The Truth

Hollywood Speaks Out For 911 Truth

2011-06-14T13:53:00.001-04:00

Knowledge To Be Comforted By

2010-09-16T09:23:00.003-04:00

Daniel 11 and the Middle East Violence

1 Corinthians 15:20-28

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For he "has put everything under his feet." Now when it says that "everything" has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.

The Times Of The Gentiles

2009-10-17T12:43:00.011-04:00

THE GENTILES

The Scriptures speak of three classes of people on the earth, the Jews, the Gentile, and the Church. The Church is made up of both Jew and Gentile. Outside of the Church all who are not Jews are Gentiles. Up to the call of Abraham all the people of the earth were Gentiles. Abraham was the first Hebrew. His grandson Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel (Gen. 32:24-29), had twelve sons. They became the heads of twelve tribes, known as the "Twelve Tribes of Israel." After the death of King Solomon these "Tribes" were divided. Ten of them became known as Israel, and two (Judah and Benjamin) as Judah. In B.C. 721 Israel was carried captive to Assyria, and in B. C, 606 Judah was carried captive to Babylon. When Judah, after seventy years, returned from captivity, a fair representation of the whole Twelve Tribes returned with them. From that time they have been known as the Jews.

The Jews were God's chosen people, but when they fell into idolatry and were carried into captivity, they were supplanted by the Gentiles. The nations of Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon were anxious to conquer and supplant Israel (The Jews), but God held them in an unseen leash until the iniquity of Israel was full, and then He permitted the world power to pass into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon. Jer. 27:5-7. This happened in B.C. 606 and marked the beginning of the

"Times Of The Gentiles."

spoken of by Christ in Luke 21:24, and which is a period that in the mind of God has certain chronological limits. It is not to be confounded with the "Fulness of the Gentiles" spoken of by Paul in Rom. 11:25. The "Fulness of the Gentiles" refers to the Gentiles that are "gathered out" to make up the Church, and "blindness in part" will continue among the Jews until the "Fulness' (the whole number of the elect) of the Gentiles be come in, then the Church is "caught out," and the Jews restored to their own land. The "Fulness of the Gentiles" began at Pentecost, and ends at least seven years before the "Times of the Gentiles"end.

The "Times of the Gentiles" are fully outlined in the Book of Daniel.

The Book of Daniel contains one "Dream" by Nebuchadnezzar, and four "Visions" by Daniel all relating to the "Times of the Gentiles."

1. Nebuchadnezzar's Dream.

In the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign he had a dream, but when he awoke it had gone from him. He demanded of his magicians and astrologers that they should not only reproduce the dream, but that they should interpret it. This they were unable to do and their destruction was ordered, but was stayed by Daniel's petition for a little time. Then Daniel and his companions betook themselves to prayer, and in a night vision the "Dream" and its meaning was made known to Daniel. The interpretation is certainly one that human ingenuity could not have hit upon. The wise men and flatterers of the Chaldean court would never have dared to announce the End of Gentile Supremacy.

The "Colossus" (Image) symbolized the "World Kingdoms" in their Unity and Historical Succession. Gentile dominion is represented by a huge "Metallic" Man. 'The degeneration of the "World Kingdoms" is seen in the diminishing value of the metals used. Silver is worth less than gold, brass than silver, iron than brass, and clay than iron. The weight of the image also declines, the specific gravity of gold is 19.5, of silver 10.47, of brass 8, of cast-iron 5, and of clay 1.93. The "Colossus" is Top-Heavy.

The four metals of which the "Colossus" was composed represent

Four Worldwide Empires.

which were to arise in succession. Dan. 2:37-40. Four great Empires, and only four, are to succeed each other in the government of the world, from Nebuchadnezzar to the "Second Coming" of Christ-the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Grecian, and Roman. These Kingdoms are not only made known as to number, but their names, in the order of their succession, are given. The First Kingdom "Babylon" is indicated by Daniel while interpreting the vision to Nebuchadnezzar. "THOU art this Head of Gold." Dan. 2:38. The Second-the "MedoPersian," he points out in his account of Belshazzar's Feast, by the emphatic words-"In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain, and Darius the Median took the Kingdom." Dan. 5:30, 31. The Third-the "Grecian," is mentioned in Dan. 8:20-21, "the ram which thou sawest having two horns are The kings of Media and Persia. And the rough goat is the King of Grecia." The Fourth-the "Roman" is referred to in Dan. 9:26, as-"the People of the Prince that should destroy the city (Jerusalem) and the Sanctuary"; and we know that it was the Romans under Titus, that destroyed Jerusalem in A. D. 70.

We have seen that the deterioration of the "Colossus" is shown in the character of the metals composing it. This was prophetic of the character of the governments as they were to succeed one another. The power of Nebuchadnezzar was Absolute, of him Daniel said-

"All people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared him; whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down." Dan. 5:19.

The second Kingdom was inferior to the first. It was a Monarchy dependent upon the support of an Hereditary Aristocracy. The king could by no means do as he willed. This is seen in the case of Darius, who desired to save Daniel from the "Lions' Den," and could not, Dan. 6:12-16; and in the case of Ahasuerus who could only save the Jews from slaughter by a counter-decree. Esther 8:3-12. The metal of the third Kingdom was brass, and the government of Alexander the Great was a Monarchy supported by a Military Aristocracy, that was as weak as the ambitions of its leaders.

The iron power of the fourth Kingdom shows a still further depreciation. The Caesars were nominally elected by the people; they were merely called First Magistrates of the State or Generals; and for a long time they wore no diadem, but only the laurel crown of a successful commander. They had also a Senate which was supposed to counsel and control them. The people were neither allowed to legislate for them, nor to interfere with them, and if a Senator became too independent he was banished. Thus the Empire remained metallic and coherent. Iron is more perishable, more easily corroded or rusted than brass, or silver, or gold; but in the form of STEEL it is harder than any of them, and cuts through every other metal. Such has been Rome with her iron rule.

But the "Colossus" grows weaker and weaker until the feet and toes become a mixture of Iron and Clay. In other words the government degenerates from an Absolute Monarchy to an

Autocratic Democracy,

a form of government in which the people largely have the say.

In short the "Colossus" shows that Gentile dominion passes gradually from the Head, the organ which ought to direct the members, to the Feet, which are only made to carry the body whither the head directs. We see then that the first of these Kingdoms was a Unit, the second Dual, the third became Quadruple (Dan. 7:6, 8:8), and the fourth, in its final form, becomes Ten-Toed.

The "Colossus" comes to an end by being smitten on the Feet by a "Stone Cut Out of a Mountain." The "Stone" does not fill the earth by degrees, and thus crowd the "Colossus" out, it at One Blow DEMOLISHES IT. The action of the "Stone" is JUDGMENT, not grace. It therefore cannot mean Christianity, for it is a "process" whereas the action of the "Stone" is SUDDEN and CALAMITOUS.

Again the Time of the destruction is not until after the formation of the toes, and we know that the "Two Limbs" of the "Colossus" did not appear until A. D. 364, and the "Ten Toes" have not yet developed. The Time when the "Stone" falls on the "Colossus" is distinctly stated in the interpretation as "in the days of those kings," that is, in the days of the kings represented by the "Ten Toes."

The "Stone" which smites the "Colossus" must be interpreted as Christ who is called a "Stone" in Scripture. "Whosoever shall fall on this stone (Christ) shall be broken (softened by repentance), but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder." Matt. 21:44. This is exactly what the prophet foretells of the smiting of the "Colossus."

"Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them; and the Stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth." Dan. 2:35.

As the four Kingdoms typified by the "Colossus" are literal Kingdoms, it follows that the "Stone Kingdom" must be a literal Kingdom, for it takes the place of the Kingdoms that are destroyed, and conquers the whole earth. The "Stone Kingdom" then is the "Millennial Kingdom of Christ" and the "Colossus," or the

"Times of the Gentiles"

typified by it, cannot come to an end until the "revelation of Christ" at His Second Coming.

2. The Vision of the "FOUR BEASTS."

This was a vision of Daniel's 48 years after Nebuchadnezzar had his dream, and occurred in the first year of Belshazzar, B.C. 555. In vision Daniel stood on the shore of the "Great Sea" (the Mediterranean), from which region the four Kingdoms arose. Out of the sea four "Great Beasts" came up in succession. We have no difficulty in identifying these "Four Beasts" with the "Four Kingdoms" represented by the "Colossus." "The first was like a Lion and had Eagle's Wings," and as the Prophet watched it, he saw it "lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon its feet as a Man, and a Man's Heart was given to it. Dan. 7:4. We have only to visit the British Museum, London, and examine the colossal stone lions with the "wings of an eagle" and the "head of a man," disinterred from the ruins of Babylon and Assyria by Sir Henry Layard between the years 1840 and 1850 A. D., to see that the "First Beast" of Daniel's vision represented the First World Kingdom-Babylon, and its King Nebuchadnezzar.

The peculiarity of the "First Beast" was that it had "Eagle's Wings." This combination of the lion, the "King of Beasts," and the eagle, the "King of Birds," corresponded to the Royalty of the "Head of Gold" of the Colossus, and typified the "Eagle-like" swiftness of the armies of Nebuchadnezzar. The "Plucking of the Wings" doubtless referred to the "Beastly Insanity" of Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 4:20-27), and the "lifting up," and causing to stand upon its feet "as a man" to his restoration to sanity.

The Second Beast was "like to a Bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had Three Ribs in the mouth of it, between the teeth of it; and they said thus unto it, Arise, Devour Much Flesh." Dan. 7:5. The bear is the strongest beast after the lion and is distinguished for its voracity, but it has none of the agility and majesty of the lion, is awkward in its movements, and effects its purpose with comparative slowness, and by brute force and sheer strength. These were the characteristics of the Medo-Persian Empire. It was ponderous in its movements. It did not gain its victories by bravery or skill, but overwhelmed its enemies by hurling vast masses of troops upon them. Xerxes' expedition against Greece was undertaken with 2,500,000 fighting men, who with the camp followers made up an army of 5,000,000. Other Persian generals had armies running up into the 100,000's of men. It is easy to be seen that the movements of such enormous bodies of men would "devour much flesh," not only in the destruction of their enemies, but thousands would die of disease and exposure and the countries through which they passed would become famine stricken by the loss of food seized to feed such armies. The side of the Bear which raised up to attack typified Persia, in which lay the greatest military strength, and corresponded to the right shoulder and arm of the "Colossus." The "Three-Ribs" stood for the three Kingdoms of Lydia, Babylon and Egypt, which formed a "Triple Alliance" to check the Medo-Persian power, but were all destroyed by it.

The Third Beast was "like a Leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the Beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it." Dan. 7:6. The leopard is the most agile and graceful of creatures; but its speed is here still further assisted by "wings." Slight in its frame, but strong, swift and fierce, its characteristics render it a fitting symbol of the rapid conquests of the Greeks under Alexander the Great, who, followed by small but well-equipped and splendidly brave armies, moved with great celerity and in about 10 years overthrew the unwieldy forces of Persia, and subdued the whole civilized world. The "four wings of a Fowl" indicate, that, as a "fowl" does not fly high, the armies of Alexander were fitted mainly for lowland fighting. There is an incongruity between the number of "wings" and the number of "heads" of the Leopard. "Four heads" call for "four pair of wings." Why only "four" wings we do not know, unless they denote the four quarters of the earth into which Alexander sought to extend his Kingdom.

The "Four Heads" of the Leopard represent the "Four Kingdoms" into which the Empire of Alexander was divided by his generals, namely Egypt, Syria, Thrace and Macedonia. From B.C. 323 to B.C. 30 there was no world-wide Kingdom, there being this break or parenthesis between the Medo-Persian and Roman Empires, showing that while there was to be "four" and "only four" world-wide Empires it did not necessarily follow that there should be no break between them. The Third Beast, the Leopard, corresponds to the abdomen and hips of the Colossus.

The Fourth Beast was unlike any beast that Daniel had ever seen or heard about, it was "dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly, and it had great IRON TEETH. It devoured and brake in pieces, and tamped the residue (the other Beasts) with the feet of it; and it was diverse from all the Beasts that were before it and it had "Ten Horns."

The fact that the Fourth Beast had "Iron Teeth," and that there ere "Ten Horns" on its head, the "iron" corresponding to the "Iron Limbs" and the "ten horns" to the "Ten Toes" of the Colossus, would cause Daniel to see that the Fourth Beast represented the Fourth World Kingdom.

But as Daniel "considered" the "Ten Horns," he was amazed to see another Horn, a "LITTLE" one, come up among them, and before whom there were "three" of the "First Horns" plucked up by the roots, that is destroyed; and as he examined the "Little Horn" more closely he noticed that it had Eyes like the eyes of a Man, and the Mouth of a Man speaking great things. Dan. 7:7,8. This mystified and troubled Daniel. He had seen nothing corresponding to it on the "Ten Toes" of the Colossus. It must mean some new and additional revelation that God did not see fit to impart to the Gentile King Nebuchadnezzar, and that was reserved for Daniel and his people (the Jews), for we must not forget that Daniel's own visions, in the last six chapters of the Book, have to do with God's dealings with the Jewish People in the "Latter Days." Dan. 10:14.

Before Daniel could ask for an explanation of the meaning of the "Little Horn," he had another vision, a vision of a Judgment. Dan. 7: 9-14. Daniel's vision of the destruction of the Beast (vs. 11) locates this judgment as just before the Millennium. Daniel at the same time saw the "Son of Man" (Christ) receive His Kingdom (the Stone Kingdom). Vs. 13, 14. These visions added to Daniel's perplexity, and he was "grieved in his spirit," and the visions of his head "troubled him" (vs. 15), so he approached one of the "Heavenly Messengers" that stood by and asked him the. meaning. He was told that the "Four Beasts" stood for Four Kings, or Kingdoms (vs. 23), that should arise out of the earth. Then Daniel wanted to know the "truth" about the "Fourth Beast," which was so diverse from the other three. The "Little Horn" of the Fourth Beast was what troubled him the most because it was to make war against the

"Saints of the Most High,"

and they were Daniel's own people, the God-fearing Jews of the "End Time," who were to pass through the "Great Tribulation" and to be prevailed against, until the time came that the people (the Jews) of the "Saints of the Most High" should possess the Kingdom.

In explanation Daniel was told that the "Ten Horns" on the Fourth Beast represented "Ten Kings" that shall arise, and that the "Little Horn" was a king that should rise among them and subdue three of them, and that he would be a "person" of remarkable intelligence and great oratorical powers, having a mouth speaking great things (vs. 8, 20). That he would be audacious, arrogant, imperious and persecuting and change "times and laws," and that the "Saints of the Most High" would be given into his hands for a "Time, and Times, and the Dividing of Time," or 3 ½ years. For a further description of the "Little Horn" see the Chapter on "The Antichrist."

In this vision of the Four Beasts we see "Degeneration" just as we saw it in the metals of the Colossus. The descent is from the Lion, the "King of Beasts," to a nondescript monster that defies description. The reason why these Four Kingdoms are represented first as a "Golden Headed Metallic Image," and then as a succession of "Wild Beasts," is to show the difference between man's view and God's view of the World Kingdoms. Man sees in them the concentration of wealth, majesty and power; God sees them as a succession of rapacious wild beasts devouring one another.

3. The Vision of the "RAM" and the "HE-GOAT."

The explanation as to the meaning of the "Little Horn" perplexed Daniel, and he voiced it "My 'cogitations' much troubled me, and my countenance the matter in 'my heart."' Dan. 7:28. To comfort His servant God, two years later, transported Daniel in vision to Shushan the capital of Persia, and as he stood on the bank of Ulai, he saw a Ram which had "Two Horns," one higher than the other, and the higher came. He saw the Ram push "Westward" and "Northward" and "Southward" and nothing could stand before it, and it did according to its will. Dan. 8:4. While Daniel was "considering" what the vision of the Ram meant, he saw a He-Goat come from the West unmolested, and he noticed it had a "Notable Horn" between its eyes, and when it reached the Ram it was moved with "choler" or anger against it, and smote it with "fury," and broke its "Two Horns," and knocked it down and stamped upon it.

Then the He-Goat waxed great, but when it became strong its "Great Horn" was broken off, and "Four Notable Horns" came up in its place, and out of one of them sprang a "Little Horn" which waxed exceeding great toward the "South" and toward the "East," and toward the "Pleasant Land" (Palestine). Dan. 8:5-9.

When Daniel sought for the meaning of the vision he heard a voice say "Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision." Then Gabriel said to Daniel: The vision belongs to the 'Time of the End,' and is to make thee know what shall come to pass in the "Last End of the Indignation." Dan. 8:15-19. Gabriel then informed Daniel that the "Ram" stood for the Medo-Persian Kingdom, with its two Kings, Darius and his nephew Cyrus; that the He-Goat stood for the Grecian Kingdom, the "Great Horn" between its eyes for its first King (Alexander the Great), and that the "Four Horns" that took the place of the "Great Horn" stood for Four Kingdoms into which the Grecian Kingdom should be divided.

This explanation cleared up things considerably for Daniel. It revealed to him that the "Two Horns" of the Ram, one higher than the other, and the "Two Shoulders" of the Bear, one higher than the other, of his vision of the "Four Wild Beasts;" and the "Two Arms" of the Colossus of Nebuchadnezzar's dream, must stand for the same thing, and that the double Kingdom of Medo-Persia. He also saw that the "Four Horns" that came up in the place of the "Great Horn" corresponded to the "Four Heads" of the Third Wild Beast (the Leopard) and that therefore the He-Coat and the Third Wild Beast and the "Abdomen and Hips" of the Colossus stood for the Grecian Kingdom, and its fourfold division among the generals of Alexander the Great.

We have already anticipated this in our explanation of the "Colossus" and of the "Four Wild Beasts," but we must not forget that Daniel's information was progressive, and that each new vision threw light on his previous visions. For instance the Ram's pushing "Westward" and "Northward" and "Southward," identifies it with the Bear crunching "Three Ribs" in its mouth which we saw was prophetic of the subjugation of Lydia to the "West," Babylon to the "North," and Egypt to the "South."

If the He-Goat had not been pointed out as the "King of Grecia" it would not be difficult for us to identify him, for the "Goat" was the national emblem of Macedonia, and is found on the coins of that country, the ancient capital of which was called "Aegae" or the "Goat City."

The same may be said as to the identification of the Ram with the Medo-Persian Kingdom.

Persian coins have been found which display a "Ram's Head" on one side, and a "Ram" incumbent on the other. We also read of a Persian kin riding in front of his army wearing a golden figure of a "Ram's Head" set with gems, instead of a diadem. In the Zena- vesta, Ized Behram, the guardian spirit of Persia, appears as a "Ram," with clean feet and sharp-pointed horns.

The fury and violence of the He-Goat well depicts the vigor of Alexander the Great's attacks which carried everything before them. Rushing from the West, Alexander, in three great battles, made himself master of the world. But the "Great Horn" was suddenly broken off, for Alexander, with plans inconceivably vast, succumbed to marsh fever and intemperance at Babylon, in the thirty-third year of his life, and, in fulfillment of the prophecy "Four Horns" sprang up in the place of the "Great Horn."

These "Four Horns" stood for the four Generals of Alexander's army who divided his Kingdom among themselves. Cassander took possession of Macedonia. Lysimachus seized upon Thrace, Western Bithynia, Lower Phrygia, Mysia and Lydia. Seleucus took the remainder of Asia Minor and the East, including Syria and Assyria. Ptolemy took possession of Egypt. These Four Kingdoms were in time all absorbed into the Fourth World Kingdom, the Roman Empire. The last to lose its identity being Egypt, which succumbed in B.C. 30.

Soon after the appearance of these "Four Horns" on the head of the He-Goat Daniel saw a "Little Horn" come up on one of them. Gabriel explained the significance of this "Little Horn" to Daniel.

He told him that it stood for a King of "Fierce Countenance" who should stand up in the "Latter Time" of the Kingdom, and who should stand up against the "Prince of Princes" (Christ). Dan. 8:23-25. The description of this "Little Horn" so clearly corresponds with the description of the "Little Horn" that rose among the "Ten Horns" on the head of the Fourth Wild Beast that it was not difficult for Daniel to see that they described and stood for the same Person-THE ANTICHRIST. The revelation so overcame Daniel that he "fainted" and was sick certain days. Dan. 8:27.

4. The Vision of the "KINGS OF THE NORTH AND SOUTH."

While Daniel foresaw that the Kingdom of Alexander the Great would be divided into Four Kingdoms and that out of one of them would come the "Antichrist," he was not told at that time which one it would be, but 20 years later, in B.C. 533, he had another vision in which he saw two kings warring against each other. One was called the "King of the North," the other the "King of the South." This chapter (Dan. 11:1-45) is one of the most wonderfully minute as to prophetic details of any chapter in the Bible. It corresponds exactly with the profane history of the kings of Egypt and Syria for over 350 years. From verse 5 to verse 31 we have an account of what is called the "wars" of the "Kings of the North" (Syria) and of the "Kings of the South" (Egypt). These end with the close of the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes, B.C. 164. Verses 32-35 cover the whole period from, B.C. 164 down to the "Time of the End." At verse 36 "The Wilful King" (Antichrist) appears, and from that verse down to the end of the Book, we have an account of what is to befall Daniel's People in the "Latter Days." This vision of the "King of the North" (Syria), and of the "King of the South" (Egypt), in which the "King of the North" prevailed, revealed to Daniel that Antichrist would arise in the "Syrian" division of Alexander's Kingdom, for the description of the "King of the North" corresponded with the description of the "Little Horn" that came up on one of the "Four Horns" of the He-Goat, and also with the "Little Horn" that came up among the "Ten Horns" on the head of the Fourth Beast.

Thus to Daniel was revealed the whole course of the "Times of the Gentiles."

5. The Vision of the "SEVENTY WEEKS."

In chapter nine Daniel had a Vision of "Seventy Weeks" that were determined on his "People" (the Jews) and the Holy City (Jerusalem) to finish "their transgressions," and make an "end of their sins," and bring in "everlasting righteousness." Dan. 9:24. This Vision of the "Seventy Weeks" is the most important revelation in many respects made in the Scriptures. It set the date of the First Coming of Christ, and gives the length of the reign of Antichrist. The date of the "Vision" is important. The first verse of the chapter locates it in the "First Year" of Darius the Median, or the same year as the "Fall of Babylon," B.C. 538. Daniel had been studying the Prophecy of Jeremiah, and learned from it that the 70 years of "Captivity" of his people were drawing to a close, for the "Captivity" began in B.C. 606, and 68 years had elapsed since then. Jer. 25:11. This discovery thrilled Daniel and he set his face toward God and poured out his soul in one of the most wonderful prayers recorded in the Scriptures. Verses 3-19. It is a model of confession, supplication and intercession. His prayer was interrupted by the appearance of the angel Gabriel, who had been sent at its commencement to give him "understanding in the matter." Vs. 20-23. Daniel was concerned about the end of the "seventy years" of the "Captivity," and doubtless Gabriel relieved his mind as to that, but Gabriel had something more important to reveal to Daniel and that was the period of "Seventy Weeks."

The purpose of Gabriel's visit was to show Daniel that while his people would be restored to their own land at the end of the "Seventy Years," that did not mean the restoration of their National Life, but was only the commencement of a longer period, which the angel called the "Seventy Weeks," that must elapse before they should again be in control of their own land. This period was "determined" upon Daniel's people, and upon the Holy City. This is very important. It discloses the fact that the "Seventy Weeks" have nothing to do with the Gentiles or the Church. It also discloses another fact that the "Seventy Weeks," or 490 years, only cover the period when the Jews are, by God's permission, dwelling as a people in their own land. It does not cover the present period of their Dispersion.

THE SEVENTY WEEKS

The expression "Seventy Weeks" should read "Seventy Sevens." Whether those "sevens" are days, weeks or years is to be determined by the context. The "Period" of the "Seventy Weeks" is divided into three periods of "Seven Weeks," "Threescore and Two Weeks" and "One Week," and it was to be 7+62--69 weeks from the going forth of the "commandment" to Restore and Build Jerusalem Unto

"MESSIAH THE PRINCE."

The date of the "commandment" is given in Nehemiah 2:1 as the month "Nisan" in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, which was the 14th day of March, B.C. 445. The day when Jesus rode in Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem as "Messiah the Prince," was Palm Sunday, April 2, A. D. 30. Luke 19:37-40. But the time between March 14, B.C. 445, and April 2, A. D. 30, is more than 69 literal "weeks." It is . 445+30=475 years. What explanation can we give for this? It is clear to every careful student of the Word of God that there is a "Time Element" in the Scriptures. We come across such divisions of time as "hours;" "days;"-"weeks,;" "months;" "years;" "times;" "time and the dividing of time." To be intelligible and avoid confusion they must all be interpreted on the same scale. What is that scale? It is given in Num. 14:34. "After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days-Each Day FOR A YEAR, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years" See also Ezek. 4:6

The "Lord's Scale" then is-

"A Day Stands for a Year."

Let us apply this scale to the "Seventy Weeks." We found that the time between the "commandment" to restore and build Jerusalem, and "Messiah the Prince," was to be 69 weeks, or 69 X 7 = 483 days, or if a "day" stands for a year, 483 years. But we found that from B.C. 445 to A. D. 30 was 475 years, a difference of 8 years. How can we account for the difference?

We must not forget that there are years of different lengths. The Lunar year has 354 days. The Calendar year has 360 days. The Solar year has 365 days.- The Julian, or Astronomical year, has 365 1/4 days, and it is necessary to add one day every 4 years to the calendar.

Now which of these years shall we use in our calculation? We find the "Key" in the Word of God. In Gen. 7:11-24; 8:3, 4, in the account of the Flood, we find that the 5 months from the 17th day of the 2nd month, until the 17th day of the 7th month, are reckoned as 150 days, or 30 days to a month, or 360 days to a year. So we see that we are to use in "Prophetical Chronology" a "Calendar" year of 360 days.

According to ordinary chronology, the 475 years from B.C. 445 to A. D. 30 are 64 "Solar" years of 365 days each. Now counting the years from B.C. 445 to A..D. 30, inclusively, we have 476 solar years. Multiplying these 476 years by 365 (the number of days in a Solar year), we ave 173,740 days, to which add 119 days for leap years, and we have 173,859 days. Add to these 20 days inclusive from March 14 to April 2, and we have 173,879 days. Divide 173,879 by 360 (the number of days in a "Prophetical Year"), and we have 483 years all to one day, the exact number of days (483) in 69 weeks, each day standing for a year. Could there be anything more conclusive to prove that Daniel's 69 weeks ran out on April 2, A. D. 30, the day that Jesus rode in triumph into the City of Jerusalem.

We must carefully notice that nothing is mentioned as occurring between the "Seven Weeks" and the "Threescore and Two Weeks," is and that Daniel was to understand that the latter followed the former without a break. The words that follow, "the street shall be built, and the wall, even in troublous times," doubtless refers to the "first period" or 49 years, occupied by Ezra and Nehemiah in the work of restoring and rebuilding the City o Jerusalem.

We see from this that if the "students of Prophecy" of Christ's day had been on the alert, and had understood Daniel's prophecy of the "Seventy Weeks," they would have been looking for Him, and would have known to a certainty whether He was the Messiah or not.

While there was no break between the "Seven Weeks" and the "Threescore and Two Weeks," there is a break between the "Sixty-ninth" and "Seventieth Week," in which several things were to happen.

First we read that "Messiah Was to Be Cut Off, But Not for Himself." This refers to Christ's rejection and crucifixion. He died for others. Then we read that the people of the "Prince That Shall Come' shall destroy the City and the Sanctuary. Note that it does not say that the "Prince" will destroy the City and Sanctuary, but the People of the Prince. The people who destroyed the City of Jerusalem and the Temple in A. D. 70 were the Romans, therefore the "Prince (Antichrist) must be a Roman Citizen. This does not mean that he cannot be a Syrian Jew, for Syria will then be a part of the revived Roman Empire, and Saul of Tarsus was a Roman citizen as well as Jew.

We are then told that the desolation of the land of Palestine shall continue until the "End of the War" (probably Armageddon). As this "desolation" still continues we see that the "GAP" between the "Sixty ninth" and "Seventieth Week" takes in the whole of this PRESENT DISPENSATION.

The next verse (vs. 27) introduces the "Seventieth Week."

"And He (the "Prince"-Antichrist) shall confirm the Covenant with many for ONE WEEK (the Seventieth Week); and in the MIDST (middle) of the Week He (the Antichrist), shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease," etc. For a description of the "Seventieth Week" see the chapter on "The Tribulation."

THE TIMES OF THE GENTILES

In Luke 21:24 Jesus says that Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the "Times of the Gentiles" be fulfilled.

We have seen that the "Times of the Gentiles" began in B. C 606; is there any way of telling when they will end?

There are those who claim that Jesus meant by the word "Times," "Prophetical Times," and that a Prophetical "Time" is a year of 360 days, each day standing for a year, thus making a "Time" equal to 360 years. They also claim that Moses in the Book of Leviticus (Lev. 26:18-21, 24-28), foretold, and four times repeated it, that if the Children of Israel disobeyed God, He would punish them "Seven Times" for their sins and that Jesus referred to these "Seven Times" when He spoke of the "TIMES" of the Gentiles. Therefore if a "Time" is 360 years, "Seven Times" would be 7 X 360 = 2520 years; and as the "Times of the Gentiles" began in B.C. 606, they should end in A. D. 1914.

Can this claim be substantiated? In the Book of Revelation the last "half" of the "Seventieth Week" of Daniel is described by three statements of time. First by 42 months (Rev. 11:2; 13:5) ; second by 1260 days (Rev. 11:3; 12:6); third by "Time, and Times, and Half a time" (Rev. 12:14); this last corresponding with Daniel's "Time and times and the dividing of time." Dan 7:25; 12:7. Now as all these statements of time apply to the same period it is clear that the things that are equal to the same thing are equal to each other; and as a "thousand, two hundred and threescore days" equal 1260 days, and 1260 days equal 42 months of 30 days each, and 42 months equal 3 1/2 years, then "Time, Times and Half a Time" (or the dividing of time), must equal 3 1/2 years. That is, a "Time" must equal one year; and "Times," two years; and a "Half a Time," half a year. So we see that in "Prophetical Chronology" a "Time" is equal to a year of 360 days, and not a year of 360 years. There is therefore no scriptural authority for calling a "Time" 360 ordinary years.

If a "Time" was 360 ordinary years, then the "times, and times, and half a time" of Rev. 12:14 would be equal to 360+720+180 or 1260 years, making the "Last Week" of Daniel's "Seventy Weeks" 2520 years long; the absurdity of which is seen when we remember that the last week of the "Seventy Weeks" must be on the same scale as the "Weeks" of the 69 Week Period, which we proved from history were only 7 years long.

If the claim that the "Times of the Gentiles" is 2520 years long is correct, then we must not forget that those years are years of 360 days each. Now 2520 years of 360 days each, make 907,200 days. But exactly 2523 Julian or "Astronomical Years" of 365 1/4 days each, or 921,516 days, have elapsed since B.C. 606 up to the present time (A.D. 1917), a difference of 14,316 days. If we reduce these 2523 years of 365 1/4 days to years of 360 days, then we must divide 921,516 by 360, which gives us 2559, 3/4 years, which is 39 3/4 years more than 2520 years, so that the 2520 years of the "Times of the Gentiles" ran out 393/4 years ago, or in A. D. 1877.

As further proof that the "Seven Times" of Leviticus are not Prophetic "Times," we have the fact (shown on the chart on "Prophetical Chronology"), that the Children of Israel have been punished, or given over to "Servitude" and "Captivity" exactly SEVEN times. Their present "Dispersion" is neither a "servitude" or "Captivity," and does not count.

If the "Seven Times" of Leviticus are Prophetic "Times" and a "Time" is one year, then "Seven Times" would be seven years, the length of the "Last Week" of Daniel's "Seventy Weeks," and would make the statement of Leviticus a Prophetic reference to the length of the "Tribulation Period" through which the Jews must go as a punishment for their sins. The 1000 years of Rev. 20:2-7 are ordinary years, just as the 70 years of the Babylonian Captivity were. The context will show whether ordinary or prophetical years are meant. It is this confusion in interpreting "Prophetical Chronology" that has led to the "time setting" that has brought discredit upon the whole system of Premillennial Truth.

The "Times of the Gentiles" will end with the end of Daniel's "Seventieth Week." When that will begin and end no one knows, for the Scriptures teach that it is not for us to know the

"Times and Seasons."

THE AGE OF AGES

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This is a "Dual Age" and includes the "Millennial Age" and the "Perfect Age," between which the earth is to be "Renovated by Fire." The Present Age is to end by the "Rapture" of the Church, followed by the "Great Tribulation," and the "Age of Ages' is to be ushered in by the "Revelation" of Christ, when He shall return to the earth, and after judging the "Nations," shall set up His Millennial Kingdom.

The Millennial Age

Writers and poets have written and sung of a "Golden Age," an Age of universal righteousness and peace; and the Jews believe that the Seventh Thousand of years from the Creation is to be a "Sabbath of Rest," and that a description of that Age is given to us in the Old Testament Prophets. That there is to be a period of 1000 years during which Satan shall be bound and Christ shall reign on this earth is clearly revealed in the New Testament. This period is mentioned six times in the Book of Revelation. Rev. 20:1-7.

The Scriptures mention seven great "Dispensational Tests" of man from his creation until the New Heaven and the New Earth appear. He was tested in "Innocence" in the Garden of Eden; under "Conscience" before the Flood; under "Human Government" at Babel; under the "Headship of the Family" under the Patriarchs; under "Law" before Christ; he is now being tested under "Grace;" and he is to have one more test before God will give him up as hopelessly, incurably, incorrigibly God-hating and disobedient, and that test will be final and deprive him of his last shadow of excuse.

What is that excuse? Man charges his fall and his continuance in sin to Satan. "Take him away," he cries, "paralyze his power; cripple his malignant activity; bind him and deliver us from his dominating influence, and then you will see that man is radically good and virtuous, and is simply the victim of an unfavorable environment."

God answers it shall be done. Satan shall be bound so that he can no longer deceive men; and lest man shall say that sinful habits are too deeply rooted to be soon eradicated, the test shall last for a thousand years, and man shall have during that period of probation all the blessed influences of the Holy Spirit.

But we shall see as we study the outcome of the "Millennial Age" that when Satan is loosed, man will reveal the fact that he is still a rebellious creature, for that Dispensation, like all that preceded it, will end in Apostasy. Rev. 20:7-10.

In the Millennial Dispensation God will deal with mankind as a whole, but as made up of nations. The Church will not be on the earth, only represented by those who will assist Christ, as it is THE KING, in His Administration of the Millennial Kingdom. The Jews, as a nation, will then be the HEAD OF THE NATIONS. Deu. 28:13. While they will in part observe the "Ceremonial Law," they will be under a "NEW COVENANT." Jer. 31:31-37. Heb. 8:7-13. The principle under which God will deal with men in those days will not be Law, Grace or judgment, but RIGHTEOUSNESS. The Government will be based on "Righteousness." It will be an. "Autocratic Government," for Christ will rule with a "ROD OF IRON" (Isa. 11:1, 4; Rev. 2:27, 19:15; Psa. 2:9), but that rule will be based on LOVE. As Satan will be bound at that time, the character of the Millennial Dispensation will be entirely different from all preceding Dispensations, and cannot be classed with them.

The Perfect Age

At the close of the "Millennial Age," the present earth is to be "Renovated by Fire," the outcome of which will be a "New Heaven" and a "New Earth" Wherein Dwelleth Righteousness. 2 Pet. 3:13.

It is this "Perfect Kingdom that Christ surrenders to the Father," (I Cor. 15:28), for the "Millennial Kingdom" is not perfect, there is sin in it, and it ends in "Apostasy." This "Perfect Kingdom" is also a Dispensation, the "Dispensation of the Fulness of Times." Eph. 1:10. 'I'he "Millennial Kingdom" and the "Perfect Kingdom" make up the "Kingdom of the SON OF MAN."

THE AGES OF THE AGES

As the "Creative Ages" were the "Alpha" Ages, these will be the "Omega" Ages. With the surrender of the "Perfect Kingdom" to the Father, what we speak of as "Time" ceases, and the "Eternal Ages," called the "Ages of the Ages," begin. They correspond to what the Apostle Paul in his Letter to the Ephesians calls the "Ages to Come." Eph. 2:7. And John in the Book of Revelation says that the "Devil" and the "Beast" and the "False Prophet" shall be tormented day and night forever and ever, or for the "Aions" of the "Aions," the "Ages of the Ages," (Rev. 20:10), and that the "Servants of God" shall reign for the same period. Rev. 22:S.

What those "Ages of Ages" shall reveal of the Plan and Purpose of God we do not know, but if we are His we shall live to know, and possibly take part in their development. What we do know is that we are but in the beginning of things, and as concerning the "Ages," Eternity is still young.

THE SABBATH

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If God instituted the "Sabbath" before the "Fall of Man," it seems strange that the fact is not recorded in Genesis, and that Adam was not told to observe it. Nowhere in the Book of Genesis do we read of Adam, or any of his descendants, or Noah, or Abraham observing the Sabbath. The only hint we have of a "seven-fold" division of days is found in Gen. 7:4, 10, when seven days of grace were granted before the Flood came, and in Gen. 8:8-12, where a seven day period elapsed between the sending forth of the dove. The first place we read of the Sabbath is in Ex. 16:23-26., in connection with the gathering of the manna-- "Six- days ye shall gather it; but on the SEVENTH day, WHICH IS THE SABBATH, in it there hall be none." Here we have the "SEVENTH" day designated as "THE SABBATH." That the "Seventh Day" of the "Creative Week" was a type of the Sabbath is clear from Ex. 20:ll-"For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the SEVENTH day; wherefore the Lord blessed the SABBATH day, and hallowed it." But we have no evidence that the Sabbath was commanded to be observed until after the Exodus, and the reason is clear. God's "Rest Day" was broken by the "Fall ot Man," and there could be no "rest" until redemption was brought in, and this was typically brought in by the redemption of the Children of Israel from Egypt through the offering of the "Passover Lamb," a type of Christ. The purpose of their deliverance was that they might find rest in Canaan from the weary toil and slavery of Egypt. Deu. 5:15.

