Online Resource Library
Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadQuiet Talks by Samuel Dickey: Gordon, Samuel Dickey - Quiet Talks About Our Lord's Return: 36. Loosening Out of Evil
TOPIC: Gordon, Samuel Dickey - Quiet Talks About Our Lord's Return (Other Topics in this Collection)
SUBJECT: 36. Loosening Out of Evil
Other Subjects in this Topic:
Loosening Out of Evil
The second view runs through chapters eight and nine, then a parenthesis occurs from Rev_10:1 to Rev_11:14, and then the main thread is picked up at Rev_11:15 and runs to the close of that chapter. But the principal part of the view is in chapters eight and nine, the final bit in Rev_11:15-19, being merely added to make the connection of events quite clear. Let us look a moment at this second view. It closes with an earthquake, so connecting it with the final event in the first view. It begins with a period of silence, which would seem to answer to the hush in the great volume of praise in chapters four and five, when the Lamb takes the sealed roll, so carrying us back to the same starting point as there.
The prayers of the saints are as incense on the golden altar of intercession before the throne. This, increased, is cast into the earth and produces a great storm there. The storms of this book are significant. A physical storm is the coming together and equalizing of two areas of different temperatures and other atmospheric conditions. A storm symbolically is a coming into contact of two differing antagonistic elements. Here something represented by the earnest prayers of God's people becomes a disturbing element in the earth causing a great disturbance there. This is the starting point of this vision, and makes a connection between the influence of God's praying people and the Lord Jesus beginning His work of taking possession of the earth. There follows a fourfold description of distressing events on the earth. [Note: Rev_8:7-12.] There will be something said in a later talk about the principle of God's action in judgment, which will apply here.
In a brief parenthesis, [Note: Rev_3:13.] a warning cry comes of the terrible character of what is to follow these distressing events. Then there follows a letting loose out of "the pit of the abyss" of a vast host of demon spirits. [Note: Rev_9:1-11.] They come swarming up on the earth viciously attacking men. They come as an unseen foe. Spirits cannot be seen by ordinary eyesight. Things are being shown here as seen from heaven. The awful character of these beings is so utterly beyond human experience up to that time, that there is no adequate human language to describe these unloosed hordes of horrible demons from the lower pit. Language seems poor to tell the agony they inflict. They have over them as head one called the angel of the abyss, whose name means the destroyer. They are allowed to continue their terrible torment for a brief period, five months, which must seem as ages to those being tormented by them. This is called the first woe. [Note: Rev_9:12.] Following this comes the loosing out of another terrible, immense horde of demons as difficult to describe as the others, and even more terrible, having the power of death as well as of torment. [Note: Rev_9:13-21.] It is noted that these experiences do not have any influence toward making men penitent.
This practically sums up the second view of this period of time, though after a parenthetical break, the last item of this series is merely added briefly, to make the connection quite clear. [Note: Rev_11:14-19.] This second view of the tribulation period describes the loosing of the powers of evil which have hitherto been under restraint.
The parenthetical break in this series [Note: Rev_10:1 to Rev_11:13.] contains two things. The first is a little group of three items. There are seven thunders which John is not allowed to write up. [Note: Rev_10:1-4.] The experiences of these awful, unprecedented days of evil's undisputed reign will be far more and far worse than can be told. Then there comes a solemn declaration that there will be no further respite, but that now at once shall be finished up this terrible time of judgment. [Note: Rev_10:5-7.] Then there is a personal word for John. [Note: Rev_10:8-11.] These three items make chapter ten.
Then follows what proves to be the third view of this tribulation time. It lets us see what is going on in Jerusalem, the Jew centre, during this time. The view begins with a treading underfoot of Jerusalem by the nations. This continues for a given period of time, forty-two months. One might think that it has been so trodden underfoot, that is, from a Jewish standpoint desecrated, all these centuries. But the prophetic passages never give any reckoning of time except when Israel is a nation. It is concerned with telling Jewish national events. For forty-two months of Jewish national existence at this time Jerusalem shall be profaned by the nations. This view ends with a great earthquake, the closing event of the great tribulation, which begins with the supreme profaning of the temple by the desolating abomination. This view runs through the entire time of the great tribulation.
The one distinctive thing it tells is that during the tribulation, in the midst of all the blasphemous reign of unrestrained evil, there will be an unbroken witness to the truth of God. These witnesses are divinely protected and empowered during their witness. They continue their witness twelve hundred and sixty days, the same time as the forty-two months. The time is probably thus stated in two different ways to make quite clear just what length of time is meant. At the very end evil is allowed to have full swing, even over them,—they are killed. Then, before the astonished, terror-stricken multitudes, they are restored to life, and caught up to heaven. Then comes the earthquake which closes the period. During all these awful times the multitudes will be listening to the preaching of the truth. How patient God is! He never leaves Himself nor man without a true, faithful witness, on the earth, of His great love.
The character of this view seems to explain why it comes as a break, or parenthesis, in the view that shows the swing of unloosed evil. During all this time, in the very worst of it, there will be continually going on this work of faithful witnessing. The special work of God's people in this present time, that of witnessing to the truth of the Gospel, is continued clear up to the very end.