is surely reasonable to suppose that London, Edinburgh, New York, Chicago, Berlin, and all other chief cities, will hear their voices in witness and warning. They will doubtless have thousands of converts, Jew and Gentile alike, or where will the great mult.i.tude whom John saw, come from. But all those left behind when Christ comes, who may be won to Him afterwards, will not only miss the glories of _the Heavenlies_ with Christ, but will suffer persecution, and many of them death at the hands of Anti-christ and his emissaries. (Author.)
CHAPTER XIV.
DEATH OF THE "TWO WITNESSES."
Apleon had been on the Temple mount for two hours. Part of that time he had been in the Temple itself, in and out of which there pa.s.sed continually, streams of people, all curious to see the wonderful image of Apleon, the image that had spoken, and that had slain "unbelievers."
Apleon had watched the ever-moving crowds of dupes, and noticed how every one of them bowed, or prostrated themselves before his image. He noticed, too, whenever his own presence had been realized, that the worshippers, while bowing _before_ the image faced him, Apleon, so that they really gave _him_ the worship.
In spite of all that Romanists, and others of a similar cult, may say, the _worship_ of an image or of a statue, means the worship of the person imaged or sculptured--this is the very essence of all image-worship. The great Chrysostom, in one of his records of his time, says:
"_When the images of the Emperor are sent down and brought into a city, its rulers and mult.i.tude go out to meet them with carefulness and reverence, not honouring the tablet or the representation moulded in wax, but the standing of the Emperor._"
Athanasius wrote:
"_He who worshippeth the image, in it worshippeth the emperor; for the image is his form and likeness._"
And the worship, in the Jerusalem Temple, of the _image_ of Apleon, ("The Beast") was the worship of the man himself.
There is a very curious word in Habakkuk ii. 9, "_Woe to him that saith to the wood, "Awake!" to the dumb stone, "Arise, it shall teach._"
Apleon, the Anti-christ actually qualifies himself for that "woe" of G.o.d"s.
A notice had been promulgated that in the "Broadway"--the wide, open square from which the great marble road to the Temple opened out,--throughout the whole day, the new "Covenant" brands would be affixed.
The "Covenant" sign, had for three years and a half been mostly worn (as we have seen) in the form of a ring on the right hand, or as a pendant frontlet upon the forehead. Some few million enthusiasts, it is true, had worn it _branded_ on the flesh of the forehead, but this had not been universal.
Now it had been decreed by Apleon, and endorsed by his second, the false Prophet, that the wearing of a _detatchable_ "Sign," be no longer permissable, that _all must be branded--or die_.
Brands, in several sizes, had been prepared, which, when pressed against the forehead, and worked by a spring-lever, left the d.a.m.nable mark upon the skin in deep, rich purple characters. The surface of the branding instrument was peculiarly soft and yielding, so that when, by the automatic inking, the mark was made, there was never an imperfect sign, but every character was truly formed. The ink used, claimed to be absolutely indelible, and those who had tried it, more than two years before, had found no break in any single line or curve if either of the characters.
For two hours, a hundred branders had been at work at their truly h.e.l.lish task, and if the _donning_ of the badges, three and a half years before had been in a veritable _holiday_ spirit, the acceptance of the brand, now, was with a blend of rapturous joy, and of actual worship.
With the infernal cunning which has ever characterized Satan"s efforts to thwart G.o.d and His Christ, he has counterfeited every rite, every sacrament of Christ"s Church. Hence Apleon, Satan"s tool, is very keen upon this matter of a baptismal sign. He makes a sacrament of it (i.
e. an oath or covenant of fidelity.) To show their allegiance to his infernal lordship, Anti-christ"s subjects must now wear his brand so that it can never be erased or removed, and his chaplain ("The False Prophet") "_causeth all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free and the bond, to receive_"--literal translation--"_a stamp or brand, on their right hand, or on their forehead_."
The preaching of the cross, of Jesus Christ as the World"s Redeemer, the putting away of sin, and the gift of eternal life by faith in G.o.d"s word of grace, the baptism into the name of Christ, had, for several decades, been growingly scouted as "foolishness." "An obsolete doctrine," all that was voted. "Men are far too intelligent to be bound by such a Bible creed as that. New times need new doctrines,"
etc., etc.
The twenty years immediately preceding the manifestation of the "Man of Sin," had been characterized by such utterances, and many others infinitely more impious, blasphemous, and senseless. "_But after the world by its wisdom knew not G.o.d, it was G.o.d"s good pleasure through the foolishness of the thing preached, to save them that believe_ . . .