When a few weeks later the "Ten Commandments" were given on Mt. Sinai, the Lord said to Israel, "REMEMBER the Sabbath Day to keep it holy," (Ex. 20:8), the Sabbath Day they were to remember was not the "Seventh Day" on which God rested, but the "Day" that God had appointed as the "Sabbath Day" at the time of the giving of the manna.

The command to observe the Sabbath was given to Israel EXCLUSIVELY. It was not given to the Gentiles. It was given to Israel as the "SIGN" of the "Mosaic Covenant." "Verily my Sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a 'SIGN' between me and you throughout your generations." Ex. 31:13; Ezek. 20:12, 19-21. The Sabbath Day then belongs to the Jews alone and is not binding on the Gentiles (the world), or on the Church (Christians). Nowhere in the Bible do you find God finding fault with any nation or people, except the Jewish nation, for not observing the Sabbath. As a Jewish ordinance it has never been abrogated, changed, or transferred to any other day of the week, or to any other people. It is now in abeyance as foretold in Hosea 2:11 it would be. It is to be resumed when the Jews are nationally restored to their own land. Isa. 66:23. Ezek. 44:24; 46; 1-3.

If this is true, then the "Sabbath" does not belong to the Church and is not to be observed by Christians, for the :Sabbath Day" is a part of "THE LAW," and Christians are not under "LAW," but under "GRACE." Rom. 6:14. In his letter to the Galatian Christians Paul reproved them for going back to the "Law," and declared that those who did so were "under the CURSE." Gal. 3:10. "How turn ye again to the 'beggarly elements' (religious ordinances) whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? Ye observe DAYS (Sabbath and Feast Days), and months, and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labor in vain." Gal. 4:9-11. "Let no man therefore judge you in meats or in drink, or in respect of a holy day, or of the new moon, or of the SABBATH." Col. 2:16. If Christians are under obligations to keep the "Jewish Sabbath," then they are under the Jewish "Ceremonial Law" and should observe all the ordinances and Feast Days of the Jewish Ritual.

As an institution of Judaism, the Sabbath, with all the "Feast Days" and other ritualistic ceremonies and offerings of Judaism, ceased to function with the close of the Jewish Dispensation. The JEWISH Sabbath was not changed to the CHRISTIAN Sabbath, any more than "Circumcision" was changed to "Baptism." There is no such thing as the "CHRISTIAN Sabbath." "Sabbath" has to do with LAW, and "Christian" with GRACE, and to join "LAW" and "GRACE" is to unite what God has forever separated. , After the Resurrection, Christ and His Disciples never met on the Sabbath" but on the "FIRST DAY of the week." John 20:1, 19. Acts 20:7. 1. Cor. 16:2. It is true that they went into the Jewish Synagogues on the Sabbath, but not to worship, but that they might have opportunity to preach the Gospel. The "First Day of the Week" is the day to be observed for rest and worship by the Christian Church. It is prefigured in the Old Testament as the "EIGHTH DAY," or the "DAY AFTER THE SABBATH." "Ye shall bring a sheaf of the 'FIRST-FRUITS' of your harvest unto the priest, and he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you; on the 'MORROW AFTER THE SABBATH' the priest shall wave it." Lev. 23:10-11. What did that "First Fruits" typify? Read 1. Cor. 15:20-"Now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the 'FIRSTFRUITS' of them that slept." When did Christ rise from the dead and become the "FIRST FRUITS?" Not on the "Sabbath," for He lay dead in the tomb on that day, but on the "FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK," on the "MORROW AFTER THE SABBATH."

The fact that the "Birthday" of the Church was at Pentecost, and that fell on the "First Day of the Week," is further proof that the Church should keep the "First Day of the Week" and not the "Seventh" day or "SABBATH."

The Jewish Sabbath links man with the "Old Dispensation," the "First Day of the Week" links man with the "New." It is claimed that the Roman Catholic Church changed the day of rest from the "Seventh Day" to the "First Day of the Week," but the claim is false, for the Papacy did not exist until a long time after the "First Day of the Week" had become a fixed day for Christian worship. It is a noteworthy fact that the whole of the "Ten Commandments" (Ex. 20:1-17) are reaffirmed in the New Testament, except the 'Fourth Commandment" regarding the Sabbath. Rom. 13:8-10, Eph. 6:1-2, James 5:12, 1. John 5:21. Why this omission if the Law of the "Sabbath" is still in force? It is called the "LORD'S DAY." It belongs to Him. It is not called a "rest day" in the Bible. It is a day that should be filled with worship and service and holy activity. It is not a day to be spent in laziness or pleasure, or the giving of sacred concerts and the discussion of worldly betterment schemes, but a day for the teaching and preaching of the Word of God.

The Seven Churches

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THE SEVEN CHURCHES

The Book of Revelation was written in A. D. 96. The writer was the Apostle John. He was told to write the things which he "saw" and "heard." The Book therefore is a divinely given book, and is the "Revelation of Jesus Christ" (Rev. 1:1) and not of John. It is the most important and valuable prophetic book in the Bible. All through the Old Testament there are scattered references to things which are to come to pass in the "Last Days." The Book of Revelation reveals The Divine Program,or order, in which these events are to happen. It is the Book of Consummation and its proper place in the sacred canon is where it is placed, at the end of the Bible. The Book is full of "action." Earth and heaven are brought near together. The clouds roll away, thrones, elders, and angelic forms are seen; harps, trumpets, cries from disembodied souls, and choruses of song are heard. Earth touches heaven, and alas it touches hell also. There are strong moral contracts. Good and evil meet. There is no blending, but sharp contrasts, and a long protracted conflict that ends in victory for the good.

The Book is addressed to the "seven churches which are in Asia." By Asia is not meant the great Continent of Asia, or even the whole of Asia Minor, but only its western end. Neither were the seven churches named the only churches in that district, for there were at least three other churches: Colosse, Col. 1:2; Hierapolis, Col. 4:13; and Troas, Acts 20:6, 7. These Seven Churches then must be representative or "typical" churches, chosen for -certain characteristics typical of the character of the Church of Christ from the end of the First Century down to the time of Christ's return for His Church, and descriptive of

Seven Church Periods clearly defined in Church History.

John when he received his message was a prisoner on the Isle of Patmos. He heard behind him a "great voice," as of a trumpet, and when he turned he saw "Seven Golden Candlesticks," and standing in their midst one like unto the "Son of Man," who held in His right hand "Seven Stars." He was told that the "Seven Stars" were the "Angels" (Ministers or Messengers) of the Seven Churches, and the "Seven Candlesticks" represented the Seven Churches. "Lampstand" is a better translation for the word "Candlestick," and is so given in the margin of our Bibles. A "Candlestick" requires a light which is self-consuming, while a "Lampstand" is simply the "Holder" of a lamp whose light is fed from a reservoir of oil, thus typifying the oil of the Holy Spirit. Thus Christ looks upon the churches as not the Light, but simply the "Light Holder." 'the use of the figures "Lampstands" and "Stars, " which are only for service in the night, indicates that we are living in the "Night" of this Age.

The "Key" to the interpretation of the Book of Revelation is its "Threefold Division." Rev. 1:19.

I. Things Past.

"The Things Which Thou Hast SEEN."

The Vision of Christ in the midst of the "Lampstands." Chapter one.

II. Things Present.

"The Things Which ARE."

Obviously the Seven Churches. Chapters two and three. John was not far from 100 years old, and the only remaining Apostle. The Temple and city of Jerusalem had been destroyed, and the Jews dispersed 26 years before, and John's attention was called to the condition of the "Seven" representative churches of Asia.

III.Things Future.

"The Things Which SHALL BE HEREAFTER."

Beginning with the fourth chapter unto the end of the Book. Rev. 4:1.

It is worthy of note that the "Messages to the Seven Churches" are inserted between Two Visions, the "Vision of Christ" in the midst of the "Seven Lampstands" in chapter one, and the "Vision of the Four and Twenty Elders" round about the Throne, in chapter four.

As chapter four is a vision of the "Glorified Church" with the Lord, after it has been caught out (1 Thess. 4:13-17), then the Second Division of the Book-

"The Things Which Are,"

and which includes chapters two and three, must be a description or prophetic outline of the "Spiritual History" of the Church from the time when John wrote the Book in A. D. 96, down to the taking out of the Church, or else we have no "prophetic view" of the Church during that period, for she disappears from the earth at the close of chapter three, and is not seen again until she reappears with her Lord in chapter nineteen. This we shall find to be the case.

This interpretation of the "Messages to the Seven Churches" was hidden to the early Church, because time was required for Church History to develop and be written, so a comparison could be made to reveal the correspondence. If it had been clearly revealed that the Seven Churches stood for "Seven Church Periods" that would have to elapse before Christ could come back, the incentive to watch would have been absent.

While the character of these Seven Churches is descriptive of the Church during seven periods of her history, we must not forget that the condition of those churches, as described, were their exact condition in John's day. So we see that at the close of the First Century the leaven of "False Doctrine" was at work in the Churches. The churches are given in the order named, because the peculiar characteristic of that Church applied to the period of Church History to which it is assigned. It also must not be forgotten, that, that which is a distinctive characteristic of each Church Period, does not disappear with that Period, but continues on down through the next Period, and so on until the end, thus increasing the imperfections of the visible Church, until it ends in an open Apostasy, as shown on the chart "The Messages to the Seven Churches Compared with Church History."

We will now consider each message separately.

1. The Message to the Church at EPHESUS. Rev. 2:1-7.

The complaint that Christ makes against this Church is that it "had left its First Love." Its character is seen in its very name, for Ephesus means to "let go...... to relax." It had become a Backslidden Church. Paul, who founded it, warned it of what should happen, in his parting message.

"I know this, that after my departing shall grievous 'wolves' enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, 'speaking perverse things,' to draw away disciples after them." Acts 20:29,30.

The significance of this warning is seen in the commendation of the Message, vs. 6-"But this thou hast, that thou 'hatest' the deeds of the Nicolaitanes which I also hate." Here Paul's "wolves" are called Nicolaitanes. They were not a sect, but a party in the Church who were trying to establish a "Priestly Order." Probably trying to model the Church after the Old Testament order of Priests, Levites, and common people. This is seen in the meaning of the word, which is from "Niko" to conquer, to overthrow, and "Laos" the people or laity. The object was to establish a "Holy Order of Men," and place them over the laity, which was foreign to the New Testament plan, and call them not pastors, but-Clergy, Bishops, Archbishops, Cardinals, Popes. Here we have the origin of the dogma of "Apostolic Succession," and the separation of the Clergy from the Laity, a thing that God "hates." The Church at Ephesus was not deceived, but recognized them as false apostles and liars.

The character of the Church at Ephesus is a fair outline of the Church Period from A. D. 70 to A. D. 170.

II. The Message to the Church at Smyrna. Rev. 2:8-11.

The Church in its "Ephesian Period" having lost its "First Love," the Lord is now about to "chastise" it, so as to cause it to return to Him. Smyrna has for its root meaning "bitterness," and means "Myrrh," an ointment associated with death, and we see in the meaning of the word a prophecy of the persecution and death which was to befall the members of the Smyrna Church. They were told not to "fear" the things that they should be called on to suffer, but to be faithful "unto" death, not "until" death. That is, not until the end of their "natural" life, they were not to "recant" when called upon to face a Martyr's death, but remain faithful until death relieved them of their suffering. The reward would be a "Crown of Life." This is the Martyr's crown.

They were told that the "author" of their suffering would be the Devil, and its duration would be "ten days," which was doubtless a prophetic reference to the "Ten Great Persecutions" under the Roman Emperors, beginning with Nero, A. D. 64, and ending with Diocletian in A. D. 310. Seven of these "Great Persecutions" occurred during this "Smyrna Period" of Church History. Or it may refer to the 10 years of the last and fiercest persecution under Diocletian. This Period extended from A. D. 170 to Constantine A. D. 312.

III. The Message to the Church at Pergamos. Rev. 2:12-17.

In this Message Pergamos is spoken of as "Satan's Seat." When Attalus III, the Priest-King of the Chaldean Hierarchy, fled before the conquering Persians to Pergamos, and settled there, Satan shifted his capital from Babylon to Pergamos. At first he persecuted the followers of Christ, and Antipas was one of the martyrs. But soon he changed his tactics and began to exalt the Church, and through Constantine united the Church and State, and offered all kinds of inducements for worldly people to come into the Church. Constantine's motive was more political than religious. He wished to weld his Christian and Pagan subjects into one people, and so consolidate his Empire. The result of this union was that two false and. pernicious doctrines crept into the Church. The first was the "Doctrine of Balaam," and the second the "Doctrine of the Nicolaitanes." The latter we have already considered under the Message to the Church at Ephesus. And the foothold it had secured in the Church was seen in the First Great Council of the Church held at Nicaea, in A. D. 325. The Council was composed of about 1500 delegates, the laymen outnumbering the Bishops 5 to 1. It was a stormy council , full of intrigue and political methods, and from the supremacy of the "Clergy" over the "Laity" it was evident that the "Doctrine of the Nicolaitanes" had secured a strong and permanent foothold.

The "Doctrine of Balaam" is disclosed in the story of Balaam found in the Book of Numbers, chapters 22 to 25 inclusive. When the Children of Israel on their way to Canaan had reached the land of Moab, Balak the king of Moab sent for Balaam the Son of Beor, who lived at Pethor on the river Euphrates, to come and curse them. When the Lord would not permit Balaam to curse Israel, he suggested to Balak that he invite them to the licentious feasts of "Baal-Peor," and thus cause Israel to fall into a snare that would so anger the Lord, that he would Himself destroy them. This Balak did, and the result was that when the men of Israel went to those sensual feasts and saw the "daughters of Moab" they committed whoredoms with them, which so kindled God's anger that He sent a plague that destroyed 42,000 of them. Now the word "Pergamos" means "Marriage," and when the Church entered into a union with the State it was guilty of "Spiritual Fornication" or "Balaamism." The "Balaam Method" that Constantine employed was to give to the Bishops of the Church a number of imposing buildings called Basilicas for conversion into churches, for whose decoration he was lavish in the gift of money. He also supplied superb vestments for the clergy, and soon the Bishop found himself clad in costly vestments, seated on a lofty throne in the apse of the Basilica, with a marble altar, adorned with gold and gems, on a lower level in front of him. A sensuous form of worship was introduced, the character of the preaching was changed, and the great "Pagan Festivals" were adopted, with but little alteration, to please the Pagan members of the church, and attract Pagans to the church. For illustration, as the Winter Solstice falls on the 21st day of December, which is the shortest day in the year, and it is not until the 25th that the day begins to lengthen, which day was regarded throughout the Heathen world as the "birthday" of the "Sun-God," and was a high festival, which was celebrated at Rome by the "Great Games" of the Circus, it was found advisable to change the Birthday of the Son of God, from April, at which time He was probably born, to December 25th, because as He was the "Sun of Righteousness," what more appropriate birthday could He have than the birthday of the Pagan "Sun-God"?

It was at this time that

"Post-Millennial Views"

had their origin. As the Church had become rich and powerful, it was suggested that by the union of Church and State a condition of affairs would develop that would usher in the Millennium without the return of Christ, and since some scriptural support was needed for such a doctrine, it was claimed that the Jews had been cast off "forever, " and that all the prophecies of Israel's future glory were intended for the Church. This "Period" extends from the accession of Constantine, A. D. 312 to A. D. 606, when Boniface III was crowned "Universal Bishop."

IV. The Message to the Church at Thyatira. Rev. 2:18-29.

In His commendation of this Church, Christ lays the emphasis on their "works," as if they depended on them, and claimed they deserved merit for "works" of "Supererogation." But He had a complaint to make against them that was terrible in its awfulness. He charges them not merely with permitting a bad woman, Jezebel, who called herself a "Prophetess," to remain in the Church, but with permitting her to "teach" her pernicious doctrines, and to "seduce" the servants to "commit fornication," and to "eat things sacrificed to idols."

Who this woman was is a question. She was a "pretender, and called herself a "prophetess." Probably she was of noble lineage. She certainly was a woman of commanding influence. Whether her real name was Jezebel or not, she was so like her prototype in the Old Testament, Jezebel the wife of Ahab, that Christ called her by that name. Jezebel, the wife of Ahab, was not by birth a daughter of Abraham, but a princess of idolatrous Tyre, at a time, too, when its royal family was famed for cruel savagery and intense devotion to Baal and Astarte. Her father, Eth-baal, a priest of the latter deity, murdered the reigning monarch Phales, and succeeded him. Ahab, king of Israel, to strengthen his kingdom, married Jezebel, and she, aided and abetted by Ahab, introduced the licentious worship of Baal into Israel, and killed all the prophets of the Lord she could lay her hands on. And this influence she exercised, not only while her husband was alive but also during the reign of her two sons, Ahaziah and Jehoram. More daughter Athaliah to Jehoram, son of Jehoshoaphat introduced idolatrous worship into Judah, and it was not long before a house of Baal built in Jerusalem, and so Jezebel caused all Israel to sin after the sin of Jeroboam the e son of Nebat. 1 Kings 16:29-33.

There is no question that whether Jezebel was a real person or not, she typified a System" and that "System" was the "Papal Church." When the "Papal Church" introduced images and pictures into its churches for the people to bow down to it became idolatrous. And when it set up its claim that the teaching of the Church is superior to the Word of God, it assumed the role of "Prophetess." A careful study of the "Papal System" from A. D. 606 to the Reformation A. D. 1520, with its institution of the "Sacrifice of the Mass" and other Pagan rites, reveals in it the sway of "Jezebelism." It was also a period of "Jezebelistic Persecution," as seen in the wars of the Crusades, and the rise of the Inquisition. A careful comparison of this "Message" with the Parable of "The Leaven," (see the chapter on "The Kingdom"), will reveal the wonderful correspondence between the two, the "Jezebel" of the Church of Thyatira, being the "Woman" of the Parable, who inserted the "Leaven" of "False Doctrine" into the Meal of the Gospel. This Period extended from A. D. 606 to the Reformation A. D. 1520.

V. The Message to the Church at Sardis. Rev. 3:1-6.

The Church at Sardis was called a "Dead Church" though it had a name to live. That is, it was a "Formalistic Church," a church given over to "formal" or "ritualistic" worship. It had the "Form of Godliness without the power." The meaning of the word "Sardis" is the "escaping one," or those who "come out" and so it is an excellent type of the Church of the

Reformation Period.

By the Reformation we mean that period in the history of the Christian Church when Martin Luther and a number of other reformers protested against the false teaching, tyranny and claims of the Papal Church.

This Period began about A. D. 1500. The condition of affairs in the realm dominated by the Papal Church became intolerable, and came to a crisis when Martin Luther on October 31, 1517 A. D., nailed his 95 Theses on the church door at Wittenberg, Germany. From that date the Reformation set in. But it was more a struggle for political liberty, than a purely Christian or religious movement.

It had the advantage of encouraging and aiding the circulation of the Holy Scriptures, that had hitherto been a sealed book, the revival of the Doctrine of "Justification by Faith," and a reversion to more simple modes of worship,- but the multiplication of sects only led to bitter controversial contentions, that, while they threw much light on the Word of God, interfered greatly with the spiritual state of the Church, until it could truthfully be said, "That she had a name to live and was dead."

While the reformers swept away much ritualistic and doctrinal rubbish they failed to recover the promise of the Second Advent. They turned to God from idols, but not to "wait for His Son from the Heavens." The "Sardis Period" extended from A. D. 1520 to about A. D. 1750.

VI. The Message to the Church at Philadelphia. Rev. 3:7-13.

There is no question about the meaning of the word Philadelphia. It means "Brotherly Love," and well describes the charity and brotherly fellowship that dissipated the bitter personal animosities that characterized the theological disputants of the "Sardis Period," and made possible the evangelistic and missionary labors of the past 150 years.

Three things are said of this Church.

1. It had a "little strength." It was like a person coming back to life who was still very weak. It was the "dead" Sardis Church "revived," and Revivals have been characteristic of the Philadelphia Period. These Revivals began with George Whitefield in A. D. 1739, followed by John Wesley, Charles G. Finney and D. L. Moody.

2. It had set before it an "open door," that no "man" could shut. Note that this promise was made by Him, who "hath the 'Key of David,' He that 'openeth' and no man shutteth; and 'shutteth' and no man openeth." In 1793 William Carey sailed for India, where he found an "open door," and since then the Lord has opened the door into China, Japan, Korea, India, Africa and the isles of the sea, until there is not a country in the world where the missionary cannot go.

3. It was to be kept from the "hour of temptation" (Tribulation), that shall come upon all the world. As the Church at Philadelphia is still in existence, and the only one of the seven that has survived, and while it suffered more or less under the "Ten Persecutions" of the "Smyrna Period," it has never yet suffered in a persecution that was world-wide. This "hour of temptation" then must be still future and refers doubtless to the "Great Tribulation " that is to come upon the "whole world," ' just before the return of the Lord to set up His Millennial Kingdom, and as the promise is that the "Philadelphia Church" shall not pass through the Tribulation, is not this additional proof that the Church shall be "caught out" before the Tribulation?

The "Philadelphia Period" covers the time between A. D. 1750 and A. D. 1900. We must not forget that the characteristics of all these Periods continue on in the Church down to the end. This is true of the Evangelistic and Missionary movements of the "Philadelphia Period," but they are now more mechanical and based on business methods, and there is less spiritual power, and this will continue until Christ returns.

VII. The Message to the Church at Laodicea. Rev. 3:14-22.

Christ has no "commendation" for this Church, but much to complain of. He says-

"I know thy works, that thou art neither cold or hot; I would thou wert cold or hot. So then, because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold or hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth."

There is nothing more disgusting or nauseating than "tepid" water. So there is nothing more repugnant to Christ than a "tepid" church. He would rather have a church "frozen" or "boiling." It was the "chilly spiritual atmosphere" of the Church of England that drove John Wesley to start those outside meetings which became so noted for their "religious fervor," and it was the same "chilly atmosphere" of the Methodist Church that drove William Booth in turn to become a "Red-hot" Salvationist.

Our churches today are largely in this "lukewarm" condition. There is very little of warm-hearted spirituality. There is much going on in them, but it is largely mechanical and of a social character. Committees, societies, and clubs are multiplied, but there is an absence of "spiritual heat." Revival meetings are held, but instead of waiting on the Lord for power, evangelists and paid singers are hired and soul winning is made a business

The cause of this "lukewarmness" is the same as that of the Church of Laodicea-Self-Deception.

"Because thou sayest I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind and naked."

They thought they were rich, and outwardly they were, but Christ saw the poverty of their heart. There are many such churches in the world today. More so than in any other period in the history of the church. Many of these churches have Cathedral-like buildings, stained glass windows, eloquent preachers, paid singers, large congregations. Some of them have large landed interests and are well endowed, and yet they are poor. Many of the members, if not the majority, are worldly, card playing, dancing, and theatre going Christians. The poor and the saintly are not wanted in such churches because their presence is a rebuke. These churches do not see that they are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.

If we were to visit such churches they would take pride in showing us the building, they would praise the preaching and singing, they would boast of the character of their congregations, the exclusiveness of their membership, and the attractiveness of all their services, but if we suggested a series of meetings for the "deepening of the Spiritual Life," or the "conversion of the unsaved," they would say-"Oh, no, we do not want such meetings, we have need of nothing." The Church at Laodicea was not burdened with debt, but it was burdened with

WEALTH.

The trouble with the church today is that it thinks that nothing can be done without money, and that if we only had the money the world would be converted in this generation. The world is not to be converted by money, but by the Spirit of God.

The trouble with the Church of Laodicea was that its "Gold', was not of the right kind, and so it was counseled to buy of the Lord "gold tried in the fire." What kind of gold is that? It-is gold that has no taint upon it. Gold that is not cankered, or secured by fraud, or the withholding of a just wage. What a description we have of these Laodicean days in James 5:1-4.

But the Church of Laodicea was not only poor, though rich, it was blind. Or to put it more accurately-"Near-Sighted." They could see their worldly prosperity, but were "Short-Sighted" as to heavenly things, so the Lord counseled them to anoint their eyes with "EyeSalve." Their merchants dealt in ointments and herbs of a high degree of healing virtue, but they possessed no salve that would restore impaired Spiritual Vision, only the Unction of the Holy One could do that.

But the Church was not only poor, and blind, it was naked. Their outward garments were doubtless of the finest material and the latest fashionable cut, but not such as should adorn the person of a Child of God. So they were counseled to purchase of Christ "White Raiment," in exchange for the "raven black woolen" garments for which the garment makers of Laodicea were famous.

Then a most startling revelation was made to the Church of Laodicea, Christ said-

"Behold, I Stand at the Door and Knock."

These words are generally quoted as an appeal to sinners, but they are not, they are addressed to a Church, and to a Church in whose midst Christ had once stood, but now found Himself excluded and standing outside knocking for admittance.

This is the most startling thing recorded in the New Testament, that it is possible for a church to be outwardly prosperous and yet have no Christ in its midst, and be unconscious of the fact. This is a description of a Christless Church. Oh, theEXCLUDED CHRIST.

Excluded from His own nation, for they Rejected Him; excluded from the world, for it Crucified Him; excluded from His Church, for He stands outside its door Knocking for Entrance.

How did Christ come to be outside the Church? He had been within it once or there never would have been a Church. How did He come to leave? It is clear that they had not thrust Him out, for they do not seem to have missed His presence. They continued to worship Him, to sing His praises, and engage in all manner of Christian service, yet He had withdrawn. Why? The reason is summed up in one word-Worldliness.

But how is Christ to get back into His Church? Does it require the unanimous vote or invitation of the membership? No. "If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to Him, and will sup with him, and he with Me." That is, the way to revive a lukewarm church is for the individual members to open their hearts and let Christ re-enter, and thus open the door for His reappearance.

The character of the Church today is Laodicean, and as the Laodicean Period is to continue until the Church of the "New-Born" is taken out, we cannot hope for any great change until the Lord comes back.

"If Christ should come today,

I'll not be here tomorrow;

He'll take His ransomed ones away

From death and sin and sorrow.

In the 'Midair He'll come

To call His loved ones home,

'I'o take them to the 'place prepared,'

As He, before He left, declared."

The Four Gospels

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THE FOUR GOSPELS

The word "Gospel" means "Good News," and is so familiar that its application is supposed to be uniform. When, therefore, we read of

The Gospel of the KINGDOM,

The Gospel of the GRACE OF GOD,

The GLORIOUS GOSPEL, and

The EVERLASTING GOSPEL,

it is taken for granted that they all refer to one and the same thing. But this is not true.

1. THE GOSPEL OF "THE KINGDOM."

Matt. 24:14.

This is the "Good News" that God purposes to set up a Kingdom on this earth over which David's Son, JESUS, shall reign, as prophesied in Luke 1:32-33. Two preachings of this Gospel are mentioned, one past, beginning with the ministry of John the Baptist, and preached by Jesus and His Disciples, but it ended with the rejection of Jesus as King. This Gospel is to be preached again after the Church is taken out. It will be the fulfillment of Matt. 24:14, where it says: "This Gospel of 'THE KINGDOM' shall be preached in all the world for a WITNESS unto all nations; and then shall the end come." This has no reference to the Gospel that is now being preached to the nations. It is the Gospel of SALVATION, but the "Gospel of the Kingdom" is not for "Salvation" but for a WITNESS, that is, it is the announcement that the time has come to SET UP THE KINGDOM. It will be preached first by Elijah the forerunner (Mal. 4:5-6), and by others who shall be commissioned to bear the news to all nations as a proclamation of the coming of Christ as King to occupy the "Throne of David," and for the purpose of regathering Israel to the Promised Land.

2. THE GOSPEL OF "THE GRACE OF GOD."

Acts 20:24.

This is the "Good News" that Jesus Christ, the rejected King, died on the Cross for our SALVATION. This form of the Gospel is described in many ways. It is called the "GOSPEL OF GOD" (Rom. 1:1), because it has its source in the LOVE OF GOD. John 3:16. Its Character is GRACE. Acts 20:24. Its Subject is CHRIST (Rom. 1:16; 2 Cor. 10:14), and it is the POWER OF GOD UNTO SALVATION. And it is the "GOSPEL OF PEACE," because it makes peace between the sinner and God, and brings peace to the soul. Eph. 6; 15,

3. THE "GLORIOUS" GOSPEL.

2 Cor. 4:4. 1 Tim. 1:1 1.

The "GLORIOUS GOSPEL" is that phase of the Gospel of "The Grace of God" that speaks of Him who is in the GLORY, and has been GLORIFIED, and who is bringing many sons TO GLORY. Heb. 2:10. It has special reference to His Second Coming, and is especially comforting to those who are looking for His GLORIOUS APPEARING (Titus 2:13), and it is to this Gospel that Satan, the "God of this Age," is particularly anxious to "blind the minds" of those who believe not in the Pre-Millennial coming of the Lord. 2 Cor. 4:3-4.

4. THE EVERLASTING GOSPEL.

Rev. 14:6.

This Gospel will be proclaimed just before the "Vial judgments," and by an angel. It is the only Gospel committed to an angel. It is neither the Gospel of the "Kingdom," nor of "Grace." Its burden is not SALVATION but JUDGMENT-"Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the HOUR OF HIS JUDGMENT IS COME."

It is "Good News" to Israel, and all who are passing through the "fires of judgment," because it declares that their troubles will soon end in the judgment and Destruction of Antichrist and his followers.

It calls on men to worship God as "CREATOR, " and not as "Saviour" and so it is called in the Revised version-"THE ETERNAL GOSPEL," the Gospel that has been proclaimed from Eden down by Patriarchs and Prophets, and not an "Everlasting Gospel" in the sense that it saves men for all eternity. Its burden is not "Repent," or "do this" or "do that," but--"FEAR GOD, and give GLORY TO HIM; for the HOUR OF HIS JUDGMENT IS COME; and WORSHIP HIM THAT MADE HEAVEN, AND EARTH, AND THE SEA, AND THE FOUNTAINS OF WATERS." From this we see how important it is to distinguish between the various Gospels, not only as to their message, but the period to which they apply, otherwise there will be confusion and false teaching.

There is also "ANOTHER GOSPEL" (Gal. 1:6-12, 2 Cor. 11:4), which is not another, and which Paul repudiated. It is a perversion of the true Gospel and has many seductive forms ', and in the main teaches that "FAITH" is NOT SUFFICIENT to Salvation, nor able to keep and perfect, and so emphasizes "GOOD WORKS." Col. 2:18-23, Heb. 6:1, 9:14. The Apostle Paul pronounces a fearful "Anathema" upon its preachers and teachers. Gal. 1:8-9.

The "Resurrection"

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THE RESURRECTION

The Scriptures speak of three kinds of resurrection.

I. National.

This refers to Israel. In Hosea 6:1, 2 we read-

"Come and let us return unto the Lord for He hath torn, and He will heal us; He hath smitten, and He will bind us up.

After Two Days

will He revive us; in the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight."

There are several things in this passage worth noting. First we see from the context that the words of the prophet are addressed exclusively to the Jewish people and to the whole "Twelve Tribes" represented by Ephraim and Judah. Hosea 6:4. And it is the "Whole House of Israel" that says-"Come, and let us return unto the lord." It is the cry of repentance of a "nation" that has been torn and smitten by the Lord, and not the cry of persons "dead in their graves." The "healing" does not refer to a resurrection from "the dead," and the "binding" means that the whole Twelve Tribes, now scattered, will be, "rebound into one nation" again in their own land.

The expression "Will 'revive' us," does not mean a resurrection from physical death, for the word "revive" simply means what we mean when we speak of a "Revival of Religion," which is a "spiritual" and not a physical resurrection.

The remarkable statement in the passage is the "time" of the Revival. It says-"after TWO Days." It is clear that those "two days" are not literal days of 24 hours, for more than 2 such days have gone by and Israel has not yet been revived. They were spoken by the prophet about B.C. 780, or 2700 years ago, and therefore must be interpreted on the scale that one day is with the Lord as a Thousand Years. 2 Pet. 3:8.

Israel is now well along in the third Thousand Years of her rejection; and it is to be some time in this third Thousand Years, corresponding to the "Third Day" of Hosea, that Israel is to be revived and restored to her own land. For a full account of this "National Resurrection of Israel" see the Chapter on "The Jews."

II. Spiritual.

Writing to the Ephesians, Paul said-"And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins. . . . . and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." Eph. 2:1-6.

"Awake thou that steepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light." Eph. 5:14.

Writing to the Romans Paul says@'Reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." Rom. 6:11.

The Resurrection referred to in these passages is "Spiritual" and is a "present" Resurrection, and is going on continually. Every time a soul is "born again" there is a passing from "death" unto "life," a "Spiritual resurrection." John 5:24.

III. Material.

This is of the dead body. The spirit of man does not die. it goes back to God who gave it. See the Chapter on "The Spirit World." All that goes into the grave is the body, and all that can come out of the grave is the body

Jesus clearly and distinctly taught a resurrection "from the grave."

"Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good unto the 'Resurrection of LIFE, ' and they that have done evil unto the 'Resurrection of DAMNATION."' John5:28,29.

Here Jesus teaches the resurrection of both the "Righteous" and the "Wicked." The Apostle Paul taught the same thing.

"And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the Dead, both of the just (justified), and of the Unjust (unjustified)."Acts 24:15.

"For as in Adam all die (physically), even so in Christ shall all be made alive (physically)." 1 Cor. 15:22.

That the Apostle means "physical" death, and "physical" resurrection here, is clear, for it is the body, and not the spirit that he is discoursing about, and so the Universalist has no "proof text" here for the doctrine of "Universal Salvation."

These passages clearly teach that there is to be a resurrection of "all the dead," and if we did not look any further, we would be led to believe that the Righteous and the Wicked are not only to rise, but that they are to rise at the "same time." But when we turn to the Book of Revelation we find that the Righteous are to rise "before" the Wicked, and not simply precede them, but that there is a space of a 1000 years between the two Resurrections. Rev. 20:4, 5.

"And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them."

This refers to the saints of the First Resurrection, who, represented by the "Four and Twenty Elders" of Rev. 4:4, are seen seated on thrones surrounding the Throne of God.

"And I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the Word of God, and which had not worshipped The Beast, neither His Image, neither had received His Mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they LIVED and Reigned With Christ a THOUSAND YEARS."

These are the "Tribulation Saints." John first saw them in their "martyred" condition (as souls), then he saw them rise from the dead (they lived again), and they, with the First Resurrection Saints, reigned with Christ a Thousand Years.

"But the rest of the dead (the wicked), lived not again until the ‘Thousand Years' were finished."

The rest of the verse-"This is the 'First Resurrection,' " refers not to the "rest of the dead," but to those in verse 4, who lived and reigned with Christ for a 1000 years, for

"Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the First Resurrection, on such the Second Death (the doom of the Wicked, Rev. 20:14, 15), hath no power, but they shall be Priests of God and of Christ, and shall Reign With Him a THOUSAND YEARS." Rev. 20:6.

That the Dead are to rise in different bands or cohorts, with an "interval of time" between, is beautifully brought out in 1 Cor. 15:22-24.

"For as in Adam all die (physically), even so in Christ shall all be made alive (physically). But every man in his own order."

The word translated "order" is a military expression, and means a band, cohort, brigade or division of an army. Paul then gives the order

1. "Christ the First Fruits."

2. "Afterward they that Are Christ's At His Coming."

3. "Then cometh The End."

Now we know that between "Christ the First Fruits," and they that "are Christ's at His Coming," there has already been nearly 1900 years, and as we have seen there will be 1000 years between the resurrection of those that "are Christ's at His Coming" and the "Wicked dead, )) we see that there is not to be a simultaneous resurrection of the Righteous and the Wicked.

But some one may say what authority have we for thus dividing up Scripture and locating "intervals of time?" We have the authority of Christ Himself. In Luke 4:16-20 we read that He went into the Synagogue on the Sabbath Day, and they handed Him the Book of Isaiah from which to read, and that He turned to Isa. 61:11-2, and read-

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord, "

and there He stopped at a "comma," as we see by referring to Isa. 61:2, and left unsaid the words, "and the 'Day of Vengeance' of our God."

Why did Christ stop at that comma? Because the time had not come to declare the "Day of Vengeance." That "comma" has been nearly 19 centuries long and will continue until the "Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking 'vengeance' on them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Thess. 1:7, 8.

But it has been objected that the passage in Rev. 20:4, 5, is the "only" place in the Bible where a "length of time" is given between the resurrection of the Righteous and the Wicked, and that it is not fair to base such an important fact upon a single statement found in. such a symbolic Book. While the Book of Revelation contains many symbols they are explained in the Book, and we must not forget that it is not a mysterious book, for it is the Revelation of Jesus Christ, and is the only book in the Bible that promises a blessing to the reader. Rev. 1:1-3. The Book is to be taken literally.

Suppose that Rev. 20:4-6 is the "only" place in the Bible where a "length of time" is given between the resurrection of the Righteous and the Wicked, that is no reason for questioning its truthfulness. The most marvelous fact in the life of our Lord -"The Virgin Birth," until it was fulfilled at His birth, rested for centuries on a "single" prophecy in the Old Testament. "Behold a 'virgin' shall conceive and bear a son." Isa. 7:14.

But we do not have to depend on Rev. 20:4-6 to prove that there is to be an "out" Resurrection "from among the dead." There are a number of passages referring to the resurrection of the dead that are unexplainable only on the supposition that there is a "time space" between the resurrection of the Righteous and the Wicked.

In the reply that Jesus made to the Sadducees, in answer to their question as to whose wife the woman would be in the next world, who had had seven husbands in this, He said-

"They which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world (Age), and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage; neither can they die any more (Second Death) ; for they are equal unto the angels; and are the 'Children of God' being the children of THE (out) Resurrection." Luke 20:35) 36.

