things of the past, so should we in theology, Church life, and
experience, when we can do better. Reverence for persons, and respect
for ideas, should not enslave us. Let us move on, doing better and
better. We do not care to believe all the theology of a Martin Luther.
When we can make an advance on men, or theories, we should do so. Bacon
and Newton are now in part rejected, without intending, or in fact doing
them any dishonour or disrespect. So are Calvin and Wesley, on the same
principle, by every good theologian. If a theory be advanced that opens
up the Scriptures, and especially the prophecies, better than those
before existing, let the pulpit accept it, throwing aside its mawkishness
and age-intrenched stupidity. I have no hesitation to say, after over
twenty-five years of experience with preachers and pulpit, that the
majority of preachers are lazy and indifferent in study. For this reason
many of them are deterred from examining any new theory. Many have said
to me, and written to me, that if they accepted the Lost Tribe theory it
would destroy nearly all their old sermons, and necessitate the making of
new ones--a work they were not willing to undertake. It will, therefore,
be a long time before the pulpit is reformed. In these days there are
many strikes. While in Canada, on my vacation, I agreed to lecture for a
Church choir on the prophet Jeremiah's visit to Ireland. But some
preachers banded together and stopped it; and, in consequence of it, the
choir struck and refused to sing the following Sunday. Passing by this
strike, I really wish the laymen would strike and call the pulpit to an
account and rouse it from its lethargy, and demand that it should
untrammel itself and be free and equal to the age and demand. I have met
with miserly persons who didn't believe in beautiful churches, or the
missionary cause, or any cause indeed that wanted money. They would
argue for plainness, and so on. The secret of their peculiar ideas on
these matters was to be found in their stinginess and their love of
money. They advocated such theories because it saved them from
contributing. Like a man I met with on my vacation tour who said that he
saved forty dollars a year by pretending to be angry with the minister or
some of the deacons when they came round collecting money. Some
ministers, no doubt the majority of them, talk about holding on to the
old landmarks and being orthodox for the very reason that to make a move
implies labour, which they are not willing to give, hence they prate
about orthodoxy and landmarks as a pretext to cover over their
indifference. He is the most orthodox who searches after the truth and
keeps up with the age. "Prove all things, hold fast that which is good,"
says Paul. These pretended followers of Paul say: "Prove nothing, hold
fast what you have got."
It is as plain as A, B, C, that the Bible teaches the return of the Jews
and Ten Lost Tribes of Israel to the land of Palestine. Also, that after
they are settled in this land Anti-Christ appears. The dragon and beast
are already in existence, but Anti-Christ is not; the spirit of
Anti-Christ is. When Israel and Judah are settled and prosperous in the
old fatherland, then is to come on the battle of Armageddon. Thank
Heaven! that though the struggle will be awful, it will be final, and
victory will turn on the Lord's side. Then will be set up a kingdom that
shall endure in abiding peace and prosperity for at least a thousand
years. The world will nestle in regaling plenty and great assurance.
This kingdom is to be set up in the latter days of the four kingdoms
spoken of by Daniel. By this we understand that these kingdoms will have
their day, and by succession, after a time, run out. These
kingdoms--namely, Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome--are now
disappearing. Rome, politically, is gone, Persia will soon be absorbed,
also Greece. Babylon, being continued in the Empire of Russia, has yet a
glorious future before it for the next fifty years or so, then she will
disappear to rise no more. The cry will go forth, "Babylon is fallen."
In Nebuchadnezzar's image you will remember that the stone cut out of the
mountain began to destroy the metallic image upward, hence these kingdoms
will disappear in reverse order to their origin. First Rome, which has
gone; next Greece, which is nearly gone; then Persia, and then Russia.
The new kingdom will fill the world. Already it foreshadows the outlines
of possession by its immense territory of to-day. Then a scion of the
House of David shall be enthroned in Jerusalem. All the other great
capitals will have been destroyed. It is surprisingly grand to read of
that day, king and kingdom. Let me read to you a few verses from
Jeremiah, chapter xxiii.: "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I
will raise unto David a righteous branch, and a King shall reign and
prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In His
days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely; and this is His
name whereby He shall be called: the Lord our Righteousness. Therefore,
behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that they shall no more say, The
Lord liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of
Egypt; but, The Lord liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of
the House of Israel out of the North country, and from all countries
whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land." The
words, "that day," are often used, and if we desire to know when that day
is, we have data in the great fact that it is the other side of
Armageddon, and Armageddon is the other side of the settlement of Israel
and Judah in Palestine.
