The Gathering Of IsraelIllustration.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: andI 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 occurredb.c.606-588, under Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. Inb.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.[pg 353]Note.—This calamity and dispersion occurred in 70a.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, 70a.d., and the most disastrous siege of all history began.”See pages313,314.4. Under what striking symbol was all this foretold?“Thus saith the Lord, Go and geta 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; andthen 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?[pg 354]“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 arethe 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, untilShilohcome; andunto 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, thatthe 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 shallassemble 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, andthey shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”Matt. 24:31.[pg 355]The MillenniumIllustration.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, andjudgment was given unto them: ... andthey 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, andjudgment was given to the saints of the Most High.”Dan. 7:21, 22.[pg 356]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.[pg 357]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, untothe resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, untothe resurrection of damnation.”John 5:28, 29.5. What class only have part in the first resurrection?“Blessed and holyis 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, andreceive 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, andreceive 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, andthe 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, anddestroyed 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.[pg 358]10. What description does the prophet Jeremiah give of the earth during this time?“I beheld the earth, and, lo, it waswithout 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, thefruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken downat 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, andshall 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, andbound 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 isabusos, 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 againuntil 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.[pg 359]The word millennium is from two Latin words,mille, meaning a thousand, andannus, 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 page356.14. What change is made in Satan's condition at the close of the one thousand years?“After thathe 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 todeceive the nationswhich 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, andcompassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city; andfire 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 keptsabbath.”2 Chron. 36:21.“There remaineth therefore arest[margin,keeping of a sabbath] to the people of God.”Heb. 4:9. This precedes the new earth state.[pg 360]Length Of The Day Of The LordIllustration.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 beheldwhen He had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake, ... forthe 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 pages311,319. The Lisbon earthquake of 1755 (page286) 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 hadopened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.”Rev. 8:1.[pg 361]Note.—This silence in heaven is the result of Christ and the angels leaving heaven to come to this earth. See page288.5. With what is the day of wrath to open?“And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels havingthe 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 page301.6. What great event will take place at Christ's coming?“For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven: ... andthe dead in Christ shall rise first.”1 Thess. 4:16.7. How long after this will the wicked dead be raised?“Butthe 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 isthe 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, reservedunto 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?“Butthe day of the Lordwill come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, andthe elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth alsoand 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.[pg 362]Elijah The ProphetIllustration.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 shallturn 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, ThatElias 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 ofJohn 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.[pg 364]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 thereforefruitsmeet for repentance.”Matt. 3:2, 8.[pg 365]11. What was the result of this message?“Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan, andwere 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'ssecond 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 pages251-263. 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.[pg 366]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 risingPure 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 voicesSound aloud your holy cheer.
The Gathering Of IsraelIllustration.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: andI 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 occurredb.c.606-588, under Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. Inb.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.[pg 353]Note.—This calamity and dispersion occurred in 70a.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, 70a.d., and the most disastrous siege of all history began.”See pages313,314.4. Under what striking symbol was all this foretold?“Thus saith the Lord, Go and geta 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; andthen 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?[pg 354]“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 arethe 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, untilShilohcome; andunto 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, thatthe 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 shallassemble 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, andthey shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”Matt. 24:31.[pg 355]The MillenniumIllustration.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, andjudgment was given unto them: ... andthey 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, andjudgment was given to the saints of the Most High.”Dan. 7:21, 22.[pg 356]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.[pg 357]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, untothe resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, untothe resurrection of damnation.”John 5:28, 29.5. What class only have part in the first resurrection?“Blessed and holyis 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, andreceive 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, andreceive 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, andthe 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, anddestroyed 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.[pg 358]10. What description does the prophet Jeremiah give of the earth during this time?“I beheld the earth, and, lo, it waswithout 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, thefruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken downat 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, andshall 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, andbound 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 isabusos, 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 againuntil 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.[pg 359]The word millennium is from two Latin words,mille, meaning a thousand, andannus, 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 page356.14. What change is made in Satan's condition at the close of the one thousand years?“After thathe 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 todeceive the nationswhich 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, andcompassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city; andfire 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 keptsabbath.”2 Chron. 36:21.“There remaineth therefore arest[margin,keeping of a sabbath] to the people of God.”Heb. 4:9. This precedes the new earth state.[pg 360]Length Of The Day Of The LordIllustration.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 beheldwhen He had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake, ... forthe 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 pages311,319. The Lisbon earthquake of 1755 (page286) 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 hadopened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.”Rev. 8:1.[pg 361]Note.—This silence in heaven is the result of Christ and the angels leaving heaven to come to this earth. See page288.5. With what is the day of wrath to open?“And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels havingthe 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 page301.6. What great event will take place at Christ's coming?“For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven: ... andthe dead in Christ shall rise first.”1 Thess. 4:16.7. How long after this will the wicked dead be raised?“Butthe 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 isthe 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, reservedunto 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?“Butthe day of the Lordwill come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, andthe elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth alsoand 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.[pg 362]Elijah The ProphetIllustration.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 shallturn 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, ThatElias 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 ofJohn 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.[pg 364]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 thereforefruitsmeet for repentance.”Matt. 3:2, 8.[pg 365]11. What was the result of this message?“Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan, andwere 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'ssecond 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 pages251-263. 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.[pg 366]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 risingPure 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 voicesSound aloud your holy cheer.