This is a very important statement. The use of the Greek word "Aion," translated "world," but which means "Age," shows that Jesus is speaking of a "class of dead" who are to be raised "before" the next or "Millennial Age," and that those thus raised can "die no more," there is no "Second Death" for them. Why? Because they are "equal unto the angels" and are the "Children of God" having been "born again," and are the "Children of THE Resurrection, the "Out FROM AMONG The Dead or FIRST RESURRECTION " for only the "Children" of the "First Resurrection" shall live again "before" the Millennium."

In Luke 14:14 Jesus speaks of a "special" resurrection, that He calls the Resurrection of the "JUST." This is an "Out Resurrection" from "among the dead," and is only for the "Justified," and must refer to the "First" Resurrection.

The writer to the Hebrews (Heb. 11:35) speaks of a "better" Resurrection, and it is a significant fact that the Apostles preached through Jesus the Resurrection "from the dead." Not the Resurrection "of" the dead, that they always believed, but the Resurrection "from among" the dead, that was a "New Doctrine."

There is no question but what Paul believed in the resurrection "of" the dead, and that he expected to rise "some time," but in his letter to the Philippians (3:11) he expresses the hope that he might "attain unto 'the' resurrection of the dead." Paul must therefore have had in mind some "special" Resurrection. What Paul meant is clear when we turn to 1 Thess. 4:15-17, where he speaks of the resurrection of the "dead in Christ" and "translation of the living saints," at the Second Coming of the Lord, and as Christ is to come back to usher in the Millennium, then that event must "precede" the Millennium and be an "Out Resurrection from among the dead," for the "rest of the dead" live not again until the 1000 years "are finished."

But the resurrection of the Righteous and Wicked is not only to be different as to "time" but as to "character." They that have done "good" (the Righteous) shall rise unto the "resurrection of Life," while they that have done "evil" (the Wicked) shall rise unto the "resurrection of Damnation." John 5:28, 29. And we read in Rev. 20:12-15, that those who are raised at the Second Resurrection or the "Resurrection of Damnation" must appear at the judgment of the "Great White Throne," and that their names shall "not" be found written in the "Book of Life," and they shall be cast into the "Lake of Fire" which is the "Second Death."

The "Manner" of the Resurrection.

Some claim that the departure of the soul and spirit from the body is what is meant by the resurrection. But that cannot be so, for as we have seen, the dead are to arise from their "graves," and only that can come out of the grave that went into it, and that is the "body."

Then there is the "Germ Theory," that in every human body there is a "living germ" that is ... indestructible," and though the body turn to dust that "living germ" will exist in the grave until at the Resurrection a new body shall spring from it. This theory explains how the body may be eaten by animals, destroyed by quick lime, blown to atoms, or mutilated by the loss of limbs, etc., and still the "life germ" exist from which shall come the resurrection body.

The advocates of this theory claim that Paul teaches it in 1 Cor. 15:35-38, where he compares the resurrection of the body with the plant that comes up from the seed. We know that the seed is different from the plant that bore it, just as the acorn is different from the oak tree, but the plant that springs from the seed will be like the plant that bore it, so the body that comes from the indestructible "life germ" should be alike in kind to the body that produced the "germ."

But while the resurrection body shall be alike in kind, it will be different in character and possess different qualities. This Paul declares when he says that "All 'flesh' is not the same flesh; but there is one kind of flesh of 'men,' another flesh of 'beast," another of 'fishes,’ and another of 'birds.' That is, the flesh of God's creatures is adapted to their "environment." "Fish flesh" cannot fly in the air, nor "Bird flesh" swim in the sea. So there are bodies "terrestrial" and bodies "celestial." The human body as it is now constituted could not exist in Heaven. There must be a change, and this change is brought about by the resurrection. This change Paul portrays. He says-

"So also is the Resurrection of the Dead. It is sown in corruption: it is raised in incorruption; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in Glory; it is sown in weakness; it is raised in Power; it is sown a Natural body; it is raised a Spiritual body."

This does not mean that it will have no "substance." We cannot conceive of a "body" that is to have the faculties of the "Spirit Body" not having "form" and "substance."

Christ's resurrection body is a "sample" of what ours is to be. While it is true that His body did not see "corruption" and He rose in the "same body" that was laid in the grave; while it was the same in "identity," it was different in "character."

While the "nail prints" and "spear wound" were visible it could pass through closed doors, and appear and disappear at will. It had "flesh" and "bones," (Luke 24:39-43), but not "blood," for "flesh and blood" cannot enter the Kingdom of God, (1 Cor. 15:50). for "blood" is that which causes "corruption." To preserve a body it must be drained of blood, or the blood chemically preserved by an embalming fluid. As the sacrifice was to be bled, so Jesus left His blood on the earth.

As our resurrection bodies will have visible "form" and "shape" it and stands to reason that they will have a framework of "flesh" and "bones," but it will be "flesh" and "bones" adapted to its new environment. We must not forget that Enoch and Elijah went up in their "bodies." Presumably their bodies were "glorified" in the transit, but they were not "disembodied," and if they have use for a "body" in Heaven, why not we? Is it reasonable to suppose that only those two saints shall be in Heaven in their bodies? Why did Michael the Archangel contend with the Devil over the "body" of Moses, if Moses had no further need of it? Did not he and Elijah have use for their bodies when they appeared on the Mt. of Transfiguration with Jesus? And if they were "the" two men that stood by in "white apparel" when Jesus ascended (Acts 1:9-1 1), and are to be the "Two Witnesses" of Rev. 11:3-6, we see, that as they are the "type" of the Resurrected and Translated Saints, that the Saints at the Rapture will have "bodies" like Moses and Elijah now have.

The "Signs Of The Times"

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While we cannot name the exact date of the Lord's Return its nearness may be known by the character of the Times. As to this the New Testament gives no uncertain sound. In Dan. 12:4, 9-10, we read, "But thou, 0 Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the Book, even to the 'TIME OF THE END': many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. . . . Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the 'TIME OF THE END.' Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand; but the WISE SHALL UNDERSTAND." These words declare that the prophecies of Daniel were to be "shut up" and "sealed" until the "TIME OF THE END." This expression does not mean the "end of Time," but is the angelic messenger's way of referring to the "Last Days" of the "Times of the Gentiles." At which time he declares that the Book will be "unsealed," and "knowledge shall be increased." What is here meant is "prophetic knowledge" of the things recorded in the Book of Daniel and other prophetic writings of the Scriptures. This is made clear by the statement that only the "wise" shall understand. That is, those who are enlightened by the Holy Spirit, and not those who merely have intellectual knowledge, for the wicked SHALL NOT UNDERSTAND. How wonderfully this is true of these days. The Higher Critics have labored hard to discredit the Book of Daniel, but without avail, for the Book is more studied than ever, and is being "unsealed" by Holy Spirit enlightened students of the Word of God, who clearly see that we have reached the "Time of the End," and are living in the closing days of the "Times of the Gentiles."

The "unsealing" began about 100 years ago, when the "Midnight Cry," "Behold, the Bridegroom Cometh," was heard in the "Revival of Premillennial Truth." For centuries while the Bridegroom tarried the Wise and Foolish virgins "ALL slumbered and slept," and the Church lapsed into a condition of spiritual apathy, and "The Blessed Hope" was eclipsed. But now all over the world the Blessed Hope has emerged from the shadow, and the virgins are "trimming their lamps" preparatory to going out to meet their Lord, but only the "wise" have oil in their vessels and in their lamps. We are now living in the "Fourth Watch of the Night," soon the "MORNING STAR" (Christ. Rev. 22:16) will appear and we shall be caught out at the Rapture to meet Him and go into the Marriage Feast.

Let us take a hasty glance at the "Signs of the Times." A careful study of the Chart will reveal "Ten Signs."

1. POST-MILLENNIAL SCOFFERS.

In 2 Pet. 3:3-4 we read: "That there shall come in the 'Last Days' SCOFFERS, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of HIS COMING? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation." How true this is of the present day. The Doctrine of the Second Coming is "scoffed" at, and those who hold it are looked upon as deluded fanatics, and sad to say, this opposition comes from prominent religious leaders of the Day.

2. APOSTASY.

In 2 Thess. 2:3, we are told that "THAT DAY (the Day of the Lord) shall not come, except there come a 'FALLING AWAY' first." This "Falling Away" is evidenced on every hand.

3. FALSE TEACHERS.

In 2 Peter 2:1-2 we are warned against "False Teachers" who shall privately bring in "damnable heresies," even denying the Lord that bought them, such as Christian Scientists and Russelites, and that many shall follow their "pernicious ways," and sad to relate these "followers" are recruited from the orthodox church members, of whom the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy (2 Tim. 4:3-4), saying: "The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears: and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto FABLES." This "turning away" is evidenced on every hand. There is a "turning away" in doctrinal standards, in the demand for a regenerated church membership, in church and Sunday school attendance, and in Sabbath observance. Many churchgoers will not endure "sound doctrine." They will not go to hear those who preach the "total depravity" of man, the necessity of the "New Birth, " and the conscious and endless torment of those who reject Christ as a personal Saviour. They demand teachers who will "itch" (tickle) their ears with pleasing, novel and sensational doctrines

4. SPIRITUALISM.

In 1 Tim. 4:1 we are warned of a departure from the faith. That in the "Latter Times" (the Last Days of this Dispensation), some shall "depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils." This is being fulfilled in the increasing number of those who are forsaking their Christian belief to become followers of Spiritualistic Mediums and to dabble in Psychical Research.

5. PERILOUS TIMES.

Of these times Paul told Timothy. "This know also, that in the 'LAST DAYS' Perilous Times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection (for their own offspring), truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those who are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a FORM of godliness, but denying the POWER thereof." 2 Tim. 3:1-5. We have neither time nor space to enlarge upon the above, but what a catalogue we have here of the "perilous conditions" of the times in which we live.

6. HEAPED UP TREASURE.

In James 5:1-6, we are told that in the "LAST DAYS" there shall be a class of "rich men," who shall have "HEAPED treasure together," and that by "FRAUD," and who shall use their ill-gotten gain in the pursuit of "pleasure" and "wantonness," and that God will hear the cry of those who have been cheated of their just share of the profits, and will send a sore judgment upon the guilty. What a description we have here of the unprincipled, speculative and profiteering spirit of the days in which we live, when men become millionaires, and multi-millionaires, in a few years. Truly we are living, in the "Last Days" of this Dispensation.

7. A LAODICEAN CHURCH.

In the Message to the Church of Laodicea (Rev. 3:14-22) we have a description of the last stage of the professing Church on earth, It is described as neither "hot" nor "cold," but nauseatingly lukewarm, so that Christ says He will "spue it out of His mouth." It boastingly will claim to be "rich" and "increased with goods," and to have "need of nothing," not even of Christ, for He will be excluded and will have to knock for admittance, and it will be ignorant of its true condition, that it is wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind. and naked. Unspeakably sad it is that this is the condition to a large extent of the professing Church of today.

8. THE FIG-TREE SIGN.

When Jesus' Disciples asked Him, after He had foretold the destruction of the Temple: "Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the SIGN of THY COMING, and of the end of the world (Age)?" (Matt. 24:1-3), Jesus gave as a "Sign" of His Coming the "Fig-Tree Sign." The "Fig-Tree" symbolizes the nation of Israel, and its "budding" the revival of Israel as a nation. Here again we have evidence of the nearness of the Lord's Return for the revival of Zionism, and the passing of the Land of Palestine into the hands of a Christian nation, opens the way for the restoration of the Jews to their own land, and the fulfillment of the Fig-Tree Sign. The fact that the City of Jerusalem surrendered without the firing of a shot is significant. Jesus said that Jerusalem was to be trodden down of the Gentiles until "The Times of the Gentiles" should be fulfilled (Luke 21:24), and the taking of Jerusalem at this time may signify that "The Times of the Gentiles" is drawing to a close.

9. THE DISTRESS OF NATIONS.

In Luke 21:24-27 Jesus tells us that as the "Times of the Gentiles"come to a close, "there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth DISTRESS OF NATIONS, with perplexity; the sea and the waves (the peoples of the earth) roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the 'Powers of Heaven' (the Principalities and Powers of Evil, Eph. 6:11-12), shall be shaken. And THEN shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory." In the prophecy of Haggai 2:6-7, we read: "Thus saith the Lord of hosts; yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; and I will SHAKE ALL NATIONS, and the DESIRE (Christ) OF ALL NATIONS WILL COME." This has never been fulfilled as yet, and the present "Distress of Nations," the uprising of the masses in "National Revolutions," the "Tottering Thrones" and other indications that the nations are Being Shaken, is still further proof that we are living in the times just preceding the appearing of the Son of Man, the "DESIRE OF ALL NATIONS",who will bring peace to this troubled earth.

10. NOAH DAYS.

The last "sign" that we would mention is the "sign" of the "Noah Days." Luke 17:26-30. As it was in the days of Noah, they did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded, so shall it be in the days of the Son of Man. Where, you say, is the sin in doing these things? They are not only commanded, they are necessary. That is true. The sin was not in "doing" them, but in doing them "UNTIL the Flood came." That is, they did nothing else. They forgot to worship their Maker. So today men and women are so busily engaged in doing the good things of life that they have no time to worship God. They are so busy building homes for themselves on earth that they are neglecting to secure a home in heaven. They are more anxious that their children should make a good match on earth, than that they should be united to the Lord. They are so much concerned about their case in Court, that they have forgotten that they must stand at the judgment Bar of God.

The "Jews"

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THE JEWS

For upwards of 4000 years, amid all civilizations and countries, conditions of government, there has existed a distinct people with laws, habits and customs distinctively their own. The history of the Jewish race reads like a story from the Arabian Nights, and is without a parallel in human history. Though oppressed, downtrodden carried to other lands, scattered among the nations, like they have risen from the ashes of their dispersions, and appear now and again upon the page of history.

They are remarkable in the first place for their "Antiquity." No nation can trace back its lineage by the clear light of reliable history so far as they. In comparison with the Jews the nations which are making the history of the world today are young.

The "Golden Age" of Israel's glory was long before the palmy days of Greece and -Rome. Long before Socrates and Plato taught philosophy, or Herodotus wrote history; in the dim ages of which Homer's Iliad preserves traditions and memorials; before all other authentic and circumstantial records, the nation of Israel was an organized, civilized, and well-established people.

They had a literature before most nations had letters,.a literature that today, in the Scriptures, is more widely diffused than the literature of any other people.

Assyria has perished, Babylon is in heaps, Rome has tottered and fallen, Egypt has become a "base" kingdom, but the Jew has outlived all his conquerors and walks unscathed amid the general wreck. Dispersed for centuries among all nations, without a national centre, capital, government, flag, or rallying point, secular or religious, he has never been absorbed by the nations, nor lost his identity or national peculiarities and characteristics, and we have the unique spectacle of a nation without a king, government, or land, retaining its national existence, and a land that seems to be under a curse, awaiting the return of its legal owners.

No nation has ever had such manifest and visible tokens of the "Divine Presence." For them the Red Sea was driven back and the Jordan parted. They were miraculously fed in the Wilderness, and divinely sheltered and guided by the Pillar of Cloud and Fire. At the blowing of rams' horns the walls of a besieged city fell, and the Sun and Moon stayed in their courses that they might have time to slay their enemies. The Angel of the Lord encamped about them, and one angel slew 185,000 of the army of Assyria for their deliverance.

No nation has given to the world such a number of great men. Such a man of faith as Abraham; such a great leader and lawgiver as Moses; such statesmen as Joseph in Egypt and Daniel in Babylon; such a king as David, and wise man as Solomon.

No nation has produced such seers as the Hebrew prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel and no such man as that man above all men, the

"MAN OF GALILEE."

In the first century there is no name that shines more resplendent than that of the Apostle Paul. And in modern days the men who have been and are, making history are Jews.

The preservation of the Jewish people is the

"MIRACLE OF HISTORY."

When Frederick the Great asked the court preacher for an unanswerable proof, in one word, of the inspiration of the Bible, he replied 'The Jew, your Majesty." The emblem of the Jewish Race is a

Bush Burning and Unconsumed.

How are we to account for the wonderful preservation of the Jewish Race? We can only account for it on the supposition that God had, and still has, some great work for them to do. We believe that God raises up individuals for special ministries. Why not a nation?

In the first place the Jewish Race was raised up to reaffirm and teach that there is but one God. In the days of Abraham the nations of the earth were given over to universal idolatry, pantheism and polytheism. For 2000 years (B. C. 1921 to A. D. 30) no other people but the Jews believed the "Unity" of God, or taught it. The Jews have been the teachers of "Monotheism" to the nations. No Gentile nation, untouched by Jewish influence, ever became Monotheistic.

In the second place the Jewish Race was raised up to be the Writers, Preservers, and Transmitters of the Holy Scriptures. To them were committed the "Oracles of God." Rom. 3:1, 2.

Every page and book in the Bible were written by Jews. The Jews took special care to preserve the Scriptures and keep them from being tampered with, and if it had not been for them they would have been lost long ago.

In the third place the Jewish Race was raised up that God through them might give the world a-Saviour. Who was Jesus? A Jew. How carefully His genealogy has been preserved in the Scriptures from Adam to His Birth at Bethlehem.

In the fourth place the Jewish Race was raised up that they might save the world from moral putrefaction.

When Jesus said-

"Salvation Is of the Jews,"

John 4:22, did He simply mean that from them should come the Saviour of the world-Jesus? Or did He mean when He said "YE Are the Salt of the Earth," that the Jewish Race were to be the means of preventing the

Moral Putrefaction

of the world, and that if they became extinct as a nation, that God would destroy all mankind from off the earth, as He destroyed the Antediluvians when Noah and his family were safely shut in the Ark, or as He destroyed the "Cities of the Plain," Sodom and Gomorrah, when Lot had escaped from them?

A careful study of Peter's speech, as quoted by James, at the First Church Council (Acts 15:13-18), and the words of Paul in his letter to the Romans (Rom. 11:1-5, 11, 12, 15, 17, 23-27) clearly show that Christ meant the latter.

That is, the Salvation of the Nations, morally and physically, and the preservation of the human race on the earth depends on the

Preservation and Continuance of the Jews as a RACE.

The present degenerate condition of the world is owing to the fact that the Jews have lost their savor, as the salt its saltness, and until the Jews recover their savor degeneration will continue to develop until the time comes that the smell of decomposition of the decaying nationalities of the earth shall call for Divine interposition and the salt be resavored by the conversion of the Jews, and the Jewish nation again take its place among the nations of the earth.

Let us as briefly as possible trace the history of this people.

1. THEIR PAST

In the morning time of history, in B.C. 1936, 412 years after the Flood, God called Abraham, a Shemite, from Ur of the Caldees, to be the father of a new nation.

"Now the Lord had said unto Abraham, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy fathers's house unto a land that I will show thee; and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great, and thou shalt be a blessing; and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee, and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." Gen. 12:1-3.

Notice that this is not a conditional promise, and there is not a passage in the Bible anywhere that revokes it.

Abraham was 60 years old when he was called, but tarried at Haran for 15 years until his father, who was an idolater, died, when he started for the "Land of Promise." God appeared to him 10 times. These appearances were called "Theophanies"

God's promises to Abraham were progressive. At Ur the promises were the "Land," and that his seed should "become a great nation." Gen. 12:1, 2. At Shechem the promise of the "ownership of the land to his descendants." Gen. 12:7. At Bethel, all the land "thou seest," and that his seed should be as the "dust of the Earth for number." Gen. 13:15, 16. At Mamre, that his seed should be for numbers as the "stars of the heavens," and that the "Land" should extend from the "River of Egypt" to the "River Euphrates." Gen. 15:5, 18. And at Moriah the promise as to the number of his seed was repeated. Gen. 22:16, 17.

These promises were unconditionally confirmed to his son, Isaac (Gen. 26:1-4), and to his grandson, Jacob. Gen. 28:10-15.

When the descendants of Abraham had increased to about 70, in fulfillment of a prophecy made by God to Abraham that his seed should be as strangers in another land, where they would be afflicted for 400 years (Gen. 15:13, 14) ; and to prevent contamination by intermarriages, and to give them time to grow into a nation, God paved the way for their leaving Canaan, by sending Joseph down into Egypt to make provision for them when the famine He was going to send would fall on the land. There they were segregated in the land of Goshen.

The next great event in their history was the Exodus. When the time for their deliverance from Egypt came, God weaned them by increasing the hardness of their lot, and when they cried to God He sent Moses to deliver them. Within a year after their escape from Egypt the Law was given, the Tabernacle built, a sacrificial system of worship inaugurated and the "Jewish Commonwealth" set -up. But when at the end of the year they reached Kadesh Barnea and refused to go up and take possession of the Land, God punished them by compelling them to wander for 40 years in the Wilderness, where they were miraculously clothed and fed, and were divinely guided by the "Pillar of Cloud and Fire."

At the end of the 40 years, under the leadership of Joshua, they crossed the Jordan and entered the Promised Land and took possession of it.

Then began the third period of their history, the "Times of the judges," which lasted about 450 years. The government was a Theocracy, administered at first through elders, and then by judges. The people, however, were not satisfied with being ruled by an invisible King, they wanted a king like the other nations around them had, so they went to Samuel the Prophet and asked him for a king. Samuel was displeased and felt it was aimed at his administration, but when he took the matter to God, God said-

"Hearken unto the voice of the people..... for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected ME." 1 Sam. 8:7.

Samuel then warned the people of what the king they would chose would do to them, but the warning did not avail and Saul was chosen. This was the fourth period of their history.

Saul reigned for 40 years and was succeeded by David, a man of God's choice, who also reigned 40 years, and was succeeded by his son Solomon, who in turn reigned 40 years. During the reign of Solomon the First Temple was built. His reign was most glorious, but its weak feature was that he married so many heathen wives, and permitted them to introduce at Jerusalem-idolatrous worship. This was a the beginning of the downfall of the Jewish nation.

After the death of Solomon, B.C. 975, the Kingdom was divided, his son Rehoboam retaining possession of two Tribes, Judah and Benjamin, and with them Jerusalem and the Temple; and Jeroboam, a usurper, as ruler over the remaining ten Tribes, set up his capital at Samaria. This division of the Kingdom, known as "Israel," rapidly declined, and in B.C. 721 the Ten Tribes were carried captive to Assyria. The Two Tribes, known as "Judah," survived over 100 years longer, but in B.C. 606 they were carried in Captivity to Babylon, and Jerusalem was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in B.C. 587. Thus ended a period of deadly tribal wars which was made illustrious by the ministry of a noble succession of great prophets.

With the Captivity of Judah and the destruction of Jerusalem, began that long period which still continues, known in the Scriptures as

"The Times of the Gentiles,"

and which is so fully outlined and described in the Book of Daniel. The fifth period of Jewish History began in B.C. 536, when the 70 years of the Captivity ended, as prophesied (Jer. 25:11); and some 40,000 of those of the Captivity returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the City and the Temple. The Temple was not finished and dedicated until 20 years later, and the walls of the city were not rebuilt until 70 more years had passed by, B.C. 445.

But while the Jews were permitted to return to their own land, they never again secured supremacy. They remained subject to the different conquerors of their land, though for the most part governed by rulers of their own race, in fulfillment of the prophecy that the Sceptre should not depart from Judah until Shiloh came.

In B.C. 168 Antiochus Epiphanes, King of Syria, wrested Palestine from Egypt, twice took and sacked Jerusalem, desecrated and closed the Temple, and cruelly persecuted the Jews, until they became so incensed as to rise in rebellion under the leadership of the "Maccabees." This rebellion lasted from B.C. 166 to B.C. 40.

In B.C. 63 Judea became subject to Rome, and during the next 60 years the Roman Empire tightened its grip on the Holy Land. About this time, B.C. 5, many of the students of prophecy, knowing that the time set for the coming of "Messiah the Prince" by Daniel the Prophet (Dan. 9:25) was not far distant, frequented the Temple waiting for the "Consolation of Israel." Luke 2:251 26.

In December of that year Jesus was born at Bethlehem, was visited by the Shepherds, acknowledged a few weeks later in the Temple by Simeon and Anna, the Wise men from the East did Him homage, He was taken to Egypt, and returned to Nazareth where He spent His youth and young manhood, and at 30 years of age appeared at the Jordan, was baptized of John and entered upon His public ministry.

But His claim of being the Messiah was rejected by His own people. They joined hands with the Gentiles in crucifying the "Lord of Glory," and in A. D. 70 the Roman armies came, Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed by Titus and the Jews were scattered among the nations of the earth.

II. THEIR PRESENT.

With the Crucifixion of Christ the sorrows of the Jewish race began. Their cry-His Blood Be on Us and on Our Children (Matt.27:25) has been literally fulfilled.

In A.D. 50, 30,000 were killed in Jerusalem in a tumult with the Romans, but their worst sufferings commenced in A. D. 66 under Gessius Florus, the Roman Governor of Judea. His oppressions led to a widespread revolt. Nero sent Vespasian, accompanied by his son Titus, with an army of 60,000. He was met in upper Galilee by Josephus, a famous general of the Asmonean race, and a noted historian, who entrenched himself at Jotapata, but was finally overpowered, after a siege of 47 days, with a loss of over 40,000 men. The subjugation of Galilee followed. Thousands perished in the war. Judea and Jerusalem were spared because Vespasian was called back to Rome by the death of Nero. When Vespasian was made King he sent his son Titus to complete the subjugation of the Holy Land and capture Jerusalem.

It was in April, A. D. 70, that the Roman army, numbering 100,000 men, marched against Jerusalem. The city was poorly prepared to stand a siege. Rival factions disputed among themselves for control. The city was surrounded by a triple wall, defended by 90 towers. The siege lasted 4 months. Great engines of elastic timbers, aided by the twisting of great cables, hurled huge stones against the massive walls. Within the city famine reigned, wives snatched food from their husbands, children from their parents, mothers from their babes, and some mothers, lost to all sense of motherhood, killed, cooked and ate their own children. Many fled from the city to meet a worse fate, for being captured by Titus, they were crucified as a warning outside the city walls. So horrible became the condition of the besieged that Titus called God to witness that he was not responsible.

At last, on August 5, A. D. 70, the Tower Antonia was taken, the Romans swarmed into the Temple enclosure, and though Titus had commanded his soldiers to spare the beautiful Temple building, for it was looked upon, even by Rome, as one of the wonders of the world, yet a soldier threw a blazing torch through a doorway and in the conflagration that followed the Temple of Herod was destroyed, leaving nothing but the rock upon which it stood.

Josephus says that over 1,000,000 perished in the siege, while 97,000 survived as captives, of whom the handsomest young men were taken to Rome to grace the triumph of the Conqueror, and thus was fulfilled the prophecy of Daniel, that "the 'People' of the Prince that shall come (Antichrist) shall destroy the City and the Sanctuary." Dan. 9:26.

While the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus scattered the Jews far and wide, the end was not yet. Sixty-five years later, A. D. 130, the Jews had sufficiently recovered from that crushing blow to rise afresh in revolt against the Roman power. Hadrian then completed the work of Dispersion. In a war lasting three and a half years he devastated Palestine, destroyed 580,000 persons, ran a ploughshare over Zion, thus fulfilling the prophecy of Mich 3:12, uttered 885 years before, and forbade the Jews, on pain of death, even to approach Aelia Capitolina, the new Roman city which he erected on the site of Jerusalem. The Jews since that time have been few in Palestine.

In A. D. 362 the Emperor Julian the Apostate made an attempt to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, thus to falsify the prediction of the Lord, but his workmen were driven off by fire that burst from the ruins.

The interval from Hadrian, A. D. 140, to Constantine saw the Jewish people in a measure prosperous and flourishing in the lands of their exile throughout the Roman World. They even took part in pagan persecutions of the early Church. But the conversion of Constantine to Christianity in A. D. 312, changed all this. The Jews then became a condemned and persecuted sect. They lost the imperial favor and privileges they had enjoyed, and were excluded from one sphere after another. though they were still free to observe their own religion and retained their fights as citizens.

The gloom deepened until A. D. 1096, the time of the First Crusade, known in history as the "Holy War;" when the pall of midnight blackness fell upon them, and did not lift until long after the Reformation.

The Frown of England.

In A. D. 1020 Canute banished all Jews from England. In A. D. 1068 the only burial place in all England allowed the Jews was Cripplegate, London. In A. D. 1096 the "Holy War" began by attempting to murder all the Jews in Europe who would not submit to baptism. Henry II ordered the Jews to pay 60,000 pounds toward defraying his expenses during one of the Crusades. At the accession of Richard I (Coeur de Leon), A. D. 1189, murderous riots were instigated against the Jews and not a Jewish household in London escaped robbery and murder.

The following year occurred the "Tragedy of York Castle," in which the chief Rabbi of York, with 500 followers were besieged in York Castle, and when escape became hopeless they slew one another and the chief Rabbi, the last to die, started a conflagration, then took his own life, and when the besiegers broke in they found the besieged in one great pile like the sacrifice upon the altar.

Up to the time of Edward I, A. D. 1272, the Crown claimed to own the Jew and all he possessed, and from time to time would allow him to gather riches that he might squeeze them from him, like water from a sponge. Edward I drove all the Jews, 16,500 in number, from England, and for nearly four centuries there is no evidence that British soil was pressed by a Jewish foot.

The Curse of France.

In A. D. 1306, on the morning of the fast commemorating the Destruction of Jerusalem all the Jews of France, men, women and children to the number of 100,000, were stripped of their possessions for the benefit of the royal treasury, and cast out of the land. In 10 years they were allowed to return, but soon the "Pastoureaux," bands of fanatical shepherds and malefactors, swept them away by thousands. In A. D. 1683 the Jews were ordered to quit all the French Colonies, and it was not until A. D. 1723, when Louis XV gave the Jews permission to hold real estate in France, that the tide began to turn.

The Bloody Hand of Germany.

The Plague of the "Black Death," which swept over Europe in A. D. 1348-1350, and which carried off one-fourth of the population, afflicted the Jews but lightly, owing to their simple life and observance of the hygienic requirements of the Levitical Law. Their comparative exemption caused them to be suspected as the source of the Plague, and they were charged with poisoning the wells and springs. In Germany the composition of the poison, the color of the packages in which it was transported, and the persons who conveyed them, were all declared to be known. The result was that they suffered the torture, the caldron and the devouring flame at the hands of the "Flagellants," an order of fanatics who swarmed through Germany preaching extermination to all unbelievers. The entire community at Strasburg, 2000 souls, was dragged upon an immense scaffold, and it set on fire. They were also charged with stealing the children of Christians and crucifying them for Passover Lambs, and also with stealing the consecrated "Host" and piercing it with knives. In A. D. 1560 they were banished from Prague and later in Constantinople 3000 houses in the Jews' quarters were burned and property to the value of 50,000,000 crowns confiscated.

THE HOLOCAUSTS OF SPAIN

In Spain the machinery of

"The Inquisition"

held full sway. It was established to terrify into faithfulness apostate Jews. Men and women disappeared by hundreds, as if the ground had opened and swallowed them up. Some never returned, others reappeared in after years human wrecks, pale and emaciated and semi-insane through long incarceration in dark and chilly subterranean dungeons. Now and then processions wound through the streets to the place of burning, the victims being tortured with the hope that they would recant before being thrown into the flames.

Many found themselves led from the Hall of judgment along subterraneous passage ways to the chamber of the

"Iron Maiden,"

the rude hollow figure of a woman, made of iron, which at the touch of a spring flew open and disclosed its inner surface studded with iron nails rusted by the blood of its numerous victims. No sooner did the condemned step inside than the figure began to close, hugging in its iron grasp the victim, until the nails, entering the body amid the shrieks of the victim, pierced some vital part, and when all was over the "Iron Figure" again opened and allowed the body to fall into the yawning pit below.

But this was not all. Ferdinand and Isabella in A. D. 1492 issued an edict of banishment against all the Jews in Spain. A Jew offered 600,000 crowns for a revocation of the edict. The King and Queen hesitated and were inclined to accept when the Spanish Inquisitor, Torquemada, stalked into the presence of the abashed rulers and holding up a "Crucifix" before them cried-

"Behold Him Whom Judas Iscariot Sold for 30 Pieces of Silver. Sell Ye Him Now for a Higher Price and Render an Account of Your Bargain Before God."

The sovereigns trembled before the stern Dominican and the Jews had to go. They were given four months in which to prepare. Whither to go they knew not, for there was no hospitable shore to which to fly. Some embarked for Africa and were sold into slavery. A number reached Italy. Their sufferings were indescribable. Two hundred years later, A. D. 1680, the spirit of Spain toward the Jews was unchanged.

And so, like a horrible nightmare, for centuries history records the terrible punishments and persecutions that befell the seed of Abraham.

But the long night of persecution came to a close. The tide began to turn when England passed the

"Naturalization Bill" in A. D. 1753, and received its greatest impulse when our own

"Declaration of Independence" Was Signed in A. D. 1776,

and the Jews today, in all lands enjoy comparative freedom.

The miracle of the preservation of the Jews during the long night of their persecutions cannot be accounted for, only on the supposition that they have been preserved for a purpose.

The secret of their endurance is twofold.

1. Their National Law.

It preserved them from disease, controlled and regulated their passions, checked the baser impulses of their nature, and secured the vigor of their offspring.

2. Their National Hope.

Amid all the vicissitudes of their history the Jewish people have been upheld by their
"National Hope." a "Hope" so rediant and a "Faith" so beautiful, that the world has never seen its like. The "Hope of a

Coming Messiah.

The "Hope" of. the coming of this "Messiah" has flamed like a "Morning Star" through the darkness of Israel's long night, and has turned their thoughts toward the dawning of that day when the

"Sun of Righteousness"

shall arise and dispel the gloom and usher in that bright "Millennial, Day" when Righteousness and Peace shall cover the earth as the waters cover the deep.

For the Jews today there is no "Pillar of Cloud" by day, nor "Shechinah Flame" by night. They have no altars, no sacrifices, no priesthood as in former days. They observe the "Passover," but no paschal lamb is slain. They keep the "Great Day of Atonement," but no blood is shed to make reconciliation for sin. All sacrifices and oblations have ceased. They have no King, no Judges, no Prophets, no inspired writers. The "Urim" and "Thummin" give no Divine token. The word of God is precious, but there is no "open vision.' Their last Great Prophet was the "Man of Galilee," but Him they rejected. Like their forefathers, who took Joseph, after they had rejected him, and sold him for 20 pieces of silver, and he was hidden from their view in Egypt on the Throne of Pharaoh, so the Jews took Jesus, their Joseph, and having rejected Him, sold Him for 30 pieces' of silver and He is now hidden from them on His Father's Throne.

Why Is This? Have they been supplanted as a "Nation" by the Gentiles, and as "God's People" by the Church? Are they never again to have a land of their own, and a King, and a Capital City, and a National Existence?

Is not their condition today the fulfillment of the prophecy of Hosea 3:4.

"The Children of Israel shall abide MANY DAYS without a King, and without a Prince, and without a Sacrifice, and without an Image, and without an Ephod, and without Teraphirn?"

Is it not that Jerusalem must be-

"Trodden down of the Gentiles until the 'Times of the Gentiles' be fulfilled?" Luke 21:24.

What does Paul say-

"Blindness in part is happened to Israel until the 'Fulness of the Gentiles' be come in. And so All Israel Shall Be Saved. Rom. 11:25) 26.

We see then that the Jews (Israel) have not been supplanted by the Church, or by the Gentile nations. They are again to take the lead among the nations of the earth. For this they have been preserved.

The eleventh chapter of Romans begins with the question-

"Hath God Cast Away His People?"

Paul answers his own question by replying "God Hath Not Cast Away His People Which He Foreknew." Vs. 2.

In the eleventh verse Paul asks a second question. "Have they stumbled That They Should Fall?" That is, have they fallen down so that they shall Never Rise Again? He replies,

"God forbid; but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles for to provoke them to jealousy."

Now two things are revealed here, first, the Jews have fallen that the Gentiles may have a chance to be saved, and second, that the sight of seeing the Gentiles saved may make the Jews "jealous." Why should God want to provoke the Jews to jealousy if He has cast them off ? The Apostle then adds-

"If the Fall of them be the riches of the world and the Diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles (that is, if the giving of the Gospel to the Gentiles is such a blessing to them), how much more will be their Fulness?" Vs. 12.

That is, how much greater blessing there will be for the world when the Jews rise up again and take their place among the nations. For Paul goes on to say-

"If the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but

LIFE FROM THE DEAD?"

That is, when the Jews come back to God it will be like a resurrection, not of individuals, but a

"National Resurrection."

Then the Apostle changes the figure and speaks of

Two Olive Trees.

One he calls the "Good" Olive Tree, the other a "Wild" Olive Tree. Of the "Good" Olive Tree he speaks of "Some" (not all) of the branches being broken off, for there is a "Remnant of Grace," vs. 5, as there were 7000 men in Elijah's day who had not bowed the knee to Baal. And we must not forget that the "Root" and "Trunk" of the Tree were still alive, and where some of the "Good" branches were broken off, the "Wild" Olive branches were grafted in "among" them, not "instead of," and thus became "partaker" of the "Root" and "Fatness" of the "Good Olive Tree."

We see from this that the "Good Olive Tree" is not rooted up and destroyed and a "Wild Olive Tree" planted in its place, but it still remains alive and gives life to both the "Good" and "Wild"olive branches.

The Apostle then goes on to reprove the Gentile members of the Church at Rome, who were boasting of their independence of the Jews, and that Christianity had supplanted Judaism, just as so many in the Church today claim that the Church has supplanted Judaism and fallen heir to all its promises. saying to them-

"Boast not against the branches..... for Thou bearest not the root, but the "Root" thee.

And he reminded them that the branches were broken off, not that they might be grafted in, but because of "Unbelief," and thus the "unbelief" of the Jews rebounded to their benefit, and he goes on to tell them that if the "Good" Olive branches that had been cut off should repent, they would be grafted back again, for GOD is able to graft them in again. Rom. 11:17-26.

