[Illustration.]
Siege Of Jerusalem, A.D. 70. "When ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with
armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh." Luke 21:20.
Our Lord’s Great Prophecy
[Illustration.]
Christ Foretelling The Destruction Of Jerusalem. "When shall these things
be? and what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the
world?" Matt. 24:3.
1. How did Christ feel concerning Jerusalem, as He was about to make His
final visit to the city before His crucifixion?
“And when He was come near, He beheld the city, and _wept over it_,
saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the
things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.”
Luke 19:41, 42.
2. In what words did He foretell its destruction?
“For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench
about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, and
shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and
they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest
not the time of thy visitation.” Verses 43, 44.
3. What pitiful appeal did He make to the impenitent city?
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them
which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children
together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye
would not!” Matt. 23:37.
4. As He was about to leave the temple, what did He say?
“Behold, your house is left unto you _desolate_.” Verse 38.
NOTE.—That which was to fill up their cup of iniquity was their
final rejection and crucifixion of Christ, and their condemnation
and persecution of His apostles and people after His resurrection.
See Matt. 23:29-35; John 19:15; Acts 4-8.
5. Hearing these words, what questions did the disciples ask?
“Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of Thy
coming, and of the end of the world?” Matt. 24:3.
NOTE.—Christ’s answers to these questions are worthy of the most
careful study. The destruction of Jerusalem and the overthrow of
the Jewish nation attending it are a type of the final destruction
of all the cities of the world, and the overthrow of all nations.
To some extent, therefore, the descriptions of the two great
events seem to be blended. When Christ referred to the destruction
of Jerusalem, His prophetic words reached beyond that event to the
final conflagration when the Lord shall rise out of His place “to
punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity,” and when
the earth “shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her
slain.” Isa. 26:21. Thus the entire discourse was given not for
the early disciples only, but for those who were to live during
the closing scenes of the world’s history. During the discourse
Christ did, however, give definite signs, both of the destruction
of Jerusalem and of His second coming.
6. In His reply, how did Christ indicate that neither the end of the world
nor of the Jewish nation was immediately at hand?
“Jesus answered and said unto them, _Take heed that no man deceive you_.
For many shall come in My name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive
many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not
troubled: _for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not
yet_.” Verses 4-6.
7. What did He say of the wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes
which were to precede these events?
“All these are _the beginning of sorrows_.” Verse 8.
NOTE.—These were to precede and culminate in the great calamity
and overthrow, first, of Jerusalem, and finally of the whole
world; for, as already noted, the prophecy has a double
application, first, to Jerusalem and the Jewish nation, and
secondly, to the whole world; the destruction of Jerusalem for its
rejection of Christ at His first advent being a type of the
destruction of the world at the end for its rejection of Christ in
refusing to heed the closing warning message sent by God to
prepare the world for Christ’s second advent.
8. In what language did Christ briefly describe the experiences of His
people previous to these calamities?
“Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and
ye shall be hated of all nations for My name’s sake. And then shall many
be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And
many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because
iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” Verses 9-12.
9. Who did He say would be saved?
“But _he that shall endure unto the end_, the same shall be saved.” Verse
13.
10. When did Christ say the end would come?
“And _this gospel of the kingdom_ shall be _preached in all the world_ for
a _witness_ unto _all nations_; and _then shall the end come_.” Verse 14.
NOTES.—In 60 A.D. Paul carried the gospel to Rome, which was then
the capital of the world. In A.D. 64 he wrote of the saints of
“Cæsar’s household” (Phil. 4:22); and the same year he says that
the gospel had been “preached to every creature which is under
heaven.” Col. 1:23. Very soon after this (October, 66 A.D.) the
Romans began their attacks against Jerusalem; and three and
one-half years later the overthrow of the city and of the Jewish
nation followed in the notable five months’ siege under Titus, in
the spring and summer of 70 A.D.
Thus it was respecting the end of the Jewish nation; and thus it
will be in the end of the world as a whole. When the gospel, or
good news, of Christ’s coming kingdom has been preached in all the
world for a witness unto all nations, the end of the world—of all
nations—will come. As the end of the Jewish nation came with
overwhelming destruction, so will come the end of the world.
Armageddon, the battle of the nations, will be fought, and the
world will be swept with the besom of destruction under the seven
last plagues. See readings on pages 296, 301.
11. What sign did Christ mention by which His disciples might know when
the destruction of Jerusalem was near?
“And _when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies_, then know that
the desolation thereof is nigh.” Luke 21:20.
12. When this sign appeared, what were the disciples to do?
“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by
Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him
understand:) then let them which be in Judea _flee into the mountains_.”
Matt. 24:15, 16.
NOTE.—In October, 66 A.D., when Cestius came against the city, but
for some unaccountable reason suddenly withdrew his army from it,
the Christians discerned in this the sign foretold by Christ, and
fled. After the departure of Cestius, Josephus, in his “Wars of
the Jews,” chapter 20, says that “many of the most eminent of the
Jews swam away from the city, as from a ship when it is going to
sink.” It is a remarkable fact that in the terrible siege which
occurred under Titus three and one-half years later, not a single
Christian is known to have lost his life, while 1,100,000 Jews are
said to have perished in it. Here is a most striking lesson on the
value and importance of studying and believing the prophecies, and
giving heed to the signs of the times. Those who believed what
Christ had said, and watched for the sign which He had foretold,
were saved, while the unbelieving perished. So it will be in the
end of the world. The watchful and believing will be delivered,
while the careless and unbelieving will be snared and taken. See
Matt. 24:36-44; Luke 21:34-36; 1 Thess. 5:1-6.
13. When the sign appeared, how suddenly were they to flee?
“Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of
his house: neither let him which is in the field return back to take his
clothes.” Verses 17, 18.
14. Besides telling His disciples when to flee, how did Christ further
show His solicitude and tender care for them?
“But pray ye that your flight be not in _the winter_, neither on _the
Sabbath day_.” Verse 20.
NOTES.—The winter would be an unfavorable time in which to flee,
entailing discomfort and hardship; and an attempt to flee on the
Sabbath day would doubtless have been met with difficulty, so
false and pharisaical were the notions of the Jews respecting the
true character and object of the Sabbath. See Matt. 12:1-14; Luke
13:14-17; Mark 1:32; 2:23-28; John 5:10-18.
The prayers of Christ’s followers were heard. Events were so
over-*ruled that neither Jews nor Romans hindered the flight of
the Christians. Upon the retreat of Cestius, the Jews pursued
after his army, and the Christians thus had an opportunity to
leave the city. The country also had been cleared of enemies who
might have endeavored to intercept them. At the time of this
siege, the Jews were assembled at Jerusalem to keep the Feast of
Tabernacles, and thus the Christians of Judea were able to escape
unmolested, and in the autumn, a most favorable time for flight.
15. What trying experience did Christ then foretell?
“For _then shall be great tribulation_, such as was not since the
beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” Verse 21.
NOTES.—In paragraph 4 of his preface to his “Wars of the Jews,”
Josephus, referring to the destruction of Jerusalem, says: “The
misfortunes of all men, from the beginning of the world, if they
be compared to these of the Jews, are not so considerable.” In
this terrible calamity, the prophecy of Moses recorded in Deut.
28:47-53, was literally fulfilled. He said, “Thou shalt eat the
fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy
daughters, ... in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith
thine enemies shall distress thee.” For an account of the
fulfilment of this, see Josephus’s “Wars of the Jews,” book 6,
chap. 3, par. 4.
Following the destruction of Jerusalem came the persecution of the
early Christians under the pagan emperors during the first three
centuries of the Christian era, that begun under Diocletian in 303
A.D., and continuing for ten years (Rev. 2:10), being the most
bitter and extensive persecution of God’s people the world had yet
witnessed. Following this came the still greater and more terrible
persecution of the saints during the long centuries of papal
supremacy, foretold in Dan. 7:25 and Rev. 12:6. All these
tribulations occurred under either pagan or papal Rome.
16. For whose sake did Christ say the period of papal persecution would be
shortened?
“And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be
saved: but _for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened_.” Verse
22.
NOTE.—Through the influence of the Reformation of the sixteenth
century, and the movements which grew out of it, the power of the
Papacy to enforce its decrees against those it pronounced heretics
was gradually lessened, until persecution ceased almost wholly
about the middle of the eighteenth century—the beginning of an
epoch of freedom.
17. Against what deceptions did Christ then warn us?
“Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe
it not. For 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.” Verses 23, 24.
18. Answering the question as to what would be the sign of His coming and
the end of the world, what did Christ say?
“_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 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 shall be shaken.” Luke 21:25, 26.
19. When were the first of these signs to appear, and what were they to
be?
“_Immediately after the tribulation of those days_ shall _the sun be
darkened_, and _the moon shall not give her light_, and _the stars shall
fall from heaven_.” Matt. 24:29.
20. How is this expressed by Mark?
“But _in those days, after that tribulation_, the sun shall be darkened,
and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars of heaven shall fall,
and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.” Mark 13:24, 25.
NOTE.—As already noted, papal persecution almost wholly ceased
about the middle of the eighteenth century. Then, true to Christ’s
words, the signs of His coming at once began to appear.
21. When was there a wonderful darkening of the sun?
On May 19, 1780.
NOTE.—May 19, 1780, is known in history as “the dark day.” On this
day over a large portion of the New World, upon which at this time
the eyes of all the world were centered, there occurred, at
midday, a remarkable darkness. “Candles were lighted in many
houses. The birds were silent, and disappeared. The fowls retired
to roost.” In harmony with the impression God evidently designed
should be made by the sign, many thought the day of judgment was
at hand. See next reading.
22. When did the moon refuse to give her light?
The night following the darkening of the sun, May 19, 1780.
NOTE.—Although the moon had fulled only the night before, the
darkness of this night was so intense that for a time no luminous
body whatever appeared in the heavens, and a sheet of white paper
could not be seen when held within a few inches of the eyes. See
next reading.
23. What sign was to follow the darkening of the sun and the moon?
[Illustration.]
The Dark Day Of May 19, 1780. "Immediately after the tribulation of those
days shall the sun be darkened." Matt. 24:29.
“And _the stars shall fall from heaven_.” Matt. 24:29.
24. When did the stars fall, as here predicted?
Nov. 13, 1833.
NOTE.—On the morning of Nov. 13, 1833, there occurred the most
wonderful exhibition of shooting stars the world has ever seen.