The Gathering Of IsraelIllustration.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: andI 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 occurredb.c.606-588, under Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. Inb.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.[pg 353]Note.—This calamity and dispersion occurred in 70a.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, 70a.d., and the most disastrous siege of all history began.”See pages313,314.4. Under what striking symbol was all this foretold?“Thus saith the Lord, Go and geta 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; andthen 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?[pg 354]“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 arethe 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, untilShilohcome; andunto 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, thatthe 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 shallassemble 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, andthey shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”Matt. 24:31.[pg 355]The MillenniumIllustration.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, andjudgment was given unto them: ... andthey 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, andjudgment was given to the saints of the Most High.”Dan. 7:21, 22.[pg 356]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.[pg 357]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, untothe resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, untothe resurrection of damnation.”John 5:28, 29.5. What class only have part in the first resurrection?“Blessed and holyis 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, andreceive 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, andreceive 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, andthe 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, anddestroyed 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.[pg 358]10. What description does the prophet Jeremiah give of the earth during this time?“I beheld the earth, and, lo, it waswithout 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, thefruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken downat 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, andshall 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, andbound 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 isabusos, 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 againuntil 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.[pg 359]The word millennium is from two Latin words,mille, meaning a thousand, andannus, 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 page356.14. What change is made in Satan's condition at the close of the one thousand years?“After thathe 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 todeceive the nationswhich 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, andcompassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city; andfire 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 keptsabbath.”2 Chron. 36:21.“There remaineth therefore arest[margin,keeping of a sabbath] to the people of God.”Heb. 4:9. This precedes the new earth state.[pg 360]Length Of The Day Of The LordIllustration.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 beheldwhen He had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake, ... forthe 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 pages311,319. The Lisbon earthquake of 1755 (page286) 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 hadopened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.”Rev. 8:1.[pg 361]Note.—This silence in heaven is the result of Christ and the angels leaving heaven to come to this earth. See page288.5. With what is the day of wrath to open?“And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels havingthe 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 page301.6. What great event will take place at Christ's coming?“For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven: ... andthe dead in Christ shall rise first.”1 Thess. 4:16.7. How long after this will the wicked dead be raised?“Butthe 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 isthe 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, reservedunto 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?“Butthe day of the Lordwill come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, andthe elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth alsoand 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.[pg 362]Elijah The ProphetIllustration.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 shallturn 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, ThatElias 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 ofJohn 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.[pg 364]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 thereforefruitsmeet for repentance.”Matt. 3:2, 8.[pg 365]11. What was the result of this message?“Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan, andwere 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'ssecond 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 pages251-263. 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.[pg 366]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 risingPure 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 voicesSound aloud your holy cheer.
The Gathering Of IsraelIllustration.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: andI 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 occurredb.c.606-588, under Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. Inb.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.[pg 353]Note.—This calamity and dispersion occurred in 70a.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, 70a.d., and the most disastrous siege of all history began.”See pages313,314.4. Under what striking symbol was all this foretold?“Thus saith the Lord, Go and geta 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; andthen 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?[pg 354]“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 arethe 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, untilShilohcome; andunto 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, thatthe 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 shallassemble 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, andthey shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”Matt. 24:31.
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.
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: andI 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 occurredb.c.606-588, under Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. Inb.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 70a.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, 70a.d., and the most disastrous siege of all history began.”See pages313,314.
4. Under what striking symbol was all this foretold?
“Thus saith the Lord, Go and geta 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; andthen 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 arethe 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, untilShilohcome; andunto 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, thatthe 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 shallassemble 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, andthey shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”Matt. 24:31.
