,studies in ,prophecy ,by ,,arno ,c4 ,,gaebelein ,editor ,our ,hope4 ,author of ,expositions of ,joel1 ,daniel1 ,zechariah1 ,ezekiel1 ,matthew1 ,acts1 ,revelation1 ,etc4 ,,price #a4jj ,,net ,,publication ,,office ,,our ,,hope #def ,fourth ,ave41 ,new ,york ,,biola ,,book ,,room1 #ecf ,so4 ,hope ,street1 ,los ,angeles1 ,cal4 ,,pickering ,,inglis1 ,glasgow1 ,scotland4 ,h4 ,l4 ,,thatcher1 #ace ,symonds ,street1 ,auckland1 ,n4 ,z4 ,g4 ,e4 ,,ardrill1 #ade ,commonwealth ,st41 ,sydney1 ,n4 ,s4 ,w4 ,copyright1 #aiah ,by ,a4 ,c4 ,,gaebelein ,new ,york1 ,n4 ,y4 ,,to ,,my ,,friend ,,mr4 ,,sidney ,t4 ,,smith1 ,,of ,,winnipeg ,,manitoba1 ,,in ,,appreciation ,,of ,,his ,,loyalty ,,to ,,the ,,word ,,of ,,god ,,and ,,fellowship ,,in ,,the ,,gospel ,,of ,,jesus ,,christ ,,our ,,lord1 ,,and ,,his ,,faithful ,,testimony ,,and ,,service ,,in ,,the ,,great ,,gateway ,,of ,,the ,,canadian ,,northwest1 ,,this ,,volume ,,is ,,affectionately ,,dedicated4 ,,table ,,of ,,contents ,the ,present ,age ,that ,blessed ,hope ,who will be ,caught up when the ,lord ,comes8 ,the ,church and the ,tribulation ,the ,ten ,virgins ,the ,redemption of the ,purchased ,possession ,the ,history of ,satan ,the ,conversion of the ,world ,the ,feasts of ,jehovah ,when the ,day ,breaks and the ,shadows ,flee ,away ,prophetic ,poems by ,horatius ,bonar ,,foreword4 ,,by ,c4 ,i4 ,,scofield4 ,the present interest in prophetical studies1 due to a world-situation so unprecedented as to have no historic parallels upon which a shallow optimism may build futile hopes1 is in every way to be welcomed and encouraged4 ,it surely is a divine provision for such a day as this that for the last fifty years the prophetic word has been under the sane and patient study of so many men of devout and trained minds4 ,amongst these the author of this book has won a foremost place4 ,at the farthest possible remove from fanciful and radical methods of interpretation1 the conclusions which he has reached and which are set forth in this book are trustworthy4 ,the reader may be assured that he will reach truly ,biblical views of those things which are coming to pass with startling rapidity4 ,douglaston1 ,l4 ,i41 ,n4 ,y4 ,,studies ,,in ,,prophecy ,,the ,,present ,,age3 ,,its ,,beginning1 ,,progress ,,and ,,end ,ecclesiastes i3#i ,the ,book of ,ecclesiastes is the ,book in which the natural man speaks4 ,the conclusion which the wisest man reached is that all is vanity1 and there is nothing new under the sun4 ,in this first chapter we read of generations which come and go4 ,the sun rises and goes down2 the wind goeth toward the south1 and turneth about to the north again1 according to its circuits4 ,the rivers go into the sea1 and to the place where they come from they again return4 ,all moves in nature in cycles4 ,what has been is always to be again1 and what was done will be done again4 ,this is likewise true in respect to ,god's dealings with man and with the earth4 ,that which has been shall be2 and what was done will be done again4 ,the future will repeat the past1 ,as the first1 shall be the last2 ,ages of change between4 ,once the earth was undefiled by sin4 ,it was the ,paradise of ,god4 ,for a brief period it knew no sorrow1 no suffering1 no curse and no death4 ,that is what has been2 but it shall surely be again4 ,creation will have a second birth1 and after its travail pains1 death and the curse will flee away4 ,once peace reigned1 no strife was known and no groans heard in all creation's realm4 ,that is what has been2 it shall be so again4 ,groaning creation will be delivered2 peace on earth and glory to ,god in the highest will follow4 ,once man1 the first man1 unfallen1 reigned4 ,all things were under his feet4 ,that has been before sin stripped man of his inheritance4 ,but what has been1 is that which shall be4 ,the second man1 the last ,adam1 will appear1 and under ,him man redeemed will again have all things put under his feet4 ,what has been in the past shall be in the future4 ,god executed his judgments in the past4 ,he will do so again4 ,the past has manifested ,his power and glory2 so will the future4 ,the heavens will not always be silent as they are now2 for ,surely our ,god shall come1 and not keep silence4 ,his blessed ,son was once upon earth1 making known the glory of ,god in ,his ,person4 ,that was in the past1 and it shall be so again2 for ,he comes back to the earth once more to make known ,his glory1 so that the earth shall be covered with the glory of the ,lord4 ,how near1 how very near1 these things that shall be are6 ,the age in which we live is the last stepping stone towards the glorious consummation2 and in this age there is but a little step left1 and soon darkest night shall end and give way to the brightest and most glorious day the world has ever seen4 ,in these studies of ,prophecy we shall first consider the present age1 its beginning1 progress and end4 ,other studies will put before us from the infallible ,word of ,god the coming glorious consummation and what leads up to it4 ,i ,the ,beginning of the ,age4 ,in dealing with man and the earth1 to work out his own plan of redemption and restoration1 ,god works in certain periods of time which are called ages4 ,each age has a definite beginning and a definite end4 ,all the different ages which preceded our own age were ages of preparation1 for the present age in which we live4 ,in every past age ,god announced the coming of ,him by whom ,he not only created all things1 but by whom ,he made the ages1 that is1 ,his ,son4 ,he is the ,one in whom and for whom all is planned1 and through whom the things which have been shall be again1 and infinitely more4 ,he was first announced in the ,garden of ,eden as the ,seed of the woman who should bruise the serpent's head4 ,in the age after the flood ,shem was singled out in whom the ,name1 that is1 the ,lord of ,glory1 should be revealed4 ,then ,abraham1 a son of ,shem received the promise in the ,patriarchal ,age that ,he would come from his seed2 and later in the ,jewish ,age ,he was promised as the ,son of ,david1 and ,david knew ,him by the ,spirit as his ,lord4 ,and so in the fulness of time ,he came1 born of a woman1 made under the ,law1 the ,son of ,god manifested in the flesh4 ,his blessed earth life belongs still to the ,jewish dispensation1 the age which preceded our own age4 ,he came as the minister of the circumcision2 and as such ,he fulfilled the ,law and moved exclusively among ,his own people ,israel1 bringing them the message of the ,kingdom promised to that nation2 a ,kingdom in which righteousness and peace is to flourish1 and into which all the nations of the earth are to be gathered4 ,the ,jewish prophets had announced that ,kingdom1 but through ,god's foreknowledge it was also made known that ,christ should suffer first1 and be rejected by ,his people2 and this came to pass4 ,the nation instead of giving ,him the throne to which ,he is entitled1 delivered their own ,king into the hands of the ,gentiles to be crucified4 ,what ,gabriel in his great message had communicated to ,daniel1 that ,messiah should be cut off and receive nothing1 happened1 and that in the very time as revealed in the ninth chapter of ,daniel4 ,the ,son of ,god died1 rejected by ,his own nation1 ,he died the sinner's death1 ,he died for the ungodly1 ,he died so that the flood-gates of ,divine love and grace might be opened2 and that a ,holy ,god might be justified in saving believing sinners1 both ,jews and ,gentiles1 and making them the heirs of glory4 ,our age then begins with this fact3 ,christ rejected by ,his own people1 cast out by the world1 finishing on the ,cross the work of sin bearing4 ,with this1 and the associated events1 our age started in4 ,let us see then what we find in the beginning of this age1 and then see how the things we shall mention are affected as this age progresses and comes finally to its close4 ,first1 as to the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,as we have already stated1 the ,son of ,god came to this earth1 was rejected by men1 put to death on the cross1 and after ,his burial ,god raised ,him from the dead and gave ,him glory4 ,in due time ,he left the earth and ascended in ,his glorified human body into heaven1 where ,he is seated now at the right hand of the majesty on high4 ,it is a wonderful fact that in heaven1 seated at ,god's own right hand1 there is a ,man4 ,one who was born of the ,virgin1 lived on earth a holy life1 died the sinner's death on the ,cross1 was buried and raised by the power of ,god4 ,before this age ,he was also in heaven1 but not as man4 ,he was ever in the bosom of the ,father as the ,only ,begotten4 ,now as the ,man ,christ ,jesus who has conquered ,he fills that throne1 the ,father's throne4 ,he has not ,his own throne which belongs to ,him1 nor will ,he get this throne1 the throne of ,his father ,david1 as long as this age lasts4 ,exalted in the highest place ,he has all power1 and exercises in behalf of ,his people1 ,his priesthood and ,his advocacy1 ministering to the needs of ,his own on earth4 ,second1 let us see next about the ,holy ,spirit in ,his relation to this age4 ,he came to earth on the day of ,pentecost4 ,in the ,old ,testament times ,he visited the earth1 but not to abide1 as is now the case4 ,he strove with men from the very beginning1 ,he endued prophets1 and priests and kings1 and all who believed the ,word of ,god1 of which ,he is the ,author2 but after ,christ died and had gone back to the ,father1 ,he came as the other ,comforter1 the ,one who takes the place of the absent ,christ4 ,he is come to earth to accomplish ,god's purpose in this present age4 ,nowhere do we read in the ,new ,testament that the purpose of the coming of the ,holy ,spirit is to convert the world1 and establish universal righteousness and peace4 ,these blessings are not promised for the age in which we live4 ,the great purpose for which the ,spirit of ,god came in the beginning of our age is for the out-taking of the ,church1 the ,body of ,christ4 ,he is gathering together ,jews and ,gentiles who believe on ,christ and puts them into this ,body4 ,on the ,day of ,pentecost this ,body began2 then all the gathered believers were baptised by the ,one ,spirit into one ,body4 ,this work continues throughout this age4 ,then ,he ,himself bestows the gifts which are needed for the upbuilding of that ,body4 ,in the beginning of this age ,he unfolded ,his special energy in sign gifts1 confirming by these the truth of ,christianity4 ,these special gifts and signs were only confined to the beginning of the age4 ,nowhere is it stated that they were to continue to the end1 for this age is an age of faith and not of sight4 ,third1 during this age there is preached a special message which was unknown in former ages4 ,this message is the ,gospel of ,grace4 ,it is true that before ,christ died an innumerable company of people were saved1 and salvation of course was always by grace4 ,they believed ,god1 confessed themselves sinners1 trusted in the promise1 and then they were saved4 ,but the ,gospel message as it began to be preached after ,christ died and the ,holy ,spirit came to earth1 was not known in ,old ,testament times4 ,that ,gospel not only offers remission of sins1 but tells the believing sinner that he becomes in ,christ a ,son of ,god and a joint heir with the ,lord ,jesus ,christ2 that eternal life is his present possession and that he is one spirit with the ,lord1 for the ,holy ,spirit makes ,his abode in him4 ,this then is the great message which was preached with the beginning of this age1 and which is to be preached to its very end4 ,it is the only power of ,god unto salvation1 and anything else is a miserable1 good-for-nothing substitute and counterfeit1 which not alone cannot please ,god1 but upon which the curse of ,god rests2 for anything short of the ,gospel of ,christ is an insult to ,god and a denial of ,his righteousness and love4 ,and this ,gospel is to be preached according to the word of our ,lord beginning in ,jerusalem1 in ,judea1 and ,samaria1 and to the uttermost ends of the earth4 ,this ,divine program given by our ,lord has been carried out2 the preaching began in ,jerusalem1 that is where the ,gospel stream started2 from there it flowed into ,judea and ,samaria1 and then ,gentiles heard the ,gospel and were saved4 ,our ,lord indicated this world-wide sowing during this age in the first parable of ,matthew xiii1 when ,he spoke of the sower going out into the field1 telling us that the field is the world4 ,israel in the preceding age was spoken of as a vineyard with a fence about1 but in this age there is no more vineyard1 no more special place where labor is to be done2 but as ,john ,wesley used to say1 ,the world is my parish4 ,fourth1 let us also notice that with the beginning of the age there is made known the full ,truth of ,god by revelation4 ,it is the faith which is once and for all delivered unto the saints4 ,when our ,lord was on earth ,he spoke repeatedly to ,his disciples that ,he had many things to say unto them1 which they could not grasp1 but that they should know them afterward4 ,the afterward does not mean heaven1 but it means the afterward of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,he told them that when the ,spirit came ,he would take of these things of ,christ and show them unto them2 and so when ,he came ,he brought with ,him the fullest revelation concerning ,christ ,himself1 the believer's position in ,him and all the gracious truths connected with it4 ,in this sense1 the ,word of ,god was completed in the beginning of this age4 ,nothing can be added to it1 nor must anything be taken away from it4 ,there is no such thing as progress in the ,truth of ,god1 that man by research can discover something for himself1 as he attempts to do in the different sciences4 ,the ,truth and doctrine made known in the beginning of this age is a fixed ,truth1 it is eternal ,truth1 it is unchangeable ,truth1 and as such the only light which man has during this age4 ,fifth1 as to the moral characteristics of this age4 ,the ,apostle ,john tells us that the world lieth in the wicked one1 and that the character of the world is antagonistic to the ,word of ,god4 ,the age therefore is branded in every portion of the ,new ,testament as an evil age4 ,certain exhortations to believers make this clear4 ,all exhortations in the ,new ,testament to ,christians are exhortations to separate from this age4 ,in the beginning of ,galatians we are expressly told that the ,lord ,jesus ,christ gave ,himself for our sins that ,he might deliver us out of this present evil age4 ,then again we read what ,paul wrote to ,titus that the grace of ,god has appeared bringing salvation to all men1 teaching us that we should deny ungodliness and worldly lusts1 and should live soberly1 righteously and godly in this present age4 ,this shows that the present age is evil4 ,and nowhere is the promise made in the ,epistles that this present age can ever be anything different than an evil age4 ,it continues evil to the end4 ,sixth1 what is the relation of ,satan to our age8 ,he is the enemy of ,god1 and seemingly achieved a triumph when he got man to reject the ,lord of ,glory4 ,on this account ,he is called in the ,new ,testament the god of this age4 ,he is the domineering spirit of the age in which we live1 which is also called ,man's ,day4 ,christ is rejected1 with no throne on earth1 but ,satan instead has his throne in this world and controls the affairs of the age4 ,that this is so may be seen from the very events with which this age started4 ,persecution soon set in1 believers were slain1 and in every other way this dark shadow antagonized the work of the ,spirit and counterfeited the ,truth of ,god4 ,therefore the spiritual warfare of believers in this age is to stand against the wiles of the devil1 for we wrestle not against flesh and blood1 but against principalities1 against the powers1 against the world rulers of this darkness1 against the wicked spirits in the heavenly places4 7,eph4 vi3#ab74 ,from this we learn that the age is ruled over by ,satan and the wicked spirits4 ,seventh1 there is another item which needs to be mentioned in connection with the beginning of this age1 and that is the ,jewish people4 ,their measure of wickedness was filled when they delivered the ,son of ,god into the hands of the ,gentiles to be crucified4 ,god in mercy lingered over the city for forty years before the announced judgment was executed upon the city and upon the nation4 ,thousands upon thousands repented and accepted the ,gospel2 in fact1 the beginning of the entire ,church was ,jewish4 ,but the nation hardened its heart1 and finally the tears which the ,lord had shed over ,jerusalem were justified in the awful siege of ,jerusalem1 followed by the dispersion of the nation4 ,ever since they have been in fulfillment of the predictions of their own prophets1 scattered amongst the nations of the world1 and this is continuing throughout this age4 ,we see then that there is a marked difference between this age and the ages which preceded it4 ,christ as the glorified ,man in heaven1 the ,holy ,spirit on earth1 a new message1 a new work which