Those who witnessed it, says Professor Olmsted, the celebrated
astronomer of Yale College, “probably saw the greatest display of
celestial fireworks that has ever been since the creation of the
world, or at least within the annals covered by the pages of
history.” The extent of this shower, he says, “was such as to
cover no inconsiderable part of the earth’s surface.” And, like
the darkening of the sun and moon, it was considered by many who
saw it as “the harbinger of the coming of the Son of man.”
25. What were to be the signs on earth of Christ’s coming?
“And upon the earth _distress of nations_, with perplexity; _the sea and
the waves 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
shall be shaken.” Luke 21:25, 26.
NOTE.—This is an exact picture of the condition of things in the
world today. Through greed of gain, lawlessness, licentiousness,
increasing violence, trouble between capital and labor,
international complications, and preparations for war, the nations
are perplexed, and men’s hearts tremble with fear as they look
into the future. The elements are also disturbed, as seen in great
earthquakes and storms on land and sea.
26. What did Christ say was to be the next great event following these
signs?
“And then shall they see _the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and
great glory_.” Verse 27. See Matt. 24:30.
27. When these things should _begin_ to come to pass, what did Christ tell
His people to do?
“And when these things begin to come to pass, then _look up, and lift up
your heads_; for your redemption draweth nigh.” Luke 21:28.
28. When the trees put forth their leaves, what do we know?
“Now learn a parable of the fig-tree; When his branch is yet tender, and
putteth forth leaves, _ye know that summer is nigh_.” Matt. 24:32.
29. What may be known with equal certainty when these signs have been
seen?
“So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, _know that it is
near, even at the doors_.” Verse 33. “So likewise ye, when ye see these
things come to pass, _know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand_.”
Luke 21:31.
30. What did Christ say of the certainty of this prophecy?
“Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these
things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My word shall
not pass away.” Matt. 24:34, 35.
NOTE.—Every one at all acquainted with history knows that what
Christ foretold concerning the destruction of Jerusalem came true
to the very letter. So likewise may we be assured that what He has
said concerning the end of the world will as certainly and as
literally be fulfilled.
31. Who alone knows the exact day of Christ’s coming?
“But of that day and hour _knoweth no man_, no, not the angels of heaven,
but _My Father only_.” Verse 36.
32. What did Christ say would be the moral condition of the world just
preceding His advent?
“But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man
be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were _eating_ and
_drinking_, _marrying_ and _giving in marriage_, until the day that Noe
entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all
away; _so shall also the coming of the Son of man be_.” Verses 37-39.
33. In view of the fact that we do not know the exact time of Christ’s
coming, what important admonition has He given us?
“Therefore _be ye also ready_: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son
of man cometh.” Verse 44.
34. What will be the experience of those who say in their hearts that the
Lord is not soon coming?
“But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his
coming; and shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and to eat and drink
with the drunken; the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he
looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut
him asunder [cut him off, margin], and appoint him his portion with the
hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Verses 48-51.
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
In the sun, and moon, and stars,
Signs and wonders have appeared;
Earth has groaned with bloody wars,
And the hearts of men have feared.
But, though from His awful face
Heaven shall fade and earth shall fly,
Fear not ye, His chosen race,
Your redemption draweth nigh.
REGINALD HEBER.
Signs Of The Times
[Illustration.]
Falling Stars At Niagara. "And the stars shall fall from heaven." Matt.
24:29.
1. For what did Christ reprove the Pharisees and Sadducees?
“O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but _can ye not
discern the signs of the times_?” Matt. 16:3.
2. What sign had been foretold by the prophet Isaiah by which Christ, at
His _first_ advent, might be known as the Messiah?
“Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, _a virgin shall
conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel_.” Isa. 7:14.
For fulfilment, see Matt. 1:22, 23.
3. Where had the prophet said Christ should be born?
“But thou, _Bethlehem_ Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands
of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be ruler
in Israel.” Micah 5:2. For fulfilment, see Matt. 2:1.
4. What prophet had foretold Christ’s ride into Jerusalem?
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem:
behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvation;
_lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass_.”
Zech. 9:9. For fulfilment, see Matt. 21:4, 5.
5. What question did the disciples ask Christ concerning His _second_
coming?
“And as He sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto Him
privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and _what shall be
the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world?_” Matt. 24:3.
6. How, according to Luke, did Christ answer this question?
“And _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 roaring; men’s hearts failing them for fear_, and for
looking after those things which are coming on the earth.” Luke 21:25, 26.
7. What, according to Matthew’s account, did Christ say were to be the
signs in the sun, moon, and stars?
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be
_darkened_, and the moon shall _not give her light_, and the stars shall
_fall from heaven_.” Matt. 24:29.
8. In what language had some of the Old Testament prophets already
foretold these signs?
“And _I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth_, blood, and
fire, and pillars of smoke. _The sun shall be turned into darkness, and
the moon into blood_, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord
come.” Joel 2:30, 31. “The _sun_ and the _moon_ shall be _darkened_, and
the _stars_ shall _withdraw their shining_.” Joel 3:15. “For _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. “I will cause the sun to _go down at noon_,
and I will _darken the earth in a clear day_.” Amos 8:9.
9. When were the sun and moon darkened?
May 19, 1780.
NOTES.—“The nineteenth of May, 1780, was a remarkably dark day.
Candles were lighted in many houses. The birds were silent, and
disappeared. The fowls retired to roost. It was the general
opinion that the day of judgment was at hand. The legislature of
Connecticut was in session at Hartford, but being unable to
transact business, adjourned.”—_President Dwight, in
__“__Historical Collections.__”_
“In some places persons could not see to read common print in the
open air for several hours together. Birds sang their evening
song, disappeared, and became silent; fowls went to roost; cattle
sought the barn-yard; and candles were lighted in the houses. The
obscuration began about ten o’clock in the morning, and continued
until the middle of the next night, but with differences of degree
and duration in different places.... The true causes of this
remarkable phenomenon are not known.”—_Webster’s Unabridged
Dictionary, edition 1883, page 1604, in article __“__The Dark
Day.__”_
Herschel, the great astronomer, says: “The dark day in Northern
America was one of those wonderful phenomena of nature which will
always be read with interest, but which philosophy is at a loss to
explain.” The darkness was not caused by any eclipse of the sun by
the moon, for the moon had fulled only the night before, and
consequently was on the opposite side of the earth from the sun.
“The darkness of the following evening was probably as deep and
dense as ever had been observed since the Almighty first gave
birth to light; it wanted only palpability to render it as
extraordinary as that which overspread the land of Egypt in the
days of Moses. If every luminous body in the universe had been
shrouded in impenetrable shades, or struck out of existence, it
was thought the darkness could not have been more complete. A
sheet of white paper, held within a few inches of the eyes, was
equally invisible with the blackest velvet.”—_“__Our First
Century,__”__ by R. M. Devins, page 94._
The darkness of the night was as supernatural as that of the
previous day, from the fact, as stated by Dr. Adams, that “the
moon had fulled the day before.”
10. When was there a remarkable display of falling stars?
Nov. 13, 1833.
NOTES.—The celebrated astronomer and meteorologist, Professor
Olmsted, of Yale College, says: “Those who were so fortunate as to
witness the exhibition of shooting stars on the morning of Nov.
13, 1833, probably saw the greatest display of celestial fireworks
that has ever been since the creation of the world, or at least
within the annals covered by the pages of history.... The extent
of the shower of 1833 was such as to cover no inconsiderable part
of the earth’s surface, from the middle of the Atlantic on the
east to the Pacific on the west; and from the northern coast of
South America to undefined regions among the British possessions
on the north the exhibition was visible, and everywhere presented
nearly the same appearance.”
“At Niagara the exhibition was especially brilliant, and probably
no spectacle so terribly grand and sublime was ever before beheld
by man as that of the firmament descending in fiery torrents over
the dark and roaring cataract.”—_The American Encyclopedia,
edition 1881, article __“__Meteor.__”_
Upon reading a statement that modern fireworks excel this greatest
exhibition of shooting stars, Mr. Clarkson, father of the former
editors of the paper from which the following quotation is made,
and himself agricultural editor of it, said: “The writer of that
sentence did not witness the glorious meteoric shower of November,
1833, when the display was so much superior to any artistic
display of fireworks that neither language nor any element in
nature can furnish comparisons. The comparison of the sheet-iron
thunder of the theaters to the electric display of Providence when
the heavens are all on fire, and the earth trembles, would be
tolerable. But the awful grandeur of the display on the night of
the thirteenth of November, 1833, which made the stoutest heart
stand in awe, and the most defiant infidel quake with fear, is
never to be compared with the most brilliant fireworks. Those who
witnessed the meteoric shower named saw the greatest display that
man ever will see until the day that Peter speaks of when the
heavens, being on fire, shall be dissolved, and the elements shall
melt with fervent heat. The agricultural editor of the _Register_
was out alone with a team and load of lumber all night on that
never-to-be-forgotten night. And he cannot now consent to hear of
human fireworks being superior to that most grand and sublime
spectacle ever before or since beheld by man. Patent fireworks are
no nearer this wonderful phenomenon than a lightning-bug is equal
to the sun.”—_Iowa State Register, July 12, 1889._
Frederick A. Douglas, in his book “My Bondage and My Freedom,”
page 186, says: “I witnessed this gorgeous spectacle, and was
struck with awe. The air seemed filled with bright descending
messengers from the sky. It was about daybreak when I saw this
sublime scene. It was not without the suggestion at that moment
that it might be _the harbinger of the coming of the Son of man_;
and in my state of mind I was prepared to hail Him as my friend
and deliverer. I had read that the stars shall fall from heaven,
and they were now falling.”
A single star appeared to the wise men, and directed them to the
Saviour, at His first advent. Myriads of stars have announced the
nearness of His second advent.
It will be seen that these signs produced the very impression that
God evidently intended that they should,—that the day of judgment,
Christ’s coming, and the end of the world are near at hand.
11. Have we reached the time when there is “distress of nations, with
perplexity”?
Every intelligent person knows that the world is in a state of unrest at
the present time, and that men are troubled and perplexed at the outlook
of present conditions throughout the civilized world.
NOTES.—“Those who study the map of Europe at the present moment,
and the condition of things in Europe, must feel that there is
hanging over us a war-cloud greater than any that has hung over
Europe before. It means when it bursts, and burst it will as
surely as the sun will rise tomorrow, ... a war of extinction, of
devastation, between great nations whose populations are armed and
trained to fight.”—_Lord Wolseley._
“It is impossible for any one to contemplate the present naval and
military arrangements without the gravest forebodings.... In fact,
we never now have any real peace; we live practically in a state
of war.”—_Sir John Lubbock._
“The danger, if the Ottoman Empire fall, would not merely be the
danger that would threaten the territories of which that empire
consists; it would be the danger that the fire there lit should
spread to the other nations, and should involve all that is most
powerful and civilized in Europe in a dangerous and calamitous
contest.”—_Lord Salisbury, in Mansion House Speech, London, Nov.
