an apostate church, and the final glorious triumph of
all who endure unto the end.

This vision has often been applied in a figurative manner to the
spiritual reign of God's people on earth before the end of time--that
they are overcomers through the blood of Christ, that God dwells with
them in his church, that their spiritual needs are all supplied so they
hunger and thirst no more--but a careful study of the plan of the
prophecy will show that its real signification is the heavenly state at
the end. As the sixth seal describes the final overthrow of all the
antichristian powers that have oppressed God's people on earth; so this
vision describes the great white-robed company gathered out of every
nation, kindred, tongue, and people, who have been preserved faithful
through all these trials and tribulations, and who receive at last the
crown of everlasting life. This last vision will be more fully described
under certain symbols contained in the last two chapters of this book;
while the earthquake, the falling of the stars, etc., of the sixth seal
will be more perfectly detailed in chapters 15 and 16.

CHAPTER VIII.

And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in
heaven about the space of half an hour.

2. And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to
them were given seven trumpets.

3. And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a
golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that
he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the
golden altar which was before the throne.

4. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of
the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.

5. And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the
altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and
thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.

The remainder of the book is embraced in the contents of the seventh
seal. This may appear a little singular at first, being so much larger
than the preceding ones. But it is easily understood when we consider
the six as being a synopsis of the whole book, containing a history of
the church apostate to the final consummation, and also the
contemporaneous history of the truth church of God; while the seventh
gives in detail the account of these great persecuting powers, civil and
ecclesiastical, and the trials and triumphs of the s