| 595 are not lawful for man to utter; neither is man capable to make them known, for they are only to be seen and understood by the power of the Holy Spirit, which God bestows on those who love him and purify themselves before him; to whom he grants this privilege of seeing and knowing for themselves; that through the power and manifestation of the Spirit, while in the flesh, they may be able to bear his presence in the world of glory, and honor, and dominion forever and ever: Amen.
Nothing could be more pleasing to the saints upon the order of the kingdom of the Lord, than the light which burst upon the world through the foregoing vision. Every law, every commandment, every promise, every truth, and every point touching the destiny of man, from Genesis to Revelations, where the purity of either remains unsullied from the wisdom of men, goes to show the perfection of the theory, and witnesses the fact that that document is a transcript from the records of the eternal world. The sublimity of the ideas; the purity of the language; the scope for action; the continued duration for completion, in order that the heirs of salvation may confess the Lord and bow the knee. The rewards for faithfulness, and the punishments for sins, are so much beyond the narrow-mindedness of men, that every honest man is constrained to exclaim: "It came from God."
About the first of March, in conexion [connection] with the translation of the scriptures, I received the following explanation of the revelations of St. John.
What is the sea of glass spoken of by John, 4th chapter and 6th verse of the revelations?
It is the earth in its sanctified, immortal, and eternal state.
What are we to understand by the four beasts spoken of by John in the 4th chapter and 6th verse of Revelations?
They are figurative expressions) used by the Revelator John, in describing heaven, the paradise of God, the happiness of men, and of beasts, and of creeping things, and of the fowls of the air, that which is spiritual being in the likeness of that which is temporal, and that which is temporal, in the likeness of that which is spiritual; the spirit of man in the likeness of his person; as also the spirit of the beast, and every other creature which God has created.
Are the four beasts limited to individual beasts, or do they represent classes or orders?
They are limited to four individual beasts, which were shown to John, to represent the glory of the classes of beings in their destined order, or sphere of creation, in the enjoyment of their eternal felicity.
What are we to understand by the eyes and wings which the beasts had?
Their eyes are a representation of light and knowledge; that is, they are full of knowledge-and their wings are a representation of power, to move, to act, &c.
What are we to understand by the four and twenty elders spoken of by John?
We are to understand that these elders whom John saw, were elders who had been faithful in the of the ministry, and were dead, who belonged to the seven churches, and were then in the paradise of God.
What are we to understand by the book which John saw, which was sealed on the back with seven seals.
We are to understand that it contains the revealed will, mysteries and works of God; the hidden things of his economy concerning the earth during the seven thousand years of its continuance, or its temporal existence.
What are we to understand by the seven seals with which it was sealed?
We are to understand that the first seal contains things of the first thousand years, and the second also of the second thousand years, and so on until the seventh.
What are we to understand by the four angels spoken of by John, 7th chapter and 1st verse of Revelations.
We are to understand that they are four angels sent forth from God, to whom is given power over the four parts of the earth, to save life and to destroy; these are they who have the everlasting gospel to commit to every nation, kindred, tongue and people, having power to shut the heavens, to seal unto life, or to cast down to the regions of darkness.
What are we to understand by the angel ascending from the east, Revelations, 7th chapter and 2nd verse?
We are to understand that the angel ascended from the east; is he to whom is given the seal of the living God over the Twelve Tribes of Israel, wherefore he crieth unto the four angels having the everlasting gospel, saying, hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads; and if you will receive it, this is Elias which was come, to gether [gather] together the tribes of Israel, and restore all things.
What time are the things spoken of in this chapter to be accomplished?
They are to be accomplished in the sixth
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