9, 1895._
“There can be no division of either of those countries [Turkey or
Persia] without setting all the nations of Europe at the throats
of each other.”—_Washington Post, April 24, 1909._
“This is the most unsettled condition of the world since the
crucifixion of Christ. The stability of government is no longer a
fact. Change is in the atmosphere.... Statesmen are at their wits’
end. Philosophers speculate in vain.”—_The Late Bishop Newman._
12. Are men’s hearts now “failing them for fear, and for looking after
those things which are coming on the earth”?
Every one familiar with present-day conditions knows that this is the
case.
NOTES.—“We are marching toward the unknown. Who knows what
tomorrow has in store for us?”—_Signor Crispi, ex-Prime Minister
of Italy._
[Illustration.]
The Falling Stars, Nov. 13, 1833. "Ye can discern the face of the sky; but
can ye not discern the signs of the times?" Matt. 16:3.
“In regard to the future I am filled with disquietude when I think
how easy it is to fan these international jealousies, and how
difficult it seems to allay them.”—_Lord Balfour, of England._
“In this world of ours we seem to be borne down by commercial and
spiritual controversy.... We grope in the daytime with fear and
trembling for the future. Poor, distracted man is tossed over the
night to a more distraught tomorrow.”—_John Wanamaker,
ex-Postmaster-General of the United States._
“The bonds of society are relaxed; traditional principles are
losing their sacredness, and perils hitherto unknown are menacing
the life of the social organism.”—_Archbishop Ireland._
These, with forebodings of coming droughts, famines, fires,
storms, earthquakes, tidal waves, and pestilences, are filling
men’s hearts with fear.
13. What may be said of “the sea and the waves roaring”?
Great tidal waves and storms at sea, with cyclones and tornadoes on land,
have become fearfully frequent of late years, making men apprehensive of
still greater calamities to come.
14. What, according to the prophecy of Daniel, was to characterize the
time of the end?
“But thou, O 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_.” Dan. 12:4.
NOTES.—The time of the end began in 1798. See Dan. 7:25; 11:35;
12:4, 9, and the reading “The Kingdom and Work of Antichrist,”
page 218, under questions 5-8. Since 1798 there has been a most
wonderful increase of all kinds of knowledge, both scientific and
religious. Men have been “running to and fro” through both the
world and the Word of God. The prophecies of Daniel are now
themselves understood. Since 1798 five great Bible and tract
societies have been organized; namely, the London Religious Tract
Society, the British and Foreign Bible Society, the American Bible
Society, the American Tract Society, and the International Tract
Society, besides many smaller societies of the same kind. From
these have gone forth to the world hundreds of millions of copies
of the Bible, and countless pages of tracts and pamphlets,
disseminating knowledge upon the truths of salvation. Besides
these, millions of copies of religious papers are being circulated
annually in the various countries of the world. Missions have been
established in all parts of the world. All this has been
accomplished since 1798.
Concerning the increase of knowledge in the material, scientific,
and intellectual worlds, see the next reading.
15. What is predicted of the moral condition of the world in the last
days?
“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, ... lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a
form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.” 2 Tim. 3:1-5.
16. How did the apostle Peter say the message of the Lord’s coming would
be treated by some?
“Knowing this first, 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_.” 2 Peter 3:3, 4.
17. What will God’s faithful servants be doing at this time?
“Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler
over his household, to _give them meat in due season_?” Matt. 24:45.
NOTE.—The “meat in due season” here spoken of evidently refers to
the proclamation of the message based upon the signs which
indicate the near approach of the Lord. The preaching of this
message is what causes scoffers mockingly to ask, “Where is the
_promise of His coming_?”
18. What are all admonished to do when these signs have appeared?
“Therefore _be ye also ready_: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son
of man cometh.” Verse 44.
19. How will Christ’s coming overtake those evil servants who say in their
hearts, “My Lord delayeth His coming”?
“The lord of that servant shall come in a day _when he looketh not for
him, and in an hour that he is not aware of_, and shall _cut him asunder,
and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites_: there shall be weeping
and gnashing of teeth.” Verses 50, 51.
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
We know not the hour of the Master’s appearing,
Yet signs all foretell that the moment is nearing
When He shall return,—’tis a promise most cheering,—
But we know not the hour.
There’s light for the wise who are seeking salvation,
There’s truth in the Book of the Lord’s revelation,
Each prophecy points to the great consummation,—
But we know not the hour.
We’ll watch and we’ll pray, with our lamps trimmed and burning,
We’ll work and we’ll wait till the Master’s returning,
We’ll sing and rejoice, every omen discerning,—
But we know not the hour.
F. E. BELDEN.
Increase Of Knowledge
[Illustration.]
Modern Inventions. "Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be
increased." Dan. 12:4.
1. According to the words of the angel to Daniel, when might the world
look for an increase of knowledge?
“But thou, O 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.” Dan. 12:4.
NOTE.—The prophecies of Daniel were not to be shut up till the
_end_, for then there would be no time either to develop knowledge
or to use the knowledge thus acquired, but until “the _time of the
end_,” which refers to a short period just preceding the end.
During this time there was to be a wonderful increase of
knowledge. Especially were the prophecies of the book of Daniel to
be unsealed, studied, and understood at this time.
2. Until what time were the saints to be persecuted under the Roman power?
“And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge,
and to make them white, _even to the time of the end: because it is yet
for a time appointed_.” Dan. 11:35.
NOTE.—The time of the end, as shown by this text, was even then,
in the days of Daniel, an appointed time, in the mind of God. This
is not strange, when we learn that in the Scriptures both the
judgment and the end itself are said to be appointed times. Acts
17:31; Dan. 8:19. The close of the period allotted for this
persecution (1798) was to mark the beginning of “the time of the
end.” See page 223.
3. According to the prophecy, how long was the power represented by the
little horn, or papal Rome, to persecute the saints?
“And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out
the saints of the Most High, ... and they shall be given into his hand
_until a time and times and the dividing of time_.” Dan. 7:25.
NOTES.—As shown in the reading on “The Kingdom and Work of
Antichrist,” page 218, this expression, “a time and times and the
dividing of time,” represents 1260 years, which extend from the
period 533-538 A.D., the time of the decree of Emperor Justinian
recognizing the Pope as head of all the churches and the
successful campaign against Arianism, to the period 1793-98, when,
as a result of the French Revolution, the papal power received its
deadly wound and the Pope was carried into captivity. This, then,
locates the beginning of “the time of the end” in 1798. Up to that
point the book of Daniel, as a whole, was to be closed up; in
other words, not understood by the people. But when the power that
had placed this embargo on the Word of God, and had tried to shut
it away from the people, was broken, then light of all kinds,
Biblical, scientific, inventive, and industrial, began to shine
and penetrate in every direction.
It is a singular and striking fact that immediately following the
overthrow of the papal power in 1798, Bible societies, tract
societies, and Sunday-schools sprang up in large numbers. The
London Religious Tract Society was organized in 1799, the British
and Foreign Bible Society in 1804, the American Bible Society in
1816, and the American Tract Society in 1825. The Bible has now
been translated into about four hundred and fifty languages and
dialects, and sent to every part of the globe. Before that time
access to the Bible was confined to comparatively few. Now the
humblest person may possess it, and is as free to read and study
it as is the most exalted in the land. A little more than one
hundred years ago there was not a Sunday-school in the world, the
first one being organized by Robert Raikes, at Gloucester,
England, in 1784. Now there are more than 285,000 such schools,
with over 28,000,000 officers, teachers, and pupils.
4. What may be said of the developments in the line of scientific
inventions since 1798?
These have been remarkable, phenomenal, and without parallel in the
history of the world. The people of a century and a quarter ago knew
nothing of steamships, steam and electric railways, telegraphs,
telephones, photographs, phonographs, sewing-machines, anesthetics,
submarine cables, linotypes, monotypes, motion pictures, X-rays,
aeroplanes, or wireless telegraphy. Were they to be raised from the dead,
they would be as much astonished at all these things as would the people
of four thousand years ago.
NOTES.—“Of a verity, this is the age of invention.”—_Scientific
American._
“The great facts of the nineteenth century stand out so
conspicuously above the achievements of any preceding century that
it would be affectation of humility not to recognize and speak of
them.”—_Union Hand-*book, 1870._
“The most striking characteristic of our times is the rapid
strides which the world is making in science, general
intelligence, and inventions.”—_Chicago Republican, March 14,
1872._
“Never was there such activity of invention within the history of
mankind as at the present day.”—_Phrenological Journal, April,
1871._
“More has been done, richer and more prolific discoveries have
been made, grander achievements have been realized, in the course
of the fifty years of our lifetime than in all the previous
lifetime of the race.”—_London Spectator._
Some of the principal inventions and discoveries of modern times
are the following:—
The balloon in 1798.
Gas for lighting purposes in 1798.
Cast-iron plow in 1800.
Steel pen in 1803.
Steamboat in 1807.
Steam printing-press in 1811.
Revolver in 1818.
Railroad-cars in 1825.
Lucifer-match in 1829.
Reaper and mower in 1833.
Electric telegraph in 1837.
Electrotyping in 1837.
Photography in 1839.
Sewing-machine in 1846.
Anesthesia by ether in 1846.
Anesthesia by chloroform in 1847.
Submarine cable in 1851.
Gatling gun in 1861.
Monitor war-ship in 1862.
Typewriter in 1868.
Automatic air-brake in 1872.
Telephone in 1876.
Phonograph in 1877.
Electric railway in 1879.
Modern seismograph in 1880.
Linotype in 1885.
Steam-turbine in 1888.
Roentgen or X-ray in 1895.
Wireless telegraphy in 1895.
Motion pictures in 1895.
Monotype in 1896.
Radium in 1902.
Aeroplane, first successful flying, Dec. 17, 1903.
It will be noticed that none of these inventions antedate 1798. Go back a
little over a century and we find the world about where it was in the days
of the patriarchs. For thousands of years there seemed to be scarcely any
advancement or improvement in knowledge. But suddenly with the opening of
the nineteenth century, the world awoke from its long sleep, and a new era
dawned,—the time of the end, when knowledge was to be increased.
5. What did the Saviour say should precede the end?
“And _this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a
witness unto all nations_; and then shall the end come.” Matt. 24:14.