I wish, just here, to correct many of you, as well as some of the public
journals. Of late I have frequently seen it stated in the papers that I
predicted the end of the world in 1882. And many persons have actually
asked if I did really think so. The truth of the matter is, in my
sermons on the Great Pyramid I pointed out to you the remarkable fact
that the Grand Gallery was 1,882 inches long. Beginning with the birth
of the Saviour, these inches stand for years. This gallery suddenly
ends, excepting that it is continued in a narrow passage, the narrowest
in the whole building, for fifty-three inches. Then comes the King's
Chamber, which before you enter, you pass under a portcullis in the form
of an olive leaf. In this chamber all is equal, quiet, and central.
Now, what I believe this pillar of witness in Egypt teaches (see Isa.
xix. 19) is, that in 1882 the whole world will enter upon a time of great
trouble, war, pestilence, and famine, and for fifty-three years these
troubles will continue more or less. Then about 1935 will occur the
battle of Armageddon, which will be the finishing touch, the end of wars.
I arrive at this, when I follow the teachings of the Pyramid, by adding
1882 and 53, which gives me 1935. Even then the world will not end, but
only begin the millennium morn, which will last for a thousand years or
more.
Now corresponding to these facts are the events of Providence. As when
Spring is nigh we know by certain signs, so we know from the Scriptures,
Providence, and Pyramidal teaching, where we stand and the season we are
in. "O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky, but can ye not
discern the signs of the times?" said Jesus to the proud and critical
Pharisees and learned and doubting Sadducees. These parties affected to
be specially wise and discriminating in their knowledge of the times and
seasons, and interpreting the prophets and writings of Moses. Yet their
conduct betrayed their ignorance, for they saw not the end of that grand
old prophetic age, nor the fading symbolism of the temple, nor the
departing glory and decay of their nation. They knew not the fulness of
the time in which they lived, though it bulged out like a mountain. They
did not know that _one time hath ended_, another _time begun_, for they
still dated their documents 4032 of the world, when it was the year of
our Lord and their Lord 32.
The antediluvians stand condemned because they were willingly ignorant of
the Providential tokens and signs of the times. They set at naught the
teachings and warnings of Noah, and in exulting pride they rejected the
idea of a special Providence. Their faith, like many in this day, was
planted and nourished by the laws of nature, and the analogous
continuance of the same, not accepting the doctrine of a Divine
Providence. They cried aloud, "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."
Do you, like the Jews of old, demand more signs, when those given you are
not understood, or, if understood, they are undervalued? The prophets
have been lavish in portraying the calamities of the _last days_, or the
times into which we are entering. For the words _last days_ are the few
years preceding the battle of Armageddon. The calamities of these days
are of four kinds: First, social disorders; second, religious feuds and
wars; third, wonderful political disturbances; fourth, temporal or
physical disasters. Of the social condition of these last days, Paul
instructs us: "This know, also, that in the last days perilous times
shall come." Then he groups together nineteen immoral attributes of the
social state of these last days: "Men shall be lovers of their own
selves, covetous, boasters, proud blasphemers, disobedient (to parents
especially), unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce
breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce despisers, traitors, heady,
high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than God, formal in religion" (2
Timothy iii.). What, we ask, will be the state of society when the
social condition becomes such?
The religious feuds and persecutions of the last days we can but faintly
conceive. It was terrible when the beast, two hundred years ago, held
sway. The Inquisition, the rack, the stake, and all the horrors of a
wise age will be brought to bear. For in these days to come, the beast
will be joined by Anti-Christ, who will burn with rage, and vent his
displeasure on Christ's followers. Also the barbarism and savage
disposition of the Pagans will be let loose. Then will the dragon tear
and destroy. This will, indeed, be a day or time of visitation. The
political disturbances will be terrible. Nation against nation plotting
and deceiving; internal strife and outward dangers. These are of a kind
to appal one in reading them. Then come the temporal or physical evils.
