ALONE WITH GOD     

  In Revelation 12, as fully considered in previous chapters, after Christianity cast down the dragon—paganism throughout the Roman empire—"he persecuted the woman"—church (verse 13). The dragon became "wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed" (verse 17). As the pagan systems were overthrown and Christianity spread throughout the entire Roman empire, the devotees of these false systems, seeing their religions crumbling, became very wroth, and in order to stop the onward progress of the gospel they inaugurated a bitter persecution against the Christians, or church of God. The same will be true in these last days—only at this time all religions of earth will be united in the opposition.

  With the restoration of the pure church of God and Christianity to its primitive glory, they stand opposed not only to the pagan systems but to every false and corrupt system of apostate Christianity. This includes the Catholic sect and all Protestant sects. As the devotees of all these false systems see their religions crumbling, they will do just what the pagans did throughout the Roman empire in the beginning: they will unite in a general opposition against the pure church of God. The shattered remnants of all these counterfeit religions will unite in confederation.

  "And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty." Rev. 16:13, 14. While tile Lord is mustering his host upon the high plaints of Armageddon (Rev. 16 :16) in this beautiful evening light, the spirits of devils will gather together the conquered and defeated factions of all other religions in a general confederation and opposition to the burning truth of God and the true saints who stand in its defense. This is the last great spiritual conflict. The dragon here is Paganism, the beast is Romanism, and the false prophet is Protestantism. We have seen in a previous chapter that the second beast of Revelation 13 represents Protestantism. This second beast and what is elsewhere in symbol termed the "false prophet" are identical. (Compare Rev. 13:11-15 and Rev. 19: 20.) Here, then, we have heathenism (the dragon!, Popery (the beast), and Protestantism (tire false prophet) all gathered together by spirits of devils in opposition to the true church of God.

  We have seen that God is gathering his people out of all the maze of false religions, out of all Protestant sects as well as out of the Catholic sect. The church thus gathered out now stands in square opposition to all sect religions, and, thank God, it has victory over them. This victory of the church in the evening light is seen in the book of symbols as follows: "And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire [the pure Word and holiness of God]: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God." Rev. 15:2. My brethren, "we have reached an awful era in the onward sweep of time." The greatest victory that the church is ever to enjoy or win is here. She will conquer the nations, and rule them with a rod of iron. But this will also incur a tremendous opposition from the shattered remnants of all the defeated and fallen religions of earth, just before the end. There will be a confederation of all these, in a last attempt to turn back the onward sweeping tide of Christianity. Observe that these spirits of devils gather the " whole world "; that is, not only Catholics, Protestants, and the devotees of the various pagan systems, but also Mohammedans and the adherents to every false system of earth.

  It is evident that this will take place just before the end. When Christianity shall have spread over the entire world and every nation of earth shall have been affected by the blessed influence of the gospel; when the church of God shall have arisen in her power and glory, outshone every institution on earth, and become in reality "the light of the world"; when the saints shall have come into possession of the "dominion under the whole heaven," and every false religion have come under the consuming fire of eternal truth, then, as a last desperate effort, this confederation of all the false and corrupt systems of religion will prepare to crush the church of God. This they may attempt to do by one final stroke of bloody martyrdom. But before they can accomplish their purpose, the whole will end with the ushering in of "the great day of God Almighty." This is Christ's coming and judgment.

  This same conflict is brought to view in Rev. 20:8, 9. Here the dragon spirit goes out "to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle." The original signification of the terms " Gog " and " Magog " is difficult to ascertain, as all known accounts are conflicting. The terms occur in Ezekiel 38 and 39 also. In Revelation 20 these terms are used metaphorically to signify all the enemies of the church of God and opposers of true Christianity.

  It is a fact that at this very time, when the Lord, by his Spirit, is assembling his hosts for the grand, final, and universal advance against sin, idolatry, and false religions, the devil is already paving the way for the union of all false systems of religion on earth, when Christianity shall have triumphed. The World's Parliament of Religions at Chicago in 1893 marked an important epoch in this latest shift infernal. The dragon, the beast, and the false prophet met in "mutual confidence and respect," a "brotherhood" of religions. Theism, Judaism, Mohammedanism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Shintoism, Zoroastrianism, Catholicism, the Greek church, and Protestantism in many forms were all represented; and the delegates of all these religions met, as they said, "to unite all religions against all irreligion; to make the golden rule the basis of this union; and to present to the world substantial unify of many religions." I will here give extracts from addresses made before the Parliament.

  President Charles Carroll Bonney said in the opening address: "Worshipers of God and lovers of men: Let us rejoice that we have lived to see this glorious day; . . . that we are permitted to take part in this solemn and majestic event of a World's Congress of Religions. The importance of this event can not be overestimated. Its influence on the future relations of the various races of men, can not be too highly esteemed. If this Congress shall faithfully execute its duties with which it has been charged, it shall become the joy of the whole earth, and stand in human history like a new mount Zion, crowned with glory, and marking the actual beginning of a new epoch of brotherhood and peace. For when the religious faiths of the world' recognize each other as brothers, children of one Father' whom all profess to love and serve, then, and not till then, will the nations of the earth yield to the spirit of concord and learn war no more. We meet on the mountain height of absolute respect for the religious convictions of each other. . . This day the sun of a new era of religious peace and progress rises over the world, dispelling the dark cloud of sectarian strife. It is a brotherhood of religions."

  Chairman John Henry Barrows spoke thus in his address: "We are here not as Baptists and Buddhists, Catholics and Confucians, Parsees and Presbyterians, Methodists and Moslems; we are here as members of a Parliament of Religions, over which flies no sectarian flag, . . . but where for the first time in a large council is lifted up the banner of dove, fellowship, brotherhood.... Welcome, one and all, thrice welcome to the world's first Parliament of Religions? Welcome to the men and women of Israel, the standing miracle of nations and religions! Welcome to the disciples of Prince Siddartha, the many millions who cherish their Lord Buddha as the light of Asia! Welcome to the high priests of the national religion of Japan! This city has every reason to be grateful to the enlightened ruler of 'the Sunrise Kingdom.' Welcome to the men of India, and all faiths! Welcome to all the disciples of Christ. . . . It seems to me that the spirits of just and good men hover over this assembly. I believe the spirit of Paul is here. I believe the spirit of the wise and humane Buddha is here, and of Socrates the searcher after truth.... When a few days ago I met for the first time the delegates who have come to us from Japan, and shortly after the delegates who have come to us from India, I felt that the arms of human brotherhood had reached almost around the globe." —World's Parliament of Religions, chap. III.

  Since this great Parliament of Religions there have been a number of such gatherings. This is but paving the way for the last great conflict. I have observed that, no matter how much the sects were quarreling among themselves, whenever we went into their midst with the whole gospel and God's people were gathered out, the sectarians suddenly became friendly toward each other and began to hold union meetings in opposition to the truth. If the corrupt and false religions of earth can never agree on anything else, they will, and are, agreeing, to oppose the true church of God and the truth advocated by it, which is destined to "consume them to the end." The devil is mustering his hosts—Pagan, Mohammedan, Catholic, and Protestant sects—in one "grand brotherhood of religions "—Gog and Magog.