But a just God has decreed that the day should come when "Righteousness
shall cover the earth, as the waters cover the great deep," or in other
words, "at the end of a time and times and dividing of time," He would
again assert His power and authority on the earth, and bring to pass
His purposes.
"And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a
kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not
be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume
all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever" (_Dan. ii._, 44).
This prophecy of Daniel affords us some conception of the power of
the kingdom. By reading the entire chapter we learn that Daniel's
interpretation of the king's dream ended with the setting up of the
kingdom of God upon the earth never more to be thrown down.
The Babylonish kingdom, which flourished in the days of Daniel, in
the fifth and sixth centuries before Christ, was succeeded by the
Medo-Persian government from 538 to 331, B. C. The Macedonian kingdom,
founded by Alexander the Great, continued from 331 to 161, B.C.; while
the Roman empire succeeded the last named kingdom, from 161, B. C., to
483, A. D.
These governments successively represented the head of gold, the breast
and arms of silver, the belly and thighs of brass, and the legs of iron.
Now, lastly, should come the kingdoms represented by the feet and toes,
or the KINGDOMS OF TO-DAY, partly strong and partly broken. In the days
of THESE kings should the God of heaven set up a kingdom never more to
be thrown down.
{293} "But," says one, "that was accomplished in the days of Christ!"
No, certainly not; for if so, why then did He, when He instructed His
disciples to pray, tell them to pray for an already accomplished fact:
"Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. _Thy kingdom
come_. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven?" Have Christians
throughout the world, for nearly two thousand years past, been taught
to pray for the coming of an event which had already transpired?
The dividing of times has not yet come: but by turning to the Book
of Revelation, we read how the power and authority of God, and the
principles of the true and everlasting Gospel were to be restored to
the earth; how the kingdom spoken of by Daniel, and prayed for by the
disciples, was to be set up never more to be thrown down, how the
kingdoms of this world were to become the kingdom of our Lord and His
Christ; how the promise of Jesus was about to be made good, that upon
this ROCK (of revelation) would He found His church, and the gates of
hell should not prevail against it, and how the Saints should possess
the kingdom of the Most High.
John the Revelator, bound and captive upon the Isle of Patmos, had the
vision of heaven opened up to him, and he saw an angel leave the throne
of God and wend his flight to this planet. A new song was being sung in
heaven; the day and hour had come when the dispensation of the fullness
of times was to be ushered in (_Eph. i._, 10; _Matt. xxiv._, 31), when
God would send His angels to bring order out of chaos, system out of
confusion, and gather His people (the honest-in-heart) together in one
place, that they might prepare themselves to welcome the _Great King_
of the world when He should come in clouds of glory, surrounded by His
angels.
"I saw," says John, "another angel fly in the midst of heaven,
having the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the
earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people
saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to Him: for the
HOUR OF HIS JUDGMENT is come" (_Rev. xiv._, 6, 7).
This, then, was how the gospel was to be restored to the earth.
"But," says the reader, "I thought the Gospel was already upon the
earth."
If so, what necessity was there for an angel to come from heaven with
the everlasting gospel, if it was already being taught to men? And,
dear reader, you can readily see that none are excepted. It was to
every _nation, kindred, tongue, {294} and people_--proving conclusively
that the Gospel was not on the earth, but that the day had come when
darkness covered the earth and gross darkness the people.
How must the angels around the throne have shouted for joy when the
decree went forth, and the commandment was given for the initiatory
steps to be taken to reclaim this planet from the grasp of "Lucifer the
son of the morning," and to fit and prepare it for the habitation of
angels, celestialized beings and God!
How must our mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters, in the spirit
world, with all the saints of by-gone ages, have rejoiced to know
that the redemption of the world was nigh, and the promise of Paul to
the Thessalonians (_I., iv._, 16) that "the dead in Christ shall rise
first," was to be made good!
Reader, we now beg of you to lay aside prejudice, and to examine what
follows, with an honest intention and a desire to do right; to know
the will of God and to do it; for great and mighty events are daily
transpiring, that were prophesied of by all the holy prophets, from the
days of Adam down until today.
The Gospel that the angel was to bring back to the earth was for every
nation.
Angels have not, in times gone by, preached to or taught the masses of
the people, but have delegated this power to men. So, in this instance,
men became the recipients of the precious charge, the _Everlasting
Gospel_.