the ,spirit of ,god does1 the full revelation of ,god given to men1 the world in darkness1 ,satan its god1 and the ,jews no longer in their land but wandering amongst the nations with judicial blindness upon them4 ,,ii ,the ,progress of the ,age4 ,this present age is unrevealed in the ,old ,testament4 ,when ,daniel received the great prophecy which ,gabriel carried from the ,throne of ,god to the praying ,prophet1 he heard that at a certain time the death of ,christ should take place1 and that the city and the sanctuary should be burned1 and the nation scattered4 ,this was at the close of the sixty-ninth week1 four hundred and eighty-three years after the command to rebuild the wall of ,jerusalem had been given4 ,as we have shown in our book on ,daniel this has been literally fulfilled1 and as all students of prophecy know there is an unfulfilled week1 or seven years1 which are yet to come to pass in the history of that nation4 ,the space between the sixty-ninth and the seventieth week is this present age4 ,nor is there anywhere in the ,word of ,god a revelation which tells us of the duration of this age4 ,there is no hint about it in the ,old ,testament2 and when the disciples asked the ,lord about the restoration of the ,kingdom to ,israel1 which manifestly takes place at the close of this age1 ,he told them1 ,it is not for you to know the times and the seasons4 ,it is therefore useless trying to find out about the duration of the age4 ,but when we come to the moral and religious characteristics1 in connection with the progress of this age1 it is different4 ,they are fully revealed by the ,lord and also by ,his ,spirit4 ,especially is this true of the very end of this age4 ,twice our ,lord spoke on these matters1 once on earth when ,he gave the ,kingdom parables in ,matthew xiii and spoke of the progress of the age and what should take place during ,his absence4 ,again ,he spoke from heaven about these same things1 when ,he gave the messages to the seven churches4 ,in them ,he outlined the course of the professing church on earth1 and reveals in it what is to take place during the progress of this age4 ,we shall cover the same seven things which we have mentioned in connection with the beginning of this age1 and learn how they are affected as this age progresses and nears its end4 ,first1 as to the ,lord ,jesus ,christ in glory4 ,enthroned in the highest glory ,he can never be affected by what is going on down here4 ,satan's power cannot reach ,him4 ,the ,lord ,jesus is the same1 yesterday1 today1 and forever4 ,whatever man does on earth1 however great the hatred may be against ,him1 even if the nations unite to cast off ,his cords and bands1 in the language of the second ,psalm1 ,he that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh at them and hold them in derision4 ,but there is a comforting truth in connection with this1 the comfort of which has been the blessed portion of all ,god's people as the age progressed1 and its true character became more and more known4 ,saul1 ,saul1 why persecutest thou me1 was the word the ,lord ,jesus addressed to the persecutor of the ,church of ,god4 ,it shows ,his loving interest and sympathy for ,his suffering members on earth4 ,and so as the age progressed in the pagan persecutions and the equally bad1 if not worse1 ,papal persecutions1 ,he has sustained ,his people on earth1 ,he has never failed them1 ,he has carried them through the water and through the fire4 ,he has presented their petitions before the ,throne of ,god1 and answered their prayers4 ,nor will ,he ever fail ,his people until they are gathered home into ,his presence1 the trophies of ,his grace4 ,second4 ,nor can the ,holy ,spirit and ,his work be affected by what the progress of this age brings4 ,he knows no failure4 ,his ,divine mission cannot fail4 ,in every generation during this age1 no matter how dark it may have been1 ,he has continued successfully ,his work and added to the ,body of ,christ1 in each generation those who believed on the ,son of ,god4 ,third and ,fourth1 as to the ,gospel and the ,truth of ,god it is different1 for we shall notice here at once what the progress of the age has brought about in connection with what ,god has given to this age4 ,our ,lord tells us in the second parable1 in ,matthew xiii1 that no sooner had the wheat1 the ,truth1 been sown in the field1 which is the world1 but that an enemy came and sowed the tares4 ,then ,he revealed this fact that the wheat and the tares were to grow together until the harvest1 which is the end of the age4 ,there is then a development in the progress of this age1 a development in the wheat1 which is ripening for the harvest1 and the development of the tares4 ,the ,truth is to shine more brightly as the age progresses1 and darkness becomes more dense4 ,we see therefore that after a brief period of purity the evil began in the professing church4 ,the ,gospel1 even in ,apostolic days was being denied1 and the ,apostles' doctrines corrupted4 ,what the ,lord ,jesus taught in the parable of the mustard seed came also to pass as the age progressed4 ,the little mustard seed became a great tree1 and the birds began to lodge in its branches to defile the tree4 ,the professing church became a great world institution1 and in alliance with the world where the throne of ,satan is1 became corrupted2 instead of being the espoused virgin1 she became the harlot and adultress4 ,what the ,lord ,jesus announced in the ,parable of the leaven came likewise to pass as this age progressed4 ,the leaven1 which is corruption1 evil in every form1 especially in ,christian doctrine1 has been introduced into the pure doctrine of ,christ1 the three measures of fine wheat4 ,and so we see that as the age progressed the rejection of every phase of ,divine ,truth set in4 ,the ,deity of ,christ denied1 the ,virgin ,birth1 ,his atoning death1 ,his physical resurrection1 everything denied2 the ,bible as the revelation of ,god rejected2 and with these denials there came the increase of unrighteousness and moral declension1 till the age produced the condition which the ,word of ,god clearly foresaw1 a great professing church1 with the harlot character1 unfaithful to ,christ and to ,his ,word2 while of course it is equally true that there is the true ,church1 which remains true to ,christ and to ,his ,word4 ,fifth1 as the age progresses there is no change seen in the condition of the world4 ,it is true man has been developing ,man's ,day4 ,as the age progressed great inventions and discoveries were made4 ,these are often taken to be indications that the age is getting better4 ,they point to the telephone1 and wireless1 the great engineering feats1 the chemical discoveries1 and everything else in these lines as evidences that the age is constantly improving4 ,before the war we were told that the age had improved to such an extent that a great war would no longer be possible4 ,everybody was lauding our great civilization to the skies4 ,a few weeks after everything was knocked sky-high1 and what is left of all these optimistic ramblings8 ,no1 this age does not improve1 and everything which the ,word of ,god has to say about it has been solemnly verified and confirmed by the roar of cannons and by the slaughter of millions4 ,our great inventions and discoveries have not made the world more righteous4 ,on the contrary1 unrighteousness and lawlessness have increased1 and later we shall show how everything in these conditions points to the very end of this age4 ,sixth1 ,satan4 ,the world does not change1 neither does ,satan4 ,he can never be anything else but the enemy of ,god1 nor can his person and work be arrested by man's efforts4 ,as the age continues his opposition becomes more marked4 ,we know from the lips of our ,lord that he is the liar and the murderer from the beginning4 ,he has made good these titles throughout this age4 ,he tried to stamp out more than once the ,truth of ,christ by instigating the cruel persecutions of the people of ,god4 ,they were slain by the thousands and hundreds of thousands during the reign of the ,roman ,emperors4 ,when he failed in this then he manifested his character as the liar from the beginning4 ,he began to counterfeit the ,truth1 and partially succeeded in corrupting the professing church and putting a spurious system in control1 where he makes good his title as the liar4 ,when in the progress of this age the ,spirit of ,god began reviving the ,truth1 when the noble men and women refused to bow before ,rome1 he again acted as the murderer4 ,thousands upon thousands were tortured1 slain1 and burned alive1 until he discovered that the ,truth cannot be stamped out by the fires of persecution1 that he was failing again as he had failed in the first century of the age4 ,then once more he appears in the garb of an angel of light4 ,now he does his work through demon-cults like ,christian ,science1 ,spiritism1 ,mormonism and others4 ,he manifests himself once more as the liar from the beginning in the ,new ,theology and the ,destructive ,criticism1 so widely accepted everywhere4 ,and thus he continues his work as the age progresses2 no change for the better4 ,seventh1 as already stated the ,jews are wanderers amongst the nations4 ,we know two things concerning the ,jews4 ,the first is that they are given the promise in earthly things1 and though they are now blinded1 ,god has not cast them away2 and the other is that they are during this age under judgment4 ,these two facts stand out in the history of that remarkable people as the age continues4 ,if we want to see the richest people1 the most influential1 the brightest1 we must turn to the ,jewish people4 ,in that fact ,god witnesses that they are still ,his people4 ,and then the greatest sorrow1 the greatest suffering1 the greatest poverty is found amongst them2 the witness that they are under judgment4 ,over and over again in every century has solemnly come to pass what their forefathers cried1 ,his blood be upon us1 and upon our children4 ,we shall later point out the startling change which is coming upon them as a nation when the age ends4 ,,iii ,the ,end of the ,age4 ,like every previous age1 our age will also come to a close4 ,it is here we find one of the vital errors amongst ,christians at the present time4 ,they never think of this age of ,gospel preaching and ,gospel privilege as coming to an end4 ,if one speaks to them about the end of the age1 they think it means after the world is converted1 and the passing away of the world itself4 ,peter has given us the witness that this would be one of the characteristics of the last days1 when mockers shall come1 saying1 ,where is the promise of ,his coming8 for from the day the fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation4 ,this is what we find so much in our day4 ,in spite of the horrible conditions in which this age has been plunged1 and the confirmation of the predictions of the ,bible relating to this age1 the mass of professing ,christians expect that things will continue1 and that after the war the age will speedily improve4 ,we have seen before how impossible this is1 for the ,bible teaches us that this age is an evil age1 and there is not a single passage which promises an improvement4 ,on the contrary1 everything in the ,word shows that as the age ends1 and its real end comes1 all the evil conditions present in this age come to a head and climax4 ,we find therefore a great deal said in the ,scriptures about the end of the age4 ,the ,lord ,jesus speaks of it in ,his parables in ,matthew xiii4 ,he has given also a complete panorama of the age-ending in ,his great ,olivet discourse4 ,then when we come to the ,epistles we find that the ,spirit of ,god through every writer gives a warning and a witness about the end of the age4 ,all these warnings and witnesses do not tell us of a converted world1 and a world which is won to righteousness1 of nations who lay down their armaments and no longer make war2 nor do these warnings and predictions speak of a triumph of the doctrine of ,christ4 ,they tell us the very opposite4 ,they give warnings that the faith is going to be rejected1 that delusions and errors are going to multiply1 that nation is going to lift up sword against nation and kingdom against kingdom1 that lawlessness and unrighteousness are going to increase1 and that the age itself is going to end in a time of trouble such as the world has never seen before4 ,if we turn to the last ,book of the ,bible we find also an argument concerning the age and its end4 ,before the heaven opens and ,he comes1 whose right it is to establish ,his ,kingdom over this earth1 the wicked and wild conditions prevailing on this earth are described1 and that on account of them the judgments of the ,lord will be in the earth4 ,and now to follow the same line of thought as in our preceding meditations1 let us again notice the same things which we mentioned before in connection with the beginning and progress of this age4 ,first1 as this age comes to a close ,christ is still on the ,father's ,throne4 ,his ministry in behalf of ,his people both as ,priest and ,advocate continues unbroken4 ,he has promised1 ,lo1 ,i am with you always even unto the end of the age4 ,we say again1 ,he changes not4 ,as ,he sustained ,his people in the beginning of the age and gave them victory1 as ,he kept the feet of ,his saints in every generation and gathered them home into ,his own presence1 so ,he will still minister to the needs of ,his members on earth4 ,let the age become as dark as it possibly can1 ,his people who trust in ,him and walk in ,his fellowship will be kept and preserved4 ,we do not know all that is going on in glory4 ,we know he is there as the upholder of all things4 ,we know that the greater part of the children of ,god are as disembodied spirits in ,his presence4 ,some day a startling thing will happen in that glory4 ,the hour has come when the redeemed are to have their resurrection bodies1 and all the living saints shall be changed in a moment1 in the twinkling of an eye4 ,when that hour strikes ,he ,himself will arise from the place at the ,father's right hand and pass out of the third heaven1 and then from the air give the shout which will summon all the redeemed to meet ,him in the sky4 ,for this the people of ,god are waiting in the end of this age4 #a ,see article ,that ,blessed ,hope4 ,transcriber's note3 there was no matching footnote number in the above text1 so it is not known what this footnote referred to4 ,second1 the ,holy ,spirit also remains the same4 ,his energy is undiminished4 ,the work ,he came to do and which ,he has done throughout this age1 will be done by ,him to the very end4 ,indeed1 while darkness increases and the enemy becomes more active1 ,god's people may confidently expect that the ,holy ,spirit will also demonstrate ,his power in the behalf of those who love and walk in the ,truth4 ,some day ,he will have finished the work for which ,he came1 the ,body will be complete as to numbers2 and when that crowning event1 the coming of the ,lord for ,his saints1 takes place1 the ,holy ,spirit will have ,his part to do4 ,not alone ,christ will present the ,church but the ,holy ,spirit as well2 and then ,he will leave the earth1 no longer to be here to do the special work which ,he came to do on the ,day of ,pentecost4 ,he has finished the work4 ,third1 the ,gospel is still preached during the end of the age4 ,as long as the ,church remains here the true ,gospel testimony can never be silenced1 because behind it stands the omnipotent ,spirit of ,god and the power of ,christ4 ,but as the age closes the true ,gospel is being more and more rejected4 ,we see this today2 we hear on all hands that man no longer needs to be born again1 that the blood of ,christ cannot save1 that character saves2 that the soldiers who die on the battlefield bring a sacrifice like ,christ brought on the ,cross1 and that the hero's death makes all things right in the past life and opens the gates of glory4 ,on all sides we see these rejections2 the ,son of ,god is denied and every phase of ,his work is set aside4 ,this is exactly what is taught in the ,new ,testament1 that men would turn away their ears from the ,truth1 and that the great mass of professing ,christians would only have a form of godliness and deny the power thereof4 ,when at last the ,church has ended her ministry the sound of the ,gospel of ,grace will no longer be heard4 ,while this is true1 on the other hand the ,gospel still preached up to the end of the age brings about the completion of the ,body of ,christ4 ,we see this today in a startling manner4 ,while amongst the so-called ,christian nations the ,gospel is rejected1 in heathen countries the ,gospel is accepted by thousands upon thousands1 and thus the ,body of ,christ1 the true ,church1 is being made complete4 ,fourth1 when this age closes the whole body of the doctrine of ,christ and the ,truth will be rejected4 ,the foundation for this has gradually been laid4 ,it started over a hundred years ago in ,germany1 where the modern criticism of the ,bible started4 ,this criticism has constantly been growing1 until everywhere throughout ,christendom an infallible ,bible is being denied4 ,thus the foundations of the faith have been undermined1 and the way is prepared for the final apostasy1 the complete falling away from the ,truth4 ,fifth1 in regard to the world4 ,as stated previously this age cannot get better1 but becomes worse4 ,we see it today1 how all inventions and discoveries in which we used to boast as evidences of progress are being made use of in the most horrible catastrophe the world has ever seen4 ,europe is like a human slaughterhouse4 ,nations are against nations and kingdoms against kingdoms2 and all this was started by a nation which boasted of having the most light in religious things and the best culture and civilization4 ,and all along they denied ,christ and the ,truth of ,god2 and when the outbreak came it was only a demonstration that behind their ,christless civilization and culture there stood the domineering shadow of the prince of this world4 ,when we look closer into the ,prophetic ,word we find that these conditions continue to the end of the age1 and that finally there comes a tremendous crash1 when the ,lord ,himself will deal with these horrible conditions and smite the wicked and the ungodly4 ,but some one might say1 ,what is the use of doing anything at all if this is the program8 ,what is the use of us to fight as a nation8 ,but this is wrong logic4 ,there are principles of righteousness and justice which must be maintained in this world1 for which man must stand up1 and as far as our nation is concerned we are on the side of justice and the defense of righteousness1 which have the approval of ,god1 for they are in line with ,his righteous government4 ,when the time comes for the reckoning1 not from the human side but from ,god's side1 this will fall heavily into the scale when the nations are judged4 ,sixth1 as to ,satan4 ,like a huge serpent he has been winding his way throughout this age1 leaving everywhere his contamination4 ,while ,satan is not omniscient and perfect in knowledge1 he has sufficient knowledge of his destiny and how soon that destiny will be accomplished1 and so as the age closes he becomes fiercer in his wrath2 like a serpent which is attacked and in danger of being caught1 his hiss is heard on all sides4 ,he is now actively engaged in counterfeiting the ,truth1 in putting in his demon doctrines1 in perverting the ,truth wherever he can4 ,and by and by after the true ,church is gone he will put his masterpieces into the world1 of whom we shall have more to say in these studies4 ,then he will blind the nations as never before and rush them on to the final climax of the age4 ,seventh1 as to the ,jews4 ,we have seen how they were scattered at the beginning of this age1 and how they continued to wander amongst the nations as the age progressed4 ,when we come to the end of the age a startling change takes place with ,his people4 ,the figtree1 once cursed1 puts forth new leaves2 the dry bones of the house of ,israel begin to show signs of life4 ,there is a movement amongst them1 bone comes to bone1 they organize1 their faces are turned towards the east2 they are getting ready for the greatest event in all history4 ,the ,lord ,jesus ,christ said that ,jerusalem should be trodden down of the ,gentiles until the times of the ,gentiles are fulfilled4 ,when the end of the age comes the times of the ,gentiles are about fulfilled2 and the startling sign that the age ends is the movement amongst the ,jews so prominent today4 ,the capture of ,jerusalem and the complete downfall of the ,turk are significant signs4 ,palestine will be given to the ,jews when the war ends4 ,then the stage is set1 so to speak1 for the predicted end of the age4 ,we have rapidly pointed out the leading features of the beginning1 progress and end of this age4 ,the real end is composed of seven years1 the last prophetic week of ,daniel's prophecy 7,dan4 ix74 ,the true church will then no longer be on the earth4 ,her translation has taken place4 ,the ,saints are with the ,lord4 ,but on earth the things will come to pass which are so prominently revealed in the prophetic ,word4 ,and when the seven years are over the ,lord ,jesus ,christ will come back in power and glory to establish ,his ,kingdom of righteousness and peace4 ,then that which has been shall be again and still greater glory added4 ,,that ,,blessed ,,hope ,looking for that blessed hope1 and the glorious appearing of the glory of our great ,god and our ,saviour ,jesus ,christ1 ,tit4 ii3#ac4 ,that blessed hope of which the ,apostle writes is an exclusively ,new ,testament revelation4 ,the appearing of the glory of our great ,god and our ,savior ,jesus ,christ is fully revealed in the ,old ,testament prophetic ,word4 ,the ,prophets had visions of the day of the ,lord1 a day in which the ,lord will be manifested in power and glory2 a day which will bring glory and peace when the ,lord is enthroned as ,king of kings and ,lord of lords4 ,the ,spirit of ,god has shown through the prophets what the appearing1 the visible manifestation of the ,lord will mean1 for the people ,israel1 for the nations and for groaning creation4 ,but nowhere do we find that blessed hope made known by the prophets4 ,the ,jewish ,saints knew nothing of it as it is revealed to the church of ,god4 ,true they had now and then a glimpse of the future4 ,one of the greatest sufferers was ,job4 ,his darkest night was illuminated by the assurance of hope when he uttered his great testimony3 ,i know that my ,redeemer liveth1 and that ,he shall stand in the latter day upon the earth4 ,and if after my skin this body shall be destroyed1 yet in my flesh shall ,i see ,god4 ,whom ,i shall see for myself1 and mine eyes shall behold1 and not another 7,job xix3#be-bg74 ,but this is not that blessed hope the ,lord has given to us ,his people4 ,old ,testament ,saints knew of the resurrection of the dead4 ,they knew nothing of a resurrection from among the dead4 ,yet ,enoch and ,elijah were taken to glory without dying4 ,no prophet knew the typical meaning of their experience as we know it through that blessed hope4 ,for the ,first ,time ,that blessed hope is for the first time mentioned by our ,lord4 ,but where in ,his earthly life did ,he give it to ,his disciples8 ,it is not found in the records of the three first ,gospels1 generally called the synoptics4 ,in these records ,he spoke often of ,his ,return4 ,he promised a ,second ,coming of ,himself in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory4 ,he revealed what should take place before ,his return4 ,in ,his prophetic ,olivet discourse 7,matt4 xxiv-xxv7 ,he gave the signs of ,his ,coming1 the preceding great tribulation1 the physical signs accompanying ,his visible manifestation1 the regathering of ,his elect people ,israel by the angels4 ,he revealed how some would then be taken in judgment and others left on the earth to enter the ,kingdom 7,matt4 xxiv3#dj-da74 ,he also spoke in parables of how the conditions in ,christendom would be dealt with by ,him4 ,and finally ,he gave a prophecy concerning the judgment of the living nations in the day of ,his appearing4 ,but nowhere in the ,gospels of ,matthew1 ,mark and ,luke did ,he speak of that blessed hope4 ,it was in the upper room discourse that ,he spoke of it the first time4 ,his eleven disciples were gathered about ,him4 ,judas had gone out into the night to betray ,him4 ,for him of whom the ,lord said it would have been better had he never been born1 there was no blessed hope4 ,the ,lord had announced ,his imminent departure from them4 ,he would leave them4 ,when ,peter said ,i will lay down my life for thy sake 7,john xiii3#cj71 the omniscient ,one told him1 the cock shall not crow till thou hast denied me thrice4 ,how sorrowful this little company must have been6 ,despair was probably on all their faces4 ,their hearts were greatly troubled4 ,then ,his beloved voice broke the silence and uttered the never to be forgotten words1 ,let not your heart be troubled2 ye believe in ,god1 believe also in ,me4 ,in my ,father's house are many mansions2 if it were not so ,i would have told you4 ,i go to prepare a place for you2 and if ,i go and prepare a place for you1 ,i will come again1 and receive you unto ,myself that where ,i am ye may be also 7,john xiv3#a-c74 ,in these words that blessed hope is mentioned for the first time in the ,bible4 ,what ,it ,is ,only those who belonged to ,him heard this promise4 ,it is therefore a promise not given to ,israel1 or to the world1 but only for those who know ,him as their ,savior and ,lord1 who have believed on ,him and are ,his own4 ,the promise is twofold4 ,he would come again and receive them unto ,himself2 and that ,he would take them to the place where ,he is4 ,and this is that blessed hope4 ,his coming for ,his own to be with ,him in the ,father's house to occupy the mansions ,he has prepared by ,his atoning work4 ,the contrast of this promise of ,his ,coming for ,his disciples with the promises of ,his visible return as given in the synoptics is striking4 ,he does not say a word about any signs4 ,he does not mention the great tribulation4 ,nor has ,he anything to say about judgment4 ,he only gives the assurance that ,he1 in person1 will come again and then receive them unto ,himself4 ,they were not to look for certain signs and events as predicted in ,daniel's prophecy1 or wait for the great tribulation and the manifestation of the man of sin4 ,his promise told them to wait for ,himself4 ,his ,prayer ,a little while later after ,he had given this promise of ,his ,coming for them they heard ,him pray4 ,this prayer is found in the seventeenth chapter of ,john4 ,what a prayer it is6 ,as they listened to ,his voice addressing the ,father they had new glimpses of ,his great love wherewith ,he loved them4 ,he prayed for their sanctification1 for their preservation and finally for their glorification4 ,he made a demand of the ,father which confirmed the promise ,he had previously given to them4 ,he prayed1 ,father1 ,i will that they1 whom ,thou hast given ,me be with ,me where ,i am1 that they may behold my glory which thou hast given ,me1 for ,thou lovedst ,me before the foundation of the world 7,john xvii3#bd74 ,in these words ,he asks the ,father to do what ,he had promised ,his disciples4 ,his own are to be with ,him where ,he is1 to behold ,his glory4 ,an ,unfulfilled ,promise and an ,unanswered ,prayer ,the promise of that blessed hope given so long ago is still unfulfilled2 the prayer ,he prayed is not yet answered4 ,some say that when our ,lord said ,i will come again and receive you unto myself ,he meant the death of the believer4 ,this is positively wrong4 ,when the believer dies the ,lord does not come to the individual believer1 but the believer goes to be with the ,lord4 ,absent from the body present with the ,lord4 ,when the believer dies his body is put into the ground1 while the disembodied part goes straight into ,his presence4 ,but the body is also redeemed and must be fashioned like unto ,his glorious body4 ,the disciples died and generations upon generations of believers passed away and the promise is still unfulfilled and ,his prayer not yet answered4 ,the ,full ,revelation ,the disciples1 though they knew the promise of that blessed hope had no knowledge whatever how the ,lord would come again and receive them unto ,himself4 ,he did not reveal the manner of ,his ,coming when ,he spoke to them4 ,the ,lord singled out the ,apostle ,paul to give to him the special revelation as to the manner of ,his ,coming for ,his ,saints and how that blessed hope would some day be fulfilled4 ,the ,apostle ,paul is the instrument through whom the ,lord was pleased to give the highest revelation in the ,word of ,god1 so that he could say that it was given to him to fulfil 7complete7 the ,word of ,god4 ,to him the full glory of the church1 the body of ,christ1 was made known1 and through this chosen vessel1 who called himself less than the least of all the ,saints1 the full revelation of that blessed hope is given4 ,the first ,epistle he wrote was the ,epistle to the ,thessalonians4 ,the great revelation of the blessed hope is found in the first ,epistle4 ,but we do not wish you to be ignorant concerning them that are fallen asleep1 to the end that ye sorrow not1 even as others who have no hope4 ,for if we believe that ,jesus died and rose again1 so also ,god will bring with ,him those who have fallen asleep through ,jesus4 ,for this we say to you in the ,word of the ,lord1 that we1 the living1 who remain to the coming of the ,lord1 are in no way to anticipate those who have fallen asleep3 for the ,lord ,himself will descend from heaven with an assembling shout1 with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of ,god2 and the dead in ,christ shall rise first2 then we1 the living who remain1 shall be caught up together with them in clouds1 to meet the ,lord in the air2 and so shall we ever be with the ,lord4 ,wherefore comfort one another with these words 7#a ,thess4 iv3#ac-ah1--;corrected translation74 ,these words1 so unique and precious1 give the full revelation about the blessed hope4 ,some of the ,thessalonian believers had died and those who were left behind feared that their departed ones had lost their share in the coming glorious meeting with the ,lord4 ,on their account they sorrowed like those who have no hope4 ,and so the ,lord gave to the ,apostle this special revelation to quiet their fears and to enlighten them as to the details of the coming of the ,lord for all ,his ,saints1 those who had fallen asleep1 and those who live when ,he fulfills ,his promise4 ,the little church of ,thessalonica with these sorrowing ,saints was made the recipient of this great and comforting message which is for the whole body of ,christ as well4 ,let us examine it4 ,for if we believe that ,jesus died and rose again1 so also ,god will bring with ,him those who have fallen asleep through ,jesus4 ,here is first the blessed fact that ,jesus died4 ,of the ,saints it is said that they fell asleep2 but never is it said that ,jesus slept1 when ,he gave ,his life on the cross4 ,he tasted death1 the death in all its unfathomable meaning as the judgment upon sin4 ,for the saints the physical death is but sleep4#a ,and ,he who died rose again2 as certainly as ,he died and rose again1 so surely shall all believers rise4 ,god will bring all those who have fallen asleep through ,jesus with ,him1 that is with the ,lord when ,he comes in the day of ,his glorious manifestation4 ,it does not mean the receiving of them by the ,lord1 nor does it mean that ,he brings their disembodied spirits with ,him to be united to their bodies from the graves1 but it means that those who have fallen asleep will ,god bring with ,his ,son when ,he comes with all ,his saints2 they will all be in that glorified company4 ,when the ,lord comes back from glory all the departed saints will be with ,him4 ,this is what the ,thessalonians needed to know first of all4 ,before we follow this blessed revelation in its unfolding we call attention to the phrase fallen asleep through 7not in7 ,jesus2 it may also be rendered by those who were put to sleep by ,jesus4 ,his saints in life and death are in ,his hands4 ,when saints put their bodies aside1 it is because their ,lord has willed it so4 ,precious in the sight of the ,lord is the death of ,his saints 7,ps4 cxvi3#ae74 ,when our loved ones leave us1 may we think of their departure as being put to sleep by ,jesus4 ,but blessed as this answer to their question is1 it produced another difficulty4 ,hearing that the saints who had fallen asleep would come with the ,lord on the day of ,his glorious manifestation1 they would ask1 ,how is it possible that they can come with ,him8 ,are they coming as disembodied spirits8 ,what about their bodies in the graves8 ,how shall they come with ,him8 ,to answer these questions the special revelation by the ,word of the ,lord is given1 by which they learned1 and we also1 how they would all be with ,him so as to come with ,him at ,his appearing4 ,for this we say to you by the ,word of the ,lord1 that we1 the living1 who remain unto the coming of the ,lord1 are in no wise to anticipate those who have fallen asleep4 ,he tells them that when the ,lord comes for ,his saints1 those who have fallen asleep will not have an inferior place1 and that1 we1 the living1 who remain to the coming of the ,lord1 will not precede those who have fallen asleep4 ,when ,paul wrote these words and said ,we1 the living1 who remain1 he certainly considered himself as included in that class4 ,the two companies who will meet the ,lord when ,he comes1 those who have fallen asleep and those who are living1 are mentioned here for the first time4 ,how the living saints will not precede those who have departed and the order in which the coming of the ,lord for ,his saints will be executed is next made known in this wonderful revelation4 ,for the ,lord ,himself will descend from heaven with an assembling shout1 with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of ,god2 and the dead in ,christ shall rise first1 then1 we1 the living1 who remain1 shall be caught up together with them in