The MillenniumIllustration.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, andjudgment was given unto them: ... andthey 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, andjudgment was given to the saints of the Most High.”Dan. 7:21, 22.[pg 356]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.[pg 357]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, untothe resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, untothe resurrection of damnation.”John 5:28, 29.5. What class only have part in the first resurrection?“Blessed and holyis 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, andreceive 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, andreceive 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, andthe 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, anddestroyed 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.[pg 358]10. What description does the prophet Jeremiah give of the earth during this time?“I beheld the earth, and, lo, it waswithout 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, thefruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken downat 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, andshall 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, andbound 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 isabusos, 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 againuntil 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.[pg 359]The word millennium is from two Latin words,mille, meaning a thousand, andannus, 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 page356.14. What change is made in Satan's condition at the close of the one thousand years?“After thathe 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 todeceive the nationswhich 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, andcompassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city; andfire 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 keptsabbath.”2 Chron. 36:21.“There remaineth therefore arest[margin,keeping of a sabbath] to the people of God.”Heb. 4:9. This precedes the new earth state.
Illustration.The Binding Of Satan. "And he laid hold on ... Satan, and bound him a thousand years." Rev. 20:2.
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, andjudgment was given unto them: ... andthey 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, andjudgment was given to the saints of the Most High.”Dan. 7:21, 22.
Illustration.The Millennium.
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.
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, untothe resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, untothe resurrection of damnation.”John 5:28, 29.
5. What class only have part in the first resurrection?
“Blessed and holyis 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, andreceive 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, andreceive 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, andthe 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, anddestroyed 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 waswithout 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, thefruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken downat 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, andshall 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, andbound 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 isabusos, 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 againuntil 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.[pg 359]The word millennium is from two Latin words,mille, meaning a thousand, andannus, 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 page356.
14. What change is made in Satan's condition at the close of the one thousand years?
“After thathe 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 todeceive the nationswhich 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, andcompassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city; andfire 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 keptsabbath.”2 Chron. 36:21.“There remaineth therefore arest[margin,keeping of a sabbath] to the people of God.”Heb. 4:9. This precedes the new earth state.
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 keptsabbath.”2 Chron. 36:21.“There remaineth therefore arest[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 LordIllustration.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 beheldwhen He had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake, ... forthe 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 pages311,319. The Lisbon earthquake of 1755 (page286) 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 hadopened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.”Rev. 8:1.[pg 361]Note.—This silence in heaven is the result of Christ and the angels leaving heaven to come to this earth. See page288.5. With what is the day of wrath to open?“And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels havingthe 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 page301.6. What great event will take place at Christ's coming?“For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven: ... andthe dead in Christ shall rise first.”1 Thess. 4:16.7. How long after this will the wicked dead be raised?“Butthe 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 isthe 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, reservedunto 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?“Butthe day of the Lordwill come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, andthe elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth alsoand 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.
Illustration.The Last Great Earthquake. "For the great day of His wrath is come." Rev. 6:17.
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 beheldwhen He had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake, ... forthe 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 pages311,319. The Lisbon earthquake of 1755 (page286) 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 hadopened 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 page288.
5. With what is the day of wrath to open?
“And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels havingthe 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 page301.
6. What great event will take place at Christ's coming?
“For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven: ... andthe dead in Christ shall rise first.”1 Thess. 4:16.
7. How long after this will the wicked dead be raised?
“Butthe 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 isthe 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, reservedunto 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?
“Butthe day of the Lordwill come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, andthe elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth alsoand 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 ProphetIllustration.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 shallturn 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, ThatElias 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 ofJohn 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.[pg 364]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 thereforefruitsmeet for repentance.”Matt. 3:2, 8.[pg 365]11. What was the result of this message?“Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan, andwere 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'ssecond 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 pages251-263. 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.[pg 366]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 risingPure 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 voicesSound aloud your holy cheer.
Illustration.Mt. Carmel. "How long halt ye between two opinions?" 1 Kings 18:21.
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 shallturn 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, ThatElias 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 ofJohn 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.[pg 364]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.
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 thereforefruitsmeet 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, andwere 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'ssecond 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 pages251-263. 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 risingPure 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 voicesSound aloud your holy cheer.
Light is beaming, day is coming!Let us sound aloud the cry;We behold the day-star risingPure and bright in yonder sky!Saints, be joyful;Your redemption draweth nigh.
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 voicesSound aloud your holy cheer.
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.