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النشر الإلكتروني

THE SECOND VISION

OF

ST. JOHN.

THE BOOK WITH SEVEN SEALS AND THE SEVEN

TRUMPETS.

PART I.

NATURAL RELIGION.

God, the El Shaddai Jah Jahoh, the Immutable, Omnipotent, Eternal, Omnipresent WORD or CAUSE, sits upon the throne of infinite space, with the unruffled ocean of eternity before him, distributed into an infinity of spirits animating the Universe of his Creation, which with him occupies the same boundless expanse. He fills, he bounds, connects and equals all. And that he is all nature cries aloud in all her works. Water, fire, earth and air, the beasts, cattle, man and birds proclaim him with one continuous voice, and cry Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. The invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and godhead. His works are full of intelligence, displaying wonderful contrivance and design; and the eternal watchman, who never slumbers nor sleeps, exhibits a constant activity and energy in them. "O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou

ordained strength, because of thine enemies; that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers; the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands thou hast put all things under his feet: all sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!" Man sits round the throne of space in possession of all things; but, with one heart and soul, we cannot but all consent to cast down our crowns before him who gave us our dominion, and say, Thou only art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honour and power; for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

IV. 1.-After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven; and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither and I will shew 2 thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the Spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the 3 throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine-stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like 4 unto an emerald. And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads 5 crowns of gold. And out of the throne proceeded

lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there

were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. 6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass, like unto crystal and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four living 7 creatures, full of eyes, before and behind. And the first living creature was like a lion, and the second living creature like a calf, and the third living creature had a face as a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying flying eagle. 8 And the four living creatures had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which 9 was, and is, and is to come. And when those

living creatures give glory, and honour, and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth 10 for ever and ever, the four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and 11 cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power; for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

PART II.

ᎡᎬᏙᎬᎪᏞᎬᎠ RELIGION AND ITS PROGRESS TILL ITS
RECEPTION BY THE ROMAN WORLD.
A.D. 33-312.

SECTION I.

The mystery of the unsearchable riches of Christ made known to all nations for the obedience of faith.

God holds in his hand the mystery which hath been hid from ages and generations, the mystery which was kept secret since the world began, the mystery which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, which things the angels desire to look into. Then said I, Lo I come in the volume of the book it is written of me; I delight to do thy will O my God, yea, thy law is within my heart. Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world! When he bringeth in the first-begotten into the world he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him, that all men should honour the Son even as they honour the Father. Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy foot stool. When the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, his Son by human production, made under the law, a bodily representation of himself, the image of the invisible God, God manifest in flesh, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons: the mystery Christ, which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto the holy apostles and prophets; that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel-that in the dispensation of the fulness of times, he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth-the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all natious

of

for the obedience of faith-so that now, in Christ Jesus, ye who sometimes were far off, are made nigh by the blood of Christ-who hath loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

V. 1. And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the 2 back side,* sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose 3 the seals thereof? And no one in heaven, nor on earth, neither under the earth, was able to open 4 the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much because no one was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. 5 And one of the elders said unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to

It is written within and on the back side" as containing the unsearchable riches of Christ, though it need not have been more than a little book at the same time, as it was but a little Lamb (agion) who took it. It was the pearl of precious price, a little

treasure.

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