clouds1 to meet the ,lord in the air1 and so shall we ever be with the ,lord4 ,wherefore comfort one another with these words4 ,this is the full revelation of the blessed hope in its manner of fulfilment4 ,nothing like it is found anywhere in the ,old ,testament ,scriptures4 ,in writing later to the ,corinthians ,paul mentioned it again3 ,behold ,i show you a mystery2 we shall not all sleep1 but we shall all be changed4 ,in a moment1 in the twinkling of an eye1 at the last trump2 for the trumpet shall sound1 and the dead shall be raised incorruptible1 and we shall be changed 7#a ,cor4 xv3#ea-eb74 ,the ,lord ,himself will descend from heaven4 ,he is now at the right hand of ,god in glory1 crowned with honor and glory4 ,there ,he exercises ,his ,priesthood and advocacy in behalf of ,his people1 by which ,he keeps1 sustains and restores them4 ,when the last member has been added to the church1 which is ,his body1 and that body is to be with ,him1 who is the head1 ,he will leave the place at the right hand and descend from heaven4 ,he will not descend to the earth1 for1 as we read later1 the meeting-place for ,him and ,his saints is the air and not the earth4 ,when ,he comes with ,his saints in ,his visible manifestation1 ,he will descend to the earth4 ,when ,he comes for ,his ,saints ,he comes with a shout4 ,it denotes ,his supreme authority4 ,the ,greek word is ,kelusma1 which means literally a shout of command1 used in classical ,greek for the hero's shout to his followers in battle1 the commanding voice to gather together4 ,he ascended with a shout 7,ps4 lxvii3#e71 and with the victor's shout ,he returns4 ,the shout may be the single word ,come6 ,come and see ,he spoke to the disciples who followed ,him and inquired for ,his dwelling place4 ,before ,lazarus' tomb ,he spoke with a loud voice1 ,come forth4 ,john1 in the isle of ,patmos1 after the throne messages to the churches had been given1 saw a door opened in heaven and the voice said ,come up hither 7,rev4 iv3#a74 ,come is the royal word of grace1 and grace will do its supreme work when ,he comes for ,his own4 ,but there will also be the voice of the archangel 7,michael7 and the trump of ,god4 ,the archangel is the leader of the angelic hosts4 ,as ,he was seen of angels 7#a ,tim4 iii3#af7 when ,he ascended into the highest heaven1 so will the archangel be connected with ,his descent out of heaven4 ,all heaven will be in commotion when the heirs of glory1 sinners saved by grace1 are about to be brought with glorified bodies into the ,father's house4 ,some teach that the voice of the archangel may be employed to summon the heavenly hosts and marshal the innumerable company of the redeemed1 for ,they shall gather ,his elect together from the four winds1 from one end of heaven to the other 7,matthew xxiv3#cj-ca74 ,but this is incorrect4 ,the elect in ,matthew xxiv are not the church1 but ,israel4 ,dispersed ,israel will be regathered and angels will be used in this work4 ,furthermore the angels will do this gathering after the great tribulation and after the visible manifestation of the ,lord with ,his saints4 ,the coming of the ,lord for ,his saints takes place before the great tribulation4 ,the trump of ,god is also mentioned4 ,this trumpet has nothing to do with the judgment trumpets of ,revelation1 nor with the ,jewish feast of trumpets4 ,some teach that the trumpet is the last trumpet of ,revelation4 ,but note the trumpet here is the trumpet of ,god2 in ,revelation the last trumpet is blown by an angel4 ,it is a symbolical term and like the shout stands for the gathering together4 ,in ,numbers x3#d we read1 ,and if they blow with one trumpet1 then the princes1 the heads of the thousands of ,israel1 shall gather themselves unto thee4 ,the shout and the trump of ,god will gather the fellow-heirs of ,christ4 ,the dead in ,christ shall rise first4 ,this is the resurrection from among all the dead of those who believed on ,christ1 the righteous1 dead4 ,all saints of all ages1 ,old and ,new ,testament saints1 are included4 ,this statement of the resurrection of the dead in ,christ first disposes completely of the unscriptural view of a general resurrection4 ,as we know from ,rev4 xx3#e the rest of the dead 7the wicked dead7 will be raised up later4 ,he comes in person to open the graves of all who belong to ,him and manifests ,his authority over death which ,he has conquered4 ,the dead in ,christ will hear the shout first and experience ,his quickening power2 they shall be raised incorruptible4 ,what power will then be manifested6 ,then we1 the living1 who remain1 shall be caught up together with them in clouds to meet the ,lord in the air2 and so shall we ever be with the ,lord4 ,all believers who live on earth when the ,lord comes will hear that commanding1 gathering shout4 ,it does not include those who only profess to be ,christians and are nominal church-members1 nor are any excluded who really are the ,lord's4 ,the question1 ,who will be caught up into glory8 is answered elsewhere in these studies4 ,but see #a ,cor4 xv3#bc for an answer4 ,the change will be in a moment1 in the twinkling of an eye 7#a ,cor4 xv3#eb74 ,then this mortal will put on immortality4 ,it will be that clothed upon of which the apostle wrote to the ,corinthians3 ,for in this tabernacle we groan1 being burdened2 not for that we would be unclothed 7death7 but clothed upon1 that mortality might be swallowed up of life 7#b ,cor4 v3#d74 ,then our body of humiliation will be fashioned like unto ,his own glorious body4 ,it is the blessed1 glorious hope1 not death and the grave1 but the coming of the ,lord1 when we shall be changed4 ,and it is our imminent hope2 believers must wait daily for it and some blessed day the shout will surely come4 ,when ,he descends from heaven with the shout and the dead in ,christ are raised and we are changed1 then we shall be caught up together with them in clouds to meet the ,lord in the air4 ,it will be the blessed time of reunion with the loved ones who have gone before4 ,what joy and comfort it must have brought to the sorrowing ,thessalonians when they read these blessed words for the first time6 ,and they are still the words of comfort and hope to all ,his people1 when they stand at the open graves of loved ones who fell asleep as believers4 ,often the question is asked1 ,shall we not alone meet our loved ones but also recognize them8 ,here is the answer3 ,together with them implies both reunion and recognition4 ,these words would indeed mean nothing did they not mean recognition4 ,we shall surely see the faces of our loved ones again and all the saints of ,god on that blessed day when this great event takes place4 ,the clouds will be heaven's chariots to take the heirs of ,god and the joint-heirs of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ into ,his own presence4 ,as ,he ascended so ,his redeemed ones will be taken up4 ,caught up in the clouds to meet the ,lord in the air2 all laws of gravitation are set aside1 for it is the power of ,god1 the same power which raised up the ,lord ,jesus from the dead and seated ,him in glory1 which will be displayed in behalf of ,his saints 7,eph4 i3#ai-bc74 ,surely this is a divine and a wonderful revelation4 ,how foolish it must sound to our learned scientists4 ,but1 beloved1 ,i would want nothing but that one sentence1 ',caught up in clouds to meet the ,lord in the air1' to prove the divinity of ,christianity4 ,its very boldness is assurance of its truth4 ,no speculation1 no argument1 no reasoning2 but a bare authoritative statement startling in its boldness4 ,not a syllable of ,scripture on which to build1 and yet when spoken1 in perfect harmony with all ,scripture4 ,how absolutely impossible for any man to have conceived that the ,lord's saints should be caught up to meet ,him in the air4 ,were it not true its very boldness and apparent foolishness would be its refutation4 ,and what would be the character of mind that could invent such a thought8 ,what depths of wickedness6 ,what cruelty6 ,what callousness6 ,the spring from which such a statement1 if false1 could rise must be corrupt indeed4 ,but how different in fact6 ,what severe righteousness6 ,what depths of holiness6 ,what elevated morality6 ,what warmth of tender affection6 ,what clear reasoning6 ,every word that he has written testifies that he has not attempted to deceive4 ,paul was no deceiver1 and it is equally impossible for him to have been deceived4#b ,and the blessedness to meet the ,lord in the air6 ,we shall see ,him then as ,he is and gaze for the first time upon the face of the ,beloved1 that face of glory1 which was once marred and smitten on account of our sins4 ,and seeing ,him as ,he is we shall be like ,him4 ,how long will be the meeting in the air8 ,it has been said that the stay in that meeting place will be but momentary and that the ,lord will at once resume ,his descent to the earth4 ,we know from other ,scriptures that this cannot be4 ,between the coming of the ,lord for ,his saints and with ,his saints there is an interval of at least seven years before the visible coming of the ,lord and ,his saints with ,him4 ,the judgment of the saints1 by which their works and labors become manifest must take place4 ,there is also to be the presentation of the church in glory 7,ephes4 v3#bg2 ,jude verse #bd74 ,furthermore the marriage of the ,lamb takes place not in the meeting place in the air1 but in heaven 7,rev4 xix3#a-aj74 ,he will take ,his saints into the ,father's house that they may behold ,his glory 7,john xvii3#bb74 ,but what will it mean1 ,so shall we be forever with the ,lord6 ,its ,power and ,blessedness ,such then is that blessed hope1 blessed indeed1 and an imminent hope4 ,it is a hope which if really held in the heart will shape the life and conduct of the believer1 and fill1 we make bold to say1 every need he has in the wilderness down here4 #a4 ,that blessed hope will keep the person of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ constantly before the heart4 ,if we really look for ,him1 wait for ,him1 pray and long for ,his ,coming1 to see ,him face to face1 ,he will ever be fresh before our hearts4 ,this hope will keep us in closest touch and fellowship with ,him as nothing else4 ,oh6 the blessedness of knowing we shall see ,him--see ,him in all ,his glory6 ,each day ought to be begun with this thought1 ,i may meet ,him today6 ,each day should have for its last thought the blessed anticipation that the coming morning may find us in ,his presence4 #b4 ,the blessed hope is a purifying hope4 ,he that has this hope set upon ,him purifieth himself even as ,he is pure 7#a ,john iii3#c74 ,it is the power for a consecrated and separated life4 ,he prayed in ,his high-priestly prayer1 ,they are not of the world as ,i am not of the world4 ,sanctify them through ,thy ,truth1 ,thy ,word is truth 7,john xvii3#af1 #ag74 ,he has redeemed us from the curse1 from the guilt of our sins and from this present evil age4 ,we are saints1 no longer of this world1 though still in the world4 ,with this comes the responsibility to live soberly1 righteously and godly in this present age4 ,if a child of ,god lives a worldly1 carnal life it is a denial of the power of the ,gospel4 ,if a believer in that blessed hope lives an unholy life it is an evidence that he has never known in his heart what this hope is4 ,it is a hope which teaches us to walk in the light as ,he is in the light4 ,no believer who knows that blessed hope and waits for its fulfilment can go in the ways of the world to enjoy its hollow pleasures4 ,it is a separating1 purifying hope4 #c4 ,that blessed hope is furthermore a powerful incentive to service for ,god4 ,one of the charges brought against this most precious doctrine is that it paralyses missionary work and all other activities4 ,the very opposite is the case4 ,it stimulates true service for ,god as nothing else does4 ,look at that great model servant1 the ,apostle ,paul4 ,what a witness he gives of his untiring1 whole hearted service and the sufferings he endured in connection with it4 ,read #a ,thessalonians ii and #b ,corinthians xi3#bd-cc4 ,he had seen the ,lord in glory and he knew that ,his glory belonged to him and that in the day of ,christ he would see ,him and receive the reward from ,his hands4 ,this was the secret of his zeal for the ,gospel2 this gave him joy to endure4 ,like ,moses he had respect unto the recompense of the reward4 ,he knew before the judgment seat of ,christ he1 and with him all the ,saints1 shall appear to receive the reward for faithful service4 ,he looked upon those for whom he toiled1 who were led to ,christ by his testimony and nourished by his ministry as his glory and joy in the coming presence of the ,lord4 ,for what is our hope1 or joy1 or crown of rejoicing8 ,are not even ye in the presence of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ at ,his ,coming8 ,for ye are our glory and joy 7#a ,thess4 ii3#ai74 ,the most successful evangelists and missionaries have been and are believers in that blessed hope4 ,if we believe that ,he may come at any time1 we shall certainly lose no time to do the work into which ,his grace has called us4 #d4 ,it is a sustaining hope4 ,it sustains in suffering and in sorrow4 ,david wrote3 ,the ,lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing2 thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness 7,ps4 xli3#c74 ,it is the blessed hope of imminent glory which in sickness and pain gives strength1 yea songs in the night will come from our lips if that blessed hope is ever first before our souls4 ,and then it sustains the believer in conflict and keeps him faithful in the days of declension and apostasy4 #e4 ,it is a comforting hope4 ,comfort one another with these words the apostle wrote after he gave the great message4 ,it is the comfort when our loved ones leave us4 ,when we stand at the grave of the departed ones1 who fell asleep in the ,lord1 we know that the day is coming when that grave opens and they come forth and we shall be united with them caught up together with them to meet the ,lord in the air4 #a ,some have perverted the meaning of sleep1 and instead of applying it1 as ,scripture does1 to the body1 they apply it to the soul4 ,soul-sleep is nowhere taught in the ,bible and is therefore an invention by those who handle the word deceitfully4 #b ,our ,hope1 ,february1 #aijb4 ,,who ,,will ,,be ,,caught ,,up ,,when ,,the ,,lord ,,comes8 ,the doctrine of the first resurrection and the coming of the ,lord for ,his saints is nowhere taught in the ,old ,testament2 it is altogether a ,new ,testament revelation4 ,as it is so well known1 the ,apostle ,paul1 who received from the ,lord the revelation concerning the church1 the one body1 received also directly from the ,lord the revelation concerning the glorious removal of the church from the earth4 ,as the church had a definite beginning1 so she will have a definite end4 ,this end of the church on earth is made known in #a ,thess4 iv3 #ac-ag4 ,to read these familiar words and meditate on them1 as we have already done in the preceding chapter1 and to realize a little of what it all means1 fills the heart with praise and joy unspeakable4 ,oh1 for that shout1 that assembling shout from the glorified ,head to ,his own members6 ,the dead in ,christ shall rise first1 then we which are alive shall be caught up together with them in clouds4 ,the clouds will be the chariots of glory which take us into ,his presence4 ,then we shall meet the ,lord in the air1 and so shall we ever be with the ,lord4 ,this coming of the ,lord for his saints is the blessed ,hope1 the ,hope of the ,church1 our ,hope4 ,we are to occupy ourselves next with the question1 who1 when the hour arrives1 will be caught up to meet the ,lord in the air4 ,will all true ,christians be caught up or only a few8 ,this is an important question1 important because that blessed event may come at any time4 ,there is1 in our days1 a decided increase of teachers who teach what has been termed a partial rapture4 ,according to some of these teachings only those who believe that the ,lord is coming1 and who wait for ,his coming1 who have a correct knowledge of ,his ,second ,coming1 will be taken1 and others who had not light on dispensational teachings1 but were equally sincere1 will be left to pass through the tribulation4 ,others again declare that only those will be caught up who attained to a certain spirituality4 ,what is termed a higher life experience is1 according to these1 necessary to share in the rapture4 ,only consecrated ,christians will be taken up who are loosened from earthly things4 ,this teaching is found mostly among ,christian believers1 who are much occupied with themselves1 their experiences1 and who do not know the blessed position the believer holds through grace in ,christ4 ,then there are numerous groups of people1 some of them perfectionists1 who are scattered from ,maine to ,california1 from ,north to ,south and who claim that only the #add1jjj will be caught up1 and that those who hold these teachings1 or1 possess their peculiar experience1 will belong to that company4 ,these people forget that the #add1jjj in ,revelation are of ,israel4 ,some of the so-called ,pentecostal people1 now split up in different sects1 have imposed another condition1 that of speaking in a strange tongue4 ,there is still another view1 or rather new presentation of the partial rapture1 which seems to have unsettled some believers4 ,we have received a number of letters from students and others have come to us and asked us about it4 ,according to this view only those will have part in the first resurrection whose love and conduct after their conversion have made them worthy of it4 ,we shall quote from a volume which teaches this3 ,by the first resurrection ,christ exercises ,his power2 when1 as we shall presently see1 those only1 whose love and conduct after conversion have caused ,him to deem them worthy1 will come forth from the dead1 to form the complete church and to act as members of the ,heavenly ,kingdom4 ,by the final resurrection of all the remaining dead2 when those who have been saved1 but did not attain to the ,first resurrection1 will be raised to life3 and those who have rejected the ,saviour will come forth for judgment4 ,this resurrection does not take place until the close of the millennial reign1 that is1 until at least a thousand years after the ,first resurrection4 ,according to this the first resurrection is a reward for faithfulness and right conduct4 ,one has to attain a worthiness1 what measure of it is not specified1 and could not be specified by anyone4 ,the complete church will be formed by those who are faithful4 ,the other believers who were truly saved1 and also indwelt by the ,holy ,spirit1 but less faithful1 will see no resurrection till the great ,white ,throne is set up4 ,that this is altogether unscriptural need not to be further explained4 ,no believer1 who is saved by grace and hence is a member of ,christ1 will ever appear before the great ,white ,throne4 ,the second resurrection is of the wicked dead4 ,the author then goes to the ,epistle to the ,philippians and tries to show from the third chapter that the first resurrection is a prize4 ,especially is it the word of the ,apostle in the tenth and eleventh verses he explains as supporting his false theory4 ,we will let him speak in his own words3 ,but what was the goal towards which ,paul was thus directing his efforts8 ',if by any means1' he continues1 ',i may attain to the select resurrection out from among the dead4' ,in other words1 his aim was to be numbered with those blessed and holy ones who shall have part in the first resurrection4 ,but we must note1 that he had at the time1 no certain assurance 7italics ours7 that he would compass the desire of his heart4 99 99 99 ,just before his death1 however1 it was graciously revealed to him that he was one of the approved4 ,speaking on the thirteenth and fourteenth verses of the same chapter in ,philippians1 he says3 ,here ,paul again urges the fact1 that1 devoted as he was to his ,master1 he had as yet no absolute certainty of attaining to the first resurrection4 ,the worst statement on this line in the whole book is the following3 ,the upward1 or heavenward1 calling is1 of course1 contrasted with the earthly calling of ,israel4 ,and its introduction here is sufficiently startling for those who have been taught that simple belief in ,christ will win heaven for them1 and membership in the ,lord's body4 ,for ,paul unmistakably affirms that these high privileges are a prize and not a gift1 and are accessible only by the gate of the ,first ,resurrection--a gate through which1 after all his sacrifices and labors and sufferings for ,christ1 he was not yet absolutely sure that he would be permitted to pass4 ,according to this teaching the ,apostle1 who had received apostleship not of men but from the ,lord1 whom he saw in glory1 the ,apostle to whom was committed the ,gospel of the ,glory of the blessed ,god and to whom was made known the mystery of the ,church1 and that all believers are members of that body1 this great ,apostle and instrument through whom ,god gave the greatest revelation1 did not know himself that he belonged to the body4 ,he did not know it in spite of his sufferings and labors2 he had to suffer some more1 and only when he wrote ,second ,timothy had he a special revelation that he had labored and suffered enough4 ,how ridiculous and more than that1 insulting to the work and the ,word of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ6 ,and if it were true what this book teaches1 how dreadful it would be for almost every believer1 for but few1 if any1 labor and suffer as ,paul did1 and we could have1 even if we did1 no assurance concerning our membership in the body and our share in the first resurrection1 except by special revelation4 ,but such a special revelation is nowhere promised in the ,word4 ,we shall return after a while to the argument of ,philippians4 ,but let us give the answer to the question1 ,who will be caught up when the ,lord comes8 ,every person who fell asleep in ,jesus belongs to the company which is mentioned in first ,thessalonians1 the dead in ,christ shall be raised first1 and every true believer in the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 who lives when the assembling shout comes from the air1 will be caught up in clouds to meet the ,lord in the air4 ,and if believers1 as it is the case1 were ignorant of the coming of the ,lord1 had absolutely no knowledge of the fact and therefore did not wait for ,him1 they will nevertheless be caught up4 ,let us make the statement as strong as we possibly can4 ,supposing the ,lord came tonight to take ,his own out of the earth4 ,let us suppose a person who lived a very wicked life1 but an hour before the ,lord comes believes in the ,lord ,jesus ,christ and is saved and accepted in the ,beloved1 made a partaker of the heavenly calling4 ,this one saved by grace1 though ignorant of the truth of ,god1 would be caught up like the oldest1 most matured ,saint who loved ,his appearing for many years4 ,think of the dying thief4 ,he pleaded ,remember me when thou dost come into thy kingdom4 ,the assurance comes back to him1 who could do no works to gain a prize1 who was so ignorant in all spiritual matters1 ,to-day thou shalt be with me in ,paradise4 ,when the ,lord comes with the assembling shout the body of the thief1 saved by grace1 as well as the body of ,stephen1 whose is a martyr's crown1 and ,paul's and every other one who was saved by grace will be raised up and we1 meaning every saved one together with them1 will be caught up4 ,but let us prove this statement by the only authority we have1 the ,word of ,god4 ,let the ,scriptures give an answer to the simple question1 ,is the first resurrection and to be caught up to meet the ,lord in the air the prize for a holy1 consecrated1 faithful conduct and life1 or is it a free gift of the grace of ,god in our ,lord ,jesus ,christ8 ,the answer to this from the ,scriptures is clear2 it is put in every epistle as the result of grace and not as the reward for faithfulness and service4 ,to cite all the ,new ,testament passages which acquaint us with the wonderful truth of what grace has called us to and made us in ,christ ,jesus would fill page after page1 and if we would ponder over them and search in its blessed depths under the guidance of the ,holy ,spirit1 would fill our hearts with joy unspeakable and full of glory4 ,how clear it is seen in ,romans4 ,in the fifth of ,romans we read of the blessed results of justification4 ,it is not a question of doing from our side1 but it is ,god's doing1 for everyone who believeth on the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,peace1 perfect peace1 towards ,god4 ,every believer has it with ,god in virtue of the blood of the cross4 ,there peace was made4 ,the second1 access by faith into this grace1 wherein we stand1 and the third result of justification1 rejoicing in hope of the glory of ,god4 ,and this hope of the glory of ,god is nothing else than what we have in the first epistle of ,john1 ,we shall be like ,him for we shall see ,him as ,he is4 ,read also ,romans viii3#bi1 #cj1 ,for whom ,he did foreknow1 ,he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of ,his ,son 7in resurrection on the day of ,his coming for ,his ,saints7 that ,he might be the ,firstborn among many brethren4 ,moreover1 whom ,he did predestinate1 them ,he also called1 and whom ,he called1 them ,he also justified and whom ,he justified1 them ,he also glorified4 ,justification and glorification are inseparably connected4 ,they cannot be severed4 ,both are from the side of ,god1 the result of the finished work of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,god has justified and ,god has glorified4 ,the glorification begins when our ,lord leaves the ,father's throne and comes into the air to meet those whom the ,father has given to ,him4 ,not one will be left behind4 ,and who are they whom the ,father has given to the ,son8 ,everyone who believed and came to the ,son4 ,it is in that rich unfathomable epistle to the ,ephesians1 where we read ,god's gracious purpose towards everyone who believes in ,christ1 accepted in ,him1 blest with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in ,christ4 ,we would have to go through all the precious words in the opening chapters1 where we learn more fully than elsewhere that it is all the gift of ,god1 not of works1 lest any man should boast4 ,even when we were dead in sins hath quickened us together with ,christ 7by grace ye are saved74 ,and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenlies in ,christ ,jesus2 that in the ages to come ,he might show the exceeding riches of ,his grace in kindness toward us through ,christ ,jesus4 ,now we are there by grace4 ,god see us there in ,christ and bye and bye we shall be there actually4 ,it is clear from a number of passages that when the ,lord comes for ,his ,saints all believers without any distinction1 whether they are full grown in knowledge1 fathers1 young men or babes in ,christ1 will be taken because they are ,christ's and ,god's grace has put them there4 ,this is not only clearly seen in #a ,thess4 iv3#ac-ah1 but also elsewhere4 ,for our commonwealth is in heaven1 from whence also we look for the ,savior1 the ,lord ,jesus ,christ2 ,who shall change our body of humiliation1 that it might be fashioned like unto ,his glorious body1 according to the working whereby ,he is able even to subdue all things unto ,himself 7,phil4 iii3#bj1 #ba74 ,but every man in his own order3 ,christ the first fruits2 afterwards they that are ,christ's at ,his coming1 99 99 99 ,behold1 ,i shew you a mystery2 we shall not all sleep1 but we shall all be changed 7#a ,cor4 xv3#bc1 #ea74 ,it is clear that all means the whole company of believers4 ,but there are other scriptural proofs that all believers will be taken up when the ,lord comes4 ,one is the unity of the body4 ,for as the body is one and hath many members1 and all the members of that one body1 being many1 are one body2 so also is ,christ4 ,for by one ,spirit are we all baptised into one body 7#a ,cor4 xii3#ab and #ac74 ,it is clear then that all believers are members of the one body4 ,the teaching in the above cited paragraphs is an open denial of the truth revealed of the church as the one body4 ,there is one body and one ,spirit even as ye are called in one hope of your calling 7,ephes4 iv3#d74 ,this one body1 of which every believer is a member1 will be joined to the glorified ,head1 it will be one joining and one presentation of the assembly4 ,now1 if only certain believers are caught up and another number passeth through a part of the tribulation1 and still another company is taken later and other believers will not be raised at all till the great white ,throne is set up1 the revealed truth of the one body1 its organic unity and vital connection with ,him in glory is completely set aside4 ,furthermore1 the apostasy and the revelation of the ,antichrist cannot come till that body1 the church1 is taken from the earth 7see #b ,thess4 ii74 ,the appearance of the final ,antichrist therefore demands the complete removal of the one body4 ,a remnant of believers1 members of the one body1 left in the earth during the great tribulation would still hinder the revelation of ,antichrist and postpone it4 ,the ,saints in the tribulation are not members of the one body1 but they are ,jewish believers4 ,the next chapter will enter into this more fully4 ,again1 ,we must all appear before the judgment seat of ,christ4 ,this is the ,bema in the air4 ,all believers will have to appear before ,him to receive approval or disapproval 7not salvation or condemnation74 ,now1 if they are all to appear before that seat in the air on the day of ,christ--they must all have been taken up4 ,when ,he comes at the end of the tribulation ,he comes with all ,his ,saints4 ,many other ,scriptures might be quoted which declare the same truth1 ,every believer will share in the first resurrection and be caught up when the ,lord comes4 ,there are two passages which are generally quoted to support the teaching of a partial rapture4 ,the first is taken to support the theory that it is a question of worthiness1 and the second passage is claimed to make clear that only those will be caught up who look for the ,lord4 ,luke xxi3#cf is the first passage4 ,watch ye therefore and pray always1 that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all the things that shall come to pass and to stand before the ,son of ,man4 ,our ,lord spoke these words in connection with the prophecies concerning the end of the age when the earth and the heavens shall be shaken and when ,he will come as ,son of ,man in a cloud with power and glory4 ,the title of our ,lord1 ,son of ,man1 gives us ,his relation to the earth4 ,when ,he was here in ,his humiliation ,he was ,son of ,man1 when ,he comes in exaltation ,he comes as ,son of ,man4 ,nowhere is it said of the members of the body of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ that they will stand before the ,son of ,man4 ,the exhortation is one which concerns the ,jewish remnant1 the #add1jjj in the ,book of ,revelation4 ,they will be in the earth during that time of trouble and with them it will be the question of faithfulness to the end to be accounted worthy to stand before the ,son of ,man4 ,the disciples whom our ,lord addressed in these words represent in type that ,jewish remnant4 ,hebrews ix3#bh3 ,so ,christ was once offered to bear the sins of many2 and unto them that look for ,him shall ,he appear the second time without sin unto salvation4 ,this passage has been made to prove that only those who wait for ,him will be taken up4 ,the whole passage shows the three appearings of the ,christ4 ,he appeared on the earth to put away sin by sacrificing ,himself4 ,he appears now in the presence of ,god for us4 ,he will appear the second time4 ,this is unquestionably the glorious appearing spoken of in ,titus ii3#ac1 ,the glorious appearing of the great ,god and our ,saviour ,jesus ,christ4 ,he who appeared and ,he who appears in the presence of ,god will be the same who comes back to the earth4 ,of course when ,he actually returns from heaven into the habitable earth1 as the firstborn1 bringing many sons to glory 7all ,his saints with ,him7 there will be such who wait and look for ,him and to them ,he comes for salvation1 and these are the believing ,jews4 ,of this we read in ,isaiah xxv3#i3 ,and it shall be said in that day1 ,lo this is our ,god2 we have waited for ,him and ,he will save us4 ,this is the ,lord2 we have waited for ,him1 we will be glad and rejoice in ,his salvation4 ,the passage does not teach that only such will be caught up who believe in ,his coming and look for ,him4 ,and now1 as so many believers seem to be troubled about the words of the ,apostle ,paul in the third chapter of ,philippians we give a short word on that4 ,the position of the epistle to the ,philippians is significant4 ,ephesians speaks of the glories of the church1 what every believer and the company of believers1 the one body1 is in ,christ4 ,colossians acquaints us with the glory of ,him who is the ,head of the body1 ,christ4 ,philippians stands between the two and shows the believer in ,christ with the life of ,christ in him1 living ,christ and pressing towards the glory4 ,it is the epistle of experience4 ,in the third chapter the energy of this life in the believer is seen4 ,paul1 of course1 knew that he belonged to that glory4 ,he had absolute certainty about the first resurrection4 ,but this divine energy in him presses forward4 ,it is in full harmony with what ,god's grace has made him4 ,all in him wants to get there1 where the grace of ,god in ,christ had placed him once and for all4 ,the life of ,christ in him reaches out for that place and when he says1 ,by any means1 he gives us to understand nothing shall hinder him1 may the cost be what it will1 he wants to lay hold of all for which ,christ has laid hold of him4 ,he reaches out after that goal1 ,christ in glory1 because he knew he belonged there4 ,sir ,robert ,anderson gives a very helpful comment on ,philippians iii3#aa which we quote in connection with the above3 ,if the commonly received exegesis of