chapter 17

:10. With the fall of Babylon, the capital of the ungodly world‐kingdom, the Old Testament connects the redemption of the people of God.—Isa. 13:19; 47:1; Jer. 51:1‐10.”—Cook.

Because [she made all nations drink of] ALL NATIONS HAVE FALLEN THROUGH the wine of the wrath of her fornication.—“The ruin of all the nations of earth is here attributed directly to the fact that ‘Babylon made all the peoples drunk with the wine [spirit, influence] of her fornication’—worldly affiliation.”—C. 164, 104; Jer. 51:7; Rev. 2:20; 17:2, 5; 18:3; 19:2.

14:9. And [the] ANOTHER, A third angel followed them.—Volume III of the _Scripture Studies_ followed I and II.

Saying with a loud voice.—Proclaiming clearly, in chapters 2, 4 and 6.

If any man worship the beast.—The Papacy.

And his image.—The Evangelical‐Alliance‐Spiritism combination.—Rev. 13:11, 13, 14, 15; 14:11; 15:2; 16:2, 13; 19:20; 20:10; Matt. 24:24.

And receive his mark In his forehead, or in his hand.—See Rev. 13:16, 17.

14:10. The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God.—The Message of Present Truth.

Which is poured out without mixture.—Different from Babylon’s _mixed_ wine.—Isa. 5:20‐22.

Into the cup of His indignation.—“The Lord our God hath put us to silence and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against the Lord.”—Jer. 8:14; Isa. 51:17‐20; Jer. 25:26‐28; Rev. 18:6; 16:19; Psa. 60:3; 75:8.

And he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone.—Whoever worships, reverences, human institutions and doctrines more than the Word of the Lord has experienced the torment here specified. Doctrines of hell fire and brimstone have been his portion.—Rev. 9:17‐19.

In the presence of the holy angels.—The Harvest workers on this side of the veil.—Matt. 13:39.

And in the presence of the Lamb.—“In the days of the Son of Man;” after the Second Advent has taken place.

14:11. And the smoke of their torment.—“A noun, unlike a verb (or ‘time‐ word,’ as the Germans call it), does not indicate time. So ‘the smoke of their torment’ may mean that of pain endured once for all, and then at an end. There is nothing in this verse that necessarily implies an eternity of suffering. In a similar way the word ‘punishment’ or ‘correction’ in Matt. 25:46 gives in itself no indication of time. Cp. Gen. 19:28; Jude 7.” (Weym.)

“About _endless torment_:

“(a) The doctrine is found nowhere in the Old Testament, nor any hint of it. The expression, in the end of Isaiah, about the fire unquenched and the worms not dying, is plainly of the corpses of men upon the physical earth.

“(b) The doctrine of endless torment was, as a historical fact, brought back from Babylon by the Rabbis.

“(c) St Paul accepts nothing of it as far as we can tell, never making the least allusion to the doctrine.

“(d) The Apocalypse asserts that not only _death_, but _hell_ shall be cast into the Lake of Fire.

“(e) The Christian Church has never really held it exclusively till now.

“(f) Since the Reformation it has been an open question in the English Church.

“(g) The Church of England, by the deliberate expunging of the 42nd Article, which affirmed endless punishment, has declared it, authoritatively, to be open.

“(h) It is so, in fact. Neither I nor any others who have denied it can be dispossessed or proceeded against legally, in any way whatsoever.—Rev. Chas. Kingsley, May 9, 1857.”—Z. ’11‐363.

Ascendeth up for ever and ever.—“The remembrance of the destruction of these systems of deception and error will be lasting, the lesson will never be forgotten—as smoke, which continues to ascend after a destructive fire, is testimony that the fire has done its work.—See also Isa. 34:8‐10.”—H. 64; Rev. 19:3.

And they have no rest day or night.—A literal fulfillment of this is expected. (Rev. 7:3.) A few days of it will be enough to satisfy the most ardent lover of the torment system of religion. And it will be a just recompense of reward.

Who worship the beast and his Image.—“All will at once concede that if a literal worshipping of a beast and image were meant in verse 9, then few, if any, in civilized lands are liable to the penalty of verse 11; and if the beast and his image and worship and wine and cup are symbols, so also are the torments and smoke and fire and brimstone.”—H. 64; Rev. 14:9.

And whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.—Of fear, sympathy or worship.

14:12. Here is the patience of the saints.—Their crowning trial.

[Here are they] that keep the commandments of God.—The commandments of God during the Harvest time are to proclaim, “Gather My saints together unto Me;” “Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity.”—Psa. 50:5; Jer. 51:6.

And the faith of Jesus.—“He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” (1 John 3:16.) The Great Company class are our brethren and we ought to show as much interest in them as we do in the Little Flock. The gathering of the full number of the Very Elect would give us no reason to discontinue Harvest work.

14:13. And I heard a voice from Heaven.—The Heavenly Father’s Word.

Saying [unto me], Write.—The message found in