NOTE.—Luther, the Wesleys, and others could not, in their day,
proclaim the Lord’s coming to be at hand, as the signs heralding
this event had not taken place. But now, the sun and moon have
been darkened, and the stars have fallen, as predicted by the
Saviour knowledge has most wonderfully increased, as stated by the
angel to Daniel; and the gospel has gone to nearly every kindred,
tribe, and people in the world. Therefore we may know that the end
is near.
6. When we see all these things, what are we to know?
“When ye shall see all these things, _know that it is near, even at the
doors_.” Verse 33.
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
Lift up the trumpet, and loud let it ring;
Jesus is coming again!
Cheer up, ye pilgrims, be joyful and sing;
Jesus is coming again!
Echo it, hilltops, proclaim it, ye plains;
Jesus is coming again!
Coming in glory, the Lamb that was slain;
Jesus is coming again!
JESSIE E. STROUT.
Conflict Between Capital And Labor
[Illustration.]
Race For Supremacy. "Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of
thee." Luke 12:20.
1. What is one reason why the last days were to be perilous?
“Men shall be _lovers of their own selves, covetous_.” 2 Tim. 3:2.
2. When, according to prophecy, were men to amass great wealth?
“Go to now, _ye rich men_, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come
upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten.
Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness
against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. _Ye have heaped
treasure together for the last days._” James 5:1-3.
NOTE.—We have reached the age of vast accumulations of wealth,
when there seems to be a mad rush for making money quickly, and
the millionaire and the multimillionaire are much in evidence.
Speaking on this subject, Rev. H. W. Bowman, in his work “War
Between Capital and Labor,” says: “Such colossal fortunes, such
hoarding of treasures, such combinations of wealth, with such
rapid increase in poverty, were never witnessed before. Our age
alone fits the prophetic mold.”
3. Why did Christ, in the parable, reprove the man who hid his talent?
“Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed
not, and gather where I have not strawed: _thou oughtest therefore to have
put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have
received mine own with usury_.” Matt. 25:26, 27.
NOTE.—“Servility to wealth,” says J. S. Mill, “is a social curse.”
Vespasian spoke truly when he said, “Riches are well, if gotten
well and well spent;” and Peter Cooper likewise uttered a great
truth when he said, “A man of wealth is but a steward for the good
of mankind.” James A. Patten, the retired Chicago millionaire
wheat broker, announcing his intention to give away his fortune to
charity, said: “I believe a man should give away a good share of
his wealth while he is living. He can’t take a dollar out of the
world with him, although I know some men who seem to believe they
can. Personally, I mean to get rid of the most of my fortune. I
hope to help many charitable institutions before I die. I doubt
the advisability of leaving any great sum of money to one’s
children. Many lives have been ruined by large bequests. The
offspring of a rich man are better off if they are required to
hustle for themselves.”—_Washington Times, Nov. 5, 1910._
4. What did Christ tell the rich young man to do?
“Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, _go and sell that thou
hast, and give to the poor_, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and
come and follow Me.” Matt. 19:21.
5. What, in the parable, did God say to the rich man who thought to build
larger barns in which to store his goods?
“But God said unto him, _Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required
of thee_: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?”
Luke 12:20.
6. How does James say the rich have lived?
“_Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton_; ye have
nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.” James 5:5.
NOTE.—This indicates that they have lived in luxury and for
pleasure, quite heedless of the needs of the poor and of the great
world about them. They have lived simply to have a good time
themselves, with no thought of their responsibility to God or to
their fellow men.
7. Who gives men the power to get wealth?
“But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for _it is He that giveth thee
power to get wealth_.” Deut. 8:18.
8. How does James say the rich have treated the just?
“_Ye have condemned and killed the just_; and he doth not resist you.”
James 5:6.
NOTE.—There is nothing more rapacious and heartless than greed, or
covetousness. To obtain its ends, it disregards the rights, the
welfare, and even the lives of those affected by its merciless
schemes and intrigues. The righteous, or just, however, do not
make forcible resistance to this unjust treatment.
9. How have the rich defrauded the laborers?
“Behold, _the hire of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which
is of you kept back by fraud_, crieth: and the cries of them which have
reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.” Verse 4.
10. Seeking a fair remuneration, what do many laborers do?
Form labor-unions, engage in strikes, boycotts, etc.
NOTE.—While these means may hold matters in check for a time, and
afford temporary relief, they cannot eradicate the evil, and bring
about a final solution. The evil is deep-seated; it lies in the
heart; and nothing but conversion—a change of the heart and of the
affections—can eradicate it. It is the sin of selfishness, or
covetousness,—a failure to love one’s neighbor as oneself. The
conflict between capital and labor is an inevitable and an
irrepressible conflict as long as sin and selfishness are in the
world. And near the end it becomes the most acute and intense,
because then sin comes to the full.
11. Do the Scriptures indicate that there will be violence manifested in
this conflict?
“Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his! how long? and to him
that ladeth himself with thick clay! _Shall they not rise up suddenly that
shall bite thee, and awake that shall vex thee, and thou shalt be for
booties unto them?_” Hab. 2:6, 7.
12. Would God have His people unite in these combinations?
“_Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A
confederacy_; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid.” Isa. 8:12.
13. Whom should we fear and dread?
“Sanctify _the Lord of hosts Himself_; and let Him be your fear, and let
Him be your dread.” Verse 13.
14. What are God’s people told to do at this time?
“_Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord._ Behold,
the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long
patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. _Be ye also
patient_; stablish your hearts: _for the coming of the Lord draweth
nigh_.” James 5:7, 8.
15. What commands obeyed would bring about a peaceful solution to this
wide-spread and growing conflict?
“Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” Matt. 22:39. “Look not every
man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” Phil.
2:4. “Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to
them.” Matt. 7:12.
Christ’s Second Coming
[Illustration.]
Christ Answering His Disciples’ Questions. "When ye shall see all these
things, know that it is near, even at the doors." Matt. 24:33.
1. What promise did Christ make concerning His coming?
“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me. In
My Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told
you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for
you, _I will come again_, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am,
there ye may be also.” John 14:1-3.
2. Following the signs of His coming, what did Christ say would take
place?
“And then shall they see _the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and
great glory_.” Luke 21:27.
3. Will the world be prepared to meet Him?
“And then shall appear the sign 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. “Behold, He cometh with 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.
4. Why will many not be prepared for this event?
“But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, _My lord delayeth
his coming_; and shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and to eat and
drink with the drunken; the lord of that servant shall come in a day when
he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall
cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there
shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matt. 24:48-51.
5. What will the world be doing when Christ comes?
“But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man
be. For as in the days that were before the flood _they were eating and
drinking, marrying and giving in marriage_, until the day that Noe entered
into the ark, and knew not till the flood came, and took them all away; so
shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Verses 37-39. “Likewise also
as it was in the days of Lot; _they did eat, they drank, they bought, they
sold, they planted, they builded_; but the same day that Lot went out of
Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.” Luke
17:28-30.
NOTE.—The idea is, not that it is wrong in itself to eat, drink,
marry, buy, sell, plant, or build, but that men’s minds will be so
taken up with these things that they will give little or no
thought to the future life, and make no plans or preparation to
meet Jesus when He comes.
6. Who is it that blinds men to the gospel of Christ?
“In whom _the god of this world_ hath blinded the minds of them which
believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, which is the
image of God, should shine unto them.” 2 Cor. 4:4.
NOTES.—“To my mind this precious doctrine—for such I must call
it—of the return of the Lord to this earth is taught in the New
Testament as clearly as any other doctrine in it; yet I was in the
church fifteen or sixteen years before I ever heard a sermon on
it. There is hardly any church that does not make a great deal of
baptism; but in all of Paul’s epistles I believe baptism is spoken
of only thirteen times, while it speaks about the return of our
Lord fifty times; and yet the church has had very little to say
about it. Now I can see a reason for this. The devil does not want
us to see this truth; for nothing would wake up the church so
much. The moment a man takes hold of the truth that Jesus Christ
is coming back again to receive His followers to Himself, this
world loses its hold on him. Gas stocks, and water stocks, and
stocks in banks and railroads are of very much less consequence to
him then. His heart is free, and he looks for the blessed
appearing of his Lord, who, at His coming, will take him into His
blessed kingdom.”—_“__The Second Coming of Christ,__”__ by D. L.
Moody, pages 6, 7._
“ ‘This same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven, _shall
so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven_,’ is
the parting promise of Jesus to His disciples, communicated
through the two men in white apparel, as a cloud received Hun out
of their sight. When after more than fifty years in glory He
breaks the silence and speaks once more in the Revelation which He
gave to His servant John, the post-ascension gospel which He sends
opens with, ‘_Behold, He cometh with clouds_,’ and closes with,
‘_Surely I come quickly_.’ Considering the solemn emphasis thus
laid upon this doctrine, and considering the great prominence
given to it throughout the teaching of our Lord and of His
apostles, how was it that for the first five years of my pastoral
life it had absolutely no place in my preaching? Undoubtedly, the
reason lay in the lack of early instruction. Of all the sermons
heard from childhood on, I do not remember listening to a single
one upon this subject.”—_“__How Christ Came to Church,__”__ by A.
J. Gordon, D. D., pages 44, 45._
7. At His ascension, what assurance was given of Christ’s return?
“And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold,
two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of
Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? _this same Jesus, which is
taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have
seen Him go into heaven_.” Acts 1:10, 11.
8. How ancient is this doctrine of Christ’s coming?
“And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying,
_Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints_, to execute
judgment upon all.” Jude 14, 15.
NOTE.—Seeking to cast reflection upon modern believers in the
advent doctrine, a man in Hungary not long ago remarked to a
colporteur of this faith that he had heard that the first
Adventist preacher is still living. “Yes,” replied the colporteur,
“the first Adventist preacher is still living, yet the Adventist
faith is thousands of years old. The Bible says that Enoch also,
the seventh from Adam, preached the coming of Christ in glory and
power, and Enoch is still living. He was translated to heaven
without seeing death, and will never die.”
9. What was Job’s confidence concerning Christ’s coming?
“For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter
day upon the earth: ... whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall
behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.” Job
19:25-27.
10. How does David speak of Christ’s coming?
“Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour
before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about Him.” Ps. 50:3.
“For He cometh, for He cometh to judge the earth: He shall judge the world
with righteousness, and the people with His truth.” Ps. 96:13.
11. How does Paul give expression to this hope?
“For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the
Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Phil. 3:20. “Looking for that blessed
hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus
Christ.” Titus 2:13.
12. What is Peter’s testimony regarding it?
“For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known
unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were
eye-witnesses of His majesty.” 2 Peter 1:16.
