the battle with Antichrist, and the Church of our time. The Holy Spirit, who searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God, and declares the end from the beginning, has given a prophetic delineation of the Church as now existing in the world. Both in the Old and New Testament, especially by Daniel, Paul, and John, the Spirit speaketh expressly of a great apostasy. And those whom Christ has chosen and designated his two witnesses could not sustain this character or perform the duties of their peculiar office if willingly ignorant of those prophecies. But Christ has promised them all necessary furniture, that is, accessories for their work. Quote, I will give to my two witnesses and they shall prophesy. Unquote. He does not specify what he will give, but in general such equipment that they shall prophesy. That is, they shall be enabled to understand, expound, and apply the predictions which bear upon their own times. at least so far as to keep them from complicity with the apostasy, and also to oppose it by their faithful testimony. This great apostasy was predicted by Daniel, and it is described by intelligible symbols in the 7th chapter of his prophecy, 20th and 25th verses. The symbols are a horn that had eyes and a mouth that spake very great things, that is, great words against the Most High, and think to change times and laws, etc. Now it does not appear from history that any enemy to the Most High and the saints has appeared in the world answering to this prophetic description except the Romish Church in alliance with the Ten Horns, tyrannical nations. And lest Daniel's symbols should be misinterpreted, they are explained by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2 verses 3 and 4 by a falling away or an apostasy. and in 1st Timothy 4, verses 1 and 3, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, etc. These are characteristics so plain that no reader can mistake their reference to the Church of Rome to the exclusion of all other enemies of God and His saints. Again, the Apostle John describes the same apostasy by the symbols of a beast and a false prophet, the latter obviously indicating this enemy's ecclesiastical character, Revelation 19, verse 20. In the 11th chapter of Revelation and 2nd verse, this confederacy is designated a heathenized church. Gentiles reprobate silver because the Lord hath rejected them, for the word translated leave out more literally signifies cast out. The false miracles by which Rome awes and deceives her votaries, Paul explains by deceivableness of righteousness and more plainly by calling them lying wonders in Revelation 13 verses 13 and 14 and 2 Thessalonians 2 verses 9 and 10. The phrase latter times seems to designate in this connection the Christian dispensation within which this great apostasy was destined to be developed, and all Christians who have been preserved from fraternizing with Rome people are agreed that the predictions above quoted apply to that church and no other combination of professing Christians. The period of this falling away is variously expressed, a time, times and half a time, forty and two months, a thousand two hundred and three score days, And all these are certainly understood to mean precisely an equal and the same period, 1260 years. In close alliance with anti-Christian nations, the Church of Rome is during this period to continue the apostasy. Other churches, daughters of that prolific mother of harlots, were also to appear in succession of time, but not contemporary with their mother's duration. Of these we have descriptions in their causes and character. The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. They shall heap to themselves teachers, a license which we know Holy Mother never gives, and shall be turned unto fables." 2 Timothy 4 verses 3 and 4. Not the latter times, but emphatically in perilous times, in the last days, these formalists, who cannot endure sound doctrine but prefer fables, who are satisfied with a form of godliness denying the power thereof, are to be developed for the farther trial of Christ's two witnesses. See their character dalienated in 2 Timothy 3 verses 1 to 5. Now we are aware of the sentiment often expressed by divines in diverse forms that prophecy does not furnish a safe basis on which to predicate doctrine. And truly the crude interpretations and reckless applications of prophecy are admonitory to all sober minds. But are not the other scriptures rested in like manner? Indeed they are. Even the most fundamental and important doctrines of the Bible are liable to perversion. Thus it is with the doctrines of the Trinity, the Incarnation, Atonement, etc. We have heard a professed follower of Luther, for example, speak flippantly of the old exploded doctrine of the decrees, that is, predestination, and many others with equal confidence reject the exploded theory of innate ideas. These believe man is born a blank slate. The Bible teaches that all men know God and His law. It is innate. C.F. Romans 1, verses 19 to 21, and Romans 2, verses 14 and 15. Now we venture to assert that to explode either of these doctrines would involve the explosion of human nature. No, no. Although prophecy has been often misinterpreted by the learned, as by the unlearned, it continues to be a part, a most important part of all scripture profitable for doctrine. 