Here we see that if the Jews repent and turn from their unbelief, God will restore them to their old time place among the nations.

III. THEIR FUTURE.

If it were suggested that we discuss the future of any other nation than the Jewish nation, I, for one, would not attempt it, for the task would be simply a speculative one, based on probabilities that would be likely to be upset by unforeseen circumstances. But the Jewish nation has the unique distinction of having for its historian the "Holy Spirit." who has not simply recorded the past history of that nation, but has outlined its future.We indulge then in no idle and profitless speculations when we attempt to forecast the future of the Jewish People. All we have to do is to gather together and place in their logical order what the Holy Spirit through the Prophets, has foretold of their future. The method is as simple as the result is sure.

THE RESTORATION OF THE JEWS.

1. As to the Fact.

"Therefore fear not, 0 my servant Jacob, saith the Lord; neither be dismayed, 0 Israel;......... For I am with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee; though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee." Jer. 30:10, 11.

"And I will bring again the captivity of my people 'Israel' and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land." Amos 9:14, 15.

But you say this prophecy was fulfilled in the restoration from the "Babylonian Captivity." Not so, for they were driven out of the land after that, and this promise is, that they shall no more be pulled up out of their land, and must refer to some future restoration. The return from the "Babylonian Captivity" was the First restoration, and the Scriptures speak of a Second.

"And it shall come to pass in 'That Day' (Millennial Day) that the Lord shall set his hand again the 'Second Time' to recover the remnant of His People, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the Sea." Isa. 11:11.

The Jews, until 1948, had never been restored but ONCE, and that was from Babylon. The march from Egypt to Canaan was not a restoration. You cannot have anything restored to you unless it has been in your possession before, and Palestine was never in possession of the Children of Israel until after its conquest by Joshua.

Again the Jews are to come this time, not from the "East," as when they returned from the "Babylonish Captivity," but from the "North," and from "All Countries."

"Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be said, The Lord liveth, that brought up the Children of Israel out of the Land of Egypt; but the Lord liveth that brought up the Children of Israel from the land of the NORTH and from ALL THE LANDS whither He had driven them; and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers." Jer. 16:14, 15. Also Isa. 43:5-7. And they shall never again be dispersed.

"For I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land: and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up." Jer. 24:6.

The certainty of it is seen in Jer. 31:35, 36.

"Thus saith the Lord, which giveth the sun for a light by day and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar: the Lord of Hosts is His name: if those ordinances depart from me, said the Lord, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before Me forever."

When the Children of Israel shall be restored to their own land the whole "Twelve Tribes" will return. In Rom. 11:26, Paul says–"All Israel shall be saved," and Ezekiel in his vision of the

"Valley of Dry Bones"

was told that the bones represented the "Whole House of Israel." Ez. 37:11.

There are some who teach that what is here meant is, that, previous to the Millennium God will resurrect all the descendants of Israel and put them back in the Land of Palestine, and they base it on the statement in Ez. 37:12-

"Behold, 0 my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the Land of Israel."

Now such an interpretation cannot be true for several reasons. First, the Land of Palestine is not large enough to hold and sustain such a great multitude, and secondly this is not a description of a physical resurrection of dead bodies, but of a "National Resurrection" of a people. The cry of the "bones" in verse 11, where they say-

"Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts,"

is not the cry of individual dead Israelites, but the cry of a dead nation that has been "cut off" from its own land. It is the cry of a Spiritually and nationally dead people.

By the word "graves" we are not to understand "literal graves," for the bones were not in graves but scattered over the valley. What the passage means is, that God is going to bring back His People Israel, who are buried in captivity in the "Graveyard of the Nations," and place them again in their own land. This is clear from what follows-

"I will open your graves, (among the nations), and cause you to come up out of your graves (that is back from among the nations), and bring you into the Land of Israel."

Notice that nothing is said here of the opening of any graves in the Land of Israel. This therefore could not be a general resurrection of the Dead of Israel, but only of Israelites who lived in other countries.

But the next two verses settle the question, for the Lord say--

"When I have opened your graves, 0 my people, and brought you up out of your graves" (that is, back into their own land), and THERE shall put my spirit (Holy Spirit) in you, and ye shall live (nationally) and I shall place you in your own land: (according to your Tribes, as described in Ez. 48:1-29), then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, said the Lord." Ez. 37:13, 14.

This is in exact accord with other scriptures that teach that Israel is to be gathered back to their own land, where they are to be first judged, (Ez. 20:34-38; 22:19-22), and then converted. Ez. 36:24-27.

If we are to take the resurrection spoken of by Daniel (Dan. 12:2), as referring to his "People" only, then we are still more certain that there is not to be a "General Physical Resurrection" of Daniel's "People," the Jews, before the Millennium, for he distinctly says that only some shall rise at that time.

That what is meant is a

National Restoration

of the Whole Twelve Tribes, is clear from what follows the Vision of the "Valley of Dry Bones." Ez. 37:15-28.

The Prophet is told to take a stick and write on it,

"For Judah and for the Children of Israel his companions," which means the Two Tribes, Judah and Benjamin, known as "Judah." Then he was told to take another stick , and write on it,

"For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim,"

the son of Joseph who represented him among the Twelve Tribes, and by whose name (Ephraim) the Ten Tribes, after jeroboam's insurrection were sometimes called. Isa. 7:17.

When Ezekiel had done so, he was told to join the two sticks together, end to end, so as to make one stick, which when he had done, the Lord said-

"When the children of thy people shall speak unto thee saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these? Thou shalt say, Behold, I will take the Children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: and I will make them ONE NATION (fullfilled in 1948 when Israel became a nation) in the land upon the mountains of Israel, and one king shall be king to them all; and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all." Ez. 37:18-22. From this we see that the

"WHOLE HOUSE OF ISRAEL,"

that is, the Whole Twelve Tribes, are to be gathered back to their own land, and redistributed upon it according to the manner described in Ez. 48.

"In those days the 'House of Judah' shall walk with the 'House of Israel,' and they shall come together out of the land of the North to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers." Jer. 3:18.

The Lost Ten Tribes.

If the whole Twelve Tribes are to be restored to the Holy Land, naturally the question arises, "Where Are They Now?" The Jews are the descendants of the Tribes of Judah and Benjamin, but where are the remaining "Ten Tribes?" How are they to be identified?

Much has been written to try to prove that the "Anglo Saxons," the English speaking race, are the descendants of the lost Ten Tribes. But they cannot be, for it is said of Israel, that "they shall dwell alone, and not be reckoned among the nations" (Num. 23:9), but the "AngloSaxons are numbered among the nations, Israel is to remain many days without a King, a Prince or a Temple (Hosea 3:4), but the "Anglo-Saxons" have kings, presidents and princes, and centres of religious worship. Again, Israel, out of the Holy Land, were to be few in number, and under national curse, (Deu. 4:26, 27; 28:62-68), but neither of these are true of the "Anglo-Saxons." Once more, the penalty of "Uncircumcision" is "Excision," (Gen. 17:10-14), the "Anglo-Saxons" are "Uncircumcised" and therefore not entitled to Jewish privileges.

The Jews Today Are Representative of the Whole Twelve Tribes.

1. A portion of Israel, out of all the tribes, fell away to Judah at the time of the division of Solomon's Kingdom, B.C. 975. 2 Chron. 11:5, 13-17.

2. A number deserted from Israel to Judah in the days of Asa, grandson of Rehoboam. 2 Chron. 15:8, 9.

3. Ninety-six years after the Ten Tribes were carried captive, in B.C. 625, Josiah, great grandson of Hezekiah, observed the "Passover" at Jerusalem, and many were present of the "Remnant of Israel." 2 Chron. 35:17,18

4. In B.C. 605-587, Judah was carried captive to Babylon, many Israelites were carried away with them.

5. In B.C. 5316, when the Jews returned from the Babylon Captivity, Babylon and Assyria had become identical, and Israel was as free to return as Judah. Ezra tells us that he took up some Israelites (Ezra 7:28), and when the Temple was dedicated they offered sacrifices for the Whole Twelve Tribes. Ezra 6:16,17.

The conclusion therefore is, that those who returned from the captivity were fairly representative of the whole Twelve Tribes. Now as the descendants of those who returned from Babylon were scattered in A.D. 70 and A.D. 135, we may well ask, "the 'Ten Tribes Where Are They Not?"

But the above explanation will not completely satisfy the careful Bible student, for Ezek. 37:15-25 clearly teaches that the "Ten Tribes," as tribes are to be gathered back in the future. They must therefore be somewhere.

Says Sir John Wilkinson in his book "Israel My Glory," search for a thing where. it was lost." When God called Abraham from Ur of the Chaldeans it was from an idolatrous country, and he was called a Hebrew, (one who has crossed over), and when Israel relapsed into idolatry God sent them back to the other side of the Euphrates. History says the Ten Tribes were taken to Assyria, and prophecy says they are to be brought out of Assyria (Isa. 11:11, 16), the plain inference is they are still there.

Josephus says they were there in A. D. 70; so does Jerome in his notes on Hosea, written in the Fifth Century. We have never heard of their leaving, and so they have been identified with certain peoples living in the fastnesses of the mountains of Kurdistan, by Lake Oroomiah, in Persia. These people have many modified observances of the Mosaic Ritual, as Peace Offerings, Vows, First-Fruits, Tithes, etc. (Wilkinson.)

2. As To The TIME.

a. When the "TIMES OF THE GENTILES" Have Been Fulfilled.

"And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations; and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the "Times of the Gentiles" be fulfilled." Luke 21:24.

b. When Christ Returns.

"For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say blessed is He that cometh in the Name of the Lord." Matt. 23:39.

3. As To The Manner.

a. Gathered Back UNCONVERTED.

"I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will

bring you into your own land. THEN will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols will I cleanse you. A New Heart also will I give you, and a New Spirit will I put within you: and I will give you a Heart of Flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes; and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them." Ezek. 36:24-27.

b. Before Conversion They Are To Be JUDGED.

"I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out. And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will 1 plead with you face to face. And I will cause you to

'Pass Under The Rod,'

and I will bring you into the bond of the Covenant; and I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against Me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the Land of Israel."' Ezek. 20:34-38.

Then God will cast them into His

"Melting Pot."

"Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because ye are all become dross, behold, therefore I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. As they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin. into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in mine anger and in My fury and I will leave you there, and MELT YOU. Yea I will gather you. and blow upon you in the fire of my wrath, and ye shall be I melted in the midst thereof. As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I the Lord have poured out my fury upon you." Ezek. 22:19-22.

"Behold, I will send my messenger (Elijah-Malachi 4:5, 6), and he shall prepare the way before me, and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His Temple. even the Messenger of the Covenant whom ye delight in: behold, He shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. But who may abide the day of His coming? and who shall stand when He appeareth? for He is like a Refiner's Fire, and like Fuller's Soap: and He shall sit as a Refiner and Purifier of Silver: and He shall Purify the Sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. Malachi 3:1-3.

And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name and I will hear them: I will say it is my people; and they shall say, the Lord is my God." Zech. l3:9.

The Jews have never as yet had such an experience as this. It is spoken of in Jer. 30:4-7, and Dan. 12:1, as the

"Time Of Jacob's Trouble,"'

and Christ called it

"THE GREAT TRIBULATION."

and He and Zechariah the Prophet associate it with the Return of the Lord. Matt. 24:21-31. Zech. 14:1-11.

The result of these terrible judgments will be that the Jews will call in their misery upon the Lord.

"And I will pour upon the 'House of David.' and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem The Spirit of Grace and of Supplications." Zech. 12:10.

Then Christ will come back to Jerusalem-

"And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives which is before Jerusalem on the east." Zech. 14:4.

"And they shall look upon ME Whom They Have Pierced." Zech. 12:10.

And a nation, the Jewish Nation, shall be born (converted) IN A DAY.

"Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a Nation Be Born At Once? for as soon as Zion Travailed, She Brought Forth Her Children." Isa. 66:8.

Speaking of the appearance of Christ after His Resurrection, Paul says,

"And last of all He was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time." I Cor. 15:&

What Paul means is, that he was born before the time, that his was a premature birth, and that his "New Birth" is a type of the Birth of the Jewish Nation when the Lord returns, and not of the "New Birth" of a Christian. As Paul saw the glory of the Lord, and heard his voice, so shall it be with the Jewish Nation assembled at Jerusalem when Christ shall reveal Himself on the Mount of Olives at His return.

As to the Children of Israel, when they came out of Egypt they took with them of the "Riches of the Egyptians," Ex. 12:35, 36, so when they return to their own land they will take with them the "Riches of the Gentiles." Isa. 60:9; 61:6.

When the Children of Israel returned to their own land in 1948 it was to possess and occupy all that was promised to Abraham.

"The Royal Grant"

given by the Almighty to Abraham, extended from the "River of Egypt unto the "Great River, the River Euphrates (Gen. 15:18); and according to Ezekiel (Ezek. 48:1-29), from Hamath, northeast of Damascus, to Kadesh on the south. The Temple will be rebuilt. The Glory of the Lord will return. Sacrifices will again be offered. The Government shall be reestablished, and the nations of the earth will be blessed through Israel. Zech.8:20-23

BABYLON, IRAQ

2007-07-14T22:06:00.000-04:00

Is there a strategy being undertaken in Iraq that has everything to do with the rebuilding

BABYLON THE GREAT

1. Ecclesiastical Babylon

"MYSTERY,"

Babylon the Great.

Rev. 17:1-18.

That the ancient city of Babylon restored is to play an important part in the startling events of the last days of this Dispensation, (Gods, Age Of Grace), is very clear. This is seen from what is said of it in the seventeenth and eighteenth chapters of the Book of Revelation. At first sight the two chapters, which contain some things in common, are difficult to reconcile, but when we get the "Key" the reconciliation is easy.

The seventeenth chapter speaks of a "Woman," and this "Woman" is called

"MYSTERY,"

Babylon the Great,

The Mother of Harlots

And

Abominations of the Earth."

-The eighteenth chapter speaks of a "City," a literal city, called "Babylon the Great." That the "Woman" and the "City" do not symbolize the same thing is clear, for what is said of the "Woman" does not apply to a city, and what is said of the "City" does not apply to a woman. The "Woman" is destroyed by the "Ten Kings," while the "Kings of the Earth" in the next chapter, "bewail and lament" the destruction of the "City," which is not destroyed by them, but by a mighty earthquake. and fire. Again the "Woman" is destroyed Three and a Half Years BEFORE THE CITY; and the fact that the first verse of chapter eighteen says-"after these things," that is after the destruction of the "Woman" what happens to the "City" occurs, shows that the "Woman" and the "City" are not one and the same.

The "Woman's" name is-

"MYSTERY, Babylon the Great."

"Mystery!" Where have we heard that word before, and in what connection? Paul calls the Church a "Mystery" because it was not known to the Old Testament Patriarchs and Prophets. Eph. 3:1-21. That Christ was to have a "Bride" was first revealed to Paul (Eph. 5:23-32), and the "Mystery" that Antichrist is to have a "bride" was first revealed to John on the Isle of Patmos. The name of Antichrist's "bride" is "Babylon the Great." Some one may ask why give to a "bride" the name of a "City"? The answer is that it is not unusual in the Scriptures. When the same angel that showed John in this chapter "Mystery, Babylon the Great," came to him in chapter 21:9-10 and said-"Come hither, I will shew thee the Bride-'The Lamb's Wife,"' he showed John, instead of a woman, that great City, the "Holy Jerusalem" descending out of Heaven from God. Here we see that a "city" is called a "bride" because its inhabitants, and not the city itself, are the bride. "Mystery, Babylon the Great," the "bride" of Antichrist, then, is not a literal city, but a "System," a religious and apostate "System." As the Church, the Bride of Christ, is composed of regenerated followers of Christ, so "Mystery, Babylon the Great," the bride of Antichrist, will be composed of the followers of all False Religions.

The river Euphrates, on which the city of Babylon was built, was one of the four branches into which the river that flowed through the Garden of Eden was divided, and Satan doubtless chose the site for Babylon as his headquarters from which to sally forth to tempt Adam and Eve. It was doubtless here that the Antediluvian Apostasy had its source that ended in the Flood. To this centre the "forces of Evil" gravitated after the Flood, and "Babel" was the result. This was the origin of nations, but the nations were not scattered abroad over the earth until Satan had implanted in them the "Virus" of a doctrine that has been the source of every false religion the world has ever known.

Babel, or Babylon, was built by Nimrod. Gen. 10:8-10. It was the seat of the first great Apostasy. Here the "Babylonian Cult" was invented, a system claiming to possess the highest wisdom and to reveal the divinest secrets. Before a member could be initiated he had to "confess" to the Priest. The Priest then had him in his power. This is the secret of the power of the Priests of the Roman Catholic Church today.

Once admitted into this order men were no longer Babylonians, Assyrians, or Egyptians, but members of a

Mystical Brotherhood,

over whom was placed a Pontiff or "High Priest," whose word was law. The city of Babylon continued to be the seat of Satan until the fall of the Babylonian and Medo-Persian Empires, when he shifted his Capital to Pergamos in Asia Minor, where it was in John's day. Rev. 2:12-13.

When Attalus, the Pontiff and Kine- of Pergamos, died in B.C. 133, he bequeathed the Headship of the "Babylonian Priesthood" to Rome. When the Etruscans came to Italy from Lydia (the region of Pergamos), they brought with them the Babylonian religion and rites. They set up a Pontiff who was head of the Priesthood. Later the Romans accepted this Pontiff as their civil ruler. Julius Caesar was made Pontiff of the Etruscan Order in B.. C. 74. In B.C. 63 he was made "Supreme Pontiff" of the "Babylonian Order," thus becoming heir to the rights and titles of Attalus, Pontiff of Pergamos, who had made Rome his heir by will. Thus the first Roman Emperor became the Head of the "Babylonian Priesthood," and Rome the successor of Babylon. The Emperors of Rome continued to exercise the office of "Supreme Pontiff" until A. D. 376, when the Emperor Gratian, for Christian reasons, refused it. The Bishop of the Church at Rome, Damasus, was elected to the position. He had been Bishop 12 years, having been made Bishop in A. D. 366, through the influence of the monks of Mt. Carmel, a college of Babylonian religion originally founded by the priests of Jezebel. So in A. D. 378 the Head of the "Babylonian Order" became the Ruler of the "Roman Church." Thus Satan united

Rome and Babylon

In One Religious System.

Soon after Damasus was made "Supreme Pontiff" the "rites" of Babylon began to come to the front. The worship of the Virgin Mary was set up in A. D. 381. All the outstanding festivals of the Roman Catholic Church are of Babylonian origin. Easter is not a Christian name. It means "Ishtar," one of the titles of the Babylonian Queen of Heaven, whose worship by the Children of Israel was such an abomination in the sight of God. The decree for the observance of Easter and Lent was given in A. D. 519. The "Rosary" is of Pagan origin. There is no warrant in the Word of God for the use of the "Sign of the Cross." It had its origin in the mystic "Tau" of the Chaldeans and Egyptians. It came from the letter "T," the initial name of "Tammuz," and was used in the "Babylonian Mysteries" for the same magic purposes as the Romish Church now employs it. Celibacy, the Tonsure, and the Order of Monks and Nuns, have no warrant or authority from Scripture. The Nuns are nothing more than an imitation of the "Vestal Virgins" of Pagan Rome.

As to the word "Mystery," the Papal Church has always shrouded herself in mystery. The mystery of "Baptismal Regeneration;" the mystery of "Miracle and Magic" whereby the simple memorials of the Lord's Supper are changed by the mysterious word "Transubstantiation," from simple bread and wine into the literal Body and Blood of Christ; the mystery of the "Holy Water;" the mystery of "Lights on the Altar," the "Mystery Plays," and other superstitious rites and ceremonies mumbled in a language that tends to mystery, and tends to confusion which is the meaning of the word Babylon.

All this was a "Mystery" in John's day, because the "Papal Church" had not as yet developed; though the "Mystery of Iniquity" was already at work (2 Thess. 2:7), but it is no longer a "Mystery" for it is now easy to identify the "Woman"-Mystery, Babylon the Great," which John described as the "Papal Church."

In Rev. 17:4 we read that the "Woman" "was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a 'Golden Cup' in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornications."

Now who does not know that scarlet and purple are the colors of the Papacy? Of the different articles of attire specified for the Pope to wear when he is installed into office five are scarlet. A vest covered with pearls, and a mitre, adorned with gold and precious stones was also to be worn. How completely this answers the description of the Woman's dress as she sits upon the Scarlet Colored Beast.

We are also told that the Woman was "drunken with the blood of the Saints, and with the blood of the Martyrs of Jesus." While this refers more particularly to the martyrs of the time of Antichrist, yet who does not know, who has studied the history of the Christian Church for the past nineteen centuries, that this is true of the Papal Church during those centuries? One has only to read the history of the persecutions of the early Christians and more particularly the story of the "Inquisition" in Papal lands, to see that the Papal Church has been "drunk" with the blood of the Saints.

The fact that the Woman sits on a "Scarlet Colored Beast" reveals the fact that at that time the Beast (Antichrist) will support the Woman in her ecclesiastical pretensions, or in other words, the Woman, as a "State Church," will control and rule the State, and her long dream of world-wide Ecclesiastical Supremacy will at last be realized, for John tells us that "the waters which thou sawest, where the 'Whore' sitteth, are Peoples, and Multitudes, and Nations and Tongues." That means that after the "True Church" (the Bride of Christ) is taken out of the world the "False" or "Papal Church" (the bride of Antichrist) will remain, and the professing body of Christians (having the "form of Godliness without the power") left behind, will largely enter the Papal Church, and it will become the Universal Church. But this will continue for only a short time for the "Ten Kings" of the "Federated Kingdom," finding their power curtailed by the "Papal System" will "hate The Whore," and strip her of her gorgeous apparel, confiscate her wealth (eat her flesh) and burn her churches and cathedrals with fire. Rev. 17:16.

This will occur at the time the worship of the Beast is set up, for Antichrist in his jealous hate will not permit any worship that does not centre in himself.

The Beast upon which the Woman sits is introduced to show from whom the Woman (the Papal Church) gets her power and support after the True Church has been "caught out," and also to show that the Beast (Antichrist) and the Woman (the Papal Church) are not one and the same, but separate. Therefore the Papacy is not Antichrist. For a description of the "Scarlet Colored Beast" see the Chapter on The Antichrist.

From this fore view of the Papacy we see that the Papal Church is not a dying "System." That she is to be revived and become a "Universal Church," and in doing so is to commit fornication with the kings of the earth, and that she shall again be "drunk with the blood" of the martyrs of the Tribulation Period. The meaning of chapter seventeen of the Book of Revelation is no longer a Mystery; the prophetic portrait of the Woman there given corresponds too closely with the history of the Papal Church to be a mere coincidence.

2. Commercial Babylon.

Rev. 18:1-24.

This chapter begins with the words "after these things." What things? The things recorded in the previous chapter, the destruction of "Mystical Babylon."

If "Mystical Babylon" was destroyed in the previous chapter then she cannot appear in this chapter, and the "City" here described must be a literal city called Babylon, and as there is no city of that name on the earth today, nor has been since the ancient city of Babylon was destroyed, it must refer to some future city of Babylon. That the two chapters refer to different things is further verified by the fact that they are announced by different angels. The events of chapter seventeen are announced by one of the "Vial" Angels, while those of the eighteenth are announced by "another" angel; probably the "Second Angel Messenger," who by way of anticipation, announced in chapter 14:8, the "Fall of Babylon," that is there called "That Great City." The ancient city of Babylon from the days of Nimrod (Gen. 10:10), grew in size and importance century after century until it reached its greatest glory in the reign of Nebuchadnezzar B.C. 604-562. As described by Herodotus it was an exact square of 15 miles on a side, or 60 miles around, and was surrounded by a brick wall 87 feet thick, and 350 feet high, though probably that is a mistake, 100 feet being nearer the height. On the wall were 250 towers, and the top of the wall was wide enough to allow 6 chariots to drive abreast. Outside this wall was a vast ditch surrounding the city, kept filled with water from the river Euphrates; and inside the wall, and not far from it, was another wall, not much inferior, but narrower, extending around the city.

Twenty-five magnificent avenues, 150 feet wide, ran across the city from North to South, and the same number crossed them at right angles from East to West, making 676 great squares, each nearly three-fifths of a mile on a side, and the city was divided into two equal parts by the river Euphrates, that flowed diagonally through it, and whose banks, within the city, were walled up, and pierced with brazen gates, with steps leading down to the river. At the ends of the main avenues, on each side of the city, were gates, whose leaves were of brass, and that shone as they were opened or closed in the rising or setting sun, like "leaves of flame."

The Euphrates within the city was spanned by a bridge, at each end of which was a palace, and these palaces were connected by a subterranean passageway, or tube, underneath the bed of the river, in which at different points were located sumptuous banqueting rooms constructed entirely of brass.

Near one of these palaces stood the

"Tower of Bel,"

or Babel, consisting of 8 towers, each 75 feet high, rising one upon the other, with an outside winding stairway to its summit, which towers, with the Chapel on the top, made a height of 660 feet. This Chapel contained the most expensive furniture of any place of worship in the world. One golden image alone, 45 feet high, was valued at $17,500,000, and the whole of the sacred utensils were reckoned to be worth $200,000,000.

Babylon also contained one of the "Seven Wonders" of the world, the famous Hanging Gardens.

These Gardens were 400 feet square, and were raised in terraces one above the other to the height of 350 feet, and were reached by stairways 10 feet wide. The top of each terrace was covered with large stones, on which was laid a bed of rushes, then a thick layer of asphalt, next two courses of brick, cemented together, and finally plates of lead to prevent leakage; the whole was then covered with earth and planted with shrubbery and large trees. The whole had the appearance from a distance of a forest-covered mountain, which would be a remarkable sight in the level plain of the Euphrates. These Gardens were built by Nebuchadnezzar simply to please his wife, who came from the mountainous country of Media, and who was thus made contented with her surroundings. The rest of the city was, in its glory and magnificence, in keeping with these palaces, towers, and "Hanging Gardens." The character of its inhabitants and of its official life is seen in the description of "Belshazzar's Feast" in Dan. 5:1-31.

Babylon was probably the most magnificent city the world has ever seen and its fall reveals what a city may become when it forsakes God and He sends His judgment upon it. It is so intimately connected with the history of God's people that the Scriptures have much to say about it. A large part of the Book of Daniel and of the prophecy of Jeremiah relate to it, and it is mentioned in 11 other books of the Old Testament, and in 4 of the New Testament. And that the Book of Revelation is a continuation of the Book of Daniel is further proven by the fact that the city of Babylon is again spoken of in it, and its prominence in the affairs of the world at the "End Time" disclosed, and its final destruction foretold.

That the ancient city of Babylon was destroyed there can be no question, but when we affirm that it is to be rebuilt and again destroyed we are met with two objections.

1. That all the Old testament prophecies in reference to its destruction have been literally fulfilled, and that it cannot be rebuilt.

2. As there is no city of Babylon now in existence the references in the Book of Revelation to the destruction of such a city must be symbolical and not refer to a literal city.

Let us take up the first objection. For a description of Babylon and her destruction we must turn to Isaiah, chapters 13 and 14, and Jeremiah, chapters 50 and 51. In these two prophecies we find much that has not as yet been fulfilled in regard to the city of Babylon.

The city of Babylon was captured in B.C. 541 by Cyrus, who was mentioned "by name" in prophecy 125 years before he was born. Isa. 44:28-45:4, B.C. 712. So quietly and quickly was the city taken on the night of Belshazzar's Feast by draining the river that flowed through the city, and entering by the river bed, and the gates that surmounted its banks, that the Babylonian guards had forgotten to lock that night, that some of the inhabitants did not know until the "third" day that the king had been slain and the city taken. There was no destruction of the city at that time.

Some years after it revolted against Darius Hystaspis, and after a fruitless siege of nearly 20 months was taken by strategy. This was in B.C. 516. About B.C. 478 Xerxes, on his return from Greece plundered and injured, if he did not destroy, the great "Temple of Bel."

In B.C. 331 Alexander the Great approached the city which was, then so powerful and flourishing that he made preparation for bringing all his forces into action in case it should offer resistance, but the citizens threw open the gates and received him with acclamations. After sacrificing to,"Bel," he gave out that he would rebuild the vast Temple of that god, and for weeks he kept 10,000 men employed in clearing away the ruins from the foundations, doubtless intending to revive the glory of Babylon and make it his capital, when his purpose was defeated by his sudden death of marsh-fever and intemperance in his thirty-third year.

During the subsequent wars of his generals Babylon suffered much and finally came under the power of Seleucus, who, prompted by ambition to build a Capital for himself, founded Seleucia in its neighborhood about B.C. 293. This rival city gradually drew off the inhabitants of Babylon, so that Strabo, who died in A. D. 25, speaks of the latter as being to a great extent deserted. Nevertheless the Jews left from the Captivity still resided there in large numbers, and in A. D. 60 we find the Apostle Peter working among them, for it was from Babylon that Peter wrote his Epistle (I Pet. 5:13), addressed "to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia."

About the middle of the 5th century Theodoret speaks of Babylon as being inhabited only by Jews, who had still three Jewish Universities, and in the last year of the same century the "Babylonian Talmud" was issued, and recognized as authoritative by the Jews of the whole world.

In A. D. 917 Ibu Hankel mentions Babylon as an insignificant village, but still in existence. About A. D. 1100 it seems to have again grown into a town of some importance, for it was then known as the "Two Mosques." Shortly afterwards it was enlarged and fortified and received the name of Hillah, or "Rest." In A. D. 1898 Hillah contained about 10,000 inhabitants, and was surrounded by fertile lands, and abundant date groves stretched along the banks of the Euphrates. Certainly it has never been true that "neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there, neither shall the shepherds make their fold there." Isa. 13:20. Nor can it be said of Babylon-"Her cities are a desolation, a dry land, and a wilderness, a land wherein no man dwelleth, neither doth any son of man pass thereby." Jer. 51:43. Nor can it be said-"And they shall not take of thee a stone for a corner, nor a stone for foundations, but thou shalt be desolate forever, saith the Lord" (Jer. 51:26), for many towns and cities have been built from the ruins of Babylon, among them Four Capital Cities, Seleucia, built by the Greeks; Ctesiphon, by the Parthians, Al Maiden, by the Persians; and Kufa, by the Caliphs. Hillah was entirely constructed from the debris, and even in the houses of Bagdad, Babylonian stamped bricks may be frequently noticed.

But Isaiah is still more specific for he locates the Time when his prophecy will be fulfilled. He calls it the "Day of the Lord." Isa. 13:9. That is the Millennium. And he locates it at the beginning of the Millennium, or during the events that usher in the Millennium, for he says-

"The stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light; the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine." Isa. 13:10 (Luke 21:25-27).

Surely nothing like this happened when Babylon was taken by Cyrus.

In the description of the destruction of the city of Babylon given in Rev. 18, we read that her judgment will come in one hour (vs. 10), and that in one hour she shall be made desolate (vs. 19), and as an illustration of the suddenness and completeness of her destruction, a mighty angel took up a stone like a Great Millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying-"Thus with Violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down and shall be found no more at all." Rev. 18:21.

We are also told in the same chapter that she is to be destroyed by FIRE (Rev. 18:8, 9- 18), and this is in exact harmony with the words of Isa. 13:19.

"And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldeees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew

Sodom and Gomorrah;"

and the Prophet Jeremiah makes the same statement. Jer. 50:40.

The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was not protracted through many centuries, their glory disappeared in a few hours (Gen. 19:24-28), and as ancient Babylon was not thus destroyed, the prophecies of Isaiah and Jeremiah cannot be fulfilled unless there is to be a Future Babylon that shall be thus destroyed.

In Rev. 16:17-19, we are told that Babylon shall be destroyed by an Earthquake, attended with most vivid and incessant lightning and awful thunder. It would appear then, that as Sodom and Gomorrah were first set on fire and then swallowed up by an earthquake, that, the rebuilt city of Babylon will be set on fire, and as the site of ancient Babylon is underlaid with Bitumen (Asphalt), that an earthquake will break up the crust of the earth, and precipitate the burning city into a "Lake of Fire," and the city like a "Millstone" (Rev. 18:21) sink below the surface of the earth as into the sea, and be swallowed up so that it will be impossible to ever take of her stones for building purposes, and the land shall become a Wilderness where no man shall ever dwell.

As to the probability of the ancient city of Babylon being rebuilt we have only to consider the events that in recent years have been happening in that part of the world looking to just such a thing.

In the Department of War of France, at Paris, there is to be seen the records of valuable surveys and maps made by order of Napoleon I, in Babylonia, and among them is a plan for a New City of Babylon, thus showing that the vast schemes of Napoleon comprehended the Rebuilding of the Ancient City of Babylon, and the making it his Capital, as his ambition was to conquer the whole of Europe and Asia, and he recognized to that end the strategical position of ancient Babylon as a governmental and commercial centre.

It is a fact that the whole country of Mesopotamia, Assyria and Babylonia, only needs a system of irrigation to make it again the most fertile country in the world, and steps have already been taken in that direction. In 1850 the British Government sent out a military officer with his command to survey and explore the river Euphrates at a cost of.$150,000, and when the European war broke out, the great English Engineer who built the Assouam dam in Egypt, was engaged in making surveys in the Euphratean valley for the purpose of constructing a series of irrigation canals that would restore the country and make it again the great grain producing country it once was. As a result towns and cities would spring up and railroads would be built. What is needed in that part of the world is a "Trans-European-Asiatic-Indian Air Line" that will connect Europe with India, and China. Such a line has been the dream of Emperor William of Germany. It was that desire that made him and Abdul Hamid, of Turkey, the closest of political friends, and he secured from Abdul Hamid a concession to build a railway from the Asiatic side of the Bosphorus, by way of Aleppo, to the Tigris river, and from there to Bagdad, and from Bagdad via Babylon (via Babylon, mark that) to Koweit on the Persian Gulf, and most of the road has been built to Bagdad.

With these facts in mind it can readily be seen that it is the purpose of European capitalists to revive the country of Babylonia and rebuild its cities, and when once the time comes the city of Babylon will be rebuilt almost in a night and on a scale of magnificence such as the world has never seen.

But I hear a protest. How you say can we be expecting Jesus to come at "any moment," if the city of Babylon must be rebuilt before He can come? There is not a word in Scripture that says that Jesus cannot come and take away His Church, until Babylon is rebuilt. The Church may be taken out of the world 25 or even 50 years before that. Babylon the Great will be an immense city, the greatest in every respect the world has ever seen. It will be a typical city, the London, the Paris, the Berlin, the Petrograd, the New York, the Chicago of its day. It will be the greatest commercial city of the world. Its merchandise will be of gold and silver, and precious stones and pearls, of purple, and silk, and scarlet and costly wools. Its fashionable society will be clothed in the most costly raiment and decked with the most costly jewels. Their homes will be filled with the most costly furniture of precious woods, brass, iron and marble, with the richest of draperies, mats and rugs. They will use the most costly of perfumes, cinnamon, fragrant odors, ointments and frankincense. Their banquets will be supplied with the sweetest of wines, the richest of pastry, and the most delicious of meats. They will have horses and chariots and the swiftest of fast moving vehicles on earth and in the air. They will have their slaves, and they will traffic in the "souls of men." That is, women will sell their bodies, and men their souls, to gratify their lusts.

The markets will be crowded with cattle, sheep and horses. The wharves will be piled with goods from all climes. The manufactories will turn out the richest of fabrics, and all that genius can invent for the comfort and convenience of men will be found on the market. It will be a city given over to pleasure and business. Business men and promoters will give their days and nights to scheming how to make money fast, and the pleasure loving will be constantly planning new pleasures. There will be riotous joy and ceaseless feasting. As it was in the days of Noah and of Lot, they will be marrying and giving in marriage, buying and selling, building and planting.

The blood will run hot in their veins. Money will be their god, pleasure their high-priest, and unbridled passion the ritual of their worship.

It will be a city of music. Amid the noise and bustle of its commercial life will be heard the music of its pleasure resorts and theatres. There will be the sound of "harpers and musicians, of pipers and trumpeters" (vs. 22). The world's best singers and players will be there. Its theatres and places of music will be going day and night. In fact there will be no night, for the electric illumination of the city by night will make the night as bright and shadowless as the day, and its stores and places of business will never close, night or day, or Sunday, for the mad whirl of pleasure and the absorbing desire for riches will keep the wheels of business constantly moving. And all this will be easy because the "God of this World"-Satan, will possess the minds and bodies of men, for we read in verse 2. that Babylon at that time will be "the Habitation of Devils, and the Hold of Every Foul Spirit, and the Cage of Every Unclean and Hateful Bird." The city will be the seat of the most imposing "OCCULTISM, " and mediums, and those desiring to communicate with the other world, will then go to Babylon, as men and women now go to Paris for fashions and sensuous pleasures. In that day demons, disembodied souls, and unclean spirits will find at Babylon the opportunity of their lives to materialize themselves in human bodies, and from the atmospheric heavens above, and from the Abyss below they will come in countless legions until Babylon shall be full of demon possesssed men and women, and at the height of its glory, and just before its fall, Babylon will be ruled by SATAN HIMSELF, incarnate in the "Beast"-ANTICHRIST.

But before its destruction God will mercifully deliver His own people, for a voice from heaven will cry-

"Come Out of Her, My People, That Ye be Not Partakers of Her Sins, and that Ye Receive Not of Her Plagues." vs. 4.

As Sodom and Gomorrah could not be destroyed until righteous Lot had escaped, so Babylon cannot be destroyed until all the righteous people in it have fled.