13. When are the saints to be like Jesus?
“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we
shall be: but we know that, _when He shall appear, we shall be like Him_;
for we shall see Him as He is.” 1 John 3:2.
14. What scriptures show that Christ’s coming will be a time of reward?
“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.
“And, behold, I come quickly; _and My reward is with Me_, to give every
man according as his work shall be.” Rev. 22:12.
15. To whom is salvation promised at Christ’s appearing?
“So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and _unto them that
look for Him_ shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”
Heb. 9:28.
16. What influence has this hope upon the life?
“We know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall
see Him as He is. And _every man that hath this hope in him purifieth
himself, even as He is pure_.” 1 John 3:2, 3.
17. To whom does Paul say a crown of righteousness is promised?
“For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at
hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept
the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness,
which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to
me only, but _unto all them also that love His appearing_.” 2 Tim. 4:6-8.
18. What will the waiting ones say when Jesus comes?
“And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for
Him, and He will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for Him, we
will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.” Isa. 25:9.
19. Has the exact time of Christ’s coming been revealed?
“But of that day and hour _knoweth no man_, no, not the angels of heaven,
but my Father only.” Matt. 24:36.
20. In view of this fact, what does Christ tell us to do?
“_Watch therefore_: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.” Verse
42.
NOTE.—“In the Scriptures, the constant note, the continually
recurring exhortation, is to be prepared for the Lord’s
coming.”—_Dean Alford._ “The proper attitude of a Christian is to
be always looking for his Lord’s return.”—_D. L. Moody._ See “How
Christ Came to Church,” by A. J. Gordon, pages 49, 50.
21. What warning has Christ given that we might not be taken by surprise
by this great event?
“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. For as a snare shall it come on all them that
dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always,
that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come
to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” Luke 21:34-36.
22. What Christian grace are we exhorted to exercise in our expectant
longing for this event?
“Be _patient_ therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold,
the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long
patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also
_patient_; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.”
James 5:7, 8.
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
I am waiting for the coming
Of earth’s long-expected Lord;
For the signs are now fulfilling
That He gave us in His Word.
I am watching, I am waiting,
For that promised happy day;
Yet I do not cease my working;
I must work as well as pray.
W. S. CRUZAN.
Manner Of Christ’s Coming
[Illustration.]
Coming In Glory. "Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see
Him." Rev. 1:7.
1. Is Christ coming again?
“I will come _again_.” John 14:3.
2. How does Paul speak of this coming?
“Unto them that look for Him shall He appear _the second time_ without sin
unto salvation.” Heb. 9:28.
3. Did the early disciples think that death would be the second coming of
Christ?
“Peter seeing him [John] saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do?
Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry _till I come_, what is that
to thee? follow thou Me. Then went this saying abroad among the brethren,
that that disciple _should not die_: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall
not die; but, If I will that he tarry _till I come_, what is that to
thee?” John 21:21-23.
NOTES.—From this it is evident that the early disciples regarded
death and the coming of Christ as two separate events.
“ ‘Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not
the Son of man cometh.’ Some people say that means death; but the
Word of God does not say it means death. Death is our enemy, but
our Lord hath the keys of death; He has conquered death, hell, and
the grave.... Christ is the Prince of Life; there is no death
where He is; death flees at His coming; dead bodies sprang to life
when He touched them or spoke to them. His coming is not death. He
is the resurrection and the life. When He sets up His kingdom,
there is to be no death, but life forevermore.”—_“__The Second
Coming of Christ,__”__ by D. L. Moody, pages 10, 11._
4. At His ascension, how did the angels say Christ would come again?
[Illustration.]
The Ascension. "This same Jesus ... shall so come in like manner as ye
have seen Him go into heaven." Acts 1:11.
“And when He had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken up;
and _a cloud received Him out of their sight_. And while they looked
steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in
white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up
into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven,
_shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven_.” Acts
1:9-11.
5. How did Christ Himself say He would come?
“For the Son of man shall come _in the glory of His Father with His
angels_.” Matt. 16:27. “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. “For whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and
of My words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when _He shall come
in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels_.” Luke
9:26.
6. How many will see Him when He comes?
“Behold, He cometh with clouds; and _every eye shall see Him_, and they
also which pierced Him.” Rev. 1:7.
NOTE.—Christ’s second coming will be as real as was His first, and
as visible as His ascension, and far more glorious. To
spiritualize our Lord’s return is to pervert the obvious meaning
of His promise, “I will come again,” and nullify the whole plan of
redemption; for the reward of the faithful of all ages is to be
given at this most glorious of all events.
7. What wonderful demonstration will accompany the Lord’s coming?
“The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven _with a shout, with the voice
of the Archangel, and with the trump of God_: and the dead in Christ shall
rise first.” 1 Thess. 4:16.
8. What warning has Christ given concerning false views of the manner of
His coming?
“Then if any man shall say unto you, _Lo, here is Christ, or there;
believe it not_. For 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. Behold, I have told you
before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, He is in the
_desert_; go not forth: behold, He is in the _secret chambers_; believe it
not.” Matt. 24:23-26.
9. How visible is His coming to be?
“For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the
west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Verse 27.
Object Of Christ’s Coming
[Illustration.]
The Transfiguration. "Behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me."
Rev. 22:12.
1. For what purpose did Christ say He would come again?
“I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you,
_I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye
may be also_.” John 14:2, 3.
2. What part will the angels have in this event?
“And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and _they
shall gather together His elect_ from the four winds, from one end of
heaven to the other.” Matt. 24:31.
3. What takes place at the sounding of the trumpet?
“For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the
voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God: and _the dead in Christ
shall rise first_.” 1 Thess. 4:16.
4. What will be done with the righteous living?
“Then we which are alive and remain 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.” Verse 17.
5. What change will then take place in both the living and the sleeping
saints?
“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 _incorruptible_, and we shall be changed. For
this corruptible must put on _incorruption_, and this mortal must put on
_immortality_.” 1 Cor. 15:51-53.
6. When are the saints to be like Jesus?
“But we know that, _when He shall appear, we shall be like Him_; for we
shall see Him as He is.” 1 John 3:2.
7. How many will receive a reward when Christ comes?
“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.
8. What does He say He will bring with Him when He comes?
“Behold, I come quickly; and _My reward is with Me_, to give every man
according as his works shall be.” Rev. 22:12.
9. What promise is made to those who look for Him?
“So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that
look for Him _shall He appear the second time without sin unto
salvation_.” Heb. 9:28.
10. When did Christ say the good would be recompensed?
“For thou shalt be recompensed _at the resurrection of the just_.” Luke
14:14.
11. Have the worthies of old gone to their reward?
“And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, _received not
the promise_: God having provided some better thing for us, _that they
without us should not be made perfect_.” Heb. 11:39, 40.
12. When did Paul expect to receive his crown?
“Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the
Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me _at that day_: and not to me
only, but unto all them also that love His appearing.” 2 Tim. 4:8.
13. Will this be a time of judgment?
“And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying,
Behold, _the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints, to execute
judgment upon all_.” Jude 14, 15.
14. How did David express himself on this point?
“_For He cometh, for He cometh to judge the earth_: He shall judge the
world with righteousness, and the people with His truth.” Ps. 96:13.
15. When did Paul say Christ would judge the living and the dead?
“I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, _who shall
judge the quick and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom_.” 2 Tim.
4:1.
16. What great separation will then take place?
“When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with
Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory: and before Him shall
be gathered all nations: and _He shall separate them one from another, as
a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats_.” Matt. 25:31, 32.
17. What will He say to those on His right hand?
“Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, _Come, ye blessed of
My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the
world_.” Verse 34.
18. What will He say to those on the left?
“Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, _Depart from Me, ye
cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels_.”
Verse 41.
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
At the sounding of the trumpet, when the saints are gathered home,
We shall greet each other by the crystal sea;
When the Lord Himself from heaven to His glory bids them come,
What a gathering of the faithful that will be!
When the angel of the Lord proclaims that time shall be no more,
We shall gather, and the saved and ransomed see;
Then to meet again together, on the bright, celestial shore,
What a gathering of the faithful that will be!
At the great and final judgment, when the hidden comes to light,
When the Lord in all His glory we shall see;
At the bidding of our Saviour, “Come, ye blessed, to My right,”
What a gathering of the faithful that will be!
When the golden harps are sounding, and the angel bands proclaim
In triumphant strains the glorious jubilee;
Then to meet and join to sing the song of Moses and the Lamb,
What a gathering of the faithful that will be!
J. H. KURZENKNABE.
The Resurrection Of The Just
[Illustration.]
The Resurrection Of Christ. "I am He that liveth, and was dead; ... and
have the keys of hell and of death." Rev. 1:18.
1. Concerning what should we not be ignorant?
“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, _concerning them which
are asleep_, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.” 1
Thess. 4:13.
2. What is set forth as the basis for hope and comfort?
“For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, _even so them also
which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him_.” Verse 14.
3. When will this resurrection of the saints take place?
“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 [precede] them
which are asleep. _For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven_ with a
shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God: _and
the dead in Christ shall rise first_.” Verses 15, 16.
4. What will then take place?
“Then we which are alive and remain 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.” Verse 17.
5. With what are we to comfort one another?
“Wherefore comfort one another _with these words_.” Verse 18.
NOTE.—The hope of a resurrection from the dead to a life immortal
is the great hope set forth in the gospel.
6. Concerning what did Christ tell us not to marvel?
“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.” John 5:28, 29.
7. What is said of those embraced in the first resurrection?
“Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such
the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of
Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.” Rev. 20:6.
8. Upon what one fact does Paul base the Christian hope?
“Now if Christ be preached that He rose from the dead, how say some among
you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But _if there be no
resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: and if Christ be not
risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain_. Yea, and
we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that
_He raised up Christ_: whom He raised not up, if so be that the dead rise
not. For _if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: and if Christ
be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins_. Then they
also which are fallen asleep in Christ are _perished_. If in this life
only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” 1 Cor.
15:12-19.
9. What positive declaration does the apostle then make?
“_But now is Christ risen from the dead_, and become the first-fruits of
them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the
resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall
all be made alive.” Verses 20-22.
NOTE.—The resurrection of Christ is in many respects the most
significant fact in history. It is the great and impregnable
foundation and hope of the Christian church. Every fundamental
truth of Christianity is involved in the resurrection of Christ.
If this could be overthrown, every essential doctrine of
Christianity would be invalidated. The resurrection of Christ is
the pledge of our resurrection and future life.