These are to be a horrible train of ills in the form of pestilence,
famine, and earthquakes. The plague of yellow fever is as nought to some
of the scourges that will then go forth. Gibbon, the historian, tells of
a plague that swept away two-thirds of Europe and Asia. At that time the
dead lay unburied by thousands. In Constantinople, for three months,
five and even ten thousand persons died daily. The famines in India and
China give us some idea of those yet to come. Of the earthquakes, such
as have been will be repeated in increasing terror, violence, and
destruction. To all these shall be added fire from heaven, hail,
whirlwinds, and floods. These are times that will try men's souls. Read
the prophets for yourselves, and range yourselves on the Lord's side.
WONDERS OF THE FUTURE.
DISCOURSE XIV.
PURPOSE OF THE FLOOD--THE ABRAHAMIC CURRENT--RENDING MOUNT OLIVET--FORMER
EARTHQUAKES--BOUNDARIES OF PALESTINE--DAN AND GAD TO GUARD THE
"GATES"--GAD THE SCOTCHMAN--THE FUTURE JERUSALEM--THE DEAD SEA AND
MEDITERRANEAN TO BE JOINED--MISTAKE OF SPIRITUALISING EVERYTHING.
"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 the mountain shall remove
toward the North, and half of it toward the South."--Zech. xiv. 4.
Some four thousand years ago the earth was washed with the regenerating
waters of a terrible flood. Millions were suddenly cut off, with their
handiwork and antediluvian civilisation. The swelling floods subsided,
and the God-avenging waters retired to their appointed place. The earth
again stood forth in virgin strength, lonely, bare, and citiless, but
with a potency and promise inviting and grand. Across these swelling
floods one craft had been safely borne; in it was stored the seed-stock
of a new world of man and beast. The destruction had been complete and
terrible. If we credit Dr. Gurney and others who have written on this
subject, the population far exceeded the inhabitants of to-day. But
whether they did or did not, we know that many must have perished, and
civilisation must have been hurled back to a primitive beginning. No
doubt the present seas and oceans cover over the ruins of that age.
Eliphaz, the Temanite, when addressing Job, said: "Hast thou marked the
old way, which wicked men have trodden, which were cut down out of time?
_whose foundation was overflown with a flood_?" Now is it not reasonable
to suppose that in this and every other great change in nature God has a
purpose--a design agreeable with His own exalted character? He is too
wise to err, and too good to be unkind. The flood came for the same
reason that He only gave Adam one wife. And what was that reason? It
was that He might fill the world with a godly seed. "And did not He make
one? Yet had He the residue of the Spirit. And wherefore one? That He
might seek a godly seed" (Mal. ii. 15). The same Spirit which made one
Eve could have made twenty, for the residue of the Spirit was with Him.
It was in the interest of morality and godliness that the flood came.
When this design began to fail of being accomplished by the increased
wickedness of the post-diluvians, then God called Abram, and through
Abraham and his seed designed that this purpose should flow on and be
fulfilled. Through this Abrahamic channel flow all the purposes of a
Divine Providence in this world. Through his seed all the nations of the
earth are to be blessed. The children of Abraham are the appointed and
Divinely authorised agents of God. Through them, as primary, he has, and
is, and will evangelise the world. Abraham stands to the generations of
earth as the Gulf-stream to Europe and the isles of the sea. This
Gulf-stream is our largest river; being the longest, broadest, and
deepest. Its bottom and banks are cold water. Compressed by the straits
of Florida, it rushes forth to warm and replenish the earth and isles of
the sea. So the forces of a Divine Providence compressed in Abraham go
forth to bless mankind. The Gulf-stream is water in water, and Abraham's
seed are men among men. Providence is at once clear and intelligible,
and history is at once plain, reasonable, and harmonious, when
interpreted in harmony with the Abrahamic covenant. The scattering and
returning of Israel and Judah to Palestine, and the intervening history,
from the time of dispersion to the Return, is clear as noon-day. Their
location, oppression, prosperity, and victories, have long been foretold
by prophets inspired of God.