this passage be correct1 we are faced by the astounding fact that the author of the ,epistle to the ,romans and of the fifteenth chapter of #a ,corinthians--the ,apostle who was in a peculiar sense entrusted with the supreme revelation of grace--announced when nearing the close of his ministry that the resurrection was not1 as he had been used to teach1 a blessing which ,divine grace assured to all believers in ,christ1 but a prize to be won by the sustained efforts of a life of wholly exceptional saintship4 ,nor is this all4 ,in the same ,epistle he has already said1 ',to me to live is ,christ1 and to die is gain1' whereas1 ex hypothesi1 it now appears that his chief aim was to earn a right to the resurrection1 and that death1 instead of bringing gain1 would have cut him off before he had reached the standard of saintship needed to secure that prize6 ,for his words are explicit4 ',not as though ,i had already attained4' ,here was one who was not a whit behind the chiefest ,apostles2 who excelled them all in labors and sufferings for his ,lord1 and in the visions and revelations accorded to him2 whose prolonged ministry1 moreover1 was accredited by mighty signs and wonders1 by the power of the spirit of ,god4 ,and yet1 being now 'such an one as ,paul the aged1' he was in doubt whether he should have part in that resurrection which he had taught all his ,corinthian converts to hope for and expect4 ,such is the exposition of the ,apostle's teaching in many a standard commentary4 ,and yet the passage which is thus perverted reaches its climax in the words1 ',our citizenship is in heaven1 from whence we are looking for the ,savior1 the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 who shall fashion anew the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of ,his glory4' ',our citizenship is in heaven4' ,here is the clew to the teaching of the whole passage4 ,the truth to which his words refer is more clearly stated in ,ephesians ii3#f1 ',god has quickened us together with ,christ1 and raised us up with ,him1 and made us sit with ,him in the heavenly places in ,christ4' ,more clearly still is it given in ,colossians iii3#a-c1 ',if then ye were raised together with ,christ1 seek the things that are above1 where ,christ is1 seated on the right hand of ,god4 ,set your mind on the things that are above1 not on the things on the earth4 ,for ye died1 and your life is hid with ,christ in ,god4' ,ephesians and ,colossians1 be it remembered1 were written at the same period of his ministry as ,philippians1 and in the light of these ,scriptures we can read this chapter aright4 ,to win ,christ 7v4 #h71 or to apprehend1 or lay hold of1 that for which he had been laid hold of1 or apprehended 7v4 #ab7--or in other words1 to realize practically in his life on earth what was true of him doctrinally as to his standing before ,god in heaven--this is what he was reaching toward1 and what he says he had not already attained4 ,the high calling of verse #ad is interpreted by some to mean ,christ's calling up ,his own to meet ,him in the air 7a blessing assured to all 'who are alive and remain unto the ,coming of the ,lord'71 but this is not in keeping with the plain words3 ,god's high calling in ,christ ,jesus1 i4 e41 what ,god has called us 7made us7 to be in ,christ4 ,if the passage refers to the literal resurrection1 then the words1 'not as though ,i had already attained1' must mean that1 while here on earth and before the ,lord's ,coming1 the ,apostle hoped either to undergo the change of verse #ba1 or else to win some sort of saintship diploma1 or certificate1 to ensure his being raised at the ,coming4 ,these alternatives are inexorable2 and they only need to be stated to ensure their rejection4 ,one word more4 ,if the ,apostle ,paul1 after such a life of saintship and service1 was in doubt as to his part in the resurrection1 no one of us1 indeed he be the proudest of ,pharisees or the blindest of fools1 will dream of attaining it4 ,,the ,,church ,,and ,,the ,,great ,,tribulation ,nothing should unite ,god's children into a closer fellowship than the blessed hope of the coming of our ,lord4 ,this was the case1 when the ,holy ,spirit1 almost a hundred years ago1 restored to ,his people this hope1 and brought about a revival of the study of prophecy4 ,the midnight cry1 ,behold the ,bridegroom6 ,go ye forth to meet ,him1 was then sounded1 and those who heard and believed the blessed hope separated themselves from all which is not according to sound doctrine1 and in so doing manifested once more the oneness of the body of ,christ1 the church1 and the fellowship of the ,saints4 ,such ought to be the results of a real faith in ,his coming4 ,one of the questions which has agitated believers in the premillennial ,coming of our ,lord is the question of the relation of the true church to that final period of our age1 which is designated as the great tribulation4 ,when the blessed hope was first again brought to light1 clear distinction was made between the ,coming of the ,lord for ,his ,saints 7#a ,thess4 iv3#ac-ah7 and the ,coming of the ,lord with ,his ,saints 7,zech4 xiv3#e2 ,rev4 xix3#ad74 ,the imminency of ,his ,coming was a prominent part of the prophetic testimony of those bygone days4 ,then the teaching was introduced by some that the ,lord cannot come at any time1 that the church is destined to pass1 like the rest of the world1 through the great tribulation1 suffer under ,antichrist and experience the judgment-wrath of ,god4 ,this theory has caused much division and strife among believers in the ,return of our ,lord1 and does so still4 ,in taking up this question concerning the church and the tribulation1 we shall first see what the church and the destiny of the church is1 and then examine the teaching of the ,word as to the tribulation4 ,i4 ,what is the ,church and the ,destiny of the ,church8 ,the church is an altogether ,new ,testament institution4 ,nowhere in the ,old ,testament ,scriptures is there said anything about the church1 the expression so often used1 the ,old ,testament church1 or1 the ,jewish church is therefore incorrect4 ,it springs from the view that ,israel1 the seed of ,abraham1 was the church in the past and that since ,israel has rejected ,christ1 the ,christian ,church has become ,israel and all the promises made to ,israel are now being fulfilled in a spiritual way4 ,this theory plays havoc with the ,word of ,god and leads into confusion4 ,the presentday condition of ,christendom is to a great extent the result of this erroneous view4 ,israel is not the church1 nor has the church taken the place of ,israel4 ,all who believed in ,old ,testament times were saved by grace1 in the same way as believing sinners are saved during this dispensation4 ,they were ,saints1 as we are ,saints4 ,but where is there in any portion of the ,scriptures of the ,old ,testament 7so-called7 a statement that these ,jewish believers formed the church of ,god1 the body and the bride of ,christ8 ,israel was not the church in the past and it is equally impossible that the people ,israel in their future day of restoration and blessing can become the church4 ,israel's calling is earthly2 the calling of the church is a heavenly calling4 ,israel will some day possess the earthly ,jerusalem while the church will be in the heavenly ,jerusalem4 ,our ,lord mentioned the church for the first time4 ,in the ,gospel of ,matthew xvi3#af-ah we find the following words3 ,and ,simon ,peter answered and said1 ,thou art the ,christ1 the ,son of the living ,god4 ,and ,jesus answered and said unto him1 ,blessed art thou1 ,simon ,bar-,jona3 for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee1 but my ,father which is in heaven4 ,and ,i say also unto thee1 ,that thou art ,peter1 and upon this rock ,i will build my church2 and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it4 ,peter had made his great inspired confession of ,christ as the ,son of the living ,god4 ,upon this confession the ,lord said1 ,blessed art thou1 ,simon ,bar-,jona4 ,each believer in the ,lord ,jesus ,christ as the ,son of ,god shares this blessedness4 ,he called ,simon by a new name1 ,thou art ,peter2 which means a stone4 ,then the ,lord announced that upon this rock ,he would build ,his church4 ,he did not mean ,peter1 or else our ,lord would have said1 ,upon thee will ,i build my church4 ,he speaks of this rock which is ,he ,himself1 the risen and living ,son of ,god4 ,he1 and not ,peter1 is the rock upon which the ,church of ,christ is built4 ,we see that the ,lord speaks of the church as something in the future at that time4 ,it was not then in progress1 but ,he said1 ,i will build my church4 ,the word church means to call out 7ecclesia71 and denotes a company of people who are called out and called together for a certain purpose4 ,the ,lord calls this outcalled company my church4 ,the formation of this church could only begin after the work of redemption on the cross had been accomplished4 ,he had first to suffer and to die2 ,he had to rise from the dead and ascend upon high2 the ,holy ,spirit had to come from heaven before this church and its building could begin on earth4 ,therefore ,he said ,i will build my church2 not ,i am building it now1 or it has been building since ,adam's day1 but ,i will build4 ,the day on which the ,holy ,spirit was poured out marks the beginning of this church on earth4 ,the company of believers who were waiting for the promised baptism with the ,spirit 7about #abj-;,acts i3#ae7 were on the day of ,pentecost by that baptism united into a body1 the church4 ,ever since then all who believe on the ,lord ,jesus ,christ and are born again1 are put by the same spirit as members into that body4 ,of this we read in #a ,cor4 xii3#ac3 ,for by our ,spirit are we all baptized into one body1 whether we be ,jews or ,gentiles1 whether we be bond or free1 and have been all made to drink into one ,spirit4 ,on the day of ,pentecost nothing was made known of the beginning of the church4 ,peter did not mention a word about the church4 ,the full revelation concerning the church was given through the ,apostle ,paul4 ,of this we read in ,ephes4 iii3#a-g3 ,for this cause ,i1 ,paul1 the prisoner of ,jesus ,christ for you ,gentiles1 if ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of ,god which is given me to you ward2 how that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery 7as ,i wrote afore in few words1 whereby1 when ye read1 ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of ,christ71 which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men1 as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the ,spirit2 that the ,gentiles should be fellowheirs1 and of the same body1 and partakers of his promise in ,christ by the gospel2 whereof ,i was made a minister1 according to the gift of the grace of ,god given unto me by the effectual working of his power4 ,the ,apostle ,paul states in these verses that he was made the channel of a revelation concerning a mystery which was not made known in former ages unto the sons of men4 ,this mystery is that the ,gentiles should be fellowheirs1 and of the same body4 ,the body of which he speaks1 is the church4 ,in that body ,jews and ,gentiles are gathered into one1 as the one new man where there is neither ,greek nor ,jew1 circumcision nor uncircumcision1 barbarian1 ,scythian1 bond nor free1 but ,christ is all and in all4 ,of this bringing into one we read in the ,gospel of ,john 7chapter x7 where our ,lord spoke of entering the sheepfold 7,judaism7 and leading out ,his sheep4 ,then ,he mentioned other sheep1 which were not of ,his fold 7,gentiles73 ,them also ,i must bring1 and they shall hear my voice1 and there shall be one flock and one shepherd4 ,he came and led ,his first sheep out of the ,jewish fold4 ,on the day of ,pentecost these ,jewish believers were constituted the ,church4 ,that ,gentiles should be added to that body was not made known then4 ,it was revealed to the ,apostle ,paul4 ,but the ,lord indicates this fact here when ,he speaks of the other sheep4 ,this ,he mentioned likewise in ,his prayer3 ,that they all 7who believe on ,him7 may be one2 as ,thou1 ,father1 art in me1 and ,i in ,thee1 that they also may be one in us1 that the world may believe that thou hast sent me 7,john xvii3#ba74 ,the ,epistle to the ,ephesians1 in which the ,spirit of ,god reveals this mystery1 makes known the glory of the church1 the body of ,christ4 ,he is the head of that body and as such the church is ,his own fulness1 the fulness of ,him who filleth all in all 7,eph4 i3#bc74 ,every member in that body shares the life of the risen1 glorified head4 ,every member is quickened together with ,christ1 raised up and seated in the heavenlies in ,christ ,jesus 7ii3#e-f74 ,and furthermore we read that the members of this body1 that is1 all true believers1 saved by grace and born again1 are made nigh by the blood of ,christ1 and have access by one ,spirit unto the ,father4 ,now1 therefore1 ye are no more strangers and foreigners1 but fellow-citizens with the saints1 and of the household of ,god2 and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets1 ,jesus ,christ ,himself being the chief cornerstone2 in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the ,lord4 ,in whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of ,god through the ,spirit 7ii3#ai-bb74 ,such is the church the body of ,christ4 ,every member in ,christ and ,christ in every member1 each believer made nigh by blood1 accepted in the beloved ,one1 indwelt by the ,holy ,spirit and one ,spirit with the ,lord4 ,the church is therefore the temple of ,god1 the habitation of ,god through the ,spirit4 ,besides this life-relation of the church to the ,head in glory1 there is also a love-relation4 ,of this ,ephesians v3#ba-cc bears witness4 ,the church is the bride of ,christ4 ,he loved the church and gave ,himself for it4 ,she is part of that travail of ,his soul which ,he saw1 the joy which was set before ,him1 for which ,he endured the cross and despised the shame4 ,he also sanctifies the church and cleanseth it with the washing of water by the ,word1 and finally ,he will present it to ,himself a glorious church1 not having spot or wrinkle1 or any such thing1 but that it should be holy and without blemish4 ,she is the pearl of great price for which ,he gave all4 ,her destiny is to be with ,him in glory1 to be like ,him and to share ,his glory4 ,for this true church there is no condemnation and no wrath1 nor anguish and tribulation1 but glory1 honor and peace 7,rom4 ii3#i-aj74 ,wrath is coming for the world1 but the ,lord ,jesus delivers ,his church from the wrath to come 7#a ,thess4 i3#aj74 ,for ,god hath not appointed us to wrath1 but to obtain salvation by our ,lord ,jesus ,christ 7#a ,thess4 v3#i74 ,,ii4 ,what is the ,tribulation8 ,the ,word of ,god speaks of tribulation4 ,tribulations1 distresses and all that goes with it are in the world on account of sin4 ,believers1 though saved and no longer of the world1 but delivered from this evil age1 have tribulation and persecution likewise4 ,our ,lord said to ,his disciples and to all who are ,his followers1 ,in the world ye shall have tribulation1 but be of good cheer1 ,i have overcome the world 7,john xvi3#cc74 ,if they have persecuted me1 they will also persecute you 7,john xv3#bj74 ,yea1 and all that will live godly in ,christ ,jesus shall suffer persecution 7#a ,tim4 #ab74 ,what a record ,paul wrote of his own tribulations and persecutions4 ,how great was his affliction1 persecution1 distress and manifold tribulation6 7#b ,cor4 xi3#af-cb74 ,through much tribulation we must enter into the ,kingdom of ,god 7,acts xiv3#bb74 ,the believer is exhorted to glory 7or boast7 in these tribulations 7,rom4 v3#c74 ,triumphantly in faith he can say1 ,who shall separate us1 from the love of ,christ8 ,shall tribulation1 or distress1 or persecution1 or famine1 or nakedness1 or peril1 or sword8 7,rom4 viii3#ce74 ,rejoicing in hope1 patient in tribulation1 is another exhortation 7,rom4 xii3#ab74 ,to the ,corinthians ,paul wrote1 ,i am filled with comfort1 ,i am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation 7#b ,cor4 vii3#d74 ,the ,thessalonian ,christians suffered greatly1 but met it all victoriously so that ,paul wrote them1 ,we ourselves glory in you in the churches of ,god for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure 7#a ,thess4 i3#d74 ,if we today know but little persecution for ,christ's sake1 it is because we do not manifest in our lives separation from the world4 ,for unto you it is given in the behalf of ,christ1 not only to believe on ,him1 but also to suffer for ,his sake 7,phil4 i3#bi74 ,tribulations1 persecutions1 sufferings for ,christ's and for righteousness' sake belong to the church4 ,they are really blessings1 for all these things must work together for good to them that love ,god4 ,but there is another tribulation revealed in the ,word of ,god which is of totally different nature4 ,it is a tribulation which ,god permits as a judgment to come upon all the world1 a tribulation in which ,satan is concerned1 in which he manifests his malice and his wrath4 ,this tribulation has an