The destruction of the city will be sudden and without warning. A fearful storm will sweep over the city. The lightning and thunder will be incessant. The city will be set on fire and a great earthquake will shake it from centre to circumference. The tall office buildings, the "Hanging Gardens" and the great towers will totter and fall, the crust of the earth will crack and open, and the whole city with its inhabitants will sink like a "Millstone," (vs. 21), into a lake of burning bitumen, and the smoke will ascend as of a burning fiery furnace, and the horror of the scene will be intensified by vast clouds of steam, generated by the waters of the Euphrates pouring into that lake of fiery asphalt, and when night comes on those clouds of steam will reflect the light of the burning city so it can be seen for miles in all directions in that level country. And the kings of the earth, and the merchants, and the shipmasters, and sailors, and all who have profited by her merchandise, will stand afar off and cry, and wail because of her destruction, but the heavens will rejoice for God will have rewarded her Double according to her works, and BABYLON WILL BE NO MORE.

Final Note:

Reconstruction

In 1985, Saddam Hussein started rebuilding the city on top of the old ruins, investing in both restoration and new construction, to the dismay of archaeologists, with his name inscribed on many of the bricks, in imitation of Nebuchadnezzar. One frequent inscription reads: "This was built by Saddam Hussein, son of Nebuchadnezzar, to glorify Iraq". This recalls the ziggurat at Ur, where each individual brick was stamped with "Ur-Nammu, king of Ur, who built the temple of Nanna". These bricks became sought after as collectors' items after the downfall of Saddam, and the ruins are no longer being restored to their original state. He also installed a huge portrait of himself and Nebuchadnezzar at the entrance to the ruins, and shored up Processional Way, a large boulevard of ancient stones, and the Lion of Babylon, a black rock sculpture about 2,600 years old.

When the Gulf War ended, he wanted to build a modern palace, also over some old ruins, it was made in the pyramidal style of a Sumerian ziggurat. He named it Saddam Hill. In 2003, he was ready to begin the construction of a cable car line over Babylon when the invasion began and halted the project.

Interestingly enough, an article published in the New York Times in April 2006 states that UN officials and the Iraqi administration have plans for restoring Babylon, making it a gem of a new Iraq as a cultural center complete with shopping malls, hotels, and maybe even a theme park

Effects of the U.S military

US forces were criticised for building a helipad on ancient Babylonian ruins following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, under the command of General James T. Conway of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. The vibrations from helicopter landings led a nearby Babylonian structure to collapse.

US Marines in front of the rebuilt ruins of Babylon, 2003.

US forces have occupied the site for some time and have caused damage to the archaeological record. In a report of the British Museum's Near East department, Dr. John Curtis describes how parts of the archaeological site were levelled to create a landing area for helicopters, and parking lots for heavy vehicles. Curtis wrote that the occupation forces

"caused substantial damage to the Ishtar Gate, one of the most famous monuments from antiquity [...] US military vehicles crushed 2,600-year-old brick pavements, archaeological fragments were scattered across the site, more than 12 trenches were driven into ancient deposits and military earth-moving projects contaminated the site for future generations of scientists [...] Add to all that the damage caused to nine of the moulded brick figures of dragons in the Ishtar Gate by people trying to remove the bricks from the wall."

The head of the Iraqi State Board for Heritage and Antiquities, Donny George, said that the "mess will take decades to sort out". Colonel Coleman issued an apology for the damage done by military personnel under his command in April 2006, and explained that they were protecting the site from looters of the strife that filled the streets of Iraq's major cities following the fall of Saddam.

The "Tribulation"

2007-04-28T13:51:00.000-04:00

THE TRIBULATION

The Scriptures speak of a "Great Tribulation" that is coming on the earth. Jesus in His "Olivet Discourse" uttered on the Mt. of Olives on the Tuesday evening before His Crucifixion, said-

"Then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved; but for the Elect's Sake (the elect of Israel) those days shall be shortened." Matt. 24:21, 22.

That this Tribulation was not the terrible sufferings that befell the Jewish people at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem in A. D. 70, is clear, because many of the things that are to happen before and after "The Great Tribulation," did not happen at the destruction of Jerusalem.

I. The "FACT of the Tribulation.

Our Lord's prophecy does not stand alone. It is backed up by other prophecies both in the Old and New Testament.

Turning to the Old Testament we find in Jer. 30:4-7, that it is the time of "Jacob's Trouble," and is compared in its sufferings to the "birth-pangs" of a woman. In Ezek. 26:34-38 it is spoken of as the time when-Israel shall "Pass under the Rod;" and in Ezek. 22:19-22, we read how that God is going to cast Israel into His "Melting Pot," where they are to be refined as "gold is refined." See also Malachi 3:1-3, and Zech. 13:9. Daniel speaks of it as a "Time of Trouble" for his people, the Jews. Dan. 12:1.

From these references we see that "The Great Tribulation" is something that has to do with the Jewish people, and is a judgment through which they must pass as a "refining process" to fit them to again be God's chosen people. Indirectly the Gentiles will be affected by it, but the Church will be "caught out" before that "Great and Terrible Day of the Lord."

In the New Testament we have two descriptions of it.

The first is by Jesus in His Olivet Discourse, Matt. 24:9-22, and the second is in the Book of Revelation, chapters 6:1 to 19:21, where in the breaking of the "Seals," the sounding of the "Trumpets" and the pouring out of the "Vials" John sees in vision the things that are to occur during the Tribulation Period.

II. The "TIME" of the Tribulation.

The Old Testament prophets speak of it as "That Day," and the "Latter Days," and the Prophet Joel calls it the "Day of the Lord." Joel 1:15; 2:1; 3:14. The Scriptures speak of "Four Days."

1. "Man's Day." That is the present Dispensation in which we are living.

2. "The Day of Christ." That is the day when the Lord Jesus will come and take His Church out of the world, and includes the time between the "Rapture" and the "Revelation." On earth it is the "Day of Antichrist"

3. "The Day of the Lord," that is the day of "Vengeance of Our Lord," and includes the period of the "Great Tribulation" and the Millennium that follows.

4. "The Day of God." That is the period that begins with the "Renovation of the Earth by Fire" and extends to eternity.

The time of the Tribulation then is "after" the Church has been "caught out," and during the reign of Antichrist on the earth.

The Prophet Daniel in his Vision of the "Seventy Weeks" (Dan. 9:20-27) was told that it would be 69 weeks from the going forth of the Edict "to restore and rebuild Jerusalem unto Messiah the Prince." Those were "Prophetic Weeks," in which each week stood for "seven years," and they were literally fulfilled, for it was exactly 483 years of 360 days, from the going forth of that Edict, B.C. 445, until Jesus rode in triumph into Jerusalem, A. D. 30, and was hailed as the promised Son of David.

Within a week the Jews had Jesus crucified and then "God's Clock" stopped, and the remaining "one" week, the "Seventieth," has still to be fulfilled. In the meantime, in the break between the "sixty-ninth" and "seventieth" week, the Holy Spirit is gathering out the Church, and when it is complete it will be taken away, and then "God's Clock" will begin to tick again, because He will again be dealing with. His People the Jews.

It is during this last, or "Seventieth Week" of Daniel's "Seventy Weeks," that the Tribulation is to occur, and as the "weeks" of the already fulfilled "sixty-nine" weeks, were each "seven years" in length, so this last, or "Seventieth Week," must be the same. The length then of the "Tribulation Period" should be "seven years," but Jesus tells us in Matt. 24:22, that for the "ELECT'S SAKE" Those Days Shall Be Shortened. Not the "Elect" of the Church, for they are "caught out" before the Tribulation, but the "Elect" of Israel, the 144,000 "Sealed Ones" of Rev. 7:1-8.

III. The "CHARACTER" of the Tribulation.

While the "Tribulation Period" shall last for about seven years, as to its severity it will be divided into two parts of three and a half years each. The second or last part so far exceeding in its severity the first part as to be known as

"The GREAT TRIBULATION."

What was to happen during Daniel's "Seventieth Week" was not revealed to Daniel. He received a communication which he did not understand and was told to "seal the Book up until the Time of the End." Dan. 12:4, 8, 9. All Daniel knew was that the contents of the Book had reference to the "Time of Trouble" that should befall his People at the "Time of the End" (of their sorrows), not the "End of Time." What that "Sealed Book" contained is no longer a Mystery, for the Apostle John saw the "seals" of that Book broken, and was told to record what it contained. The "Seven-Sealed Book" of the Book of Revelation is the Book that Daniel was told to seal up.

If we want to know then about what is to happen during the Tribulation, all we have to do is to read and study the Book of Revelation from Rev. 6:1 to 19:2 1.

As the Dragon is cast out of the Heavenlies in chapter 12, and he is cast out in the "Middle of the Week," it follows that chapters 6 to 11 inclusive cover the "First Half" of the Week, or 3 1/2 years, and chapters 13 to 19 inclusive the "Second Half."

Let us study each half of the Week by itself.

1. First Half of the Week.

The "Week" begins with the breaking of the "Seals."

First Seal. Rev. 6:11 2.

A "White Horse" appears, the Rider of which is uncrowned at first, but is afterward crowned. He has a bow in his hand, and goes forth conquering. This rider is not Christ. Christ as the Lamb, is holding and breaking the "seals" of the Book. He does not appear as a White Horse Rider until chapter 19.

The "Rider" is Antichrist, and pictures him before he is crowned and becomes the Chief Ruler of the "Ten Federated Kingdoms" of the revived Roman Empire. He is the "Prince who is to come," and who shall "confirm the Covenant" with the Jews for "one week." Dan 9:26, 27. This proves that Antichrist appears at the "beginning" of the "Week" and not in the "Middle" as some claim.

Second Seal. Rev. 6:3, 4.

A "Red Horse" appears, the Rider of which has power to take peace from the earth. The symbolism is clear. Red, the color of the horse, is a symbol of "blood," and the sword of "war." The time is clearly that prophesied by Christ. Matt. 24:6, 7. The outcome of these wars will probably be the "Ten Kingdom Federation" over which Antichrist shall become the head.

Third Seal. Rev. 6:5, 6.

A "Black Horse" appears, the Rider of which holds a pair of scales in his hand and a voice cries-"A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine." The meaning is clear. When all able-bodied men are drafted for war, the fields remain untitled and "famine" follows, just as Christ prophesied. Matt. 24:7. The olive and the grape do not need cultivation, so their ruthless destruction is forbidden.

Fourth Seal. Rev. 6:7, 8.

A "Pale Horse" appears, the Rider of which is "Death." It is noteworthy that the Riders of the first three horses are not named. They will be recognized when they appear.

Hell (Hades) follows in the wake of "Death" ready to swallow up his victims caused by war and famine.

Fifth Seal. Rev. 6:9-11.

When the Fifth Seal was broken John saw the "souls of martyrs" under the Altar. These Martyrs, whose "souls" John saw are not the Martyrs of "past ages;" they were taken up with the Church, but the Martyrs who will be killed for the "Word of their Testimony, and who love not their lives unto the death" (Rev. 12:11), during the Tribulation. After the Church is caught out the preaching of the "Gospel of the Kingdom" will be resumed. Matt. 24:14. As it is a proclamation that Christ is about to set up an "Earthly Kingdom," it will be exceedingly distasteful to Antichrist and his followers, and a "Great Persecution" will follow. Matt. 24:9-13. It is the "souls" of the martyrs of this Persecution that John saw under the Altar. They asked that their death should be avenged, but were told to rest for a "little season" until they were joined by their fellow servants and brethren who should die as they did. The promise is fulfilled in Rev. 20:4.

Sixth Seal. Rev. 6:12-17.

When the Sixth Seal is broken great "physical changes" will occur on the earth. Joel 2:30, 31 ; Matt. 24:29; Isa. 13:9-1 1. So terrible will these changes be that men will call upon the mountains and rocks to fall and hide them from the wrath of the Lamb. The 24th chapter of Matthew should be compared with Rev. 6:1-17.

Between the breaking of the "Sixth" and "Seventh" Seals there will be a pause or interval, during which 144,000 of the Children of Israel, 12,000 from each of the Twelve Tribes, will be "sealed." As there were 7000 in Ahab's time who would not bow the knee to Baal (I Kings 19:18), so in the Tribulation there shall be 144,000 of Israel who will not bow the knee to Antichrist. They are "sealed" by an angel, and the "Seal" is the imprint of the "Father's Name" on their foreheads. Rev. 14:1 ; 22:4.

Then John saw a

"Blood Washed Multitude." Rev. 7:9-17.

This introduces us to another class of saved of the "End Time." They are not the Church, for they come out of the "Great Tribulation." They are probably Gentiles who accept Christ as their Saviour after the Church is caught out. They are saved and shall serve God in His Heavenly Temple, and never hunger or thirst any more, but they are not part of the Church and shall not participate in any Millennial blessings on the earth.

Seventh Seal. Rev. 8:1.

At the breaking of the "Seventh Seal" there will be "silence in Heaven" for a limited period. This will be a period of preparation for the greater conflict to follow.

Following the "Silence," Seven Angels in succession sound upon Seven Trumpets.

First Trumpet. Rev. 8:7.

When the "First Trumpet" sounds "hail" and "fire mingled with blood" will be cast upon the earth and a "third part of the trees" and "all green grass" will be "burnt up." This will be a fulfillment of Joel 2:30, 31. This is a repetition of the "Seventh Egyptian Plague." Ex. 9:22-26. That was "literal." Why should not this be?

Second Trumpet. Rev. 8:8, 9.

When the "Second Trumpet" sounds a "burning mountain," probably a Meteor, will fall into the sea (Mediterranean) and will destroy a "third part of the creatures of the sea" and a "third part of the ships," probably some fleets assembled for a naval battle, and the "blood" of the destroyed will discolor a third part of the sea.

Third Trumpet. Rev. 8:10, 11.

When the "Third Trumpet" sounds a "great burning star," called "Wormwood," will fall from the heavens and poison the streams of fresh water. This will probably be another Meteor that in exploding will fill the atmosphere with "noxious gases," that will be absorbed by the rivers and fountains of water, and poison them, so as to cause the death of all who drink of them. Wormwood is used in the manufacture of "Absinthe," an intoxicating beverage much used in France, and poisonous. The Prophet Jeremiah refers to this time. Jer. 9:13-15.

Fourth Trumpet. Rev. 8:12.

When the "Fourth Trumpet" sounds the "third part" of the sun moon and stars will be smitten and their light diminished a "third." This is one of the "signs" spoken of by Christ. Luke 21:25, 26.

An Angel will then fly through the midst of heaven announcing "Three Woes" that are to follow the sounding of the three Trumpets let to sound. Rev. 8:13.

Fifth Trumpet. Rev. 9:1-12

"First Woe"

"The Plague of Locusts."

When the "Fifth Trumpet" sounds a "Star" will fall from heaven to the earth with the "key" of the

"Bottomless Pit."

This is not a real star, but an Angel who will look like a Star, for "to him" was given the Key. He will not be a "Fallen Angel," nor Satan himself as some suppose, for God would not entrust the Key of the "Bottomless Pit" to Satan, but he will be the "same Angel" that will bind Satan and cast him into the "Bottomless Pit" for 1000 years. Rev. 20:1-3. When the "Bottomless Pit" is opened a cloud, like smoke, of "locusts" will emerge and cover the earth. They will be a combination of horse, man, woman, lion and scorpion. The "sound of their wings" will be as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.

Their size is not given, but they will doubtless be much larger than ordinary locusts, but they will not be like them, for ordinary locusts feed on vegetation, but these locusts will be forbidden to hurt the grass or the trees, or any green thing, and only be permitted to afflict "men," and only those men who have not the "seal of God" in their foreheads, and these they shall not be permitted to "kill," but only "torment."

The meaning of this scourge of "Scorpion Locusts" seems to be that a vast army of "Demons" will be liberated from the "Bottomless Pitt " who shall enter into and take possession of the "bodies" of men, and so "torment" them that they shall desire to die and shall not be able, the demons preventing them.

These "Scorpion Locusts" have a king, which ordinary locusts have not. Prov. 30:27. This king's name in the Hebrew is "Abaddon," but in the Greek is "Apollyon." The word means "destroyer. This king is not Satan. Satan is at liberty, while the king of the "Bottomless Pit" is confined with his subjects.

Sixth Trumpet. Rev. 9:13-2 1.

"Second Woe."

"The Plague of Horsemen."

When the "Sixth Trumpet" shall sound a voice from the "Golden Altar" will command the Trumpeter to loose "four angels" which are bound in the great river Euphrates. That they are "Bad Angels" is seen from the fact that they are "bound" and that they are the leaders of an army of 200,000,000 "Infernal Cavalry."

This Cavalry will not be composed of ordinary men and horses. The horses will have the "body",of a Horse, the "head" of a Lion, a "tall" like a serpent, with the "head of a serpent" at its end. Out of their mouths will issue "fire...... smoke" and "brimstone," and by these three the "third part of men will be killed," and the sting of their "serpent tails" will cause great pain. The riders upon these horses will have "breastplates of fire and brimstone" to match the breath of the horses.

Supernatural armies are not unknown to the Scriptures. 2 Kings 6:13-17. When Jesus returns He will be accompanied by the Armies of Heaven, and it stands to reason that Satan has his armies. Awful as this "demon" invasion will be it will not cause men to repent.

According to the Revised Version verse 15 should read: "The four angels were loosed which had been prepared for the Hour and Day and Month and Year." That is, the Four Angels now bound in the Euphrates will be loosed in the Exact Year, Month, Day and even Hour predetermined by God for the "Demon Invasion," and not, as some think, to slay for a year, month and day, or 391 days. These two invasions of "Scorpion Locusts and "Infernal Cavalry" warn us that in the days after the Church is caught out, Satan and his "Demon Forces" will be increasingly active and do all they can to torment and destroy mankind.

The Interval

Between the sounding of the "Sixth" and "Seventh Trumpets" there will be an "Interval," just as there was between the breaking of the "Sixth" and "Seventh Seals." During this "Interval" a "Mighty Angel" will come down from Heaven having a "Little Book" (open) in his hand. This "Mighty Angel" will be Christ Himself, for the description of Him corresponds with chapter 1:12-15, and as His "voice" is like that of a Lion, this identifies Him as the "Lion of the Tribe of Judah" of chapter 5:5; and in chapter 11:3, He speaks of the "Two Witnesses" as "My Witnesses." When the "Mighty Angel" shall set His "Right Foot" on the "sea," and His "Left Foot" on the "earth," and lift up His hand to Heaven, and swear that there shall be "Time no longer" He shall take formal possession of the Earth. The expression, "Time no longer," should read, as in the Revised Version (margin), "No longer delay," for Time does not end until the close of the "Perfect Age." While Christ at this time will take formal possession of the earth, actual possession will not be secured until He comes again to the Mt. of Olives, at the close of the Tribulation.

The Two Witnesses.

In chapter 11:1-14 we are given a description of "Two Witnesses" who are to prophesy during the greater part of the last half of the Week. Who they will be is very clear. One has "power to shut heaven that it rain not in the days of their prophecy." This can be no other than Elijah who was translated that he might come again before the "Great and Terrible Day of the Lord" (Malachi 4:5, 6), and who will shut up the heavens for 42 months, or 3 1/2 years, which is exactly the length of time he did it in the days of Ahab. The other Witness will "have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues as often as he will." This identifies him as Moses, for he is the only person mentioned in the Scriptures who had such power, and it was for this purpose that he was raised from the dead. Jude 9. As Moses and Elijah appeared together on the Mount of Transfiguration with Christ and as they probably were the two "men" in "white apparel" (angel-like) that testified at the Ascension to Christ's coming again (Acts 1:10, 11), what more probable than that they are the "Two Witnesses" who will return to the earth to announce that Coming? During their "witnessing" they will have power to destroy their enemies with "fire" that shall issue from their mouths, but at the end of 1260 days they will be slain and their bodies lay exposed in the streets of the city of Jerusalem for 3 1/2 days, when they shall rise and ascend to Heaven, to the amazement of those who see them go. Their ascent will be followed by a destructive earthquake, which completes the "Second Woe."

Seventh Trumpet. Rev. 11:15-19.

"Third Woe."

The "Seventh Trumpet" includes all that follows down to the end of chapter nineteen. We must not forget in our study of the Book of Revelation that the "Seventh Seal" includes the "Seven Trumpets" and the "Seven Vials," and that the "Seventh Trumpet" includes the "Seven Vials," for the "Seventh Seal," and the "Seventh Trumpet," and the "Seventh Vial" all end alike with "voices," "thunderings," "lightnings" and an "earthquake." Rev. 8:5, 11:19; 16:18.

2. Middle of the Week. Rev. 12:1-17.

In the "Middle of the Week" two "Wonders" shall appear in Heaven. The Revised Version calls them "signs," that is, they are "symbols" of something. The first will be a

"Sun-Clothed Woman."

This "Woman" is neither the Virgin Mary, nor the Church, she is Israel. We have only to be reminded of Joseph's Dream of the "sun" and "moon," and the "eleven stars" (Gen. 37:9), to see that this "Sun-Clothed Woman, with the "moon" under her feet and upon her head a crown of "Twelve Stars," is Jewish in character. Joseph was the twelfth star. Israel is again and again compared to a "married" woman in the Old Testament, but the Church is a "virgin," and only an "espoused virgin" at that. 2 Cor. 11:2. This "Woman" is described as being "with child" and "travailing to be delivered." When was the Church in such a condition? Paul says of Israel, "Of whom as concerning the flesh Christ Came." Rom. 9:4, 5. And Israel looked forward to the time when she could say-"Unto us a Child Is Born, unto us a Son is given." Isa. 9:6, 7. But before that could happen Israel had to pass through many more afflictions and judgments. These were her "Travail Time."

As the result of her "travail" the Woman brought forth a "Man-Child" who was to rule the nations with a "Rod of Iron." There can be no question as to who is meant by the "Man-Child. The 2nd Psalm settles that. He is Christ, who at his Ascension was caught up and seated on His Father's Throne.

After her child is delivered the Woman "flees into the Wilderness" where she hath a place prepared of God, and where she is fed for 1260 days. Here is where many interpreters make a mistake. They overlook the fact that between the "fifth" and "sixth" verses of this chapter the present "Church Period" comes in. Here is the "gap" between the "Sixty-ninth" and "Seventieth" Weeks of Daniel's "Seventy Weeks." John jumps over this "gap," from the Ascension of Christ to the casting out of Satan, because he is not dealing in these Tribulation chapters with the Church but with Israel, and wishes to continue her history without a break. Here is further evidence that the "Woman" is not the Virgin Mary, for she does not flee into Egypt, but into the Wilderness, neither does she flee "with" her child, for that was caught up to the Throne of God; neither does she flee for her child's "Protection," but for her own.

The Dragon.

The second "Wonder" that will appear in Heaven will be a

"Great Red Dragon."

We are not left in doubt as to who is meant, for in verse 9 he is called that "Old Serpent," "The Devil," and "Satan." His color is "red," the color of "blood," for he was a murderer from the beginning. John 8:44. The "Stars of Heaven" attached to his "tail" reveal the fact that Satan will lead astray a third of the Angels, for the Angels are spoken of as "Stars" in the Old Testament. Job. 38:7. They will be cast to the earth with him. The casting out of the Dragon is described in verses 7 to 12. His expulsion will start a War in Heaven.

That the Dragon has not yet been cast out of Heaven is clear. He had access to God in the days of Job, 2000 years before Christ. Job 1:1-2:8. He tried to destroy the "Man-Child" (Christ) at the hand of Herod when He was born. Matt. 2:16-18. He was at liberty to tempt Christ in the Wilderness, and to sift Peter. He is today the "Prince of the Powers of the Air," Eph. 2:2, and the "God of this World" (age). 2 Cor. 4:14. When the "Dragon" is cast out of the Heavenlies there will be great rejoicing in Heaven because the "Accuser" of Christ's "Brethren" (the Jews) is cast down, but there will be "woe" for the "inhabitants of the earth,for the "Dragon" will be filled with "great wrath" because he knows that he will have but a "short time" (3 1/2 years) to vent his wrath on the inhabitants of the earth before he is chained and cast into the Bottomless Pit.

When the "Dragon" is cast out, knowing that his defeat has been brought about by the elevation of the "Man-Child" to the place of power, he will concentrate his hatred and malice on the "Woman" (Israel) who gave Him birth. To the "Woman" will be given the "wings of a great eagle," that she may fly into the "Wilderness," into "her place," where she shall be nourished for a "Time, Times, and Half a Time," or 3 1/2 years. This takes us back to the flight of Israel from Egypt, of which God said-"Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on 'Eagle's Wings,' and brought you unto myself." Ex. 19:4. As the "Woman" and the "Dragon" are symbols, so are the "Eagle's Wings." They speak of the rapid and safe flight of the "Woman" (Israel) into the "Wilderness," where she shall be safely kept and nourished for 3 ½ years until the "Dragon" is bound.

The Cities of Refuge.

The "Cities of Refuge" of Old Testament times are a type of this "Wilderness Refuge" of the Children of Israel.

The "Cities of Refuge" were designated cities, 3 on each side the river Jordan, where the "Man-Slayer" could flee for safety from the "Avenger of Blood." If it was proved after trial that he had slain a man "wilfully," he was turned over to the "Avenger of Blood," but if he did it unwittingly, his life was spared, but he had to remain in the city until the death of the High Priest. If there were no "Man-Slayer" there would be no "Avenger of Blood," and therefore no need for a "City of Refuge."

Now if I find in the New Testament that a certain class of people are called upon to flee to a "Place of Refuge" for the protection of their lives, then I must believe that they flee because an "Avenger of Blood" is after them, and that they flee because they are guilty of "Manslaughter."

Such a class of people I find in the Jewish Race. They were the cause of the death of Christ, and though He was crucified by the Roman authorities they assumed the guilt for they cried-"His blood be on Us, and on Our Children." Matt. 27:25. At first sight it looks like "wilful" murder, yet from the prayer of Jesus on the Cross "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do," it is clear that Jesus death was not so much a premeditated murder as it was a murder committed in a blind religious, frenzy. Paul says "had they known they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory." 1 Cor. 2:8. It is clear then that the Jewish race is only guilty of "Manslaughter." As the "Man-Slayer" of Jesus they have been for over 1900 years running for a "City of Refuge" and have not as yet reached it. The "Avenger of Blood" has been on their track and has hounded them from nation to nation, and the epithet of

"The Wandering Jew"

has followed them down the centuries, and the prophecy of Moses is being fulfilled that they should find no rest for the sole of their foot. Deut. 28:64-67.

If the Jews are the "Man-Slayer" who is the "Avenger of Blood?" Antichrist. If the "Avenger of Blood" must be a "Kinsman" of the man slain, that means that he must be of the same "Race," and the nearest kinsman alive at the time vengeance is sought. While Jesus was the "first born" of the Virgin Mary, he was not the only child she had. She afterwards had by Joseph four sons, James, Joseph, Judas and Simon, and there were daughters. Two of these brothers of Jesus filled a large place in the Church in the first century. James was pastor of the church at Jerusalem, and Judas wrote the Epistle of Jude. The kinsfolk of Jesus occupied a place by themselves for a long time after Jesus passed away, and could be traced as late as A. D. 324. Somewhere in the world today, without doubt, are living some of the "Kinsfolk" of the Lord Jesus. They may not be able to trace their descent back to Jesus, but God knows where they are, and who they are, and who dare deny that when the time comes for the manifestation of the Antichrist, that the "Avenger of Blood" shall be a Jew, who is a lineal descendant of the family of Jesus.

And now as to the "City of Refuge" that God will provide for Israel when the "Avenger of Blood" (Antichrist), who shall then be indwelt by the Dragon, is on her track. In Isa. 26:20 we read-

"Come, my people (Israel), enter thou into my 'chambers,' and shut thy doors about thee; hide thyself as it were for a 'little moment,' until the 'indignation' be overpast."'

The context shows that this refers to the time when Antichrist, the "Avenger of Blood," will seek to destroy the Jewish people, and is the time referred to by Christ in Matt. 24:15- 22.

When the Lord God brought the Children of Israel out of Egypt they journeyed from the Red Sea, tarrying for a while at Mt. Sinai to receive the Law and build the Tabernacle, until they came, one year, after leaving Egypt, to Kadesh Barnea. There they sent up spies to spy out the land of Canaan, but refused to go up and take possession of the land, and were compelled to wander in the Wilderness south of the Dead Sea. There God took care of them and fed them for 40 years. Now it is in the same Wilderness that God is going to provide for them a place of "Refuge" in the day when the "Avenger of Blood" shall seek to destroy them.

Speaking of the Antichrist, the Prophet Daniel says-

"He shall enter also into the Glorious Land (Palestine) and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom and Moab and the chief of the Children of Ammon." Dan. 11:41.

Now Edom takes in the Wilderness where Israel wandered for 40 years. And it is here in Edom that the "City of Refuge" that God has provided for Israel is located, and is known today as Petra. It was a great commercial centre in the days of King Solomon. In A. D. 105 the Romans conquered the country and called the province Arabia Petra.. When the power of Rome waned Petra gradually fell into the hands of the Arabs and became completely lost to the civilized world in the seventh century, and remained so until it was rediscovered by Burckhardt in 1812.

It is located in the mountains like as in the crater of a volcano. It has but one entrance, and that is through a narrow winding defile or canyon from 12 to 40 feet wide, the sides of which are precipitous and at times so close together as to almost shut out the blue sky above and make you think you are passing through a subterranean passageway. The height of the sides varies from 200 to 1000 feet, and the length of the canyon is about two miles. No other city in the world has such a wonderful gateway. The sides of the canyon are lined with wonderful monuments and temples carved out of the rocky sandstone of the sides. Once inside the rocky enclosure of the city we find the ruins of magnificent buildings, tombs and monuments. The cliffs that surround the city are carved and honeycombed with excavations to a height of 300 feet above the floor of the valley, and the excavations cut as they are out of different colored strata of the rock, such as red, purple, blue, black, white and yellow, lend a beauty to their appearance that is indescribable and overpowering to the beholder.

When the time comes for the "Man-Slayer" (Israel), to escape from the hands of the "Avenger of Blood" (Antichrist), the rocky fastness of the ancient city of Petra will be her "City of Refuge." We read that when the "Woman" (Israel) shall flee into the Wilderness that the "Serpent" (Antichrist, indwelt by Satan) shall cast a flood of water out of his mouth after her to destroy her, but that the earth shall open her mouth and swallow the flood. That is, Antichrist will send his army after the fleeing Israelites, and it will probably be swallowed up in a "Sand storm" of the desert, and Israel shall safely reach her place of refuge, where she shall be safe, not until the death of the High Priest, but until the return of "The High Priest" (Jesus), from Heaven, who as "King-Priest" of the Armies of Heaven will deliver her and allow her to leave her place of refuge.

3. Last Half of the Week.

Filled with wrath at the escape of the "Sun-Clothed Woman," the Dragon will turn his attention to the "remnant of her seed," and to the better carry out his plans he will give to the "Beast" (Antichrist) his "Power" and his "Seat," and "Great Authority." Rev. 13:2. While Antichrist, as Antichrist, exists from the "beginning" of the "Week," for at that time he makes a "covenant for one week," (Dan. 9:27) ; in the "Middle of the Week" he will break "the Covenant," and for the "last half of the week" his reign will be terrible, and the change in his character, and the character of his reign, can only be accounted for on the basis that the Dragon has incarnated himself in him. It is this phase of the reign of "Antichrist" that is brought out in the 13th chapter of the Book of Revelation.

John tells us that he saw two Beasts. The first came up out of the sea. This represents "Antichrist" after his incarnation by the "Dragon." The second came up out of the earth and is called the "False Prophet."

For a full description of these Beasts read the chapters on "The Antichrist and the Satanic Trinity." Suffice it to say that for the balance of the "Week," no man can buy or sell unless he has the "Brand of Hell," and "Mark of the Beast," on his Right Hand, or in his Forehead.

At this time three "Angel Messengers" will be sent forth. The first will be a preacher of the Gospel. This is the first time an angel is commissioned to preach the Gospel. But it will not be the Gospel of the "Grace of God," (Acts 20:24), nor the Gospel of "The Kingdom," (Matt. 24:14), but a new Gospel, called the "Everlasting Gospel." Its burden is "Judgment" not "Salvation," and it will be "Good News" to all those passing through the "fiery trials" of those days, for it will be the announcement that the "Hour of judgment" is come for all that do wickedly.

The second "Angel Messenger" will announce the "Fall of Babylon." This is by way of anticipation, for the City of Babylon is not destroyed until after the pouring out of the "Vials."

The third "Angel Messenger" will utter an awful warning to those who are tempted to worship the Beast. Declaring that if they do, they shall drink of the wine of the "Wrath of God," and shall be tormented with "fire" and "brimstone" Forever and Ever.

At this time preparation will be made in Heaven for the

Harvest and Vintage

of the earth. This is not the Harvest of the Church, that took place before the beginning of the "Week." This is the Harvest of the Gentile nations. It begins with the pouring out of the "Vials," and ends with the Battle of Armageddon.

First Vial. Rev. 16:1, 2.

When the "First Vial" is poured out a "noisome and grievous sore" will fall upon the men who have the "Mark of the Beast," and who "worship his Image." This is a repetition of the "Sixth Egyptian Plague." Ex. 9:8-12. If that was literal why should not this be'? The "literalness" of these "Vial judgments" is the key to the literalness of the whole Book of Revelation.

Second Vial. Rev. 16:3.

When the "Second Vial" is poured out, the sea (Mediterranean) will become as the "blood of a dead man," and every "living soul" (creature, for creatures have souls) in the sea will die. Something similar, though not so great in extent, happened when the "Second Trumpet" sounded. Rev.8:8,9.

Third Vial. Rev. 16:4-7.

When the "Third Vial" is poured out the "rivers" and "fountains of water" will become "blood." This is a repetition of the "First Egyptian Plague." Ex. 7:19-24. Those will be awful times when there will be nothing to quench the thirst but "blood."

Fourth Vial. Rev. 16:8, 9.

When the "Fourth Vial" is poured out men will be "scorched with great heat." This is the only plague for which there is no Egyptian parallel, and as the others are literal so must it be. The Prophet Malachi refers to it. Malachi 4:1. The effect of this plague will be not to make men repent, but to cause them to Blaspheme the Name of God.

Fifth Vial. Rev. 16:10, 11.

When the "Fifth Vial" is poured out there will be "darkness" over the whole kingdom of the "Beast," and men will gnaw their tongues for pain." This will be a repetition of the "Ninth Egyptian Plague." Ex. 10:21-23. Notice that this Plague follows the Plague of "Scorching Heat," as if God will hide the sun whose heat was so hard to bear. The effect of the "Darkness" will be to make men "gnaw their tongues" for pain, and for their sores, showing that these "Vial Plagues," overlap or follow each other -rapidly.

Sixth Vial. Rev. 16:12.

When the "Sixth Vial" is poured out the river Euphrates will be dried up so the kings of the East (India, China, Japan) and their armies may cross over and gather for the great Battle of Armageddon. This will be a repetition of the opening of the Red Sea and of the river Jordan. The Prophet Isaiah foretells this--

"The Lord shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian (Red) Sea, and . . . shake His hand over the River (Euphrates), and smite its seven streams, so men can go over Dry-Shod." Isa. 11:15, 16.

These nations will be gathered by "Three Unclean Spirits" like frogs, that shall come out of the mouth of the "Dragon," and the "Beast," and the "False Prophet." Rev. 16:13-16. They will be the "Spirits of Demons." the "Seducing Spirits" of those days. I Tim. 4:1. It was such a "Lying Spirit" that deceived King Ahab and led him to his death. 1 Kings 22:20-38.

Seventh Vial. Rev. 16:17-21.

When the "Seventh Vial" is poured out a "great voice," probably the voice of the One who cried on the Cross-"It is Finished," will cry-"It is Done," and there will be a "Great Earthquake" that will divide into three parts the "Great City" and the cities of the Nations (the 10 Federated Nations), London, Rome, Paris, etc., and "Great Babylon" that shall be rebuilt by that time, and whose destruction by an earthquake is foretold in chapter eighteen, will fall. This earthquake is foretold by the Prophet Zechariah. Zech. 14:4, 5.

In the "Great Hail," every stone of which shall weigh a 100 pounds, that will fall on men, we have a repetition of the "Seventh Egyptian Plague." Ex. 9:13-35. Hail has been one of God's engines of war. He used it to discomfit the enemies of Israel at Beth-horon in the days of Joshua. Joshua 10:11. The Law required that the "blasphemer" should be "stoned" (Lev. 24:16), and the "Blasphemers" of the "End Time" shall be stoned from HEAVEN.

In the Book of Revelation, between the pouring out of the Vials and the "Battle of Armageddon," which ends the "Tribulation Period," in chapters seventeen and eighteen, there is an account of the destruction of a "System" called

"Mystery, Babylon the Great," and a city called Babylon.

They are mentioned at that place in the book, not because they did not exist until that time, but because at that time they are both destroyed.

Battle of Armageddon.

Rev. 19:11-21.

The "Tribulation Period" will close with the great "Battle of Armageddon." As we have seen the armies of the East and the West will be assembled in the Holy Land by the "Demon Spirits" that shall be sent forth from the mouths of the "Satanic Trinity." The field of battle will be the "Valley of Megiddo," located in the heart of Palestine, the battlefield of the great battles of the Old Testament. The forces engaged will be the "Allied Armies" of Antichrist on the one side, and the "Heavenly Army" of Christ on the other. The "time" will be when the "Harvest of the Earth" IS RIPE, (Rev. 14:15), and at the "Psychological Moment" when the "Allied Armies" of Antichrist are about to take the city of Jerusalem.

The Prophet Zechariah says-

"Behold the 'Day of the Lord' cometh." (The "Day of the Lord" is the Millennial Day.) When-"I will Gather All Nations Against Jerusalem to Battle . . . Then shall the Lord Go Forth and Fight Against Those Nations." Zech. 14:1-3.

This "going forth" is graphically described in Rev. 19:11-21. When He came the first time to Jerusalem as King, He rode on a "colt," the foal of an ass, (Matt. 21:1-11), this time He shall come on a "White Horse." His eyes will be as a "flame of fire" and on His head shall be "many crowns," and He shall be clothed in a vesture "dipped in blood." Not His own blood but the blood of His enemies. The Prophet Isaiah foresaw that day-

"Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength?" And the answer comes back-"I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save." Then the Prophet asks, "Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the Winefat?" And the response is-"I have trodden the wine-press alone; and of the people there was none with me; for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all My Raiment." Isa. 63:1-6.