Through all the changes in nature God has a design. He prepared the
world for Adam and his seed, and He did so by some wonderful upheaving
and overturning; this scientists will admit. This world, in its present
shape and condition, indicates fierce and protracted struggles. The
outlines of strange and sublime revolutions are imprinted on her
rock-ribbed bosom. Look at her cloud-capped mountains, her snow-crowned
peaks, her wild and rocky wastes, her barren plains and sandy deserts,
her fruitful hills and luxuriant valleys, her mighty oceans and swelling
seas, her inland lakes and rolling rivers; these tell us of a time long
ago--of the time when the Mighty One went forth to work a work, to build
a house and make a home for His creature, man. And as it was necessary
in the preparatory stage to tune nature to the coming man, so all along
through the history of the centuries we find nature holding a subordinate
relation to man. The world is not run on one principle and man on
another, but both are permeated by a Divine force and led on to a Divine
end. All things are ours, and we are Christ's, and Christ is God's; this
is the established order of subordination. Most certainly it cannot be
unscientific in the Author of nature to make the same His messenger for
good or evil. It is not unscientific to throw a line from the shore to a
ship in distress, even though thrown from the mouth of a cannon, nor is
it counted unscientific to use that same cannon in war to destroy men.
The earthquake spoken of in the text is, indeed, a small affair in
comparison to some that have occurred in this world; and if the same God
be living now as then, surely He can rend in twain the little mountain of
Olivet. And if we grant to the infidel scientist of to-day the fact that
there is no God, still the thing prophesied of is neither unreasonable or
impossible, because what has been may be again; and as the demand in this
case is small in comparison to what has been, surely this thing may come
to pass. In times past Providence and the wants of the Church have been
timely aided by convulsions in nature, and if they were only so
accidentally, why then accidentally they may all agree again. To the
scientist, especially the geologist, there can be no great difficulty in
crediting the miracles of the text when we think of the successive
revolutions that have taken place. Fires, and floods, and earthquakes,
have done sublime service in the past, whether we credit the same to
Nature or to God. That an earthquake, or any peculiar expression of
nature, should be timed to meet a special condition of the Church or the
special purposes of a Providence, is not strange. In such an event there
really is no more wonder than that a man should set an alarm on his clock
to go off at three minutes past four in the morning. Some men can
swallow big things if you will only allow them to make out the author to
be Nature. But whether we attribute the things past to Nature or to God,
we know that wonderful things have happened.
Seismology, the science of earthquakes, is by no means void of interest.
The earthquake catalogue of the British Association takes notice of, and
records the occurrence of, over 6,000 that happened between 1606 B.C. and
1842 A.D. Some of these have been terrible in force, destruction, and
extent, oftentimes changing the whole face of a country, its climate, and
river courses. The great earthquake of 1783 in Calabria, probably caused
the death of 100,000 people; it was felt over a great part of Europe.
The city of Lisbon was visited on the morning of November 1st, 1755, with
an earthquake so severe that in a few minutes 60,000 persons perished,
and most of the city was destroyed and buried beneath the water of the
bay some 600 feet.
The country given to Abraham embraces all of what we call Syria. It is
central, and specially adapted for the future purposes of God through
Abraham's seed. Beginning with the North-west corner, the boundaries
will be Mount Taurus, river Euphrates, Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea, Red
Sea, River Nile, and Mediterranean, enclosing Syria, Arabia Deserts,
Arabia Felix and Arabia Petroea. Thus it will be seen that the Abrahamic
inheritance is surrounded by water, except at two points--namely, the
North-west land boundary, which is between the Euphrates and the
Mediterranean Sea. The entrance is through the mountain range of Taurus,
and forms a natural gate or mountain pass from Europe and Asia into
Palestine. Here, when the Tribes are resettled in the land of Palestine,
this gate will be in the allotment of Dan. Our Irish brethren will again
be in the North-west, where they will have to fight and defend the land
and the truth, as in days of old, for their brethren. The fact is, "Dan
shall judge his people as one of the Tribes of Israel," said old Jacob.
The judge in olden times sat in the gate. So will Dan sit. Moses said
that Dan was a lion's whelp. Among Israel it is customary to put lions
as guards at gateways. The Southwest corner, between the Mediterranean
and the Sea of Suez, forms the other land boundary. Through this gate
will come the teeming millions of Africa. At this gate will be the Tribe
of Gad--that is, a portion of the Scotch, the lowlanders. The Tribes
will be hemmed in one by another so that they cannot enlarge their
territory; but Gad can, for a vast country opens up beyond the gate. It
is barren; still the desert is to blossom as a rose. Of Gad it was said
by Moses, "Blessed be He that enlargeth Gad; he dwelleth as a lion and
teareth the arm with the crown of the head. And he provided the first
part for himself, because there, in a portion of the lawgiver, was he
seated." You remember that Sinai is in this portion. What sight and
foresight Jacob and Moses had! The land as thus bounded would be 600
miles broad from the Red Sea to the River Euphrates, and 1,390 between
the Red Sea and Persian Gulf, and from the Mediterranean to the Arabian
Sea, 1,600. These boundaries you will glean by taking note of the
several promises to Abraham and his seed, as recorded in Gen. xv. 10, and
Exod. xxiii. 31, and Deut. xi. 24. The land so promised and given
specially to Abraham and his seed, the descendants of Abraham never yet
occupied, no, not half of it, even in the palmy days of King Solomon.