10. What does Christ proclaim Himself to be?
“_I am the resurrection and the life_: he that believeth in Me, though he
were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in Me
shall never die.” John 11:25, 26. “_I am He that liveth, and was dead_;
and, behold, _I am alive forevermore_, Amen; _and have the keys of hell
and of death_.” Rev. 1:18.
NOTE.—Christ changed death into a _sleep_. Absolute death knows no
waking; but through Christ all who have fallen under the power of
death will be raised, some to a life unending, some to everlasting
death.
11. What question does Job ask and answer?
“_If a man die, shall he live again?_ all the days of my appointed time
will I wait, till my change come. _Thou shalt call, and I will answer
Thee_: Thou wilt have a desire to the work of Thine hands.” Job 14:14, 15.
12. Why did Job wish that his words were written in a book, graven with an
iron pen and lead in the rock forever?
“_For I know that My Redeemer liveth_, and that He shall stand at the
latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin worms destroy this
body, yet _in my flesh shall I see God_.” Job 19:25, 26.
13. How does Paul say the saints will be raised?
“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 incorruptible_.” 1
Cor. 15:51, 52.
14. What great change will then take place in their bodies?
“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_.” Verses 42-44.
15. What saying will then be brought to pass?
“O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” Verse 55.
16. When did David say he would be satisfied?
“As for me, I will behold Thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied,
_when I awake, with Thy likeness_.” Ps. 17:15.
17. What comforting promise has God made concerning the sleeping saints?
“I will _ransom them from the power of the grave_; I will _redeem them
from death_: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy
destruction.” Hosea 13:14.
18. What else has He promised to do?
“And God _shall wipe away all tears_ from their eyes; and there shall be
no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more
pain: for the former things are passed away.” Rev. 21:4. See pages
759-785.
[Illustration.]
The Deluge. "And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away."
Matt. 24:39.
The World’s Conversion
[Illustration.]
After The Flood. "Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse,
deceiving, and being deceived." 2 Tim. 3:13.
1. What did Christ say would be the condition of the world at His second
coming?
“_As it was in the days of Noe_, so shall it be also in the days of the
Son of man.” Luke 17:26. See also verses 27-30.
2. How was it in the days of Noah?
“And God saw that _the wickedness of man was great in the earth_, and that
_every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil
continually_.... And _the earth was filled with violence_.” Gen. 6:5-11.
NOTE.—In a sermon delivered at Savannah, Ga., Dec. 2 1912, Bishop
A. W. Wilson (Methodist) said: “Old Rome in her worst days never
harbored such conditions of vice as are prevalent in our highest
social circles. Never at any period of the world’s history has the
moral stratum been so thin or so low.”
3. How did Paul characterize the last days?
“This know also, that in the last days _perilous times shall come_.” 2
Tim. 3:1.
4. What did he say would make those times perilous?
“For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud,
blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural
affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers
of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures
more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power
thereof.” Verses 2-5.
5. Are things to grow better or worse before the Lord comes?
“_But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse_, deceiving, and
being deceived.” Verse 13.
NOTE.—“Even to the end of time there will still be occasion for
the same complaint; the world will grow no better, no, not when it
is drawing toward its period. Bad it is, and bad it will be, and
_worst of all_ just before Christ’s coming.”—_Matthew Henry, on
Luke 18:8._
6. According to the parable of the wheat and the tares, how long are the
good and bad to remain together?
“The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom;
but the tares are the children of the wicked one; the enemy that sowed
them is the devil.” “_Let both grow together until the harvest_: and in
the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first
the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them.” Matt. 13:38, 39, 30.
7. When does the harvest come?
“The harvest is _the end of the world_.” Verse 39.
NOTES.—Thus it is plain that the wicked (the tares) live with the
righteous (the wheat) till the end of the world. There is, then,
no time before Christ’s coming for a sinless state, in which all
men will be converted and turn to God.
Harper’s “Book of Facts,” edition 1906, article “Religion,”
classifies the population of the globe religiously as follows:—
Non-Christian Christian
Buddhists 400,000,000 Roman 175,000,000
Catholics
Brahmans 250,000,000 Protestants 110,000,000
Mohammedans 180,000,000 Greek Church 90,000,000
Fetish-worshipers 150,000,000 Various 25,000,000
Jews 8,000,000
Various 62,000,000
1,050,000,000 400,000,000
From this it will be seen that only about one fourth of the
world’s population are even nominal Christians.
8. For what purpose did Christ say the gospel was to be preached in all
the world?
“And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world _for a
witness unto all nations_; and then shall the end come.” Matt. 24:14.
NOTES.—He did not say that all would _receive_ the gospel, but
that the gospel was to be _preached_ in all the world _for a
witness_ unto all nations, and that _then_ the end would come.
Commenting on Rev. 20:2, Dr. Adam Clarke says: “Probably no such
time shall ever appear, in which evil shall be wholly banished
from the earth, till after the day of judgment, when, the earth
having been burned up, a new heaven and a new earth shall be
produced out of the ruins of the old, by the mighty power of God;
righteousness alone shall dwell in them.”—_Clarke’s Commentary,
edition 1860._
9. When is the “man of sin,” or “mystery of iniquity,” called also “that
Wicked,” to come to an end?
“And 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.” 2 Thess. 2:8.
10. How long was the little horn of Dan. 7:25 to make war with the saints?
“I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed
against them; _until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to
the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed
the kingdom_.” Dan. 7:21, 22.
11. How will the day of the Lord come upon the world?
“For yourselves know perfectly that _the day of the Lord so cometh as a
thief in the night_. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then
sudden destruction cometh upon them, ... and they shall not escape. But
ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a
thief.” 1 Thess. 5:2-4.
NOTE.—There will be but two classes in the world then: those in
darkness, who are looking for a time of peace and safety, and
those not in darkness, who are looking for the day of the Lord,—a
day of waste and destruction,—the coming of Christ and the end of
the world. See Jer. 7:1-19; Dan. 12:1; Joel 2:1-11; Zephaniah 1.
12. What will some who are in darkness say when they hear about the Lord’s
coming?
“Knowing this first, 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.” 2 Peter 3:3, 4.
13. What will be popularly taught in the last days?
“But in the last days ... _many nations shall come, and say_, Come, and
let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of
Jacob; ... and He shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations
afar off; _and they 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_.” Micah 4:1-3. See also
Isa. 2:2-5.
NOTE.—Notice, this is not what the _Lord_ says, but what the Lord
says _many nations_ shall say in the last days. And this is the
very message now heard in every land,—a great world’s peace
movement; a call for all nations to disarm, to go to war no more,
and to profess religion.
14. What message indicates the true condition of things?
“Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; _Prepare war, wake up the mighty
men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: beat your
plowshares into swords, and your pruning-hooks into spears: let the weak
say, I am strong_.” Joel 3:9, 10.
NOTE.—On this question of preparing for war, note the following:—
Armies of the World
Regular National Army
Standing Army Including
(1909) Reserves
Austria-Hungary 409,000 5,840,000
Belgium 45,000 125,000
British Empire 250,000 1,050,000
China 60,000 1,000,000
Denmark 14,000 68,000
France 630,000 4,350,000
Germany 617,000 3,000,000
Greece 28,000 178,000
Italy 264,000 3,200,000
Japan 225,000 600,000
Netherlands 40,000 500,000
Norway 30,000 95,000
Persia 24,500 105,000
Portugal 30,000 175,000
Russia 1,100,000 5,200,000
Servia 35,000 353,000
Spain 100,000 1,000,000
Sweden 62,000 500,000
Switzerland 140,000 275,000
Turkey 350,000 1,500,000
United States 89,128 208,054
Total 4,542,628 29,322,054
Naval Expenditures of the Great Powers for Ten Years—1902-11.
Expenditure New
Construction
Great Britain $1,761,500,000 $589,875,000
Germany 737,695,000 351,010,000
France 660,695,000 236,430,000
Russia 556,730,000 164,280,000
Italy 301,145,000 82,750,000
Austria 154,070,000 74,165,000
United States 1,150,680,000 367,050,000
Japan 288,505,000 76,155,000
Total $5,611,320,000 $1,941,715,000
Thus in only ten years these eight great powers spent over seven
and one-half billion dollars on their navies.
“The immense armies maintained by European countries have come to
be a terrific drain upon their respective nations.”—_Nelson’s
Encyclopedia, article __“__Army.__”_
15. While making these war preparations, what are men saying?
“They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of My people slightly,
_saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace_.” Jer. 6:14.
NOTE.—Every one conversant with existing conditions in the world
today knows this is true. While the message of peace is being
proclaimed, the nations are arming as never before; wars are in
progress almost continually; international complications are
constantly arising; and a world war is feared as imminent, and
constantly looming in sight. The world today is a vast armed camp.
16. But does not the Bible say that the heathen are to be given to the
Lord for an inheritance?
“Ask of Me, and _I shall give Thee the heathen for Thine inheritance_, and
the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession.” Ps. 2:8.
17. What will the Lord do with them?
“Thou shalt _break them with a rod of iron_; Thou shalt _dash them in
pieces_ like a potter’s vessel.” Verse 9. “And out of His mouth goeth a
sharp sword, that with it He should _smite the nations_: and He shall
_rule them with a rod of iron_: and _He treadeth the wine-press of the
fierceness and wrath of Almighty God_.” Rev. 19:15.
NOTE.—How suddenly surprised those who have been preaching peace
and safety will be when the end comes is indicated in the text
already quoted: “For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the
Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say,
Peace and safety; then _sudden destruction cometh upon them_.” 1
Thess. 5:2, 3. All heedless of the signs of the times, and
indifferent to the future, the world will come up to the day of
the Lord unprepared. As a thief in the night, coming with
stealthy, muffled tread, this day will take all unawares who are
not looking, watching, and waiting for their Lord’s return.
Instead of looking for the world’s conversion, we should be
looking for Christ’s coming.
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
The coming King is at the door,
Who once the cross for sinners bore,
But now the righteous ones alone
He comes to gather home.
The signs that show His coming near
Are fast fulfilling year by year,
And soon we’ll hail the glorious dawn
Of heaven’s eternal morn.
Look not on earth for strife to cease,
Look not below for joy and peace,
Until the Saviour comes again
To banish death and sin.
Then in the glorious earth made new
We’ll dwell the countless ages through;
This mortal shall immortal be,
And time, eternity.
F. E. BELDEN.
The Gathering Of Israel
[Illustration.]
Wailing Place Of The Jews. "The Lord shall set His hand again the second
time to recover the remnant of His people." Isa. 11:11.