That this does not refer to Christ's atonement on the Cross is clear, for the Prophet adds-

"For the 'Day of Vengeance' is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come."

There was no "vengeance" in Christ's heart on the Cross. It was "Father 'forgive them' for they know not what they do." The time the Prophet foretells, is the "Day of Christ's Vengeance" on His enemies, and the day when He shall redeem His chosen people the Jews from the power of Antichrist. It is the time when He shall tread-

"THE WINEPRESS'

Of the Fierceness and Wrath of

Almighty God."

The Apostle John had a vision of this "Winepress" in chapter fourteen, verses 14 to 20. That was before the pouring out of the "Vials," and was a prophetic foreview of what should happen in chapter nineteen.

In verses 18 to 20, an angel with a "sharp sickle" is told to-

"Thrust in thy Sharp Sickle, and gather the clusters of the 'Vine of the Earth,' for her grapes are fully ripe. And the angel thrust in his Sickle into the earth, and gathered of the 'Vine of the Earth,' and cast it into the Great Winepress of the wrath of God." And we read that "The Winepress was trodden Without the City, and blood, (not wine), came out of the Winepress, even unto the horses' bridles, by the space of a Thousand and Six Hundred Furlongs."

From this we see that the "Allied Armies" of Antichrist will cover the whole of Palestine, and so great shall be the slaughter, that, in the valleys and hollows, all over the whole of Palestine, for the length of Palestine as far south as Bozrah is 1600 furlongs or 200 miles, the blood shall be up to the horses' bridles.

It will be the time of which Isaiah speaks, when the land shall be "Soaked With Blood."

Isa. 34:'1-8.

So great will be the carnage, God will prepare for it in advance.

"And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the

fowls that fly in the midst of Heaven, (Buzzards, Vultures, Eagles, etc.), Come and gather yourselves together unto the

SUPPER OF THE GREAT GOD,

that ye may eat the flesh of Kings . . . Captains . . . Mighty Men. and the flesh of horses and of them that sit on them,(common soldiers), and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great." Rev. 19:17, 18.

This "Feast" is described in 'the Old Testament.

And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord God, Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come, gather yourselves on every side to My Sacrifice, that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the Mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood. Ye shall eat the flesh of the Mighty, and drink the blood of the Princes of the Earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlins of Bashan. And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken. . . . Thus ye shall be filled 'at My Table,' with horses and chariots (their occupants), with Mighty Men, and with all Men of War, saith the Lord God." Ez.39:1-22.

And in the same chapter we are told that the "House of Israel," the occupants of Palestine in that day, shall be seven months burying the bones of the dead, the flesh having been eaten by the birds 'and beasts of prey, and the wood from the weapons of warfare, army wagons, spears, etc., shall last the inhabitants of the land for fuel seven years, so that they will not have to take wood out of the field, nor cut down any out of the forests.

The words in Rev. 19:21, "and all the fowls were filled with their flesh," declare that those "Fowl Guests" will be GORGED WITH CARRION.

Then will be fulfilled the words of Jesus-"For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the Eagles (birds of prey) be gathered together." Matt. 24:27,.28. The eagle feeds mainly on fresh meat. The Hebrews classed the eagle among the birds of prey, such as the vulture.

The destruction of this great army will be brought about by the "sword" of Him who will head the Armies of Heaven. The "sword" that proceedeth out of the mouth of the "White Horse Rider," is not the "Sword of the Spirit," for that bringeth "Salvation", not destruction. The "sword" stands for some supernatural means of destruction, and as there is to be a "Great Hail" to fall from Heaven upon the enemies of God at this time, that may be the means God will use, for it was in that way that the enemies of Israel were destroyed on the same battlefield in the "Battle of Beth-Horon" in the days of Joshua. Joshua 10:1-11.

The issue of the "Battle of Armageddon" will never be in doubt. The previous summoning of the birds and beasts of prey, prove this. Before the destruction of the army of Antichrist, he and the False Prophet will be cast "alive" into the "Lake of Fire." This shows that they are not "Systems"' but "Persons," and as Enoch and Elijah were taken to Heaven without dying, so Antichrist and the False Prophet will be cast into the "Lake of Fire" without dying, and will be still there and alive when Satan is cast in a 1000 years later.

Before Antichrist is seized and cast into the "Lake of Fire," Satan will make his exit from his person, and after the battle is over, Satan will be bound and cast into the "Bottomless Pit," where he will be "Sealed up" for 1000 years. This is the culminating act of the "Tribulation Period."

On "Gog and Magog"

2007-04-28T11:12:00.001-04:00

I recently caught the Glen Beck Show on the Headline News channel and feel led to comment on a few points that were made by the guests interviewed on the program.

First, it was said that Gog and Magog are references to Russia and the Prince of Russia. I don't know if I agree with this. But I disagree as to the timing of an invasion as being within the 25-50 years speculated and the reason is that the scripture disputes this.

According to Revelation Rev 20:7-8 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together, to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.

Notice the reference to the "thousand years". This is the Millennial Kingdom of Christ’s rule on earth......which has not happened yet. So as Christ still has to set up and rule a "thousand years", the Apostasy of Gog and Magog at the close of the Millennium is still over 1000 years off.

I believe some of what is to be expected by current bible scholars is in error. I do believe there will be a period at the end of the tribulation yet before the setting up of the Millennial Kingdom in which there will be an attempted invasion of Israel at which time God through His Son Jesus Christ will intervene. But I believe this has more to do with the 10 Federated Kingdoms that form going into the Tribulation over which the anti-Christ will head. Which nations are represented by the ten is to early to tell but, if the anti-Christ is able to persuade people to receive the mark on their "right hand or forehead" tells us allot. But that’s yet another commentary.

I was also disappointed with the guest’s point of view regarding the use of fear. Their fear is a conjecture that the possible alliance between Russia and Iran is related to future prophecy and that realization should scare people into an acceptance of Jesus Christ as Savior. (Ends justifies the means) The knowledge of God and His Word is to bring people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Whether the person brought to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ is by fear/reverence of God through the study of His scriptures should always be cause for rejoicing. But to manipulate that prophetic scripture into fear as justification to get a nation of peoples to go to war is not of God. Don't be deceived. This nation, America is in Iraq because the Devil has brought us there through lies and deceit. It seems strange to me that a people who call themselves Christian should be so preoccupied with trying to preserve their lives and way of life and all of it due to fear. As Christians we should be looking for the day when we cross over by way of the Rapture or death as a joy because then we are to be with the Lord forever. Should not a follower of the Lord be more preoccupied with delivering the message of Gods blessed hope Jesus Christ than getting tangled up in worldly affairs. Remember 1John 2:15 "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." Be in the world but not of the world, right? Serve God not Mammon, (earthly riches/comforts).

The “Rapture and Revelation”

2007-04-01T15:46:00.000-04:00

“Rapture and Revelation”

AS TO THE TIME

Of the exact time we cannot be certain. When Jesus was on the earth He said-"But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither (not yet) the Son, but the Father." Mark 13:32. After His Resurrection and before His Ascension, He refused to satisfy the curiosity of His Disciples, saying to them-"It is not for you to know the 'times' or the 'seasons' which the Father hath put in his own power." Acts 1:7. Jesus knew of Daniel's prophecy of the "Seventy Weeks" (Dan. 9:20-27), but He fixed no dates for their fulfillment. The student of prophecy is not to be a "date-setter," but he is to watch. "Signs" are for the -few. There is nothing to prevent Christ coming for His Church at any time. While we do not know the day or the hour of Christ's Coming we know that it will be PRE-MILLENNIAL.

By Pre-Millennial we mean before the Millennium. That is, before the period of a "Thousand Years" spoken of in Rev. 20:1-6. This period is spoken of in other scriptures as "The Kingdom," and is described in glowing terms by the prophets as a time when the earth shall be blessed with a universal rule of righteousness. The passage in Rev. 20:1-6 simply tells us that the length of the period shall be1000 years.

The very structure of the New Testament demands that Christ shall return before the Millennium. Here are a few reasons.

1. When Christ comes He will RAISE THE DEAD, but the Righteous dead are to be raised BEFORE the Millennium, that they may reign with Christ during the 1000 years, hence there can be no Millennium before Christ comes. Rev. 20:5.

2. When Christ comes He will SEPARATE THE "TARES" FROM THE "WHEAT," but as the Millennium is a period of UNIVERSAL RIGHTEOUSNESS the separation of the "Tares" and "Wheat" must take place BEFORE the Millennium, therefore there can be no Millennium before Christ comes. Matt. 13:40-43.

3. When Christ comes Satan SHALL BE BOUND, but as Satan is to be bound during the Millennium, there can be no Millennium until Christ comes. Rev. 20:1-3.

4. When Christ comes Antichrist is to be DESTROYED, but as Antichrist is to be destroyed before the Miliennium there can be no Millennium until Christ comes. Thess. 2:8 Rev. 19:20.

5. When Christ comes the Jews are to be RESTORED TO THEIR OWN LAND, (prophecy fulfilled in 1947),but they are to be restored to their own land BEFORE the Millennium, there can be no Millennium before Christ comes. Ez. 36:24-28; Rev. 1:7; Zech. 12:10.

6. When Christ comes it will be unexpectedly, and we are commanded to watch lest He take us unawares. Now if He is not coming until AFTER the Millennium, and the Millennium is not yet here, why command us to watch for an event that is over 1000 years away?

AS TO THE MANNER

He will return in the SAME MANNER as He went. Acts 1:11. He went up BODILY and VISIBLY and He shall come in like manner. He went in a cloud, and He will return in a cloud. "Behold, He cometh with the clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him; and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him."' Rev. 1:7. The only difference will be that He went up alone, He will return as a King (Luke 19:12), followed by a retinue of the angelic hosts. "For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of His Father with his angels; and then He shall reward every man according to his works." Matt. 16:27. His "Return" however will be in

TWO STAGES.

He will come first into the region of our atmosphere, and the "dead in Christ," and the "living saints" shall be "caught up" to meet Him "IN THE AIR." Then after the risen and translated saints have been judged and rewarded for their works, and they, as the Church, the Bride of Christ, have been married to Him, He will come with them to the earth and land on the Mount of Olives, the place from whence He ascended. "And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south." Zech. 14:4.

The First Stage of His Return is called "THE RAPTURE;" the Second Stage-"THE REVELATION." The time between the two Stages is not less than seven years, and is occupied in the heavens by the "JUDGMENT OF BELIEVERS FOR WORKS," and on the earth by "THE GREAT TRIBULATION."

FIRST STAGE-THE RAPTURE

The Rapture is described in 1 Thess. 4:15-17. "For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord HIMSELF shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel (Michael) and with the trump of God; and the DEAD IN CHRIST shall rise first; then we which are ALIVE AND REMAIN (saints only) shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord IN THE AIR, and so shall we ever be with the Lord."

From this we see that "The Rapture" will be twofold.

1. The Resurrection of the "DEAD IN CHRIST."

2. The Translation of the "LIVING SAINTS."

This twofold character of "The Rapture" Jesus revealed to Martha when He was about to raise her brother Lazarus. He said to her:

"I am the 'Resurrection and the Life,' he that believeth in Me, though he were dead yet shall he LIVE (First Resurrection Saints); and whosoever LIVETH (is alive when I come back) and believeth in me shall NEVER DIE" John 11:25-26. This twofold character of the Rapture, Paul emphasizes in his immortal chapter on the resurrection.

"Behold, I show you a Mystery, we shall not all Sleep, but we shall All Be Changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised, and we shall be changed. For this Corruptible (the dead in Christ) must put on incorruption, and this mortal (the living saints) must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that. is written, DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP IN VICTORY.

O DEATH, WHERE IS THY STING?

O GRAVE, WHERE IS THY VICTORY?"

1 Cor. 15:51-57.

The last two lines refer only to those who are "changed without dying," for it is only those who will not die who can shout-

"O Death, Where Is Thy Sting?

O Grave, Where Is Thy Victory?"

In 2 Cor. 5:14. Paul expresses his longing, and the longing of the Saints, to be among those who should not be "unclothed" by Death, but who should be "clothed upon" by Immortality "without dying."

"For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle (the body) were dissolved (that is die), we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this (body) we groan, earnestly desiring to be 'clothed upon' with our house which is from heaven; if so be that being 'clothed' we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle (the body) do groan, being burdened; not for that we would be 'unclothed' (by death), but 'clothed upon' (by Immortality), that 'mortality' might be swallowed up of life."

In his letter to the Philippians, while Paul hopes that-

"If by any means he may attain unto The (out from among the dead) Resurrection, yet he pressed toward the mark for the 'prize' of the High (out and up) Calling of God in Christ Jesus." Phil. 3:11-14.

That is, while Paul would esteem it a great thing to "rise from the dead" at the First Resurrection, and be "caught up" with those who should be "changed," yet he would esteem it a "prize" if he could be caught up "without dying," that is, live until Jesus came back.

THE RAPTURE WILL BE A "SURPRISE"

"Watch therefore; for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch, the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready; for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man COMETH." Matt. 24:42-44. "Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame." Rev. 16:15. "But of the 'times' and the 'seasons,' brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the 'Day of the Lord' (the day of His Return), so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, 'Peace and Safety;' then sudden destruction cometh upon them as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape." This refers to the Second Stage of Christ's Coming, the "Revelation," when He shall take vengeance upon His enemies. 2 Thess. 1:7-10. But Paul adds-"But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day (the day of His Return) should overtake you as a thief." I Thess. 5:14.

We see from this that when Christ comes back it will be when we are not expecting Him. He will come as a thief comes. A thief does not announce his coming. He comes for a certain purpose. He does not take everything there is in the house. He takes only the precious things. The jewels, the gold, the silver and fine wearing apparel. He does not come to stay. As soon as he secures what he is after he departs. So Jesus at the Rapture will come and take away the saints only. The thief leaves much more than he takes. He leaves the house and the furniture and the household utensils. So the Lord at the Rapture will leave the wicked and the great mass of the heathen behind, for those who will be taken will be comparatively few.

THE RAPTURE: WILL BE "ELECTIVE"

It will not only separate the saints from unbelievers, but it will separate husbands from wives, brothers from sisters, friends from friends.

"I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. " Luke 17:34-36. The words "men" and "women" in this passage are in italics. That means that they are not in the original, and so the passage should read there shall be "two in one bed," husband and wife, or two brothers, or two sisters, or two friends. Two in "bed" indicates night; two grinding at the mill, morning or evening; two in the field mid-noon. This shows that the Rapture will happen all over the earth at the same time or as the Apostle describes it in a "moment," or the "twinkling of an eye." "As the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; also the coming of the Son of Man Be" (Matt. 24:27) is the way Jesus puts it.

The "Rapture" will be the most startling "event" of this Age and Dispensation. As it is to occur in the "twinkling of an eye" and -all over the earth at the same time, that part of the world that is not asleep will witness the event. As to the "Shout of the Lord," the "Voice of the Archangel," and the "Trump of God" we do not know whether their sound will be heard and distinguished by others than the "dead in Christ" and the "living saints." We know that one day the Father spoke to Christ in a voice that He understood, but the people who stood by mistook it for "thunder." ' John 12:28-29. When the Lord appeared to Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus and spoke to him, the men that journeyed with him stood speechless, "hearing a voice," but seeing no man, and not understanding what was said. Acts 9:3-7. We know however that the "dead in Christ" will hear the sound, for it will be "intensely penetrating." There will be no graves so deep, no catacombs so rock covered, no pyramids or mausoleums so thick, but what the sound shall reach their depths and the "dead in Christ" shall hear the cry-"awake ye sleeping saints and arise from the dead, it is MORNING, the morning of the FIRST RESURRECTION."

On the morning of that glorious day the air will be filled with the "spirits" of the "Dead in Christ," come back to earth to get their bodies, raised and glorified. Whether. the cemeteries and country church yards will look like ploughed fields, and monuments and grave slabs be overturned and vaults and places of sepulture be shattered by the exodus of those who found their last resting place there, and thus testify to the fact of the literal bodily resurrection of the dead, or whether the sainted dead shall slip out of their sepulchres without disturbing them. as Christ arose and left the tomb without breaking the seal, the angel rolling away the stone simply to show that the tomb was empty, we are not told, only the event itself will disclose the manner of the First Resurrection.

If the dead slip out of their places of sepulture without disturbing them, the First Resurrection will be secret and probably unknown to the world, but it will not be so with the "Living Saints" who are translated. If it is night on our side of the globe when the Rapture occurs the community will wake up in the morning to find all the real Christians gone, disappeared in the night. Many may hear the sound of the "Midnight cry'--

"BEHOLD THE BRIDEGROOM COMETH,"

but thinking it only thunder, will turn over for another nap, but in the morning they will find the bedroom door locked, with the key on the inside, just as they locked it before retiring, and the clothes of the loved one 'who occupied the room with them lying where they were placed when taken off the night before, but that loved one, who was a Christian, missing. Husbands will wake up to find that Christian wives are gone, and wives will wake up to find Christian husbands gone. Brothers and sisters will be missed, and dear children absent, and not an infant will be left behind. Many faithful servants and employees will not report for duty, and the world will awake to the fact that the Bible is true, and the much despised doctrine of the PreMillennial Coming of the Lord to gather out His saints is no fanciful interpretation of Scripture.

If it be day with us when the Rapture occurs, the "EVENT" will be startling. As it was in the days of Noah (Matt. 24:36-39), the people will be eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, buying and selling, planting and building.

If it be a pleasant time of year, the boats, the cars, and the parks will be filled with shoppers and the mills with toilers, and the streets of the cities lined with men and women and children on pleasure and business bent. Suddenly a noise from heaven will be heard like a great peal of thunder. The people will rush to doors and windows, and those on the streets and in the fields will look up to see what has happened. To the vast majority it will be but a startling and alarming sound, but to many it will be the

"VOICE OF THE LORD."

But when the people recover from their surprised and affrighted condition they will discover that a great many people are missing, and that the missing were the best people in the community. The large Department Stores, Banking Institutions, Manufacturing Plants, and other places of business will find their working force depleted by the loss of faithful employees. People walking on the streets will find their companions gone, and the street car lines will be blocked because of absent motormen, conductors and teamsters. Railroad and steamboat lines will be crippled, and confusion will reign everywhere. In many homes the servants will be missing and members of the family will come home to find loved ones gone.

At first the whole thing will be a Mystery, until some one who had heard or read about the "Rapture of-the Saints," realizing what has happened, will explain the situation.

But one of the surprises of that day will be that so many professing Christians, and among them many ministers and Christian workers, will be left behind, while some who were not known to be Christians will be missing. The next day's papers will be full of what happened the day before, and many of them will be swelled to twice their ordinary size by the pressure on their advertising columns for information as to missing ones, and for help to fill important vacancies and positions of trust. For a few days the excitement will be intense. Then the people will settle down to the inevitable. With the exception of a few who will repent and turn to God, the mass of the people will become more hardened and wicked than before, and some who lost loved ones will be embittered. As the Holy Spirit will have gone back with the "Raptured Ones," and the "Saints," the SALT of the earth, been taken out, there will be nothing to prevent the rapid degeneration and "Moral Putrefaction" of those who are "left," and sin and iniquity and all manner of crime and worldliness will increase and pave the way for the manifestation of Antichrist, under whose Administration the world will rapidly ripen for judgment.

WHO ARE TO BE TAKEN

Some claim that "all" the Church are to pass through the Tribulation; others that "all", the Church are to be caught out before the Tribulation, while some claim that only the "Waiting" and "Watching" Saints shall be caught out before the Tribulation, and that the rest must pass through it. The latter base their claim on Heb. 9:28, where it says-"Unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation." While this might apply to the living when He appears, it certainly cannot apply to the dead. 'I' here are tens and hundreds of thousands who "fell asleep in Jesus" who never heard of the Premillennial Coming of the Lord, or at least never grasped its meaning, and who therefore never "watched" and "waited" and "looked" for His Appearing. They surely are "In Christ"; and the "Dead in Christ" are to rise at the Rapture. Paul does not say in I Thess. 4:16-17, that it will be the "dead" who "watched" and "waited" and "looked," and those who are 'alive" and "watch" and "wait" and "look" for His Appearing that shall be "caught out," but the dead "In Christ," and we who "Are Alive And Remain."

Then there is another fact that we must not forget, and that is, the Unity of the Church.

"For as the Body Is One, and hath many members, and ALL the Members Of That One Body, Being Many, ARE ONE BODY; so also is Christ. For by One Spirit are we ALL Baptized Into One Body." 1 Cor.,12:12-13.

All then who have been "born again" (John 3:3-7) are part of Christ's "Body," and we cannot conceive of Christ's "Body being divided; part of it remaining "asleep" in the grave, and part of it "raised in glory;" part of it left to pass through the Tribulation, and part of it "changed" and caught up to meet Him in the air.

If "all" the Church are to pass through the Tribulation, then instead of waiting and watching "for the Lord," we should be waiting and watching "for the Tribulation," which is contrary to the teaching of Christ Himself. Matt. 24:42-44.

The Tribulation is not for the perfecting "of the Saints." It has nothing to do with the Church. It is the time of "Jacob's Trouble" (Jer. 30:7), and is the "Judgment of Israel," and it is God's purpose to keep the Church out of it. Rev. 3:10. The Book of Revelation is written in chronological order. After the fourth chapter the Church is seen no more upon the earth until she appears in the nineteenth chapter coming with the Bridegroom "from" Heaven. The entire time between these two chapters is filled with appalling judgments that fall upon those that "dwell on the earth," and as the Church is not of the earth, but is supposed to " sit together in 'Heavenly Places' in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:6), she will not be among those who "dwell on the earth" in those days.

The confusion is largely due to the fact that students of Prophetic Truth do not distinguish between Christ's coming FOR His Saints, and WITH His Saints. The former is called the "Rapture," the later the "Revelation."

Numerous passages in scripture speak of Christ coming "with" His Saints (Zech. 14:5, Col. 3:4, 1 Thess. 3:13, 1 Thess. 4:14, Jude 14), but it is evident that they cannot come "with" Him, if they had not been previously caught out "to" Him. All such passages refer therefore to the "Revelation" and not the "Rapture."

The typical teaching of the Scriptures demand that the Church be caught out "before" the Tribulation. Joseph was a type of Christ and he was espoused to, and married Asenath, a Gentile bride, during the time of his "rejection by his brethren," and "before the famine," which typified the Tribulation, because it was the time of "Judgment of his Brethren." This is the time of Christ's rejection by "His Brethren– the Jew, and to complete type He must get His Bride the church, "before" the Tribulation.

Moses, who is also a type of Christ, got his bride, and. she a Gentile, "after" his rejection by his brethren, and "before" they passed through the Tribulation under Pharoah. Ex. 2:23-25.

Enoch, a type of the "Translation Saints," was caught out "before" the Flood, and the Flood is a type of the Tribulation, and Noah and his family of the "Jewish Remnant" or 144,000 sealed ones of Rev. 7:1-8, who will be preserved through the Tribulation.

How thrilling the thought that some of us shall not die, that in a moment, in the "twinkling of an eye" without being unclothed by the ghastly hands of Death, and instead of the winding sheet of the grave, we shall be instantly changed and clothed with the glorious garments of immortality. What a transport of joy will fill our being as we suddenly feel the thrill of immortality throbbing through our veins, and find ourselves being transported through the air in the company of fellow Christians and of our loved ones who fell asleep in Jesus. What welcome recognitions and greetings there will be as we journey up with them to the "Bridal Halls of Heaven," where we shall join in the new and triumphal song of Moses and the Lamb. Rev. 5:9-10.

SECOND STAGE-THE REVELATION

At the "Second Stage" of Christ's Second Coming, the "Revelation," we shall behold His "Glory." When Jesus came the first time He was disguised in the flesh. The "Incarnation" was the hiding of His Power, the veiling of His Deity. Now and then gleams of glory shot forth as on the Mt. of transfiguration; but when He comes the Second Time we shall behold Him clothed with the glory He had with the Father before the world was. The "Revelation" will be as sudden and as unexpected as was the "Rapture." The sun will rise on that day strong and clear. Gentle breezes will waft themselves over the earth. There will be no signs of a storm or of the coming judgment. The people will be buying and selling, building and planting, eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage. The statesmen will be revolving in their minds new plans for the world's betterment. The philanthropic will be devising new ways to help the people. The pleasure-loving will be seeking new sources of pleasure. The wicked will be plotting dark deeds; and the unbelieving will be proving to their own satisfaction that there is no God, no heaven, no hell, no coming judgment, when suddenly there will be a change. In the distant heaven there will appear a

"POINT OF LIGHT,"

outshining the sun. It will be seen descending toward the earth. As it descends it will assume the form of a bright cloud, out of which shall stream dazzling beams of light, and flashes of lightning. It will descend as if on wings of a whirlwind, and when it reaches its destination over the brow of the Mt. of Olives it will stop and unfold itself to the terrified and awestricken beholders, and there will be revealed to them Jesus seated on a "White Horse" (Rev. 19:16) and accompanied with His Saints and the armies of Heaven. Then shall be fulfilled what Jesus foretold in His Olivet Discourse-"Then shall appear the sign (a cloud) of the Son of Man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of Heaven WITH POWER AND GREAT GLORY." Matt. 24:30.

THE IMMINENCY OF THE SECOND COMING

One of the objections to the Doctrine of the "Second Coming of Christ" is the claim that He may come backat any time. Post-millennialists tell us that the writers of the New Testament looked forHim to come back in their day, and that He did not do so, is proof that they were mistaken, and that Paul in his later writings modified his statements as to the imminency of Christ's return. It is a fact that while Jesus said: "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. . . . Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh" (Matt. 24:42-44), He did not in these passages teach that He would return during the lifetime of those who listened to Him. In fact, in His Parables He intimated that His return would be delayed, as in the Parable of The Talents, where it is said: "After a long time the Lord of those servants cometh. Mat. 25:19. What Jesus wanted to teach was the sudden and unexpected character of His return. As to the Apostles, while they exhorted their followers to be ready, for the "night is far spent, the day is at hand," and the "coming of the Lord draweth nigh," their language simply implied "imminency," but not necessarily "IMMEDIATENESS." And the use of the word "WE" in I Cor. 15:5 1, "WE" shall not all sleep, but WE shall all be changed," is not a declaration that the Lord would return in Paul's day and some would not die but be translated, for the Apostle is talking about the Rapture and he means by "WE" a certain class of persons, the saints that shall be alive when that event occurs, whether in his day or at some later time.

It was clearly known to our Lord that certain events must come to pass before His Return, but to have disclosed that fact would have nullified the command to "Watch," therefore He in "mystery form,' as in the seven parables of Matt. 13, hid the fact that His Return would be delayed. It would take time for the "Sowing of the Seed," the growth of the "Wheat" and "Tares," the growth of the "Mustard Tree," and the "Leavening of the Meal." So rapid was the spread of the Gospel in the first century that the followers of Christ were warranted in looking for the speedy Return of the Lord, but it was true then, as in every century since, that we do not know what the extent of the "Harvest' is to be, and when it will be ripe, so the Lord can return. Matt. 13:30. Uncertainty then as to the "time" of the Lord's return is necessary to promote the "watchful" spirit. If the early Church had known that the Lord's Return would have been delayed for 20 centuries, the incentive to watchfulness would have been wanting.

By "Imminency" we mean "may happen at any time." For illustration, you hurry to the railroad station to catch a train. You find the train has not arrived, though it is past the hour. Though it is late it is on the way, and it would not be safe for you to leave the station, for it may arrive any minute, but as a matter of fact, it does not come for half an hour. Now if you had known that it would not arrive for half an hour you would have used the time in some other way than "waiting" and "watching." So we see that "Imminency" does not necessarily imply "IMMEDIATENESS," but does demand "Watchfulness."

THE GREAT WEEK OF HUMAN HISTORY,

is based on the "Seven Days" of the "Creative Week," and the declaration of Scripture (2 Pet. 3:8), "That one day is with the Lord as a THOUSAND YEARS, and a thousand years as ONE DAY." The Millennium in the Old Testament is described as a "Sabbath Keeping" period of rest, and is referred to as such in Heb. 4:4-1 1, where it is associated with the "Seventh Day" of the "Creative Week." Now we know that the length of the Millennium is 1000 YEARS (Rev. 20:1-9), and if it corresponds with the "Seventh Day" of the 'Creative Week," why should not the remaining six days be of the same length? If so, and those days correspond with the past of human history, then from the date of the "Creative Week" up to the beginning of the Millennium should be 6000 years of human history. In confirmation of this we have the fact that a careful study of the genealogical tables and history of the Old Testament seem to show that from Adam to Christ was about 4000 years, or four days of a thousand years each, corresponding to the first four days of the "Creative Week," and from Christ down to the present time we have over 1900 years, or nearly 2 days of 1000 years each, thus making nearly 6 days of 1000 years each of human history, and as Christ is to come back before the Millennium, and all signs point to His Speedy return, then the "theory" that the "Seven Days" of the "Creative Week" are typical of Seven "One Thousand Year Periods" is not unwarranted in Scripture.

If our inference is correct, then it follows that the Return of the Lord will take place around the close of this present century. How much before or after is uncertain. If the Millennium-is to be ushered in after A.D. 2000, then the "Rapture" must take place at least 7 years before that.

But right here we must sound a note of caution. There is too much confusion in Biblical Chronology to fix any dates with certainty. Doubtless God has ordered it so, so as to keep us in doubt as to the exact date of the Lord's Return. A.D. 4004 (as generally given), from Adam to Christ. In that case we are living in the year 6011 from the creation of Adam. Then again if we maintain the death of Christ a start point, around A.D. 30, then it is possible as late as A.D. 2030. Again we must not forget that God uses in "Prophetical Chronology" the Calendar Year of 360 days to a year, while we use the Julian or Astronomical Year of 365 1/4 days, and it would be necessary for us to find out what kind of year is used reduce it to the Calendar year. Thus we might find that we are past the end of the six thousandth year than we are aware, and that return of the Lord is IMMINENT. However, while we may upon the above theory as suggestive and in a way confirmatory of the near coming of the Lord, it is not conclusive, and we are not warranted in fixing any date based upon it. And further, we must not forget that the "Rapture" may take place some time before the 'Tribulation Period" begins and Antichrist is revealed. So if we could fix the exact date, and count back 7 years, the Rapture might occur 5, 10 or even 25 years before that, so as to give time for the rebuilding of Babylon and other events that are to occur before the Tribulation Period can begin, otherwise the Rapture would not be a surprise. It is not for the Christian to look for “”Time and “Seasons” and “Signs.” To do so will put him in the class of those who say: "My Lord delayeth His Coming" (Luke 12:42-48), and he will become preoccupied with other things and neglect to be watchful. Let us live as if we expected the Return of our Lord at any moment.

A PRACTICAL DOCTRINE

But why, you ask, should we put so much emphasis on the "Second Coming of Christ"? Why not talk and preach about the practical affairs of life? About the social and commercial problems of the world and their solution through the Gospel? The answer is that the only way to solve these problems is for Christ to return, and the longer His "Return" is delayed, the longer it will be before these problems are solved.

1. AS TO THE JEWS.

The Jews are a downtrodden people. Their only hope is the Return of the Lord. When He comes back they shall be restored to their own land and become a nation again. "Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be said, The Lord liveth, that brought up the Children of Israel out of the Land of Egypt; but the Lord liveth that brought up the Children of Israel from the land of the NORTH (Russia) and from ALL THE LANDS whither He had driven them; and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers." Jer. 16:14-15; Isa. 43:5-7. And they shall never again be dispersed. "For I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land; and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up." Jer. 24:6.

2. AS TO JERUSALEM AND PALESTINE.

"Thus saith the Lord Jehovah; in the day that I will cleanse you from all your iniquities I will cause the cities (of Palestine) to be inhabited,- and the waste places shall be builded. And the land that was desolate shall be tilled. . . . And they shall say, this land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden." Ez. 36:33-35. Joel 3:18. Joel 2:24-26. "Thus saith the Lord of Hosts; there shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and ever man with his staff in his hand for very age. And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof.,' Zech. 8:4-5. Zech. 14:20-21.

3. AS TO THE NATIONS.

When the Lord Jesus Christ returns He will sit upon the "Throne of His Glory" at Jerusalem, and shall separate the "Sheep Nations" from the goat and only the "Sheep Nations" will survive as nations and be permitted to become part of the Millennial Kingdom. Matt. 25:31-40. These nations will become righteous. "And it shall come to pass that every one that is left of all the nations which come against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of Hosts, and to keep the 'Feast of Tabernacles.", Zech. 14:16. As the result of all this the nations "shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid." Micah 4:3-4. Isa. 2:4. The only way then to stop wars and labor troubles and all socialistic and anarchistic movements is for Christ to return and set up His Millennial Kingdom.

4. AS TO SATAN.

The only way to get rid of Satan and all his evil influences and powers is for Christ to come back, for when He comes back Satan will be bound and cast into the Bottomless Pit for 1000 years. Rev. 20:1-3.

5. AS TO THE EARTH.

Since the Fall of Man the earth has been cursed with thorns and thistles and all kinds of insect pests and disease germs, and man by the sweat of his face has been compelled to earn his daily bread. Even the brute creation became carnivorous and learned to prey upon each other, and the "whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now." Rom. 8:22. But all this will be changed when Christ comes back, for then "the wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose." Isa. 35:1. "Then shall the earth yield her increase." Psa. 67:6. And the ploughman will "overtake the reaper," and the treader of grapes him that "soweth seed." Amos 9:13.

THE BLESSED HOPE

The Second Coming of Christ is "The Blessed Hope." Writing to Titus Paul said-"Looking for that 'Blessed Hope,' and the 'Glorious Appearing' of the Great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." Titus 2:13. Most Christians when speaking of their "Hope" mean their "Hope of Salvation," but we cannot "hope" for a thing we have and salvation is a present possession if we are trusting in Christ as our Saviour. The Christian's "Hope" then is the "Return of His Lord." Man is a three-fold being, he has a body, a soul, and a spirit; for him to die is to lose his "body." Now he knows that he cannot get his body back until the Resurrection and he also knows that there can be no Resurrection until Christ comes back. Therefore to him Christ's return is "The Blessed Hope," not only that if he dies he will then be raised, but it is to him the "Hope" that Christ will come back before he dies and he shall be "caught up" to meet Him in the air without dying. 1 Thess. 4:13-18.

"The Blessed Hope" is also a "Purifying Hope." "And every man that hath this hope in him PURIFIETH HIMSELF.' I John 3:1-3. That is, every one who is looking for the Lord's return will try to keep himself pure. It will make us "Patient." "Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the Coming of the Lord. . . . Be ye also patient; establish your hearts; for the Coming of the Lord draweth nigh." James 5:7-8. It will make us "Watchful." "Watch ye therefore, for ye know not when the Master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cock-crowing, or in the morning; lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all WATCH." Mark 13:35-37. If we are watching for the Lord we will be careful of our conduct. We will not want Him to come and find us doing questionable things, or in questionable places. We will not want to hoard money, nor spend our money in an extravagant manner, we will want to lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven by contributing to missions. We will see to it that in our homes there is no kind of literature, or art, or pictures, or anything that we would not like His pure eyes to see if He were to be a visitor in our home. In short, "The Blessed Hope" helps us to cling lightly to this world. It will not make us idle and negligent, but will fill us with zeal to be found a faithful servant at His return. For this reason it is a noteworthy fact and a witness to the power of the doctrine, that those who believe it are the most consecrated, unselfish, and strenuous workers in the Master's service.

This "Hope" will also keep us from being "ASHAMED" at His Coming. "And now, little children, abide in Him; that when He shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ASHAMED before Him at His Coming." I John 2:28. If we are watching for Him and our house is in order, and we are ready to give a faithful account of our Stewardship we shall not be ashamed before Him at His coming. Matt. 25:14-30.

The "Hope" of the Lord's Pre-Millennial Return fills the heart of those who believe it with joy. In Luke 24:52 we read that when Jesus was parted from His Disciples and ascended into Heaven, "They returned to Jerusalem with GREAT JOY, and were continually in the Temple, PRAISING and BLESSING God." That seems strange conduct on their part, for naturally we would suppose that His Departure would have filled them with sadness. But when we recall that, when He Ascended, two men stood by in white apparel and told them that Jesus would come back again, we can understand their joyfulness. Acts 1:11.

It has often been said in opposition to the doctrine of the Second Coming, "If Christian people believe that Jesus is soon coming back why do they build houses and churches and make investments and plan for the education of their children and so on?" The answer is that Jesus' coming back will not do away with the need for houses and churches and education. The world moved on just as before after His First Coming, and it will do the same after His Second Coming. People will need homes and churches. Business will go on as before, and the unconverted children of Christian believers will be left behind and need homes and education and means to live on. The prosperity of the world will be greater during the Millennium than ever before. So there is no occasion for those who are looking for the Lord's Return to neglect the affairs of this life. What we as Christians hope for is that the Lord will come back and take us out of the world before the awful days of the "Tribulation Period" come, and then when they are over and Jesus comes back to reign we shall come back with Him as glorified beings to rule and reign over the Millennial earth, and probably visit churches where once we worshiped, and institutions that our money built.

The preacher of the Doctrine of the Pre-Millennial Coming of Christ wields a "two-edged sword." The unbeliever when urged to become a Christian may say I am young and there is plenty of time and so may put off the time of decision, but when he is told that it is not a question of time, or the mere salvation of his soul, but that may be back at any time and it is a question of being ready to Him, then he sees the importance of immediate decision.