altogether punitive character4 ,in different portions of the ,prophets we read of a great time of distress1 such as the sword1 famine and pestilence and other tribulations and judgments1 which precede the visible manifestation of the ,lord to deliver ,his earthly people ,israel4 ,this tribulation is always predicted to come upon ,israel and upon the nations of the earth4 ,it is mentioned in the ,new ,testament1 as we shall see directly2 but the ,old ,testament gives us the full history of these tribulation judgments4 ,the time when this tribulation takes place is the end of the age1 which1 strictly speaking means the ,jewish age4 ,every student of prophecy knows something of that all important revelation in ,daniel ix1 the seventy-week prophecy4#a ,the last prophetic week of seven years has not yet been4 ,we are still between the #fith and the #gjth week4 ,those coming last seven years of that interrupted ,jewish age will bring these predicted judgments and the great tribulation4 ,the last #c-a_/b years 7or #a1bfj days1 #db months7 are the great tribulation itself4 ,we quote a few passages3 ,alas6 for that day is great1 so that none is like it1 it is even the time of ,jacob's trouble1 but he shall be saved out of it 7,jer4 xxx-#g74 ,and at that time shall ,michael stand up1 the great prince who standeth for the children of thy people2 and there shall be a time of trouble1 such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time4 ,and at that time thy people shall be delivered1 every one that shall be found written in the book 7,dan4 xii3#a74 ,it is clear beyond controversy that both passages reveal that this great time of trouble comes upon ,daniel's people at the time of the end4 ,it is a wrong interpretation to say that thy people means the church4 ,as stated before1 the prophets have nothing to say about the church4 ,for what will take place in that time of trouble see ,dan4 vii3#ba-be4 ,we turn next to ,matthew xxiv4 ,the great prophecy of our ,lord contained in this chapter has nothing to do with the destruction of ,jerusalem in #gj ,a4 ,d4 ,it is a prophecy which relates to the time of the end and covers the same seven years of unfulfilled ,jewish history4 ,his disciples had asked concerning the end of the age and the ,lord answers this question4 ,significant it is that ,he calls special attention to ,daniel the prophet4 ,this is the key4 ,when our ,lord speaks of a time of trouble ,he means the same trouble of which ,daniel wrote3 ,for there shall be great tribulation such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time1 no nor ever shall be 7,matt4 xxiv3#ba74 ,there is nothing in the words of our ,lord to indicate that the true church is then on earth4 ,the preaching of the ,gospel of the ,kingdom as a witness to all nations during this time of trouble is the message which the ,jewish remnant gives before the coming of the ,king4#b ,when this great tribulation ends the ,lord ,jesus ,christ comes back to earth again in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory 7,matt4 xxiv3#bi-cj74 ,what takes place then is revealed also by our ,lord4 ,and ,he shall send ,his angels with a great sound of a trumpet1 and they shall gather together ,his elect from the four winds1 from one end of heaven to the other4 ,superficial teachers of prophecy explain this as being the gathering together of ,christian believers when the ,lord comes at the close of the great tribulation4 ,we have seen from #a ,thess4 iv3#ac-ah how the ,lord comes for ,his ,saints4 ,he does not send angels to gather ,his church from the four winds1 but ,he gives the shout from the air and instead of being gathered the church-saints are caught up in clouds1 together with the risen saints to meet the ,lord in the air4 ,the elect people who are to be gathered when the ,lord returns after the tribulation are the people ,israel 7see ,isaiah xxvii3#ac74 ,their hour of deliverance has come4 ,this is the same deliverance of which ,daniel speaks in chapter xii3#a4 ,it is also significant that our ,lord after ,he announced the gathering and restoration of ,israel mentions at once the figtree1 which is ,israel4 ,the book of ,revelation bears the same witness as to the church and in relation to the tribulation to come4 ,the church is only mentioned in the first three chapters4 ,in the church message to ,philadelphia 7,rev4 iii3#g-ac7 a promise is given to the true church which is important3 ,because thou hast kept the word of my patience1 ,i also will keep thee from the hour of trial which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth4 ,behold ,i come quickly1 hold that fast which thou hast that no man take thy crown4 ,the hour of trial for all the world is the tribulation period4 ,here1 then1 is a definite promise that true believers are going to be exempt from that coming time of trouble4 ,laodicea marks a final phase of ,christendom2 it is apostasy4 ,chapters iv and v in ,revelation reveal what will take place in heaven in the future4 ,we behold in these two chapters the redeemed in glory1 singing the new song4 ,these redeemed include all the church saints as well as the ,old ,testament ,saints4 ,beginning with the sixth chapter we find in ,revelation the future things1 that is1 what will take place after the ,lord has come for ,his ,saints4 ,here the judgments1 the tribulation and the wrath are made known which will visit the earth during the last seven years of the age4 ,revelation vi-xviii cover the history of the last week of ,daniel4 ,in these chapters we read nothing of the true church as still on earth4 ,another important fact as to the tribulation period must be dealt with4 ,during this time of trouble there are those on earth who suffer and whom ,god owns as ,saints4 ,satan through his instruments1 the little horn and the ,antichrist is persecuting these ,saints and they pass through this awful time of trouble4 ,daniel wrote1 ,i beheld1 and the same horn made war with the ,saints and prevailed against them 444 and he 7the little horn7 shall speak great words against the ,most ,high and shall wear out the ,saints of the ,most ,high 7,daniel vii3#ba1 #be74 ,these suffering tribulation ,saints will receive the ,kingdom on earth 7,dan4 vii3#bb1 #bg74 ,in the great vision of ,john in ,revelation chapter xiii1 the same beast which ,daniel saw is described4 ,here again we read of ,saints3 ,and it was given unto him to make war with the ,saints1 and to overcome them 7,rev4 xiii3#g74 ,now as the church is no longer on earth1 who are these ,saints8 ,they are ,jewish believers who have turned to the ,lord and whom ,he now owns as ,saints4 ,their sufferings at that time1 as well as their faith1 their prayers and their deliverance is the subject of many of the ,psalms4 ,they are the sealed ones of ,revelation vii4#c ,many of them refusing to worship the beast suffer martyrdom and are raised up4 ,,iii4 ,important ,conclusions ,we have seen what the church and her destiny is4 ,we have learned the character of the tribulation4 ,it is evident that the true church has nothing whatever to do with this time of trouble4 ,we add some important conclusions with further proofs that the church will not pass through the tribulation4 #a4 ,the tribulation is a judgment period4 ,when this predicted trouble comes for the world1 for ,jews and ,gentiles1 the church is no longer here1 but possesses its promised rest and glory4 ,the ,thessalonians had been disturbed by a rumor as if that tribulation preceding the day of the ,lord had come4 ,in the second ,epistle to them the apostle makes it clear that this was not the case1 and points out the fact that those who troubled and persecuted them would have as a recompense tribulation1 while the troubled believers would have rest 7#b ,thess4 i3#d-i74 ,nowhere in the ,epistles of ,paul addressed to the church1 and unfolding church truths1 is there a word said about that tribulation4 ,if the church would pass through this judgment period with which the ages closes1 the ,spirit of ,god would certainly have mentioned it and given ,his exhortations so suited for such a time4 ,but inasmuch as nothing is said in these church epistles it is a logical conclusion that the true church will not be in the tribulation4 #b4 ,not alone will the church not be in that time of trouble1 but that time1 the last prophetic week of ,daniel1 cannot begin as long as the true church is on earth4 ,this is made clear by one of the great prophecies of the ,new ,testament4 ,in the ,second ,thessalonians chapter ii the statement is made that the day of the ,lord 7,his visible manifestation7 cannot come till there be first the apostasy and the ,man of ,sin1 the son of perdition 7the ,antichrist7 be revealed4 ,it is during the last seven years that both of these conditions are reached4 ,but the apostle also states that there is ,one who hinders the complete apostasy and its leader1 the ,antichrist4 ,something is in the way which keeps back the full manifestation of the mystery of lawlessness4 ,this hindering ,one must be first taken out of the way4 ,the hindering ,one is the ,holy ,spirit4 ,he dwells in the body of ,christ1 the church4 ,as long as ,he is here on earth in and with the true church the two conditions necessary for the final seven years of this age cannot be fulfilled4 ,before the tribulation can come the church must have been called away to her heavenly abode4 #c4 ,if the church were to pass through the tribulation period all the exhortations to wait for the ,coming of the ,lord1 to watch for ,him1 to be ready1 would have no meaning4 ,it would be more correct to exhort to wait for the coming of the beast4 ,the blessed hope to meet ,him1 would lose its blessedness4 ,instead of being a bright outlook to be with ,christ in glory1 it would be the worst pessimism1 for believers would not face immediate glory1 but tribulation1 judgments1 and the persecutions of the beast from the pit4 ,everything in ,scripture is against this teaching1 which has been accepted by not a few1 that the church must pass through the tribulation1 and after all it is an important truth for the spiritual life of a believer4 ,if the ,lord cannot come for ,his ,saints till the ,roman empire is again in existence1 and the two beasts have made their appearance to do their work1 if ,he cannot come till the ,jews are back in ,palestine and have rebuilt their temple1 then the real power of that blessed hope in the daily life of a ,christian is gone4 ,the danger then is to say1 ,my ,lord delays ,his ,coming1 and with it drift into worldly ways4 #a ,see ,exposition of ,daniel1 by ,a4 ,c4 ,g4 #b ,see chapter on ,the ,conversion of the ,world4 #c ,in ,rev4 vii a multitude is seen coming out of the great tribulation4 ,this multitude is often identified with the church4 ,but it is not the church1 but those who believe the final testimony1 the ,gospel of the kingdom and are saved to enter the earth by the ,kingdom of ,christ4 ,,the ,,ten ,,virgins or ,,the ,,midnight ,,cry ,matthew xxv3#a-ac ,the study of this most solemn parable spoken by our ,lord is very opportune4 ,it is also necessary because certain wrong interpretations are being made of this parable1 which have been accepted by not a few of ,god's people4 ,we find the parable of the ten virgins exclusively in the ,gospel of ,matthew1 and here it is a part of the great discourse of our ,lord1 generally known as the ,olivet discourse4 ,the ,gospel of ,matthew is the ,gospel of the ,king and ,his ,kingdom4 ,three great discourses of the ,lord are recorded by the ,holy ,spirit in the ,gospel of ,matthew4 ,the first is the so-called sermon on the mount4 ,this contains the proclamation of the ,king concerning ,his ,kingdom4 ,the second discourse is found in the #acth chapter2 this is composed of seven parables in which the ,lord makes known the mysteries of the ,kingdom4 ,in the last great discourse ,he reveals the future of ,his ,kingdom4 ,first ,he reveals the future of the ,jews1 how the ,jewish age will close1 what great events are yet to take place in the land of ,israel4 ,he speaks of the great tribulation1 which is yet in store for the ,jews and immediately after the days of that great tribulation ,he will come in power and great glory4 ,at the close of ,his discourse ,he reveals the future of the ,gentile nations1 who are on earth when ,he comes again4 ,he will take ,his place upon ,his own glorious throne and all nations will be gathered before ,him4 ,they will be separated by the ,king1 as a shepherd separates the sheep and the goats4 ,between these two predictions concerning the future1 the beginning and the end of this discourse ,he gives three parables4 ,these parables do not relate to the ,jews1 nor to the ,gentile nations nor do they refer to the period of time1 the end of the age1 of which ,he speaks in the first part of ,matthew xxiv4 ,in these three parables the ,lord shows the conditions which will prevail during the time of ,his absence from this earth4 ,this period of time is the present ,christian age4 ,the three parables of the prudent and evil servant1 the wise and the foolish virgins and the faithful and the slothful servants1 give us a picture of the state of the entire ,christian profession4 ,this is seen in the very beginning of this parable4 ,the parable of the ten virgins is one1 which relates to the kingdom of heaven4 ,the kingdom of heaven has here the same meaning as in ,matthew xiii1 that is1 it means the entire sphere of ,christian profession4 ,and now before we follow the different stages of this important parable ,i want to mention very briefly the two wrong interpretations1 which like all other errors in our day1 became more and more widespread4 ,the first claims that the virgins do not represent ,christians at all1 but that they represent the ,jewish remnant during the end of the age4 ,the parable1 according to this interpretation1 will be fulfilled in the future4 ,i am not going to enter into the different arguments which are advanced to support this view1 but only wish to point out one fact1 which is sufficient to disprove this theory4 ,the ten virgins fell asleep1 which1 as we shall see later1 means that they no longer expected the coming of the ,bridegroom4 ,is it possible to conceive that the believing ,jews during the great tribulation1 when everything points to the rapid consummation of the age1 can go to sleep8 ,this to my mind is sufficient to overthrow this theory1 not to speak of other reasons4 ,another interpretation holds that the ten virgins represent indeed ,christians4 ,however1 the foolish virgins are looked upon as true ,christians1 only they lacked a maturity of growth1 depth of consecration1 were not baptized with the ,holy ,spirit1 or had not the so-called second blessing4 ,all this the wise virgins possessed4 ,this is the favoured view with a certain class of holiness people4 ,others try to prove from it the theory of a first fruit rapture4 ,the wise virgins are the first fruits and they are taken first4 ,the foolish will have to pass through the tribulation and will be taken later4 ,against such teaching we simply hold up the words of the ,lord1 when ,he as ,bridegroom tells the foolish virgins ,i know you not4 ,they were never ,his1 they never knew ,him and therefore they do not represent true ,christians4 ,never will the ,lord say this word to any one who has truly trusted in ,him1 no matter how weak and ignorant1 how imperfect and erring that one may be4 ,and now let us look at the details of this parable1 which gives us a picture of the attitude and character of professing ,christendom up to the time when the ,bridegroom comes4 ,four historic stages can be easily traced in this parable4 ,three of them are passed and the fourth is imminent4 ,at any moment the fourth may become actual history4 ,they are the following3 #a4 ,a description of the ,christian profession in its beginning and its characteristics4 #b4 ,the falling asleep of the virgins4 #c4 ,the ,midnight cry4 #d4 ,the ,coming of the ,bridegroom4 ,we are living in the days when the midnight cry is heard and are facing the fourth great event of this parable1 the ,coming of the ,bridegroom1 the entrance of the wise virgins to be with ,him and the shutting out of the foolish4 ,and this it is which makes this parable so very solemn in the days in which we are living4 #a4 ,then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins1 which took their lamps and went forth to meet the ,bridegroom4 ,in #bnd ,corinthians we read that the virgin is used as a type of the church4 ,i have espoused you to one husband1 that ,i may present you as a chaste virgin to ,christ4 ,the ,lord in the parable uses the figure of ten virgins1 because the parable does not altogether refer to the true church1 ,his ,bride1 but because ,he had in mind the conditions of that which professes to be the church4 ,the number ten is the number of testimony and responsibility4 ,nevertheless we learn from the beginning of this parable what true ,christianity is4 ,the characteristics of the ,christian calling are three-fold3 separation1 manifestation and expectation4 ,separation from the world2 going forth with lamps1 which are for giving light1 to shine as lights