2 Timothy 3 verse 16. When our Savior promised to send the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, did He not say to His disciples, He will show you things to come? And how shall the disciples locate and identify the great apostasy of which the Spirit speaketh expressly, not in ambiguous language like the heathen oracles, unless they can certainly both understand and apply the prophetic description of that enemy? And as matter of fact, and as already noticed, all Protestants agree that this apostasy is the Romish apostasy, designated by names which are applicable to no other combination, as Babylon the Great, mother of harlots, that great city which reigneth over the kings of the earth, Revelation 17 verses 5 and 18. This is the Church of Rome. She is still more minutely described as arrayed in purple and scarlet color and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, the attire of a harlot. Thus in her rich adornment, her splendid apparel, she is fit to associate with the kings of the earth and prepared to commit fornication with them, chapter 18 verse 3. Young men void of understanding, and among them princes of royal blood, are often captivated by her pious language. I have peace offerings with me. This day have I paid my vows, etc. Proverbs 7, verse 14. But this woman is a mother, and this name necessarily suggests offspring, and the Church of Rome says she is and boasts of her claim to be the mother and mistress of all churches. Her claim, however, we may well suppose to be somewhat exorbitant, as usual with all proud boasters. It is worthy of special notice that all her offspring are daughters. For although she has with affected maternal fondness called the King of France her eldest son, and this implies a vain boast of more sons in her family, yet nowhere do we find in prophecy even one son attributed to her, this honour being assigned and restricted to another woman. Revelation 12 verses 1 and 5. These harlot daughters naturally imitate their mother's example. If they cannot fully justify her, they will apologize for her. By outward adornment and multiplied decorations, both mother and daughters exhibit much ingenuity, in changing objects of faith into objects of sense. The eye is dazzled with gorgeous scenery, the productions of the skillful artist's aesthetic tastes displayed in painting and sculpture. The ear is charmed with music, vocal and instrumental, rendered in skillful operatic style, and associated with sentimental hymns thrilling to the heart, but not troubling the guilty conscience. To these attractions are added mystical festivals, Christmas, Easter, etc., and public processions, all calculated and intended to arrest attention and captivate the affections of the populace. Now, if we have succeeded in a correct application of the sure word of prophecy to the church of our day, then we may safely infer the need of a third reformation, that reformation predicted and promised by the ministry of the third symbolic angel of reform, Revelation 14.9, etc. Thus it is that Christ's covenanted witnesses, during the period of great apostasy, by taking heed to the more sure word of prophecy, have already antedated the millennium, and have also realized in measure a foretaste of that peace which Christ promised when he said to his disciples, In the world ye shall have tribulation, but in me ye shall have peace. Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. That is the end of the article. Following is a brief paragraph by H. Grattan Guinness. Cranmer, Ridley, Latimer and Bradford were burned for their testimony against the Papal Antichrist, just as Huss and Jerome and Cobham had been before. Thousands of martyrdoms have sealed this testimony, and on this testimony rests the Reformation. To reject this testimony is to reject the foundation of that work. It is to reject the foundation of the noblest and divinest work which has been wrought in this world since the day of Pentecost. This Reformation audio track is a production of Stillwater's Revival Books. You are welcome to make copies and give them to those in need. SWRB makes thousands of classic Reformation resources available, free and for sale, in audio, video, and printed formats. It is likely that the sermon or book that you just listened to is also available on cassette or video, or as a printed book or booklet. Our many free resources, as well as our complete mail-order catalog, Thank you. by phone at 780-450-3730, by fax at 780-468-1096, or by mail at 4710-37A Edmonton, that's E-D-M-O-N-T-O-N, Alberta, abbreviated capital A, capital B, Canada, T6L3T5. You may also request a free printed catalog. And remember that John Calvin, in defending the Reformation's regulative principle of worship, or what is sometimes called the scriptural law of worship, commenting on the words of God, which I commanded them not, neither came into my heart. From his commentary on Jeremiah 731, writes, God here cuts off from men every occasion for making evasions, since He condemns by this one phrase, I have not commanded them, whatever the Jews devised. There is then no other argument needed to condemn superstitions than that they are not commanded by God. For when men allow themselves to worship God according to their own fancies, and attend not to His commands, they pervert true religion. And if this principle is adopted by the papists, all those fictitious modes of worship in which they absurdly exercise themselves would fall to the ground. It is indeed a horrible thing for the Papists to seek to discharge their duties towards God by performing their own superstitions. There is an immense number of them, as it is well known, and as it manifestly appears. Were they to admit this principle, that we cannot rightly worship God except by obeying His word, they would be delivered from their deep abyss of error. The Prophet's words, then, are very important, when he says that God had commanded no such thing, and that it never came to his mind, as though he had said that men assume too much wisdom when they devise what he never required, nay, what he never knew.