Dear reader, are you a Christian, and as a Christian are you believer in the "Blessed Hope," and are you looking for the speedy coming of the Lord, and doing all you can to hasten His Return, and thus bring back THE KING? If not, I beseech you to drop everything and settle the question of whether you will be "caught up to meet the Lord in the air when He comes, and thus escape the awful days that are coming on the earth-days in which no one can buy or sell unless he has the "Mark of the Beast," and all those who have that "Mark" are eternally doomed. Rev. 13:15-17

The "Present Evil Age"

2007-03-20T14:01:00.000-04:00

THE PRESENT EVIL WORLD

While this is the "Dispensation of Grace," and God's purpose during it is to gather out a "People for His Name"-the CHURCH, the world out of which the Church is being gathered is called-

'"THE PRESENT EVIL AGE"

Gal. 1:4. (R.V.).

That this "Age" is EVIL is seen in the character of its civilization. After nearly 2000 years of Gospel preaching the world is in a worse state, in proportion to its light, than it was in the days of Christ, and seems headed toward some great crisis. The spirit of lawlessness is in the air, and despite all efforts to quench it, it is strangely becoming unmanageable and perverse and determined to break away from all authority and law.

How are we to account for this? Has God lost His control over the world, or is He permitting some other agency to have its way?

The answer is that there are

"TWO OPPOSING SPIRITS"

at work in the world in this Dispensation. The "HOLY SPIRIT" who is engaged in gathering out the elect body of the Church, and the "SPIRIT OF EVIL." These are called in 1 Cor. 2:12, the "SPIRIT WHICH IS OF GOD," and the "SPIRIT OF THE WORLD, " and in 1 John 4:5-6, the "SPIRIT OF TRUTH" and the "SPIRIT OF ERROR." The Spirit of Error is the source of all the "STRONG DELUSIONS" (2 'I'hess. 2:11) that are in the world today, and as the "End of the Age" draws near they are being rapidly multiplied, and it requires the utmost vigilance not to be caught in their net. just as the Church is indwelt and guided by the "HOLY SPIRIT, it so the World outside the Church -is indwelt and guided by the "SPIRIT OF THE WORLD" (1 Cor. 2:12), or "UNHOLY SPIRIT." And as the "HOLY SPIRIT" is a PERSON, so the "SPIRIT OF THE WORLD" is a PERSON.

"And you hath He quickened, (by His Holy Spirit), who were dead in trespasses and sins; wherein in time past ye walked according to the 'COURSE (AGE) OF THIS WORLD, ' according to the Prince of the 'Power of the Air,' (Satan) the 'SPIRIT' (Evil Spirit) that now worketh (energizes) in the-

'CHILDREN OF DISOBEDIENCE’"

Eph. 2:1-2.

From this we see that the "SPIRIT OF THE WORLD" is SATAN.

The world refused to accept the rule of God when it crucified His Son, and chose Barabbas instead of Christ, thus exalting Satan to the position of the "GOD OF THIS AGE," for Satan is not spoken of as the God of any other Age than this. It was Satan's ambition to be like God that caused his fall (Isa. 14:13-14), and he has not as yet given up that ambition, and it is his purpose and plan to exalt himself in the person of Antichrist, whom he will indwell, and sit in the "Temple of God," (the rebuilt Jewish Temple in Jerusalem), AS GOD, and have the people worship him as such. 2 Thess. 2:3-4. Rev. 13:4, 11-12.

MAN’S DAY

This Dispensation is spoken of in the Scriptures as "MAN'S DAY." Writing to the Corinthians Paul says, "But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of 'man's judgement."' The margin reads of-"MAN'S DAY." I Cor. 4:3. This then is the day of the GLORIFICATION OF MAN. The day in' which the works of man are exalted and praised. We cannot explain the great advance in knowledge and the mechanic arts of the past hundred years, apart from God, only on the supposition that there is some superhuman being who imparts this knowledge and who controls the affairs of the mechanical and commercial world. And worthy of note that it was not the descendants of Seth, the people of the Antediluvian Dispensation, but the descendants of the ungodly people of that period, who invented metal working devised musical instruments (doubtless for pleasure), and built cities for commercial and other purposes. Now we know that Satan’s gospel is the-

"GOSPEL OF PROGRESS."

He preached it in the Garden of Eden when he promised that if she would eat of the fruit of the Tree of the "Knowledge of Good and Evil," her eyes would be opened, and she and Adam would be as "Gods," knowing good and evil. Gen. 3:5.

It was the promise of KNOWLEDGE that caused the downfall of the human race, and when Adam and Eve followed Satan's advice they committed the race to the acceptance of his LEADERSHIP AND PROGRAM.

It is not likely that the Holy God imparted to the ungodly race of Cain the knowledge to invent things that would lead to the down fall of the race and help to bring on the Flood. Neither is it supposed that a God of Love would impart to men the knowledge that would enable them to invent such hellish instruments of warfare as were used in the great European War. It is clear then that is some "SUPERNATURAL BEING" who is at the head of the "WORLD SYSTEM," and that that "Being" is-"SATAN." His program is to build up a magnificent Civilization without God. The phrase "Christian Civilization" is an invention of the "God of this Age." There can be no such thing, for Christianity and Civilization have nothing in common. There can be no Christian civilization without Christ, and when He comes back He will bring to an end the boasted civilization of this Age, and set up a NEW CIVILIZATION over which Satan shall have no control, for he will then be a prisoner,' in the Pit. It is clear that if this world could be made a fit place for men to live in without God, it could not have had a more masterly leader than Satan, and that if he has failed it is not his fault, but is due to the wilfulness of man.

There are but two classes of people spoken of in the New Testament. The "CHILDREN OF GOD," and the "CHILDREN OF THE DEVIL." "In this the 'CHILDREN OF GOD' are manifest, and the 'CHILDREN OF THE DEVIL:' whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God." I John 3:10. Here all who "doeth not righteousness" are classed as "CHILDREN OF THE DEVIL," and in Eph. 2:2 are called the "CHILDREN OF DISOBEDIENCE". There is no possibility of union between them, therefore there cannot be any such thing as the "BROTHERHOOD OF MAN," which popularly understood is the union of all religious bodies and sects, such as Christians, Jews, Atheists, Unitarians, Mohammedans, Buddhists, Confucianists, etc., in a Federation of Religions.

The word "disobedience" means obstinate rebellion. How futile then is the effort of the "Children of Disobedience" to make the earth a more comfortable habitation for man, and bring in a Millennium by a Federation of all Religious Bodies when the bulk of mankind is in OBSTINATE REBELLION against God, and will not have His Son to reign over them, but are spending every energy to produce a "Godless Civilization" and make way for Satan's "MASTERPIECE" the "MAN OF SIN."

Satan is the "DECEIVER OF THE WORLD." Rev. 12:9. He raises "false hopes," and deludes by the-"DECEITFULNESS OF RICHES" (Mat-t. 13:22), the "DECEITFULNESS OF SIN" (Heb.1, 3:13) and the "DECEITFULNESS OF UNRIGHTEOUSNESS."2 Thess. 2:9-11. He causes the "exercise of the imagination," and by "strong delusions," and "seducing spirits," he tries to make men believe that his plans for the world's betterment are right. His advocates point to the great increase in scientific knowledge and invention, the great advance in methods of world-wide communication by land, sea, and air, and the various inventions that lighten labor and add to domestic comfort, and claim that the world is growing better, not only because of these, but because of the great philanthropies of men that have founded colleges, libraries, hospitals and great charitable institutions, forgetting that these things only tend to the physical helpfulness of man and have little to do with his moral character, and overlooking the fact that, in spite of all this advancement of civilization, the world today sits on the mouth of a volcano, whose interior is a "foaming cauldron" of social unrest and commercial rottenness.

When the "God of this Age" discovered that he could not stamp out the Church by PERSECUTION, he changed his tactics and now seeks to neutralize her efforts by SEDUCTION. His method is to divert her efforts for the evangelization of the world, to methods of "Social Betterment," and thus make the world a better place to live in, forgetting that, as the natural man cannot be spiritually saved by CULTURE, neither can the world, therefore all efforts to save the world by "Social Betterment" are futile. And when the Church lends her aid to such methods she confesses that Christ's method of saving the world IS INSUFFICIENT, and thus discounts the power of the Gospel. Christian men give vast sums of money for the "Social, Intellectual, and Physical Betterment of the world, " rather than for the evangelization of the world. They even go farther and form societies for the investigation of "adverse social conditions," such as poverty, vice, ignorance, etc., and appoint specialists at high salaries to investigate and see if they can discover the cause of all the sin, misery and wretchedness there is in the world, forgetting that in so doing they are wasting their money, for the Bible told us centuries ago that the cause was SIN. If the proper thing to do is to remedy a thing at its source, let the Church apply the remedy of the Gospel and save the individual, and by thus doing save society.

The common opinion is, that all the "'ills of society" are in men’s surroundings, or environment, whereas they are in MAN HIMSELF. Hence all human schemes for the "Betterment of Society" must begin in the man himself. That is, man must first be REGENERATED by the Holy Spirit. All the schemes of men to make this world a better place to "live in," seem to be to make the world a better place to "SIN IN," because they increase the facilities for sin. her

The "God of this Age" knows that if the Church was to give self exclusively to the work of "World Evangelization" he would lose her service in building his great "Civilization Structure," so he is just as anxious to keep her in his power, and postpone the time of her "Exodus," (1Thess. 4:15-18), as Pharaoh was to keep Israel in Egypt at work on his stone cities Rameses and Pithom. To this end he keeps her busy "making bricks without straw," and thus blinds her eyes to the light of the "Glorious Gospel of Christ," (the doctrine of the Pre-Millennial Coming of the Lord), knowing that once she gets a vision of that she will refuse to any longer work for his "World Betterment" schemes.

The unification of the nations of the earth is a scheme to reverse the judgment of God on Babel, and resume the building of "THE TOWER" that is to exalt the name of man. Gen. 11:1-9.

There are two "Distinct Bodies" in this "Present Evil Age" in the process of formation.

1. The "BODY OF CHRIST"-THE CHURCH.

2. The "BODY OF ANTICHRIST."

The first is being gathered by the "SPIRIT OF GOD" (Holy Spirit,)l Cor. 12:3, 13, and the second by the "SPIRIT OF EVIL," that now worketh (energizes) in the "Children of Disobedience." Eph. 2:1-2. The difference between the "Body" the Holy Spirit is forming, and the "Body" the "Spirit of Evil" is forming, is, that the former is united to a "LIVING HEAD," (Christ-Eph. 1:20-23), while the latter has no living head, for it is simply an "Organization," while the "Body of Christ" is an "ORGANISM." Since the "Fall" and death of Adam the human race has been headless, but when the "Body," or "Organization," that the "Spirit of Evil" (Satan) is forming is complete, he (Satan) will produce its "HEAD," who will be the ANTICHRIST, thus reversing the Divine order of first the "HEAD" (Christ) and then the "BODY"-the Church.

We are told that the Lord at His "Second Coming" will depose and punish two distinct governing bodies. Isa. 24:21.

1. "The 'HIGH ONES' that are on high."

That is Satan and the "Evil Powers of the Air." Eph. 6:12.

2. "The 'KINGS OF THE EARTH' upon the earth."

That is the Anti-Christian World Powers represented by the "Ten Federated Kings" under the control of Antichrist. Rev.19:17-21.

The heavens will then be cleansed of all the "Powers of Evil," and their place will be taken and occupied by Christ and the Saints who constitute the Church, and they will reign during the Millennium from the heavens over the earth, as Satan and his hosts do now. Rev. 20:4.

THE "ANTICHRIST"

2007-03-20T13:22:00.001-04:00

ANTICHRIST

There are two other comings of "individuals" that are just as momentous as Christ's coming. The first is that of Antichrist, and the other is that of Satan. In both the Old and New Testament we are told of a Mysterious and Terrible Personage that shall be revealed in the "Last Times." He is described under different names and aliases, and it is only by a careful examination and comparison of these names, and the Person they describe that we see that they refer to one and the same individual. These names are-

In the Old Testament.

Isaiah
14:4- 'King of Babylon."
14:12-"Lucifer."

Daniel
7:8, 8:9-"The Little Horn."
8:23-"A King of Fierce Countenance."
9:26-"The Prince that Shall Come."
11:3-'The Wilful King."

In the New Testament.

2 Thess.
2:3-8 "The Man of Sin.", "Son of Perdition.", "That Wicked."

1 John
2:18-"Antichrist."

Rev.
13:l-"The Beast."

Jesus also made a prophetic reference to him. "I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not; if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive." John 5:43.
The Jews rejected Jesus as their Messiah, when the Antichrist comes they will accept him.

I. His Personality.

The Apostolic Church believed that Antichrist was to be a "person," the embodiment of human blasphemy and wickedness, but toward the close of the Twelfth Century many began to look upon the Pope as Antichrist, and this view has been largely advocated by Protestant commentators. The arguments in favor of this view are ingenious and plausible, but they are hard to reconcile with the Word of God. This view makes Antichrist a "System" rather than a Person, and would see in the "Papal System" the Antichrist. But this is disproved by the Word of God.

1. The Apostle John says:

"Who is a liar, but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is Antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son." I John 2:22.
"Every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in THE FLESH (His Deity) is not of God; and this is that spirit of Antichrist." 1 John 4:3.

Judaism has denied that "Jesus is the Christ," and Unitarianism that He has "come in the flesh," but the Papacy never. The Church of Rome has always confessed-"I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord."

2. All Protestant commentators insist that the "Papal System" is described in Rev. 17:4, 5, under the figure of a "Woman" arrayed in "purple and scarlet color," and decked with "gold and precious stones and pearls." This is undoubtedly true, but this "Woman," the "Mother of Harlots," is represented as riding upon a "Beast," universally admitted to be the Antichrist. If the "Beast" is the Antichrist, the "Woman" cannot be, and that they are separate and do not signify the same thing is clear.

3. Again Antichrist, as the "Man of Sin" is to:

"Exalt himself and magnify himself above every god." Dan. 11:36, 37. "So that he AS GOD sitteth in the Temple of God showing himself that he IS GOD." 2 Thess. 2:4.
However false and impious the claims of the Papacy, it always recognizes its subordination to God, and the Pope's highest claim is that he is the "Vicar of Christ."

4. "All the world wondered after the Beast (the Antichrist), and they worshipped the Dragon (the Devil), which gave power unto the Beast." Rev. 13:3, 4.

The "Papal System" worships the "Virgin" and the "Saints," but it is not true that it worships the Devil.

5. "If any man worship the Beast and His Image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the Wrath of God,...and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone;....and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and forever; and ever they have no rest day nor night, who worship the Beast and His Image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name." Rev. 14:9-1 1.

If the "Papal System" is the Antichrist, it follows from the above that all its worshippers, instead of being saved, are doomed to eternal torment. Again, the Lord, who destroys Antichrist "at His Coming," comes to Jerusalem, not to Rome, the seat of the "Papal System." While there are many things in the history of the Church of Rome, and in the conduct of her Popes that "foreshadow" the Antichrist, yet it is clear from the preceding scriptures that the "Papal System" is not the Antichrist, and that these scriptures can only be fulfilled in the person of some "Individual" yet to appear. Antichrist is not a "Rival" or "Counterfeit" Christ, he is an "Opposing" Christ. This is clearly seen when we compare him with Christ in a series of contrasts.

1. Christ came from Above. John 6:38. Antichrist ascends from The Pit. Rev. 11:7.

2. Christ came in His Father's name. John 5:43. Antichrist comes in his Own name. John 5:43.

3. Christ Humbled Himself. Phil. 2:8. Antichrist Exalts himself. 2 Thess. 2:4.

4. Christ Despised. Isa. 53:3; Luke 23:18. Antichrist Admired. Rev. 13:3, 4.

5. Christ Exalted. Phil. 2:9. Antichrist Cast Down to Hell. Isa. 14:14, 15; Rev. 19:20.

6. Christ to do His Father's will. John 6:38. Antichrist to do his Own will. Dan. 11:36.

7. Christ came to Save. Luke 19:10. Antichrist comes to Destroy. Dan. 8:24.

8. Christ is the Good Shepherd. John 10:4-15. Antichrist is the Idol (evil) Shepherd. Zech. 11:16, 17.

9. Christ is the "True Vine." John 15:1. Antichrist is the "Vine of the Earth." Rev. 14:18.

10. Christ is the "Truth." John 14:6. Antichrist is the "Lie." 2 Thess. 2:11.

11. Christ is the "Holy One." Mark 1:24. Antichrist is the "Lawless One." 2 Thess. 2:8, R. V.

12. Christ is the "Man of Sorrows." Isa. 53:3. Antichrist is the "Man of Sin." 2 Thess. 2:3.

13. Christ is the "Son of God." Luke 1:35. Antichrist is the "Son of Perdition." 2 Thess. 2:3.

14. Christ, "The Mystery of Godliness," is God manifest in the flesh. 1 Tim. 3:16.

Antichrist, "The Mystery of Iniquity,"' will be Satan manifest in the flesh. 2 Thess.2:7.
His Origin:

1. Isaiah's Foreview.

In Isa. 11:4-a chapter which is evidently Messianic-we read that among other things which the Messiah will do:

"He shall smite the earth with the 'rod of His mouth,' and son and with the 'breath of His lips' shall He slay The Wicked."

The word translated "The Wicked," is in the singular number, cannot refer to wicked persons in general, but to some one perwho is conspicuously wicked. The expression is strikingly like that of Paul's in 2 Thess. 2:8

"Then shall that 'Wicked' be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the 'Spirit of His Mouth,' and shall destroy with the 'Brightness of His Coming."'

It is evident that Isaiah and Paul refer to the same individual, who can be no other than the Antichrist.

In Isa. 14:4-17 there is a description of a "King of Babylon" who shall smite the people in his wrath, and rule the nations in anger, and shall in his pride say:

"I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the 'Stars of God' (Heavenly Rulers). I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High."

This king is called LUCIFER, "Son of the Morning," and his "fall" is described. He is cast down to Hell (Sheol, the Grave or Underworld), where his coming creates a great stir among the kings of the earth that have preceded him, and who exclaim when they see him:

"Art thou also become weak as we? Art thou become like unto us?........... Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; that made the world as a wilderness and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?"

There has never as yet been such a king of Babylon as is here described. It must therefore refer to some "future ruler" of Babylon when Babylon shall be rebuilt, as it is to be.

Verses 12 to 14 evidently refer to Satan, and are descriptive of him before his fall, but as he is to incarnate himself in the Antichrist, who is to be a future King of Babylon, it explains the source of the pride and presumption of Antichrist, which will lead to his downfall, as it did to Satan's.

2. Daniel's Foreview.

Daniel saw come up among the "Ten Horns" on the head of the Fourth Wild Beast a "Little Horn, " and that this "Little Horn" had "eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things." Dan. 7:7, 8. Daniel was told that this "Little Horn" was a king that should arise, and that he would be a "person" of remarkable intelligence and great oratorical powers, having a "mouth speaking great things." That he would be audacious, arrogant, imperious and persecuting, and change "times and laws" and that the "Saints of the Most High" (Daniel's own people, the Jews) would be given into his hands for a "Time" and "Times" and the "dividing of Time," or 3 1/2 years. Dan. 7:23-26.

Later Daniel had a vision of a Ram and a He-Goat contesting for supremacy. Dan. 8:1-27.

The He-Goat had a "notable horn" between his eyes. This "Great Horn" was broken, and in its place "four notable horns" sprang up, and out of one of them sprang forth a "Little Horn"

"which waxed exceedingly great toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the 'Pleasant Land' (Palestine). And it waxed great, even to the 'Host of Heaven,' and it cast down some of the 'Host' and of the 'Stars' (angels) to the ground, and stamped upon them. Yea, He the Little Horn magnified himself even to the 'Prince of the Host' (the Lord God Joshua 5:13-15, 1 Sam. 17:45), and by Him (the 'Little Horn'-Antichrist) the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary (the Temple) was cast down." Dan. 8:9-11.

When Daniel asked for the meaning of the vision he was told that the Ram stood for the Medo-Persian Kingdom, and the He-Goat for the Grecian, and that the "Four Horns" that came up in the place of the "Great Horn" stood for "Four Kings" and that the "Little Horn" that came up on one of the "Four Horns" stood for a King of "Fierce Countenance," who in the "latter time" of their kingdom (the Four Worldwide Kingdoms and not the four Kingdoms into which the Grecian Empire was divided, for the "time" will be that when the "transgressors are come to the full"), shall stand up.

This King shall understand "dark sentences," and:

"His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power (Satan shall incarnate himself in him), and he shall destroy, wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practice and shall destroy the mighty and the Holy People (the Jews). And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand (no one shall be able to buy without the 'mark of the Beast.' Rev. 13:17), and he shall magnify himself in his heart (2 Thess. 2:3, 4), and by peace shall destroy many; he shall also stand up against the 'Prince of Princes,' but he shall be broken without hand." Dan. 8:23-25.

This clearly identifies the "Little Horn" or "King of Fierce Countenance" which came out of one of the "Four Horns" that took the place of the "Notable Horn" on the head of the He-Goat as the Antichrist, for Antiochus Epiphanes (B. C. 175-165) nor any other ruler of the past has ever stood up against JESUS, the"Prince of Princes."

Neither was Antiochus Epiphanes "broken without hand;" he died a natural death at Tabae in B.C. 165. But the Antichrist is to be "broken without hand." His Kingdom is to be destroyed by a "stone cut out of the mountain without hands," the "Stone Kingdom" of the Lord Jesus Christ, Dan. 2:34, 35, 44, 45, and he himself shall be "paralyzed" by the "brightness of the Lord's Coming" (1 Thess. 2:8), and be cast "a-live" into the Lake of Fire. Rev. 19:20.

Two "good" men, Enoch and Elijah, were translated to Heaven without dying," and two "bad" men, spoken of officially as the Beast and the False Prophet, shall be cast into the Lake of Fire "without dying."
Those who claim that the "Little Horn" of Dan. 7, and the "Little Horn" of Dan. 8, are not the same, because the "Little Horn" of Dan. 7 arises amid the "Ten Horns," of the Fourth Beast, which represents the Roman Empire, and the "Little Horn" of Dan. 8, arises on one of the Four Horns," that take the place of the "Great Horn" on the head of the He-Goat, which represents the Third Beast, the Grecian Empire, forget that the vision that the Apostle John had of the revived Roman Empire (Rev. 13:1, 2-the Roman Empire in its last stage), reveals the fact that the "last stage" of the Roman Empire will include "all the characteristics" of the whole Four Empires, Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Grecian and old Roman. This is seen in the character of the "Beast" John saw come up out of the sea. It was like unto a Leopard (Greece), with the "feet" of a Bear (Medo-Persian), and the "mouth" of a Lion (Babylon). The fact that the "body" of the Beast was like a Leopard (Greece) reveals the fact that the preponderating feature of the revived Roman Empire will be Grecian, and that therefore the "Ten Federated Kingdoms" will include the Four Kingdoms into which the Grecian Empire was divided, viz., Egypt, Macedon, Thrace and Syria. It follows therefore that the "Little Horn" that arises on the "Fourth Horn" of the He-Goat (Greece) is identical with the "Little Horn" of the Fourth Beast (Rome). Those who claim that the "Little Horn" that came up on one of the "Four Horns" of the He-Goat was fulfilled in Antiochus Epiphanes (who was a king of Syria) overlook the fact that while Antiochus Epiphanes devastated Palestine and caused an "idol altar" to be erected on the altar of the Temple, on which he offered swine's flesh, which was an abomination to the Jews, he does not fulfill the description of the "Little Horn" of the He-Goat. Dan. 8:9-13. He does not compare with him for Satanic malice.

The "Abomination of Desolation" that Daniel refers to (Dan. 9:27) is to occur in the "last half" of "Daniel's Seventieth Week," and as Jesus spoke of it as still unfulfilled in His day (Matt. 24:15), it is clear that Antiochus Epiphanes was not the fulfillment of the "Little Horn" of Dan. 8:9-13.

While it was revealed to Daniel that the "Little Horn," or Antichrist, should come out of one of the "Four Horns" that took the place of the "Great Horn" on the head of the He-Goat, he needed further light as to which one.

We now know from history that the "Great Horn" represented Alexander the Great, and that the "Four Notable Horns" that took the place of the "Great Horn" at the death of Alexander the Great represented the Four Kingdoms into which his Kingdom was divided, visible, Egypt, Macedon, Thrace and Syria, which included Assyria. These Four Kingdoms were in time all absorbed into the "Fourth World Kingdom," the Roman Empire, the last to lose its identity
being Egypt, which succumbed in B.C. 30.

That Daniel might know in which one of these Four Kingdoms the "Little Horn," or Antichrist, should arise, 15 years after his vision of the "Ram and He-Goat" the Lord gave him a third vision, that of two kings, the "King of the North" and the "King of the South." Dan. 11:1-45.

The "King of the North" was the King of Syria, and as his character and conduct is described (Dan. 11:36-38) as similar to that of the "Little Horn" that came out of one of the "Four Horns" it is clear that the Antichrist is to come from Syria.

That the "King of the North" spoken of in Dan. 11:21-31 was Antiochus Epiphanes there can be no question, but that he was not the "Little Horn," or the Antichrist, who is to come out of Syria in the "latter days" is clear from the remainder of the chapter from the 35th verse, which describes the conduct of the future Antichrist.

The intervening verses, the 32d to the 35th inclusive, fill in the gap between the time of Antiochus Fpiphanes and the appearance of the Antichrist.

There is no intimation that Antiochus Epiphanes is even to be regarded as a "type" of Antichrist. They are distinct historical personages, each dealt with in his own place, and though they resemble each other in some respects, yet they must not be confounded with each other.

The terms "North" and "South" are applied to Syria and Egypt because of their geographic relation to Palestine (the Pleasant or Glorious Land. Dan. 8:9; 11:16, 41). In the thought of Jehovah Jerusalem is at once the geographic and moral centre of the earth. We are to understand therefore by the "King of the North" the King of Syria, which also included Assyria. This fixes the locality from which the Antichrist shall come, for we read in Isa. 10:12-
"That when the Lord hath performed His whole work upon Mount Zion and on Jerusalem (which will not be until Christ comes back), I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the King of Assyria (Antichrist) and the glory of his 'high looks."'

And we read in Isa. 14:25

"I will break the Assyrian (the Antichrist) in my land (Palestine), and upon my mountains 'tread him under foot;' then shall his yoke depart from off them (Israel), and his burden depart from off their shoulders."

The context shows that this prophecy is connected with the restoration of Israel to their own land and the time of the downfall of Antichrist.

To recapitulate, we see from the three visions of Daniel that:

1. He learned from the "Little Horn" of the Fourth Wild Beast, that a Mysterious and Terrible Personage was to arise in the "Latter Days."

2. He learned from the "Little Horn" that came up on one of the "Four Notable Horns" that took the place of the "Great Horn" on the He-Goat, that that "Terrible Personage" was to come out of one of the Kingdoms into which the Grecian Empire was divided at the death of Alexander the Great.

3. He learned from the vision of the "King of the North" that that "Terrible Personage" would come out of the Syrian division of Alexander's Kingdom.

The Antichrist, therefore, in all probability will be a Syrian Jew, for it is not likely that the Jews will accept as their Messiah one who is not a Jew, unless the claimant by false pretence makes them believe he is one. This, however, does not prevent the Antichrist being a Roman citizen, and a king of the revived Roman Empire, for Saul of Tarsus was both a Jew and a Roman citizen.

3. Paul's Foreview.

Writing to the Thessalonians, Paul says:

"Let no man deceive you by any means; for 'that day' (the Day of the Lord) shall not come except there come a 'falling away first,' and that 'MAN OF SIN' be revealed, the 'Son of Perdition,' who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he As God sitteth in the Temple of God (the rebuilt Temple at Jerusalem), showing himself that he is God. . . . For the 'MYSTERY OF INIQUITY' doth already work (in Paul's day) ; only He (the Holy Spirit) who now letteth (restraineth R.V.) will let (restrain), until He be taken out of the way. And then shall 'THAT WICKED',-be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit (breath) of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness (manifestation R. V.) of His Coming. Even him, whose coming is after the 'working of Satan' with all 'power' and 'signs' and 'lying wonders,' and with all 'deceivableness of unrighteousness' in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved." 2 Thess. 2:3-10.

In the American Standard Edition of the Bible the Antichrist is called the "MYSTERY OF LAWLESSNESS" or the "LAWLESS ONE." As such he is not the cause of "Lawlessness," he is the result or fruit of it, for he will arise out of the seething cauldron of "Lawlessness" that is now becoming pronounced and manifest in the world The name that the Apostle Paul gives the Antichrist, the-"SON OF PERDITION," is not without significance. The name is used but twice in the Scripture. It is first used by Christ of JUDAS (John 17:12), and then here of ANTICHRIST. The Apostle also calls the Antichrist in this passage the "MYSTERY OF INIQUITY." What does that mean? In 1 Tim. 3:16, Christ is spoken of as the "MYSTERY OF GODLINESS." That is, that He was GOD MANIFEST IN THE FLESH. How did He become "manifest in the flesh"? By being born of the Virgin Mary by the Holy Spirit. Thus it was that Jesus became the "SON OF GOD." Luke 1:35. Now as iniquity is the opposite of Godliness, then the "MYSTERY OF INIQUITY" must be the opposite of the "MYSTERY OF GODLINESS." That is, if Christ is the "MYSTERY OF GODLINESS, " Antichrist must be the "MYSTERY OF INIQUITY," and as Christ was the "SON OF GOD," then Antichrist must be the "SON OF PERDITION," that is of SATAN. And as Christ was born of a virgin by the Holy Spirit, so Antichrist will be born of a WOMAN (not necessarily a virgin) by Satan. This is no new view for it has been held by many of God's spiritually minded children since the days of the Apostle John, and there is some warrant for it in the Scriptures. In Gen. 3:15, God said to the Serpent (Satan), "I will put enmity between thee and the woman ' and between 'THY SEED' and 'HER SEED'." Now the Woman's SEED was CHRIST, then the Serpent's SEED must be ANTICHRIST. In John 8:44 Jesus said to the Jews-"Ye are of your father THE DEVIL..... When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own; for he is a liar, and the father of IT." In the Greek there is the definite article before "lie," and it should read "THE LIE," so when the Devil speaks of "THE LIE," he is speaking of his own (child), for he is a liar, and the FATHER OF "IT"-"THE LIE." And it is worthy of note that in the verse (vs. 11) that follows the passage we are considering that the Apostle says-"And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie." ' Here again the definite article is found in the Greek, and it should read "The LIE," the "SON OF PERDITION." the ANTICHRIST.

But why was Judas called the "SON OF PERDITION"? Was he a child of Satan by some woman, or was he simply indwelt by Satan? Here we must let the Scriptures speak for themselves. In John 6:70-71 we read that Jesus said "Have not I chosen you Twelve, and one of you is a DEVIL? He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon; for he it was that should betray Him, being one of the Twelve." In no other passage than this is the word "Devil" applied to anyone but to Satan himself. Here the word is "diabolus," the definite article is employed, and it should read-"and one of you is THE DEVIL." This would make Judas the Devil incarnate, or the "MYSTERY OF INIQUITY." and explains why Jesus in John 17:12, calls him the "SON OF PERDITION."

This is the only place in the Scriptures where the word "diabolus" is applied to a human being, and it implies an incarnation.

While "Perdition" is a PLACE (Rev. 17:8, 1 1), it is also a "condition" into which men may fall (I Tim. 6:9; Heb. 10:39), and while men who have committed the "Unpardonable Sin" are "sons of perdition," because they are destined to the place of the irrevocably lost, yet Judas and Antichrist are the "SONS OF PERDITION" in a special sense, for they are the SONS of the author of "Perdition"THE DEVIL. That is they are not merely "obsessed" or controlled by the Devil, the Devil has incarnated himself in them, and for the time being, to all practical purposes, they are the very Devil himself.

The next question that arises is, "If Judas and the Antichrist are both called the 'SON OF PERDITION,' are they one and the same, or are there two 'Sons of Perdition'?" Here we must anticipate. Turning to Rev. 11:7, we read that the "Beast" that slays the "Two Witnesses" ascends out of the "Bottomless Pit" (ABYSS), and that "Beast" is the ANTICHRIST. Now how did he get into the "ABYSS";' Well, if there is only one "SON OF PERDITION," and Judas and Antichrist are one and the same, then he got in the ABYSS when Judas went to his "Own Place" (the ABYSS). Acts 1:25. Of no other person is it said anywhere in the Scriptures that he went "to his own place." Again in Rev. 17:8 it is said-"The 'Beast' that thou sawest was, and is not: and shall ascend out of the 'Bottomless Pit' (Abyss), and go into PERDITION." As this "Beast" is the same that slays the "Two Witnesses" he is the ANTICHRIST. Now there are four things said of him. First, he "WAS." Second, he "IS NOT." Third, he shall "ASCEND OUT OF THE BOTTOMLESS PIT." Fourth, he shall "GO INTO PERDITION." From this we learn that in John's day the "Beast" "Was Not," but that he had been before on the earth, and was to come again, that he was to ASCEND FROM THE BOTTOMLESS PIT. This is positive proof that the ANTICHRIST has been on the earth before, and that when he comes in the future he will come from the "ABYSS."

The question then arises, when was "Antichrist" on the earth before? If Judas and Antichrist are one and the same the enigma is solved. When Judas was on the earth, he WAS; when Judas went to his "Own Place" he "WAS NOT"; when Judas comes back from the "Abyss" he will be-THE ANTICHRIST. The Author does not insist on this view of Judas and Antichrist being correct, but with open mind he accepts it, because it seems to be the only logical solution of both Judas and Antichrist being called the "SON OF PERDITION."

4. John's Foreview.

On the Isle of Patmos the Apostle John had his vision of the Antichrist.
"And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a Beast rise up out of the sea (Mediterranean Sea), having 'Seven Heads' and 'Ten Horns' and upon his heads the 'name of blasphemy.' And the Beast which I saw was like unto a Leopard, and his 'feet' were as the feet of a Bear, and his 'mouth' as the mouth of a Lion; and THE DRAGON gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as it were 'wounded to death;' and his deadly wound 'was healed;' and all the world wondered after THE BEAST.

"And they worshipped THE DRAGON which gave power unto the Beast; and they worshipped THE BEAST, saying, Who is like unto the Beast? Who is able to make war with him? And there was given unto him A Mouth Speaking Great Things and Blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue Forty and Two Months. And he opened his mouth In Blasphemy Against God, to Blaspheme His Name, and His Tabernacle and Them That Dwell in Heaven. And it was given unto him to make War With the Saints (not the saints of the Church; they were already in glory) and to overcome them; and Power Was Given Him Over All Kindreds and Tongues and Nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." Rev. 13:1-8.

When we compare these "Foreviews," and note the similarity of conduct of Daniel's "LITTLE HORN," Paul's "MAN OF SIN," and John's "BEAST," and that Daniel's "LITTLE HORN" and John's "BEAST" are to continue for the same length of time-"Forty and Two Months," or 3 1/2 years, and that Daniel's "LITTLE HORN," Paul's "MAN OF SIN," and John's "BEAST," are all to be destroyed in the same manner at Christ's "Second Coming," we see that they all prefigure the same "Evil Power" which is after the "Working of Satan," and which John in 1 John 2:18, calls THE ANTICHRIST. In other words when we find in prophecy "Three Symbolic Personages" that come upon the stage of action at the same time, occupy the same territory, exhibit the same character, do the same work, exist the same length of time, and meet the same fate, they must symbolize the SAME THING.

Before we examine in detail John's "BEAST," it would be well for us to compare it with Daniel's "FOURTH WILD BEAST."

In comparing these two "BEASTS" we find that they both come up out of the sea (the nations), and that they are utterly unlike any beast we have ever heard of. Daniel's "Beast" was dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth, and nails of brass; while John's "Beast" was like a LEOPARD, with the feet of a BEAR, and the mouth of a LION. As Daniel's "Beast" represented the "FOURTH KINGDOM" upon the earth, the Roman Empire, it is evident that its characteristics describe the old Roman Empire, while the characteristics of John's Beast represent the revived Roman Empire. We know that the Old Roman Empire was "strong exceedingly" and its grip and power were like a beast with "great iron teeth" and "nails of brass," and from the description of John's "Beast" we learn that the revived Roman Empire shall embody all the characteristics of the Four World Empires, as seen in its LEOPARD like body, its feet of a BEAR, and its mouth of a LION. That both "Beasts" have TEN HORNS reveals the fact that they will be in existence at the time indicated by the TEN TOES of the Colossus, with which they correspond, which will be just before the setting up of the "Stone" or Millennial Kingdom of Christ. We are told that the "TEN HORNS" of Daniel's "Beast" stand for "TEN KINGS, " and the "TEN HORNS" of John's "Beast" stand for the same. Rev. 17:12. From this we see that both Daniel and John foresaw that the Roman Empire was to be eventually divided into "Ten Separate but Federated Kingdoms."

While both "Beasts" have TEN HORNS, they differ in that John's had "SEVEN HEADS" while Daniel's had but ONE, and among the "TEN HORNS" on Daniel's "Beast" there came up a "LITTLE HORN." which is not seen amid the "TEN HORNS" of John's Beast. These, as we shall see, are features that refer to the last stage of the "Beast" and show that we cannot understand the last stage of the "Beast" without carefully comparing Daniel's and John's "Beasts," for the "LITTLE HORN" of Daniel's "Beast" plucks up THREE of the "TEN HORNS" and destroys them, or takes their kingdom away, a thing that John omits to tell us. Again the Antichristian character of Daniel's "Beast" is seen in its "LITTLE HORN" whose conduct corresponds with not a part, but the whole of John's "Beast," and that for the same length of time"TIME" and "TIMES" and the "DIVIDING OF TIME" which equals "FORTY AND TWO MONTHS."

It now remains to analyze the "Beast" that John saw come up out of the sea, and try to discover the meaning of its various members.

We have two descriptions of this "Beast."

Daniel's "Fourth Wild Beast" as we have seen, represents the Roman Empire as it existed from B.C. 30, until as a nation it shall cease to exist. While it was divided in A. D. 364, as the result of an ecclesiastical schism, into its Eastern and Western Divisions, and lost its national life as a world power, yet it has never lost its religious existence or influence as seen in the continuance of the Greek and Roman Churches, and Roman Law is still a controlling power in our laws. In this sense the Roman Empire in its influence has never ceased to exist. We are now to consider it in its last stage as outlined in John's "Beast."

