Category: Holy Bible Book

– This small remnant, unable to defend themselves in the deadly conflict against the powers of Earth commanded by the dragon host, makes God their defense. The decree has been promulgated by the highest earthly authority that they worship the beast and receive his mark, under pain of persecution and death. God help his people then! Because what could he do without his help in such a terrible conflict.
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– The time of trouble is about to come for God’s people. It will be then that the decree will be promulgated prohibiting the buying or selling of those who keep the Sabbath of the Lord, and that will threaten them with punishment, and even death, if they do not observe the first day of the week as a day of rest. The wrath of man will be aroused in a special way against those who keep holy the Sabbath of the fourth Commandment; and in the end a universal decree will denounce them as deserving of death.

– From the pulpits of popular churches will be heard the declaration that the world is being punished because Sunday is not honored as it should be. It will be insistently demanded that the few who oppose an institution of the church and a law of the State not be tolerated; for it is better that these few suffer than that whole nations be precipitated into confusion and anarchy.

– It is not always safe to ask for unconditional healing…He knows if those prayed for will be able to withstand the afflictions and trials that will befall them if they survive. He knows the end from the beginning. Many will be called to the sleep of death before the terrible trials of the time of trouble come upon our world.

– The “time of trouble, such as never was after there were people” (Dan. 12:1) will begin soon; and by then we will need to have an experience that we do not have today and that many cannot achieve due to their indolence.

When Jesus leaves the Holy of Holies, his restraining Spirit will withdraw from the rulers and the people. These will remain under the dominion of the evil angels. Then, by the advice and direction of Satan, such laws will be made that unless the time be very short, no flesh will be saved.

Not Jerusalem, which was destroyed when John had this vision, and which will; not be rebuilt at the time it refers to; nor is it ever called the great city, though the city of the great King; however, not in this book, though the new Jerusalem is so called, ( Revelation 21:10 ) ; but that can never be designed here; but the city of Rome, or the Roman jurisdiction, the whole empire of the Romish antichrist, which is often called the great city in this book; see ( Revelation 16:19 ) ( 17:18 ) ( Revelation 18:10 Revelation 18:16 Revelation 18:18 Revelation 18:21 ) .

The city of Rome itself was very large, and the Roman empire still larger, so as to be called the whole world and the antichristian see of Rome has been of great extent.

Now as the street of a city denotes a public open place in it, a place of concourse and resort, ( Proverbs 1:20 Proverbs 1:21 ) , the dead bodies of those witnesses being said to lie here, may design the publicness of their silence, disgrace, and contempt; and that the silencing and degrading them, and depriving them of all privileges, will be known all over the antichristian empire; and that they will be exposed to public ignominy and shame, their persons, their characters, their testimony, their doctrines, their writings, their churches, and families, and all that belong to them: or else this “street” may design some part of the Romish jurisdiction, and it may be Great Britain may be particularly designed; for where should the dead bodies of the witnesses lie, but where they are slain?

And where can they be slain, but where they are? and where are they, at least where are there so many as in these islands?

It may be objected, that Great Britain is not a part of the see of Rome, does not belong to the jurisdiction of it; to this it may be replied, that in this last war of the beast, the outer court will be given to the Gentiles, the bulk of the reformed churches will fall off to Popery, and their countries again fall into the hands of the pope, and, among the rest, Great Britain.

The fears of Dr. Goodwin seem to be too just, and well grounded, that the prophecy in ( Daniel 11:45 ) respects our island, which speaks of antichrist planting “the tabernacles of his palace between the seas, in the glorious holy mountain”, or “the mountain of delight, of holiness”.

Now where has God such a mountain of delight, or a people that are the darling of his soul, as here? where in all the globe is there such a spot where God has so many saints, so many Holy Ones, as in this island? it may have been truly called a glorious holy mountain, or a mountain of delight; and what place between the seas is there to which these characters can agree, but Great Britain?

Here then antichrist will plant the tabernacles of his palace; but it will be but a tabernacle, or tent; it will be but for a short time, as it follows, “yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him”, ( Daniel 11:45 ) . Now this great city, in the street of which the bodies of the witnesses will lie exposed, is that