1. Because of disobedience, what experience came to Israel?
“I will make you to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.” Jer.
34:17. See Jer. 25:8-11.
2. What prophecy spoke of their return from captivity?
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts
of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.... And ye shall
seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart. And
I will be found of you, saith the Lord: and _I will turn away your
captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the
places whither I have driven you_, saith the Lord; and I will bring you
again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.” Jer.
29:11-14. See also Jer. 23:3.
NOTE.—The first dispersion of the Jews occurred B.C. 606-588,
under Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. In B.C. 457, under
Artaxerxes, the Persian king, large numbers of Jews returned to
Palestine, their home land.
3. How had Moses spoken of another and greater dispersion?
“The Lord shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the
earth, ... and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and
fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, ... and the Lord shall
scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the
other.” Deut. 28:49-64.
NOTE.—This calamity and dispersion occurred in 70 A.D., under
Titus, the Roman general. Says the Popular and Critical Bible
Encyclopedia, Vol. II, article “Jerusalem,” page 932: “Jerusalem
seems to have been raised to this greatness as if to enhance the
misery of its overthrow. So soon as the Jews had set the seal to
their formal rejection of Christ, by putting Him to death, and
invoking the responsibility of His blood upon the heads of
themselves and of their children (Matt. 27:25), the city’s doom
went forth. Titus, a young, brave, and competent Roman general,
with an army of sixty thousand trained, victorious warriors,
appeared before the city in April, 70 A.D., and the most
disastrous siege of all history began.” See pages 313, 314.
4. Under what striking symbol was all this foretold?
“Thus saith the Lord, Go and get _a potter’s earthen bottle_, and ...
break the bottle ... and ... say unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts;
_Even so will I break this people and this city, as one breaketh a
potter’s vessel, that cannot be made whole again_.” Jer. 19:1-11.
NOTE.—“No city on the globe has suffered more from war and sieges
than Jerusalem.... Storming legions, battering-rams, and catapults
have razed it again and again. And yet, the general outline of the
city has always been preserved. Zion and Mt. Moriah remain in full
view from Olivet, and there, on those hills, stretching away
toward the west, city after city has come and gone in the passing
ages.”—_Popular and Critical Bible Encyclopedia, Vol. II, article
__“__Jerusalem__”__ pages 928, 929._
5. How long was Jerusalem to be trodden down of the Gentiles?
“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.
NOTE.—Jerusalem stands for the people, the truth, and the true
worship of God. It is first mentioned in the Bible as Salem (Gen.
14:18); is spoken of figuratively as a mother bringing forth the
children of God (Gal. 4:26, 27); and is a type of the holy city,
New Jerusalem, which is to be the metropolis of the new earth. In
Rev. 11:2 it is used as a type of God’s people during the long
period of 1260 years of papal persecution, who are there referred
to as “the holy city,” which the Gentiles “tread underfoot forty
and two months.”
6. What will terminate the “times” allotted to the Gentiles?
“And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a
witness unto all nations; and _then shall the end come_.” Matt. 24:14.
7. Why was the gospel to be preached to the Gentiles?
“Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, _to
take out of them a people for His name_.” Acts 15:14.
8. What false idea of this gathering were some to hold?
“And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the
mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will
teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths: for the law shall go
forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” Micah 4:2.
9. For what will the heathen be assembled in Palestine?
“Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat....
Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision [margin, concision, or
threshing; i.e., war]: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of
decision.” Joel 3:12-14.
10. Under whose influence are the nations to be assembled?
“And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the
dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the
false prophet. For they are _the spirits of devils_, working miracles,
which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to
gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.” Rev. 16:13,
14.
NOTE.—Infatuated by the doctrine of the world’s conversion and a
temporal millennium of peace, prosperity, and good will among men,
the deluded nations will aim to make Jerusalem the center of a
glorious kingdom, at which place they will doubtless expect Christ
will come and take up His reign as their king. This was the
favorite idea of the crusaders in the dark ages. But the crusaders
were mistaken in their conception, and sorely disappointed. So
also will the modern crusaders be mistaken and disappointed; for
one object of Christ’s second coming will be to “smite the
nations” and to destroy these armies assembled. Rev. 19:15.
11. Unto whom are God’s people to be gathered?
“The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his
feet, until _Shiloh_ come; and _unto Him shall the gathering of the people
be_.” Gen. 49:10.
12. How did Christ speak of the gathering of the Gentiles?
“Other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring,
and they shall hear My voice; and there shall be one fold, and one
shepherd.” John 10:16.
13. What great gathering yet awaits God’s people?
“And it shall come to pass in that day, that _the Lord shall set His hand
again the second time to recover the remnant of His people_.... And He
shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall _assemble the outcasts
of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four
corners of the earth_.” Isa. 11:11, 12. “And He shall send His angels with
a great sound of a trumpet, and _they shall gather together His elect from
the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other_.” Matt. 24:31.
The Millennium
[Illustration.]
The Binding Of Satan. "And he laid hold on ... Satan, and bound him a
thousand years." Rev. 20:2.
1. What text definitely brings the millennium to view?
“And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and _judgment was given unto
them_: ... and _they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years_.”
Rev. 20:4.
2. Whom does Paul say the saints are to judge?
“Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the
unjust, and not before the saints? _Do ye not know that the saints shall
judge the world?... Know ye not that we shall judge angels?_” 1 Cor.
6:1-3.
NOTE.—From these scriptures it is plain that the saints of all
ages are to be engaged with Christ in a work of “judgment” during
the millennium, or one thousand years.
3. What prophecy had Paul upon which to base his statement?
“I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed
against them; until the Ancient of days came, and _judgment was given to
the saints of the Most High_.” Dan. 7:21, 22.
[Illustration.]
The Millennium.
The millennium is the closing period of God’s great week of time—a
great sabbath of rest to the earth and to the people of God.
It follows the close of the gospel age, and precedes the setting
up of the everlasting kingdom of God on earth.
It comprehends what in the Scriptures is frequently spoken of as
“the day of the Lord.”
It is bounded at each end by a resurrection.
Its beginning is marked by the pouring out of the seven last
plagues, the second coming of Christ, the resurrection of the
righteous dead, the binding of Satan, and the translation of the
saints to heaven; and its close, by the descent of the New
Jerusalem, with Christ and the saints, from heaven, the
resurrection of the wicked dead, the loosing of Satan, and the
final destruction of the wicked.
During the one thousand years the earth lies desolate; Satan and
his angels are confined here; and the saints, with Christ, sit in
judgment on the wicked, preparatory to their final punishment.
The wicked dead are then raised; Satan is loosed for a little
season, and he and the host of the wicked encompass the camp of
the saints and the holy city, when fire comes down from God out of
heaven and devours them. The earth is cleansed by the same fire
that destroys the wicked, and, renewed, becomes the eternal abode
of the saints.
The millennium is one of “the ages to come.” Its close will mark
the beginning of the new earth state.
4. How many resurrections are there to be?
“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_.” John 5:28, 29.
5. What class only have part in the first resurrection?
“_Blessed and holy_ is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on
such the second death hath no power.” Rev. 20:6.
6. What will Christ do with the saints when He comes?
“I will come again, and _receive you unto Myself_; that where I am, there
ye may be also.” John 14:3.
NOTE.—In other words, Christ will take them to heaven, there to
live and reign with Him during the one thousand years.
7. Where did John, in vision, see the saints?
“After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could
number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, _stood
before the throne, and before the Lamb_, clothed with white robes, and
palms in their hands.” Rev. 7:9.
NOTE.—This scripture shows plainly that the righteous are all
taken to heaven immediately after the first resurrection. This
accords with the words of Christ in John 14:1-3, where He says, “I
go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for
you, I will come again, and _receive you unto Myself; that where I
am, there ye may be also_.” Peter desired to accompany Christ to
those mansions; but Jesus answered, “Thou canst not follow Me now;
_but thou shall follow Me afterwards_.” John 13:36. This makes it
clear that when Christ returns to earth to receive His people, He
takes them to the Father’s house in heaven.
8. What becomes of the living wicked when Christ comes?
“_As it was in the days of Noe_, so shall it be also in the days of the
Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given
in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and _the flood
came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot_;
... the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone
from heaven, and _destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day
when the Son of man is revealed_.” Luke 17:26-30.
9. What does the apostle Paul say concerning this?
“When they shall say, Peace and safety; _then sudden destruction cometh
upon them_, ... and they shall not escape.” 1 Thess. 5:3.
NOTE.—When Christ comes, the righteous will be delivered and taken
to heaven, and all the living wicked will be suddenly destroyed,
as they were at the time of the flood. For further proof see 2
Thess. 1:7-9; Rev. 6:14-17; 19:11-21; Jer. 25:30-33. There will be
no general resurrection of the wicked until the end of the one
thousand years. This will leave the earth desolate and without
human inhabitant during this period.
10. What description does the prophet Jeremiah give of the earth during
this time?
“I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was _without form, and void_; and the
heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they
trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. I beheld, and, lo, _there was
no man_, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld, and, lo,
the _fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were
broken down_ at the presence of the Lord, and by His fierce anger.” Jer.
4:23-26.
NOTE.—At the coming of Christ the earth is reduced to a chaotic
state—to a mass of ruins. The heavens depart as a scroll when it
is rolled together; mountains are moved out of their places; and
the earth is left a dark, dreary, desolate waste. See Isa. 24:1-3;
Rev. 6:14-17.
11. How does Isaiah speak of the wicked at this time?
“It shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall punish the host of
the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.
And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit,
and _shall be shut up in prison_, and after many days shall they be
visited.” Isa. 24:21, 22.
12. How long is Satan to be imprisoned on this earth?
“I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless
pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that
old serpent, which is the devil, and Satan, and _bound him a thousand
years_, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a
seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the
thousand years should be fulfilled.” Rev. 20:1-3.
NOTE.—The word rendered “bottomless pit” in this text is _abusos_,
the Greek term employed by the Septuagint in Gen. 1:2, as the
equivalent of the Hebrew word rendered “deep” in our English
versions. A more literal translation would be “abyss.” It is a
term applied to the earth in its desolate, waste, chaotic, dark,
uninhabited condition. In this condition it will remain during the
one thousand years. It will be the dreary prison-house of Satan
during this period. Here, in the midst of the moldering bones of
wicked dead, slain at Christ’s second coming, the broken-down
cities, and the wreck and ruin of all the pomp and power of this
world, Satan will have opportunity to reflect upon the results of
his rebellion against God. But the prophecy of Isaiah says, “After
many days shall they be visited.”