In the two descriptions of John's Beast as given above it is very important to see that the "Beast" has a "Dual" meaning. It represents both the revived Roman Empire, and its Imperial Head the Antichrist. As the revived Roman Empire it is seen coming up out of the sea of the nations, as the Antichrist it comes up out of the ABYSS. For instance it cannot be said of the Roman Empire of John's day, that it WAS, and IS NOT, for it was at the height of its power in John's day. Neither can it be said of it that it shall ascend out of the pit and go into PERDITION, that could only be said of a person. Again we must distinguish between the body of the "Beast" and its heads and horns. The body being that of a LEOPARD, with the feet of a BEAR, and the mouth of a LION is to show that the revived Roman Empire in its last stage will include the characteristics of the first "Three Wild Beasts" of Daniel, that is, of the LION (Babylon), the BEAR (Medo-Persia), and the LEOPARD (Greece), and as the largest part of the "Beast," the body, is represented by the LEOPARD, the prevailing characteristic of the revived Roman Empire will be GRECIAN.

The "Beast" that comes up out of the sea (Chap. 13) has SEVEN HEADS and TEN HORNS, and the "Horns" are CROWNED. This represents the "Beast," or Empire, at the height of its power, when it will have all its "Heads," and when the TEN KINGS, the heads of the TEN KINGDOMS into which the Empire shall be divided, will have been crowned. The "Beast" that comes up out of the ABYSS also has SEVEN HEADS and TEN HORNS, but they are not crowned, for the TEN KINGS represented by the TEN HORNS, have not as yet received their kingdom. (Rev. 17:12.) This implies that the "Beast" of Rev. 17, represents the Antichrist at the beginning of the "Week." As confirmation of this view the "WOMAN" is seen at this stage riding the "Beast." For while the "Scarlet Clothed Woman" is not seen until chapter 17 it is clear that she rides the "Beast" from the beginning of the "Week," for she represents the "PAPAL CHURCH" that comes into power after the true Church has been caught out. During the wars preceding the rise of Antichrist the nations that will then be found in the geographical limits of the Old Roman Empire will form an "Alliance" for mutual protection. Those nations will be ten in number, represented by the "TEN HORNS" of the Beast. No doubt the "Papal Church" will play a prominent part in those proceedings. She will be rewarded by restoration to political power, and this union of Church and State, in which the Church will have control, is shown by the WOMAN riding the Beast, thus dominating it. But when the "Ten Kings" shall receive their Kingdoms and be CROWNED, they "shall hate the WHORE, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire." (Vs. 16.)

While we are told in Rev. 17:9 that the "SEVEN HEADS" of the "Beast" represent "SEVEN MOUNTAINS" (this is to identify it with the Roman Empire), we are told in the next verse (R. V.) that they (the "Seven Heads") also represent "SEVEN KINGS" of whom "Five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh he must continue a short space." That is, in John's day "Five" of these Kings had fallen, one was the then ruling Emperor, and the "Seventh" was yet to come. Who are meant by the first "Five Kings" that had fallen we do not know. The King that was on the throne in John's day was Domitian, who had banished John to the Isle of Patmos. The last or "SEVENTH KING" who is yet to come is undoubtedly the ANTICHRIST. - We are told in Rev. 13:3, that one of the "SEVEN HEADS," or "KINGS," received a deadly wound." Which one is not stated. The inference is that it is the last, for the Beast has all of his "HEADS" before one of them is wounded. In Rev. 17:11 he is called the Beast that WAS, and IS NOT, even he is the "EIGHTH," and is of the "SEVENTH," and goeth into PERDITION. The only clear explanation of this passage is that the "SEVENTH HEAD"-THE ANTICHRIST, is the one who receives the "deadly wound," probably at the hand of an assassin, and as his body is lying in state prepared for burial, he rises from the dead (Rev. 13:14) and thus becomes the "EIGHTH," though he is of the "SEVENTH." By this resurrection of the Antichrist, Satan imitates the Resurrection of Christ and makes the world "wonder after the Beast" (Rev. 13:3), and this adds to his prestige and power. If this happens at the "Middle of the Week," at the time the Dragon is cast out of Heaven, it will account for the great change that takes place in the Antichrist, for before receiving his "deadly wound" he will be sweet and lovable, but after his resurrection or recovery lie becomes Devilish, the result of the Dragon incarnating himself in him. It is at this time that he breaks the Covenant with the Jews and desecrates the Temple by setting up the "Abomination of Desolation" which is an "Idol Image" of himself-the "DESOLATOR." As the "LITTLE HORN" of Daniel's "Fourth Wild Beast" he will destroy three of the "Ten Kings" and firmly establish himself in the place of power, and as he, as the "LITTLE HORN," does not appear until after the "TEN HORNS," or "Ten Federated Kingdoms," come into existence, it is clear that the Antichrist does not form the Federation, but is the outgrowth of it.

His Character:

He will be a "composite" man. One who embraces in his character the abilities and powers of Nebuchadnezzar, Xerxes, Alexander the Great and Caesar Augustus. He will have the marvellous gift of attracting unregenerate men, and the irresistible fascination of his personality, his versatile attainments, superhuman wisdom, great administrative and executive ability, along with his powers as a consummate flatterer, a brilliant diplomatist, a superb strategist, will make him the most conspicuous and prominent of men. All these gifts will be conferred on him by Satan, whose tool he will be, and who will thus make him the

SUPERMAN:

He will pose as a great humanitarian, the friend of men, and the especial friend of the Jewish race, whom he will persuade that he has come to usher in the "Golden Age" as pictured by the prophets, and who will receive him as their Messiah.

He will intoxicate men with a strong delusion and his never varying success. And when he shall be slain and rise again he will have lost none of these powers, but will be in addition the embodiment of all kinds of wickedness and blasphemy.

"He shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws." Dan. 7:25.

"He shall also stand up against the 'Prince of Princes"' (Jesus). Dan. 8:25.

"He shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of Gods." Dan. 11:36.

"Who opposeth and exaltetli himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he AS GOD sitteth in the Temple of God (at Jerusalem) showing himself that he IS GOD..... whose coming is after the Working of Satan with all Power and Signs and Lying Wonders." 2 Thess. 2:3-9.

There has never as yet appeared on this earth a person who answers the description given in the above Scriptures. Such a character is almost inconceivable. No writer would have invented such a character.

His Reign:

He shall reign for seven years, or during the whole of Daniel's "Seventieth Week."

"And he shall confirm the Covenant with many for ONE WEEK (Daniel's Seventieth week) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease." Dan. 9:27.

After the Church has been caught out the Jews will be gathered back to their own land unconverted. About this time ten of the Nations occupying the territory of the old Roman Empire will enter into a Federation. Among the Ten Kings of those nations will arise the Antichrist. He will soon prove himself to be a Great Ruler and will be made PRESIDENT. The Government will be a Democratic Monarchy.

The President will make a "Covenant" with the Jewish people. It may be a Covenant restoring to them their own land. Whatever its character, the Prophet Isaiah speaks of it as a "Covenant With Death and Hell." Isa. 28:15.

For 3 1/2 years the President of the Federation will keep the Covenant. Then he will break it. For the balance of his reign, 3 1/2 years, he will cause an awful persecution of the Jews, called "The Great Tribulation."

It will not, however, be limited to them, for we read in Rev. 13:7, 8, that he shall be given power

"Over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the Book of Life."

His Doom:

At the end of the seven years the allied armies of the Ten 'Federated Nations will gather together in the Valley of Megiddo, north of Jerusalem, to besiege that city. Zech. 14:2. The Lord will pour upon the "House of David" (Israel), and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the "spirit of grace and supplication" (Zech. 12:10). Then the Lord, at the head of the "armies of Heaven," will come to their rescue (Rev. 19:11-16), and the Jews will see Christ descend upon the Mt. of Olives (Zech. 14:4) and the Beast (Antichrist) and the kings of the earth, and their armies will gather together to make war against the Lord, and the Beast and the False Prophet will be taken and cast alive into the "Lake of Fire" and the remnant of those armies shall be slain with the sword of Him who sits upon the "White Horse," and the fowls of the air will be summoned unto the "Supper of the Great God" and shall feed on the flesh of kings, and captains, and of mighty men. Rev. 19:17-21.

On "Satan and Satanic Trinity"

2007-03-17T21:32:00.001-04:00

SATAN

There are many who deny the existence of Satan. They claim that what we call Satan is only a "principle of evil." That this "evil" is a sort of "malaria," an intangible thing like disease germs that float about in the atmosphere and attack people's hearts under certain conditions. The existence of Satan cannot be determined by the opinions of men.

The only source of information is the Bible. That is the reason why Satan tries to discredit the Word of God. He is not a "principle of evil" he is a-Person.

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the Devil, as a 'roaring lion,' walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." 1 Pet. 5:8.

He "walketh," he "roareth," he is to be "chained." Rev. 20:1-3. These could not be said of a "principle of evil." He has many names or aliases-"Satan," "Devil," "Beelzebub," "Belial," "Adversary," "Dragon," "Serpent." He is mentioned by one or the other of these names 174 times in the Bible.

He is a great "Celestial Potentate." He is "The Prince of the Powers of the Air." Eph. 2:2.

"The God of this World" (Age.) 2 Cor. 4:4.

He is the "God" not of the earth, for that belongs to its Maker God. "The earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof." Satan is the God of the "World Systems" of the habitable earth. These "World Systems" embrace business, society, politics, and religion. Satan is the Ruler of the "Powers of Darkness" of the "Spirit World," (Eph. 6:11, 12), and his position is so exalted that even Michael the Archangel dare not insult him. Jude 9. So mighty is he that man cannot successfully resist him without Divine help.

I. His Origin.

This is more or less shrouded in mystery. One thing is certain, he is a "created being," and that of the most exalted type. He was before his fall

"The Anointed Cherub That Covereth."

That is, he was the guardian or protector of the "Throne of God." He was perfect in all his ways from the day that he was created, until iniquity was found in him. In him was the "fulness of wisdom," and the "perfection of beauty," but it was his "beauty" that caused the pride that was his downfall. He was clothed in a garment that was covered with the most rare and precious gems, the sardius, topaz, diamond, beryl, onyx, jasper, sapphire, emerald, carbuncle, all woven in with gold. He dwelt in Eden, the "Garden of God." This probably refers not to the earthly Eden, but to the "Paradise of God" on high, for Satan dwelt on the "Holy Mount of God." All this we learn from Ezek. 28:11-19, where the Prophet has a "foreview" of the Antichrist under the title of the "King of Tyrus," and as Antichrist is to be an incarnation of Satan, the Prophet here describes Satan's original glory from which he fell. There never has been as yet such a King of Tyrus as is here described.

The cause of Satan's fall is given in Isa. 14:12-20. He is there called-

Lucifer, Son of the Morning.

This was his glorious title when he was created, and this world of ours was made, at which time-
"The 'Morning Stars,' (probably other glorious created ruling beings like himself), sang together, and all the 'Sons of God,' (angels), shouted for joy." Job 38:7.

It is well to note that the one here called "Lucifer, Son of the Morning," is in verse four, (Isa. 14:4), also called the "King of Babylon." As there never has been a King of Babylon like the one here described, the description must be that of a "future" King of Babylon. And as "Antichrist is to have for his Capital City Babylon rebuilt," this is probably a "foreview" by the Prophet of Antichrist, as indwelt by "Lucifer, or "Satan," in that day when he shall be "King of Babylon."

Some think that when this world was created and fit for habitation, Satan was placed in charge of it, and it was then, as Isaiah declares, that Satan said in his heart- "I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the 'Stars of God' (other ruling powers) ; I will sit also upon the Mount of the Congregation, in the sides of the North. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like The MOST HIGH: "and that it was for this presumptuous act that the "Pre-Adamite World" became a chaos, and "without form and void," as described in a Gen. 1:2.

This would justify the claim of Satan that this world belongs to him, and that he had the right and power to transfer the "kingdoms of this world" to Christ, if He would only acknowledge Satan's supremacy. (Matt. 4:8, 9.) And it accounts for the persistent war Satan is waging against the Almighty to retain his possession of the earth.

II. His Present Location.

The common notion is that Satan and his angels are imprisoned in Hell. This is not true. The angels described in 2 Pet. 2:4, and Jude 6, as having left their "first estate," and being "reserved in everlasting chains under darkness," are not Satan's angels. They are a special class of angels whose sin caused the Flood. They are the "Spirits in Prison" of whom Peter speaks in I Pet. 3:18-20. See the chapter on "Rightly Dividing the Word," under the cause of the Flood. Satan and his angels are at liberty. We read in the first and second chapters of job that it was the custom in job's day for the "Sons of God" (angels), to appear at stated times in the presence of God to give an account of their stewardship, and that Satan always appeared with them.

When the Lord said to Satan- "Whence comest thou?" he replied, "From going to and fro in the earth and from walking up and down in it." Job 1 :7; 2:2. Satan then was at liberty "on the earth," and had "access to God," and was "not cast out of Heaven" in job's day, B.C. 2000. Milton in his book "Paradise Lost" describes Satan as having been cast out of Heaven in the time of Adam and Eve, and bases his description on Rev. 12:7-12. But as the Book of Revelation is a prophecy of "Things to Come," and that were all "future" in the Apostle John's day, Satan had not been cast out of heaven up to that time, A. D. 96, and as he has not been cast out since, he must still be at liberty in the heavenlies and on the earth.

III. His Kingdom.

Satan is a King, and has a Kingdom.

"If Satan cast out Satan he is divided against himself; how shall then his 'kingdom' stand." Matt. 12:24-30.

"We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against Principalities, against Powers, against the Rulers of the Darkness of this World (Age), against Spiritual Wickedness in High Places, (the Heavenlies)." Eph. 6:12.

From this we see that his Kingdom consists of "Principalities," "Powers," "Age Rulers of Darkness," and "Wicked Spirits it Heavenlies."

These "Principalities" are ruled by "Princes," who control certain nations of our earth, as in the days of Daniel the Prophet, when a heavenly messenger was sent to Daniel, but was hindered "three weeks" from reaching him by the "Prince of the Kingdom of Persia," Satan's ruling "Prince of Persia," until Michael the Archangel came to his rescue. Dan. 10:10-14.

The subjects of Satan's Kingdom are-

1. Angels. Not the angels that kept not their first estate who are reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the Judgement of the Great Day, (Jude 6), but angels who are at liberty, are now with Satan in the heavenlies (Rev. 12:9), and who, with are to be cast into the "Lake of Fire" prepared for the Devil and angels. Matt. 25:41. Rev. 20:10.

2. Demons. There is but one Devil. Where the word "devils" occurs in the New Testament we should substitute the word "demons." These demons are a race or order of "bodiless spirits," supposed by many to be the bodiless spirits of the inhabitants of the Pre-Adamite Earth, who seek to re-embody themselves by taking up their abode in human beings.

This we know they can do under certain conditions. Demon possession was common in Christ's day.

These demons are wicked, unclean, vicious, and have power to derange both mind and body. Matt. 12:22; 15:22; Luke 4:35; 8:26-36; 9:42. They are the "Familiar Spirits" and

"Wizards" of the Old Testament, and the "Seducing Spirits" of whom Paul warned Timothy. 1 Tim. 4:1.

3. Unregenerated Human Beings. All unregenerated human beings are the subjects of Satan. Jesus called the "Tares" the "Children of the Wicked One," (Matt. 13:38), and He told the Pharisaical Jews that their father was the Devil. John 8:44.

IV. His Methods.

1. He Is the Deceiver of the World.

By the "World" is meant all those who belong to the "Satanic System." All those who are entangled in Satan's mesh.

"And we know that we are of God, and the whole World (the Satanic System). lieth in the Wicked One, (Satan)." 1 John 5:19, R. V.

Satan deceives by "blinding" the eyes of the world.

"If our Gospel is hid, it is hid to them that 'are lost'; in whom the 'God of this World' (Satan), hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." 2 Cor. 4:3, 4.

To this end Satan has his preachers who preach "another gospel." Gal. 1:6-9. That gospel is the "doctrine of devils." 1 Tim. 4:1.

He is the instigator of

"The Great Apostasy."

Peter, speaking of the "latter times" says-

'There shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall; bring in 'Damnable Heresies,' even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

And many shall follow their 'Pernicious Way,' by reason of whom the 'WAY OF TRUTH' shall be evil spoken of." 2 Pet. 2:1, 2.

These "false teachers" are to be seen on every hand. They are those who deny the "Virgin Birth," "Deity," "Bodily Resurrection" and "Personal Premillennial Return" of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Satan is very subtle in his methods, and if it were possible he would deceive the very elect. He knows all the great Scripture subjects that are of universal interest to humanity, and he is too wise to attack them openly, so he adulterates them with false doctrine. He has tried to rob the Church of her "Blessed Hope" of the Lord's return, by mixing with it a lot of false teaching and "time setting" as seen in "Millerism," "Seventh Day Adventism" and "Millennial Dawnism." To prevent mankind from turning to the Lord for healing, he has invented the systems of "Christian Science" and "New Thought."

To satisfy the craving of the human mind to know what is going on in the Spirit World, Satan invented "Spiritualism." And when interest in it began to wane he revived it under the name of "Psychical Research." This system has existed from the earliest ages and has the unqualified condemnation of the Scriptures.

"There shall not be found among you any one that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a Consulter With Familiar Spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord." Deu. 18:10-12.

Spiritualism is only another name for "Demonism," and all professed impersonations are either counterfeit, or demonic. Christian Science teaches that there is such a thing as "Malicious Animal Magnetism" by which one person may afflict another. It is only another name for "Diabolism." Those who dabble in "Spiritualism" or "Psychical Research are liable to have their "understanding darkened" and come under the power of demons.

Satan seeing that he could not stamp out the Church by violence and persecution, has changed his tactics and is now trying to seduce her into conformity to the world, and to try to better an "Age" that God has doomed to destruction. His present purpose is to build up a "magnificent civilization," and he has deceived the Church into believing that it can bring in the "Millennium," without Christ, by the Betterment of Society.

His hope is that the "Gospel of Social Service" will take the place of the "Gospel of Grace," and by diverting the attention of Christian people to "secondary" things, they will neglect the primary work of soul saving, and thus delay the evangelization of the world, and postpone the Return of the Lord, and his own confinement in the Bottomless Pit.

2. He Is the Adversary of God's People.

The warfare between "Good" and "Evil," as recorded in the Bible from Gen. 3:15 to Rev. 20:10, is most intensely interesting reading. Satan tempts Eve. She -eats, and Adam with her. They are both cast out of the Garden. First victory scored by Satan. Satan enters Cain. The result Abel is murdered. Victory number two for Satan. The "Sons of God" at Satan's instigation marry the "daughters of men." Result the Flood. Victory number three for Satan. Noah delivered from the Flood is tempted to drink, yields, and a curse falls on Ham. Victory number four for Satan. The people multiply and Satan fills their hearts with pride and presumption. The Tower of Babel is built, the result the "Confusion of Tongues," and the unity of the race broken up. Victory number five for Satan.

Then God calls Abraham through whom the promised "Seed of the Woman," the Second Adam, should come who was to bruise Satan's head. Now the fight begins in earnest. We have only space to indicate it. First Satan closes Sarah's womb. Then when Isaac is born he seeks to have him slain by his father's hand on Mt. Moriah. He makes enmity between Esau and Jacob, hoping that the tragedy of Cain and Abel would be repeated. Then he causes Potiphar's wife to tempt Joseph, seeking to get him out of the way. When the time came for Moses, the deliverer of the Children of Israel, to be born, he puts it in the heart of Pharaoh to order that all male Hebrew children shall be destroyed at birth.

But the story is too long. The sin of David was Satan's work, and at one time the "seed royal" was narrowed down to one child. 2 Chron. 2:4-17; 22:10-12.

When the time came that Christ was born, it was Satan who prompted Herod to destroy all the male children at Bethlehem under two years of age. It was Satan who tried to overcome Christ when weakened by fasting in the Wilderness, and who suggested that Christ throw Himself down from the Pinnacle of the Temple. The attempt of the people to throw Him from the hilltop at Nazareth, and the two storms on Galilee were all attempts of Satan to destroy Christ. And when foiled in these Satan renewed the fight through Priests and Pharisces, and succeeded at last in getting Judas to sell his Master.

Then amid the shades of Gethsemane he sought to kill Christ by physical weakness before He could reach the Cross. When Christ was crucified Satan thought he had conquered, but when Christ rose from the dead Satan's rage knew no bounds. In all probability Satan and his angels contested the Ascension of Christ, and the history of the Christian Church is but one long story of the "Irrepressible Conflict" between Satan and God's people. Paul writing to the Thessalonians said:

"We would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again, but SATAN hindered us." 1 Thess. 2:18.

Even Paul's "thorn in the flesh" was the "Messenger of Satan" to buffet him.

V. His Expulsion From the Heavenlies.

As we have seen Satan still has his abode in the "Heavenlies" and has access to God. But the time is coming when he shall be cast out of the "Heavenlies." It is described in Rev. 12:7-17.

"And there was war in Heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the 'Dragon,' and the 'Dragon' fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in Heaven. And the 'Great Dragon' was cast out, that old 'Serpent,' called the 'Devil,' and 'Satan,' which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out Into the Earth and his angels were cast out with him.

"And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, now is come Salvation, and Strength, and the Kingdom of God, and the Power of His Christ; for the Accuser of Our Brethren IS CAST DOWN, which accused them before our God day and Wright."

While Satan has been the "Accuser of the Brethren" in all Ages, the context shows that reference is here made to the "Jewish Remnant," (the brethren of Christ), who during the
first three and one-half years of the "Tribulation Period" (for Satan is cast out in the Middle of the "Last Week," or Tribulation Period), pass through great persecution, and die as "martyrs." They are referred to in Rev. 6:9-11 as the "souls of them that were slain for the Word of God," and we are here told (Rev. 12:11) that they overcame by the "Blood of the Lamb," and the "word of their testimony," and died as "martyrs," for they "loved not their lives unto the death."

As they overcame by the "Blood of the Lamb," then the Time of their overcoming must be subsequent to the shedding of Christ's blood on Calvary, that is, Satan, according to this
account, could not have been cast out of the "Heavenlies" prior to the Crucifixion of Christ. When Jesus said-"I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven," (Luke 10:18), He was not referring to some past fall of Satan, but it was a prophetic utterance, by way of anticipation, of his future fall, when he shall be cast out of Heaven by Michael the Archangel. As further evidence as to the "Time" of Satan's casting out, Daniel the Prophet tells us that it will be at the "Time of Trouble," (The Great Tribulation), that is to come upon Daniel's people, the Jews, for it is at that time that Michael the Great Prince is to stand up and they shall be delivered. Dan 12:1.

As still further evidence that the casting out of Satan did not happen "before" the Fall in Eden, we are told that it "follows" the birth and catching out of the "Man Child," (Christ), (Rev. 12:5), that the earth shall be full of inhabitants, that is, thickly populated, and that Satan shall be full of wrath, because he knoweth that he has but a "short time" (3 1/2 years), in which to finish his devilish work. (Rev. 12:12.)

VI. His Incarnation.

When Satan is cast out of the Heavenlies on to the earth, he is going to "incarnate" himself in the Antichrist. See the Post on "The Antichrist."

VII. His Doom.

When Christ shall return to the Mt. of Olives at the close of the "Tribulation Period," the "Beast" and the "False Prophet" shall be cast "alive" into the "Lake of Fire," and an angel from Heaven will seize Satan and bind him with a great chain, already forged, and cast him into the "Bottomless Pit," where he shall remain for 1000 years. Rev. 20:1-3. At the close of which time he shall be loosed for a season, and then with his angels, demons, and the human beings who have fallen under his power, he shall be cast into the "Lake of Fire" prepared for him in the long ago. Rev.20:7-10; Matt.25:41.

THE SATANIC TRINITY

Satan is the "God of this World." (Age.) 2 Cor. 4:4.

As the God of this world (Age), he aims to "ape" God. As God sent His Son (Jesus) into the world, so Satan shall send Antichrist into the world. As God was in Christ, so Satan will incarnate himself in Antichrist.

The "Mystery of Godliness" is God manifest in the "flesh." 1 Tim. 3:16. The "Mystery of Iniquity" will be Satan manifest in the "flesh." 2 Thess. 2:7. Satan will see to it that Antichrist has all that Christ has.

I. Christ has a Church-the "Ecclesia;" Antichrist will have a church, the "Synagogue of Satan." Rev. 2:9; 3:9.

II. Christ will have a Bride, the "Church," Eph. 5:25-27; Antichrist will have a bride, the "Mystic Harlot Church." Rev. 17:1-16.

III. Christ has a Cup, "The Communion Cup," 1 Cor. 10:16; 11:25; Antichrist has a cup,

the "Cup of Devils." 1 Cor. 10:21.

IV. Christ's earthly ministry lasted for three and a half years, and Satan shall reign in Antichrist for the same length of time.

V. Christ died at the age of thirty-three years, and for ought we know Antichrist shall be smitten at the same age; the age at which Alexander the Great, the "Great Horn" of the He-Goat, died.

VI. The Godhead is a Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and Satan proposes, as the "God of this Age," to manifest himself as a Trinity. In contradistinction to the Divine Trinity we call this manifestation a

SATANIC TRINITY.

The members of it are-

1. "The Dragon"-the Anti-GOD."

2. "The Beast"-the "Anti-CHRIST."

3. "The False Prophet"-the "Anti-SPIRIT."

We have spoken of the first two under the heads of Satan and Antichrist, all that we need to consider in this chapter is-

THE FALSE PROPHET

After the Apostle John had seen and described the "Beast" that came up out of the SEA, he saw another "Beast" come up out of the EARTH. This "Second Beast," while John does not say it was a lamb, had "Two Horns" "like a lamb," that is, it was LAMB-LIKE. Because of this resemblance many claim that the "Second Beast" is the Antichrist, for Antichrist is supposed to imitate Christ. While the LAMB (Christ) is mentioned in the Book of Revelation 22 times, the description given of Him in chapter 5:6, is that of a lamb having "SEVEN HORNS" and not "TWO." This differentiates Him from the "lamb-like Beast" that comes up out of the earth, who, though he is "lamb-like in appearance SPEAKS AS A DRAGON."

The "Second Beast" has a name. He is called the "FALSE PROPHET" three times. First in chapter 16:13, then in chapter 19:20, and again in chapter 20:10. Twice he is associated with the "First Beast" (Antichrist) and once with the "Dragon" (Satan) and the "First Beast, " and as they are PERSONS so must he be. The fact that he is called the "False Prophet" is proof that he is not the "Antichrist." Jesus had a foreview of him when He said-"There shall arise 'FALSE CHRISTS' and 'FALSE PROPHETS,'and shall show GREAT SIGNS AND WONDERS: insomuch that, if it were possible they shall deceive the very elect." Matt. 24:24. Here Jesus differentiates between "FALSE CHRISTS" and "FALSE PROPHETS." therefore the "ANTICHRIST" and the "FALSE PROPHET" cannot be the same.

That the "Second Beast" comes up out of the EARTH may signify that he will be a resurrected person. If, as was hinted at, "Antichrist" was Judas resurrected, why should not the "False Prophet" also be a resurrected person? There will be two persons, as we have seen, who shall come back from Heaven as the "Two Witnesses," Moses and Elijah, why not two persons come up from "The Underworld," brought up by Satan to counteract the work of the "Two Witnesses"? The fact that the "First Beast" (Antichrist) and the "Second Beast" (False Prophet) are cast ALIVE into the "Lake of Fire" (Rev. 19:20) is further proof that they are more than ordinary mortals, and that the "First Beast" is more than the last ruling Emperor of the revived Roman Empire. He is the Antichrist, Satan's SUPERMAN.

In the "Dragon," the "Beast," and the "False Prophet," we have the "SATANIC TRINITY," Satan's imitation of the "Divine Trinity." In the unseen and invisible "Dragon" we have the FATHER (the ANTI-GOD). In the "Beast" we have the "SON OF PERDITION" (the ANTI-CHRIST), begotten of the Dragon, who appears on the earth, dies, and is resurrected, and to whom is given a throne by his Father the Dragon. In the "False Prophet" we have the "ANTI-SPIRIT" who proceeds from the "Dragon Father" and "Dragon Son," and whose speech is like the Dragon's. The "Dragon" then will be the "ANTI-GOD," the "Beast" the "ANTI-CHRIST," and the "False Prophet" the "ANTI-SPIRIT," and the fact that all three are cast ALIVE into the "Lake of Fire" (Rev. 20:10) is proof that they together form a "Triumvirate" which we may well call "THE SATANIC TRINITY."

Again the "Antichrist" is to be a KING and rule over a KINGDOM. He will accept the "Kingdoms of this world" that Satan offered Christ, and that Christ refused. Matt. 4:8-10. He will also EXALT himself, and claim to be God. 2 Thess. 2:4. But the "False Prophet" is not a King, He does not exalt himself, he exalts the "First Beast" (Antichrist). His relation to the "First Beast" is the same as the Holy Spirit's relation to Christ. He causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the "First Beast." He also has power to give life, and in this he imitates the holy Spirit. And as the followers of Christ are sealed by the Holy Spirit until the "Day of Redemption" (Eph. 4:30) ; so, the followers of Antichrist shall be sealed by the False Prophet until the "Day of Perdition." Rev. 13:16-17.

The False Prophet will be a "Miracle Worker." While Jesus was a "miracle worker," He did all His mighty works in the "power" of the Holy Spirit. Acts 10:38. Among the miracles that the False Prophet will perform he will bring down FIRE FROM HEAVEN. As we have seen under the work of the "Two Witnesses," Rev.11:1-14, there will probably be a "FIRE-TEST" between Elijah and the False Prophet, and the test as to who is God of Mount Carmel will

be repeated. That Satan, who will then energize the False Prophet, can do this is clear from Job I:16, where Satan, having secured permission from God to touch all that Job had, brought down "fire from heaven" and burned up Job's sheep and servants.

The False Prophet then commands the people to make an

"IMAGE OF THE BEAST."

This is further proof that the "First Beast" is the Antichrist. It is a strange weakness of mankind that they must have some VISIBLE God to worship, and when the Children of Israel, who had been delivered from Egypt under Moses' leadership, thought he had forsaken them because he did not come down from the Mount, they called Aaron to make them gods which should go before them, and Aaron made for them the "GOLDEN CALF." Ex. 32:1-6. So the False Prophet will have the people make for the purpose of worship an "IMAGE OF THE BEAST." But the wonderful thing about the "IMAGE" is that the False Prophet will have power to give LIFE to it, and cause it to SPEAK, and to demand that all who will not worship it shall be put to death. In other words the "IMAGE" will be a living, speaking, AUTOMATON.

This "Image" reminds us of the "GOLDEN IMAGE" that Nebuchadnezzar commanded to be made and set up in the "Plain of Dura," in the Province of Babylon (Dan. 3:1-30), before which, at the sounding of musical instruments, the people were commanded to bow down and worship under penalty, for those who disobeyed, of being cast into a "BURNING FIERY FURNACE." Doubtless there will be many in the "Day of Antichrist" who will refuse to bow down and worship the "Image of the Beast," and who will not escape as did the "Three Hebrew Children," though God may interpose in a miraculous way to deliver some. And as if this was not enough the False Prophet shall cause-"ALL, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a 'MARK' in their RIGHT HAND, or in their FOREHEAD; and that no man might BUY or SELL, save he that has the 'MARK' or the 'NAME OF THE BEAST,' or the 'NUMBER OF HIS NAME'." This "MARK" will be known as the

"BRAND OF HELL."

This is what the world is fast coming to. The time is not far distant when the various "Trusts" and "Combinations of Capital" will be merged into a "FEDERATION OF TRUSTS," at the head of which shall be a "NAPOLEON OF CAPITAL." Ultimately this "Federation of Trusts" will extend to the whole world, at the head of which shall be THE ANTICHRIST, and the producer and consumer will be powerless in the tentacles of this OCTOPUS, and no man shall be able to BUY or SELL who has not the "MARK OF THE BEAST" either upon his "right hand" or on his "forehead." This "Mark" will be BRANDED or burnt on. It will probably be the "NUMBER OF THE BEAST" or "666." The number "666" is the "NUMBER OF MAN," and stops short of the perfect number SEVEN. Man was created on the SIXTH day. Goliath the opposer of God's people, a type of Satan, was 6 cubits in height, he had 6 pieces of armor, and his spearhead weighed 600 shekels. 1 Sam. 17:4-7. Nebuchadnezzar's Image, a type of the "Image of the Beast," was 60 cubits in height, 6 cubits wide, and 6 instruments of music summoned the worshippers. Dan. 3:1-7.

In that day men will doubtless prefer to have the "MARK" on the back of their right hand so it can be readily seen in the act of signing checks, drafts, and receipts. There will doubtless be public officials in all public places of business to see that no one buys or sells who has not the "MARK." This will apply to women as well as men. No one can shop, or even buy from the huckster at the door, without the "MARK," under penalty of DEATH. Those will be awful times for those who will not WORSHIP THE BEAST. If they can neither buy nor sell without the "MARK," they must beg, or starve or be killed. The instrument of death will be the guillotine (Rev. 20:4), and the daily papers will contain a list of the names of those who were beheaded the day before so as to frighten the people into obedience to the law. The doom of the "Satanic Trinity" will be, that at the close of that awful time of Tribulation the Lord Jesus Christ will return, and the "Dragon," the "Anti-God," will be cast into the "BOTTOMLESS PIT" for a thousand years (Rev. 20:1-3), and the "Beast," the "Anti-Christ," and the "False Prophet," the "Anti-Spirit," will be cast ALIVE into the "LAKE OF FIRE." Rev. 19:20.

The Prophecy of Yeshua

2007-01-29T20:28:00.000-05:00

The Prophecy of Yeshua

Knowing the Prophetic words of Yeshua (Jesus) the Lord is crucial to the safeguarding of ones’ soul. No apology is made for accepting the following texts as coming from the agency of the Holy Spirit of God through men of faith who have preceded me in the faith:

The day, is today, when unbeliever and those called Christians alike, should take heed and not say or think what the Apostle Peter warned against “A type of wrong thinking (scoffing & unbelief)” in his letter to the Church of God. Peter’s statement is taken from a 2nd. Letter written to the church which reads: (2Peter 3:4) Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

This is not a rhetorical question something meant to be left unanswered, but a question definitely answered, but first please read the above verse in the context, with which the writer phrased the question. He explains the reason for such thinking very clearly and because of his knowledge of Judaic Scriptures he cites disastrous events of the past in conjunction with future horrific events prophesized to happen to those who do not heed the word of God. Note the following verses:

(2Pe 3:3) Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,

(2Pe 3:4) And saying, Where is the promise of his coming for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

(2Pe 3:5) For1 this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:

(2Pe 3:6) Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished.

(2Pe 3:7) But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

Now back to this singular verse of 2Peter 3:4 because it is appropriately answered in two(2) texts references from “The Gospel of Matthew and The Gospel of Luke: citing prophetic accounts of the last days (Please note the lasts days, being the last days of mans rule without the physical presence of the Lord Yeshua reigning supreme as Lord of this earth). First from The Gospel of Matthew:

Mat 24:32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree [ My notation, the fig tree reference, refers to Israel this is not contested amongst modern scholars ] ; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: [My notation, this is Yeshua, prophetic utterance of Israel’s reemergence as a nation. This came to pass 5-14-1948, when it was recognized by the two(2) world’s superpowers as well as a global collection of other nations].

Mat 24:33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

Mat 24:34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. [ .Defining a generation: Psalms 90:10 The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.]

Mat 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away [My notation, so whether you believe or don‘t believe it will have do affect on his words coming to pass. They are sure!].

Mat 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only [ My notation, so by the latitudes given of the possible span of a generation being between 70 to 80 years added to the time of Israel’s reemergence as a nation, 5-14-1948, no one should say I am giving the day or the hour of the Lord’s return but only clarifying the text.

This summation from the two(2) gospels cited in conjunction with the question asked in the verses of 2Peter Verse 3:4 is now being answered in our time. The verses confirm there is no longer a wait period consisting of many consecutive generations of people lasting over thousands of years (or even a hundred years for that matter) as it has been if we count the years and centuries since the writing of the letter of 2Peter showing his dissertation concerning the last days before Yeshua’s return.

So the answer to the question in 2Peter is definitely answered and applies to the generations of the people living and being born all within the time frame of this one(1) generation of Israel reemerging as a nation. And everything Yeshua says will be fulfilled in this time period].

The following verses are events and circumstances which will transpire just before his return to the earth:

Mat 24:37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be [My notation: These verses are consistent with the verses of 2Peter mentioned above ]

Mat 24:38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark [My notation: “Business as usual“],

Mat 24:39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away [My notation: Living in unbelief]; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

The second Gospel reference of the fig tree is from the Gospel of Luke. It adds dimension to the theme concerning the fulfillment of Yeshua’s word within one(1) generation of Israel reemerging as a nation.

This brings me to a point that, “We are admonished to be vigilant concerning our time“. Please take note of the last passage verse (Luke 21:36 ) I made some personal notation.

Luke 21:29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree [My notation: Israel]., and all the trees [My notation: This reference makes it clear the “Fig tree” and all current nations of the whole earth and all forthcoming coming nations subject to this timeframe [“A generation”] of his word being fulfilled];
Luke 21:30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.

Luke 21:31 So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand (This verse ties in the idea of “summer is nigh” to coincide with establishing kingdom of God) .

Luke 21:32 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled (This verse also ties in the idea of “summer is nigh” to coincide with establishing the kingdom of God which is synonymous with the return of the Lord during this generation) .

Luke 21:33 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away [My notation, so again whether you believe or don‘t believe it, will have do affect on his words coming to pass. They are sure!]..

Luke 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares (Personal responsibility).

Luke 21:35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth (Basically this probably applies to the blasphemers and the unbelievers) .