Because THE FOOLISHNESS OF G.o.d is WISER THAN MEN." But when Anti-christ shall promulgate his devil-doctrines, senseless, idolatrous, humiliating, the bulk of men of every grade and cla.s.s, will suffer themselves to be branded like cattle in a round-up. Believing "the lie," deluded by that universal lie, they will have no choice, save to be branded, or to die. And to yield themselves to the infernal brand will mean to be cut off for ever from G.o.d.
"_If any man worship the Beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of G.o.d, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb; and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the Beast and his image_, AND WHOSOEVER RECEIVETH THE MARK OF HIS NAME." (Rev. xiv. 9-11.)
Simultaneous with the beginning of the branding, the two witnesses had taken up a position close by the branders, and had persistently witnessed to the near coming of the Lord in judgment upon those who wore the Mark of the Beast, while, at the same time, they denounced Apleon as the Anti-christ.
Over and over again during their testimony, attempts had been made to silence them, every conceivable death-attack had been made upon them--but nothing harmed them. No weapon formed against them could prosper, until their "witness" was completed. And every one who had a.s.sisted in any form, in attacking them, had died in the act.
Now, Apleon, attended by the ten kings, who had been summoned to Jerusalem, rode down from the Temple. At the branding station, the ten kings dismounted, and each received the foul mark on the forehead.
As the last of them received the brand, a startled wondering cry burst from some of the mult.i.tude who thronged "The Broadway," and following the many pointing fingers of the startled ones, every one saw how that purple, lambent flames played about Apleon"s forehead in the form of the "Covenant" sign.
"_He doeth great wonders in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by means of these miracles._" Rev. xiii. 12, 14.
"_Power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations._"
Rev. xiii. 7. "_He shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every G.o.d._"
Acclaiming him as very G.o.d, the people suddenly prostrated themselves in worship before the great deceiver.
Suddenly the voices of the two witnesses were heard. Both voices were clear and distinct, yet neither clashed with the other, even though each voice used separate terms. They stood about a hundred yards apart from each other.
Everyone rose to their feet, every eye was fixed upon the two grand, fearless faces, as they thundered forth their words of warning of judgment, of entreaty. Then suddenly they turned their gaze and their speech upon Apleon himself.
As the "Te Deum" sprang spontaneously from the lips of Ambrose and Augustine, each saint voicing an alternate stanza, so now the two witnesses hurled their fulminations against the Man of Sin:
"_Thou heart of all foulness and deceiveableness, with the breath of His lips shall the Christ slay thee._" Isa. xi. 4.
"_Thou marked one, the Lord shall consume thee with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy thee with the brightness of His coming._" 2 Thess. ii. 8.
"_O thou enemy! Thy destructions shall soon come to a perpetual end._"
Ps. lx. 6.
"_It shall come to pa.s.s in that day_ (when Jehovah shall deliver His people out of thy hands) _saith the Lord of Hosts, that I will break thy yoke_ (Apleon Emperor, Man of Sin, Anti-christ) _from off the "peoples" neck._" Jer. x.x.x 8.
"_Judgment shall sit, and Christ shall take away thy kingdom, to consume and to destroy it unto the end._" Dan. vii. 26.
"_Tophet is ordained of old, yea for thee, thou Man of Sin, it is prepared: G.o.d hath made it deep, and large; the pile thereof is fire and much wood: the breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it._" Isa. x.x.x. 33.
"_And thou shall be taken, and with thee The False Prophet, thy co-adjutor, he whom thou hast deputed to work miracles before thee, and in thy foul name, and with all those whom thou and thy False Prophet have deceived, who have received thy brand on them, and who have worshipped thine image.--These all, you, your prophet, and your dupes, shall be cast into a lake of fire burning with brimstone_". Rev. xiii.
2, 3. Rev. xix. 20.
Low and mocking, a laugh broke from Apleon, upon whose brow there still played that lambent flame. The laugh was caught up by the mult.i.tude, until one far-reaching volume of mocking, derisive laughter went rolling out-and-away from The Broadway, to Gareth and Goab, and every other suburb of the city, and back again.
As the last echo of the laughter died away, Apleon called, to his Viceroy:
"Where is the axe and the block?"
"Here, Sire!"
A score of men bearing broad, gleaming axes, with thrice a score of others, bearing, each three, a blood-red enamelled block, came forward into the centre of the square.
"Take those two drivelling prophets, and behead them!" cried Apleon.
A thousand hands were stretched towards the witnesses. This time they were readily taken. Their bodies were dragged to the blocks, and with one stroke to each, they were beheaded.