13. The righteous dead are raised at Christ’s second coming. When will the
rest of the dead, the wicked, be raised?
“The rest of the dead lived not again _until the thousand years were
finished_.” Verse 5.
NOTES.—From this we see that the beginning and the close of the
millennium, or one thousand years, are marked by the two
resurrections. The word millennium is from two Latin words,
_mille_, meaning a thousand, and _annus_, year—a thousand years.
It covers the time during which Satan is to be bound and wicked
men and angels are to be judged. This period is bounded by
distinct events. Its beginning is marked by the close of
probation, the pouring out of the seven last plagues, the second
coming of Christ, and the resurrection of the righteous dead. It
closes with the resurrection of the wicked, and their final
destruction in the lake of fire. See diagram on page 356.
14. What change is made in Satan’s condition at the close of the one
thousand years?
“After that _he must be loosed a little season_.” Verse 3.
NOTE.—At the close of the one thousand years, Christ, accompanied
by the saints, comes to the earth again, to execute judgment upon
the wicked, and to prepare the earth, by a re-creation, for the
eternal abode of the righteous. At this time, in answer to the
summons of Christ, the wicked dead of all ages awake to life. This
is the second resurrection, the resurrection unto damnation. The
wicked come forth with the same rebellious spirit which possessed
them in this life. Then Satan is loosed from his long period of
captivity and inactivity.
15. As soon as the wicked are raised, what does Satan at once proceed to
do?
“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.” Verses 7, 8.
16. Against whom do the wicked go to make war, and what is the outcome?
“They went up on the breadth of the earth, and _compassed the camp of the
saints about, and the beloved city_; and _fire came down from God out of
heaven, and devoured them_.” Verse 9.
NOTES.—This is the last act in the great controversy between
Christ and Satan. The whole human race meet here for the first and
last time. The eternal separation of the righteous from the wicked
here takes place. At this time the judgment of God is executed
upon the wicked in the lake of fire. This is the second death.
This ends the great rebellion against God and His government. Now
is heard the voice of God as He sits upon His throne, speaking to
the saints, and saying, “Behold, I make all things new;” and out
of the burning ruins of the old earth there springs forth before
the admiring gaze of the millions of the redeemed, “a new heaven
and a new earth,” in which they shall find an everlasting
inheritance and dwelling-place.
The millennium is a great sabbath of rest, both for the earth and
for God’s people. For six thousand years the earth and its
inhabitants have been groaning under the curse of sin. The
millennium, the seventh thousand, will be a sabbath of rest and
release; for, says the prophet concerning the land, “as long as
she lay desolate she kept _sabbath_.” 2 Chron. 36:21. “There
remaineth therefore a _rest_ [margin, _keeping of a sabbath_] to
the people of God.” Heb. 4:9. This precedes the new earth state.
Length Of The Day Of The Lord
[Illustration.]
The Last Great Earthquake. "For the great day of His wrath is come." Rev.
6:17.
1. What is the character of the “day of the Lord”?
“The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even
the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.
_That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress._” Zeph. 1:14,
15.
2. Under which of the seven seals does this day begin?
“And I beheld _when He had opened the sixth seal_, and, lo, there was a
great earthquake, ... for _the great day of His wrath is come_; and who
shall be able to stand?” Rev. 6:12-17.
3. What signs were to appear under this seal?
“The sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig-tree casteth
her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.” Verses 12, 13.
NOTE.—For dates and fulfilment of these signs, see readings on
pages 311, 319. The Lisbon earthquake of 1755 (page 286) should
not be confounded with that to take place under the seventh
plague. Rev. 16:18.
4. Under which seal will the Lord come?
“And when He had _opened the seventh seal_, there was silence in heaven
about the space of half an hour.” Rev. 8:1.
NOTE.—This silence in heaven is the result of Christ and the
angels leaving heaven to come to this earth. See page 288.
5. With what is the day of wrath to open?
“And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels
having _the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of
God_.” Rev. 15:1.
NOTE.—These plagues immediately precede Christ’s coming. See Rev.
16:12-15, and reading on page 301.
6. What great event will take place at Christ’s coming?
“For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven: ... and _the dead in
Christ shall rise first_.” 1 Thess. 4:16.
7. How long after this will the wicked dead be raised?
“But _the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were
finished_.” Rev. 20:5.
8. As they gather around the holy city, what will take place?
“And fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.” Verse 9.
9. What is this destruction called?
“But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and
whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have
their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is
_the second death_.” Rev. 21:8.
10. Unto what are the present heavens and earth reserved?
“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_.” 2 Peter 3:7.
NOTE.—When the fire from heaven destroys the wicked, the earth
itself will also be burned and purified.
11. Does the day of the Lord include this burning day?
“But _the day of the Lord_ will come as a thief in the night; in the which
the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and _the elements shall
melt with fervent heat, the earth also_ and the works that are therein
shall be burned up.” Verse 10.
NOTE.—The day of the Lord, therefore, begins with the seven last
plagues and the coming of Christ, and continues for one thousand
years, or till the wicked are destroyed, and the earth is renewed
and given to the saints.
Elijah The Prophet
[Illustration.]
Mt. Carmel. "How long halt ye between two opinions?" 1 Kings 18:21.
1. What promise, through the prophet Malachi, does the Lord make
concerning Elijah?
“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great
and dreadful day of the Lord.” Mal. 4:5.
2. What will this prophet do when he comes?
“And he shall _turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the
heart of the children to their fathers_, lest I come and smite the earth
with a curse.” Verse 6.
3. Whom did Christ indicate as fulfilling this prophecy?
“And His disciples asked Him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias
must first come? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall
first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, That _Elias is
come already_, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever
they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. Then the
disciples understood that He spake unto them of _John the Baptist_.” Matt.
17:10-13.
4. When John the Baptist was asked if he were Elijah, what did he say?
“And he said, _I am not_.” John 1:21.
5. Who did he say he was?
“He said, _I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness_. Make straight
the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.” Verse 23.
[Illustration.]
Translation Of Elijah. "Behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, ... and
Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven." 2 Kings 2:11.
6. In what sense does the angel Gabriel explain John the Baptist to be the
Elijah of Mal. 4:5?
“Many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And
he shall go before Him [Christ] _in the spirit and power of Elias_, to
turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the
wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” Luke
1:16, 17.
NOTE.—John went forth “_in the spirit and power of Elias_,” and,
in preparing a people for Christ’s first advent, did a work
similar to that done by Elijah the prophet in Israel centuries
before. See 1 Kings 17 and 18. In this sense, and in this sense
only, he was the Elijah of Mal. 4:5.
7. Near the close of the three and one-half years’ drought in Israel,
brought about as a judgment through the intercessions of Elijah (James
5:17) in consequence of Israel’s apostasy, what accusation did King Ahab
bring against Elijah?
“And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, _Art
thou he that troubleth Israel?_” 1 Kings 18:17.
8. What answer did Elijah make?
“And he answered, _I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father’s
house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou
hast followed Baalim_.” Verse 18.
NOTE.—Israel had departed from God, forsaken His commandments, and
gone off into idolatry. Jezebel, Ahab’s wicked and idolatrous
wife, had “cut off the prophets of the Lord” (verse 4), was
supporting hundreds of the prophets of Baal, and was seeking
Elijah to slay him. Elijah called for a famine on the land, and
said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I
stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according
to my word.” 1 Kings 17:1. Elijah’s message was a call to
repentance and obedience to God’s commandments.
9. What plain proposition did he submit to all Israel?
“And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, _How long halt ye between
two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow Him: but if Baal, then follow
him_.” 1 Kings 18:21.
NOTE.—The result of the test by fire which followed on Mt. Carmel,
can be read in the remainder of this wonderful chapter. There was
a great turning to God, the people saying, “The Lord, He is the
God; the Lord, He is the God.” Verse 39.
10. What was the burden of the message of John the Baptist?
“_Repent ye_: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” “Bring forth
therefore _fruits_ meet for repentance.” Matt. 3:2, 8.
11. What was the result of this message?
“Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region round
about Jordan, and _were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their
sins_.” Verses 5, 6.
NOTE.—There was a genuine work of repentance and reform. John was
not satisfied with a mere profession of religion. He told the
Pharisees and Sadducees who came to his baptism, to “bring forth
fruits” answerable to an “amendment of life.” He wished to see
religion in the life, the heart, the home. Thus he prepared a
people for Christ’s first advent.
12. But when, according to the prophecy, was Elijah to be sent?
“Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.” Mal. 4:5.
13. How is this great and dreadful day described in this same prophecy?
“For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the
proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that
cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave
them neither root nor branch.” Verse 1.
NOTE.—This day is yet future. It cannot be, therefore, that the
work done by John the Baptist at Christ’s first advent is all that
was contemplated in the prophecy concerning the sending of Elijah
the prophet. It must be that there is to be another and greater
fulfilment of it, to precede Christ’s _second advent_, and to
prepare, or “make ready,” a people for that great event.
14. What is the burden of the threefold message of Rev. 14:6-10?
“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.... Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city,
because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her
fornication.... 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, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of
His indignation.” Rev. 14:6-10.
NOTE.—Like the messages of Elijah and John, this is a call to
repentance and reform,—a call to forsake false, idolatrous
worship, and to turn to God, and worship Him, and Him alone. The
first part of this threefold message points out the true God, the
Creator, in language very similar to that found in the fourth, or
Sabbath, commandment. This is the message now due the world, and
that is now being proclaimed to the world. See readings on pages
251-263. Those who are proclaiming these messages constitute the
Elijah for this time, as John and his colaborers did at the time
of Christ’s first advent.
15. How are the people described who are developed by the threefold
message here referred to?
“Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the
commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Verse 12.
NOTE.—These will be the ones who will be ready to meet Jesus when
He comes. They have heeded the Elijah-call to repentance and
reform. They have become concerned, not only for their own
individual salvation, but for the salvation of their friends and
relatives. By this message the hearts of the fathers are turned to
the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers.
Each becomes burdened for the conversion and salvation of the
other. There can be little religion in the heart of one who cares
not for the eternal interests of his loved ones. When this message
has done its work, God will smite the earth with a curse; the
seven last plagues will fall, and usher in the great day of the
Lord described in the preceding reading.
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
Light is beaming, day is coming!
Let us sound aloud the cry;
We behold the day-star rising
Pure and bright in yonder sky!
Saints, be joyful;
Your redemption draweth nigh.
We have found the chart and compass,
And are sure the land is near;
Onward, onward, we are hasting.
Soon the haven will appear;
Let your voices
Sound aloud your holy cheer.