Will it ever be? We answer, Yes, as sure as the seasons and night and
day. He is faithful that has promised, and will do it.
This remarkable peninsula will be the theatre of the future glory of
Israel and Judah. As finely described by the Rev. A. B. Grimaldi, it
will be found to be most exactly and suitably placed to enable them to
fulfil their high destiny to all nations, and become the centre of all
lands, the praise and beauty of the whole earth. This land has, in fact,
a central position for communication, commerce, and all other advantages
of civilisation not enjoyed by any other portion of land in the whole
world; while the peculiar geographical formation is such that it has an
immense seaboard, and is therefore fitted for vaster commercial and naval
operations than have ever yet been seen, commanding, as it does, the
three most important seas and the two largest rivers of the whole world.
This land, as laid out by Ezekiel, will be divided into thirteen
longitudinal strips, sixty miles long, and twenty broad. In the very
centre will be a portion, some fifty miles square, which will be divided
and apportioned to what is called the holy oblation--namely, in the very
middle will be the temple, a mile square, or larger than ever the whole
city of Jerusalem has yet been. Then the city will be ten miles square.
On one side will be a portion for the priests; on another, a portion for
the Levites; and on the other two sides, the prince's or king's portion.
This portion, which will be on the East and West sides, will be sixty
miles long by ten broad, or some 600 miles square. But it is clear he
will need it, for he will not be supported by taxes. He will have to
judge the land. He cannot take any more land. He will have to support
his own family. No public grant to his children. He will have to be
liberal with the temple. He will have sixty miles of sea coast to defend
and sixty miles of land frontier to protect, and thus cover some of the
weaker tribes. The city will have 720 square miles as a suburb, in which
to raise supplies specially for itself. It will in reality be in two
parts--one called by the prophets the profane; here will the commercial
business be done. The other part will be sacred. Into it strangers will
not enter; it will be holy--a quiet habitation. "There the glorious Lord
will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams, wherein shall go no
gaily with oars, neither shall gallant ships pass thereby." The city
proper will be some thirty miles North of the present city of Jerusalem.
NINETEEN HUNDRED AND FIFTY-SEVEN.
DISCOURSE XVI.
"SIGNS OF THE TIMES"--THE RETURN TO JERUSALEM--FORCES OF RUSSIA AND
ENGLAND--PRESENT LOCALITY OF ANCIENT NATIONS--ORIGIN OF AMERICAN
REPUBLICANISM--FEDERATION OF THE NATIONS COMING--EVOLUTION AND
DEVOLUTION.
"Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred
and five and thirty days."--Daniel xii. 12.
So according to the prophet Daniel there is a time to come in which it
will be blessed to live. The prophecies of Daniel are generally of a
material character--that is, they have special reference to this world
politically, and to this end he had direct and special reference to
certain kingdoms in existence at the time of writing, as well as others
that were to come into being. Of all the prophets he concerns himself
the most with positive data of the rise and fall of nations. The figures
of the data used, we freely confess, are difficult to understand and
interpret. The Church and times are greatly in need of some man
competent on this point. All prophetic students know the diversity and
confusion in this department of theology. Of all the difficult
departments of theology none exceed the numerical. The numerical
symbolism of the Bible is as yet but little understood. True, indeed, we
are improving. Aided by Providence, we are enabled to interpret some
dates by data--that is, certain events occurring locate us and point out
the prophetic period we are in. Like the captain who is unable by his
certain and usual modes of calculating to find his whereabouts, does so
by currents, the Gulf-stream, islands, colour of waters, &c., did we know
the exact quantity of Daniel's two thousand and three hundred days, his
times, time, and half a time, his seventy weeks, his thousand two hundred
and ninety days, and the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days,
then we could deal with the prophecies with a definitiveness to which as
yet we are strangers.