while the ,bridegroom is not here2 and then to go forth to meet the ,bridegroom4 ,one can read in these statements the very words and thoughts with which the ,holy ,spirit describes the ,thessalonian ,christians1 ,how ye turned to ,god from idols to serve the true and the living ,god and to wait for ,his ,son from heaven4 ,the emphasis in this parable is upon the last of these characteristics4 ,the whole body of ,christians in the beginning went out to meet the ,bridegroom4 ,the blessed ,hope of the coming of the ,lord was the ,hope and the expectation of the church in the very start4 ,it was the original attitude of the true church and bears witness to the heavenly hope and heavenly calling of the church4 ,in the next two verses the spiritual condition of the ten virgins is laid bare4 ,it is noteworthy that the condition is stated first1 the demonstration of it comes later2 after the midnight cry had been sounded the foolishness of the five becomes manifested4 ,the division of these virgins in five wise and five foolish brings out the fact that in the professing church two classes of people are found1 the true and the false1 saved and unsaved1 professing and possessing4 ,the wise represent such who have believed in the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 who have personal knowledge of ,christ and are sealed with the ,spirit2 they have the unction of the ,holy ,one1 who is represented by the oil4 ,the foolish are such who have the form of godliness and deny the power thereof4 ,they represent such who have taken the outward profession but lack the reality4 ,as they never truly trusted in ,christ they have not the oil1 the ,holy ,spirit4 ,the objection has been made that the foolish virgins can hardly represent unsaved persons1 because they are called virgins and went out to meet the ,bridegroom4 ,in their profession they were virgins1 and in profession they had gone out to meet the ,bridegroom4 ,another objection is raised4 ,did they not later say ,give us of your oil1 for our lamps are gone out8 ,then they must have had some oil1 else how could they say that their lamps were gone out8 ,there is no proof at all in this that they had a certain supply of oil4 ,it is distinctly said that they only took lamps1 but they did not take oil4 ,they may have made an attempt to light the wick of their lamps only to see that they did not give light and went out4 ,no1 they never possessed the oil1 just as the great mass of professing ,christians in our days have lamps1 an outward form1 but no reality4 ,christ was never accepted and therefore the ,holy ,spirit and ,his power is lacking4 ,a fearful condition it is6 ,alas1 the thousands and hundreds of thousands who are in that condition to-day6 #b4 ,a second stage historically is seen in the fifth verse4 ,while the ,bridegroom tarried1 they all slumbered and slept4 ,both the foolish and the wise grew heavy1 became drowsy and then slept4 ,this has been interpreted in different ways4 ,however1 the meaning of it is not hard to discover4 ,the ,bridegroom tarried and they no longer expected ,him4 ,as the centuries went on the professing church gave up the blessed ,hope and ceased looking for the ,lord4 ,this is an historic fact4 ,the ,coming of the ,bridegroom was forgotten and all1 the most earnest believers as well as the mere professing ones slept1 and for long centuries nothing was heard of the ,bridegroom and ,his ,coming4 ,darkness and confusion prevailed in dispensational truths2 the writings extending over hundreds of years witness to this fact4 ,of the end of the world1 a universal judgment day1 and the ,day of wrath something was heard occasionally1 but the blessed ,hope as it was known in the beginning was completely forgotten4 ,nothing is heard of it for many1 many centuries4 ,this is the second great historic event4 ,the ,lord was no longer expected4 #c4 ,and now we come to the third4 ,and at midnight there was a cry made1 ,behold the ,bridegroom6 go out to meet ,him4 ,the question is has this period been reached1 or are we still to wait for such a startling cry1 reaching the ears of both the wise and the foolish1 the professing and the possessing8 ,some teach in our day that that cry is the same as the shout which is mentioned in #a ,thess4 iv1 the shout which the descending ,lord will give to call ,his own into ,his presence4 ,but that is incorrect4 ,the midnight cry and the shout of the ,lord have no connection4 ,the shout of the ,lord is the first word which ,he will utter4 ,his last word was1 ,behold ,i come quickly4 ,the next word will be ,his shout4 ,the midnight cry is not uttered by ,himself1 but it is given by the ,holy ,spirit4 ,and has the midnight cry been given by the ,holy ,spirit8 ,has there been a revival of the blessed ,hope of the ,coming of the ,lord8 ,did anything like this of which the ,lord here speaks take place8 ,we unhesitatingly answer it with1 ,yes4 ,we all know of the ,coming of the ,lord4 ,most of us are cherishing the blessed ,hope and are waiting for ,himself4 ,we sing precious hymns full of hope and expectation4 ,over the entire ,christian profession the preaching has gone forth of the ,coming of the ,bridegroom4 ,this is sufficient evidence that this stage in the parable has been reached4 ,the midnight cry has been given4 ,when was it given8 ,we do not hear anything about the ,bridegroom and ,his nearness during the great reformation period4 ,the great instruments which were used in the reformation had no light on the ,coming of the ,lord4 ,luther1 for instance1 spoke occasionally of the great universal judgment day1 which he believed was near1 because he believed the ,pope to be the ,antichrist4 ,in this conception he was followed by all his contemporaries4 ,it was not given to the great reformers to be used in the revival of the prophetic ,word and to give the midnight cry4 ,nor do we hear anything like the midnight cry immediately after the reformation2 we go back to the first half of the last century and there we meet with a revival of the blessed ,hope1 the coming of the ,lord4 ,the ,holy ,spirit flashed forth this blessed truth once more and ever since then the midnight cry has been heard1 and it is still being heard4 ,we live in the fulfillment of this period of the parable of our ,lord4 ,but what is indicated by these words8 ,you noticed we left out the word cometh4 ,the authorized version reads1 ,behold the ,bridegroom cometh4 ,the revised version has left out the word cometh and that is the right way to read it1 ,behold the ,bridegroom6 ,go ye forth to meet ,him4 ,this tells us that the midnight cry is more than a mere announcement of the coming of the ,lord4 ,it is1 of course1 indicated1 but the ,holy ,spirit in the midnight cry calls attention to the person of the ,bridegroom4 ,he unfolds ,his glorious person anew and brings out the fact that ,his church1 whom ,he has loved1 is ,his ,bride and that ,he is the ,bridegroom4 ,and along with this message of the ,bridegroom there is a call to go forth to meet ,him4 ,what else is it than a call to the original position8 ,it demands a return to that as it was in the beginning4 ,it is a call to separation from all that is false and unscriptural4 ,how can any one1 or how could any one honestly believe that that adorable ,person1 the ,bridegroom1 is near1 soon ,coming1 without turning away from all that is displeasing to ,him1 without turning the back upon all which dishonors both ,his ,person and ,his ,word8 ,this then is the significant meaning of the midnight cry4 ,exactly this took place and still takes place in out present day4 ,along with the revival of the blessed ,hope1 the preaching of ,his imminent ,coming1 we have a return to other great truths1 such as the teaching concerning the church4 ,just as the giving up of the blessed ,hope affected the other great doctrines of the ,bible and became in part responsible for the fearful decline1 confusion and departure from the faith once and for all delivered unto the saints1 so the recovery of the blessed ,hope1 the imminent ,coming of the ,lord1 results in the recovery of these same blessed doctrines which were given up and leads to a return to the true position4 ,all this has come to pass4 ,all is still coming to pass4 ,the midnight cry1 ,behold the ,bridegroom1 go ye forth to meet ,him1 stands in closest connection with the church message to ,philadelphia1 in the third chapter of ,revelation4 ,there the person of ,christ1 as the ,holy ,one and the ,true ,one1 is in the foreground4 ,once more a company of ,his people at the very last days are keeping ,his ,word and are not denying ,his name as well as keeping the ,word of ,his patience1 which has reference to ,his ,coming1 and to ,his ,philadelphia remnant ,he gives the encouraging message1 ,i will keep thee out of the hour of trial which is to come upon all the earth4 ,philadelphia assuredly originates with the midnight cry4 ,the two are inseparably connected4 ,but to return to the parable of the ,lord4 ,we notice that the midnight cry discovers the true condition of the wise and the foolish4 ,they all arose and trimmed their lamps4 ,the message has an effect upon the entire ,christian profession4 ,of the wise we read but little1 but the foolish now discover that they have no oil and further demonstrate their foolishness by appealing to the wise to give them oil4 ,the wise in turn direct them to go to those who sell and buy for themselves4 ,the words have occasioned much controversy4 ,it is not at all necessary that in a parable everything must have a definite meaning4 ,it shows simply the utter blindness of these foolish one in looking to human beings for that which they lacked4 ,the oil1 the ,holy ,spirit1 can be obtained only from ,him1 who gives without money and without price4 ,but their foolishness just consisted in this very thing that they came not to ,him1 who is so willing to give4 ,one can imagine the haste and activity of these foolish virgins in running here and there trying to get oil1 to have burning lamps to meet the ,bridegroom4 ,it is exactly that which has happened since the midnight cry has been given and which we still witness about us4 ,there is a great deal of religious activity1 an immense amount of religious fervor1 all kinds of endeavor and service1 trying to do this and attempting to be better and do better4 ,the so-called religious world feels that there is something in the air4 ,something is troubling them and yet they refuse to go to ,him who alone can give and whose ,grace alone can save and make ready4 ,this is1 alas1 the sad condition of a great part of ,christendom to-day4 ,they hear the midnight cry and yet refuse to go to ,him for oil4 ,but the wise arose and trimmed their lamps4 ,they had the oil and they responded to the message1 ,behold the ,bridegroom6 go ye forth to meet ,him4 ,it is a significant fact that the blessed ,hope faithfully preached is causing separation between the true and the false4 ,that is exactly why we must preach it and preach it more faithfully4 ,and this continues4 ,it has continued for a good many years1 longer than those who were used by the ,holy ,spirit in the recovery of the blessed ,hope1 anticipated4 ,the infinite patience of the ,lord has delayed the next great event4 ,how long will it all continue yet8 ,who can give us an answer to this8 ,for all we know the next moment may usher in the actual appearing of the ,bridegroom4 ,the next is the ,bridegroom came4 ,how solemn this is4 ,while the foolish kept on running and seeking and the wise had arisen and the separation between these classes had taken place1 ,he came at last4 ,that is exactly what is before us now4 ,oh6 ,i wish ,i could impress it upon every heart that this solemn event may be upon us at any time4 ,surely the ,bridegroom will not delay his coming much longer4 ,when ,john the ,baptist announced the first ,coming of the ,king through the power and energy of the ,holy ,spirit did it take long for ,him to come8 ,and now for so many years already the ,holy ,spirit has announced the nearness of the ,bridegroom1 ,his soon ,coming2 can it then take much longer8 ,every waiting one1 every spiritually minded believer who has intelligence1 answers with thousands of others1 ,it cannot be much longer4 ,he will tarry no more1 but will quickly come4 ,how it fills our hearts with joy4 ,the ,bridegroom is coming and it reads1 ,they that were ready went in with him to the marriage4 ,the wise1 those who believe on the ,lord ,jesus ,christ and know ,him1 are ready4 ,grace has made them ready and when ,he comes ,he will receive them4 ,what a happy and glorious moment it will be at last4 ,said my little boy1 who has an interest in the ,coming of the ,lord1 ,i wonder how ,he will look4 ,i wonder what kind of a face ,he has when we see ,him4 ,that is exactly what you and ,i have often thought about and often wonder what it will be when we see ,him at last as ,he is4 ,and we shall see ,him4 ,but there is another side1 fearful indeed4 ,the door was shut4 ,what words these are4 ,the door closed in the face of the rest of the virgins4 ,no more possibility1 for them to enter in4 ,directly they come saying ,lord1 ,lord1 open to us4 ,but ,he answered and said1 ,verily ,i say unto you1 ,i know you not4 ,they find themselves shut out4 ,and let me say this is their final state4 ,one of the fearful things with some of these new theories concerning this last parable is that they meddle with these last words addressed to the foolish virgins1 as if they have another chance4 ,no1 no1 the door was shut and when the door opens again ,he comes forth not as the ,bridegroom1 but as the ,king of kings and the ,lord of lords1 as the mighty judge4 ,i know you not--what words from such lips6 ,what eternal misery they foretell6 ,and this is the doom which hangs over the heads of the large masses of ,christian people1 ,christians in name only1 never saved4 ,the moment ,he comes the door will be shut for these foolish virgins4 ,forever outside will be their destiny4 ,perhaps ,i am speaking here to some1 not many1 but some1 who have not the oil1 who have not the ,spirit of ,christ and are none of ,his4 ,let me address these words to you1 and if it is but one person4 ,delay no longer4 ,arise this very moment and go to ,him who still waits in patience4 ,he waits for you and invites you to come to ,him to buy without money and without price4 ,oh6 come now1 confess yourself with all your religiousness perhaps and self-righteousness a lost sinner4 ,you need to be no longer in that dangerous position4 ,believe on the ,lord ,jesus ,christ2 decide it now and ,i can assure you ,he will give you that which you lack in your empty profession2 and should ,he come to-night1 as may be the case1 you will be ready to enter in with the oldest saint of ,god4 ,he died for you to have you with ,himself4 ,will you reject then the offer of salvation as it comes in this solemn hour8 ,how can you8 ,delay no longer1 but now cast yourself into ,his arms4 ,and we who know ,him and wait for ,him with longing hearts1 there is more than one solemn message which comes to us from this parable4 ,think of the awful doom of the multitudes of professing1 but unsaved1 ,christians4 ,some believers who believe in the eternal punishment of the unsaved act as if it were not true4 ,if it is true as alas6 it is1 how can we be idle8 ,brethren1 we have a great responsibility towards the foolish virgins1 the great mass of the professing church4 ,god forbid that we should be negligent in discharging this duty4 ,away with the miserable sectarian spirit which takes the skirts together1 like the ,pharisee of old and says1 ,i am holier than thou1 and refuses to go to those who need the truth and the ,gospel4 ,we have a debt to pay2 we are debtors to all4 ,as long as the ,bridegroom tarries let us go to those who are ,christians in name and who know ,him not and ,he will graciously own our testimony4 ,watch1 therefore1 for ye know not neither the day nor the hour4 ,soon all will be reality4 ,soon we shall enter in to be with the ,bridegroom2 shut in with ,him4 ,god grant that none of us may be shut out4 ,,the ,,redemption ,,of ,,the ,,purchased ,,possession ,ephes4 i3#ac1 #ad2 ,rev4 xii ,we find in these words a truth revealed1 which is quite often overlooked by readers of this great ,epistle4 ,it is this3 ,the purchased possession1 that which has been purchased for us1 is yet to be redeemed4 ,there is a future redemption of the purchased possession4 ,the divine statement includes this fact1 that believers are sealed with the ,holy ,spirit of promise1 and that ,he is the earnest or our inheritance until the time when the redemption of the purchased possession takes place4 ,and where do we find these words in this great chapter8 ,if this chapter is at all to be divided1 it must be divided into two parts4 ,the first fourteen verses make the first part and then follows the great prayer of the ,spirit of ,god through the ,apostle4 ,the statement which is before us for consideration is found at the end of the first part1 preceding the prayer of the ,apostle4 ,and what precious truth this chapter up to the fourteenth verse contains6 ,it is indeed ,god's highest revelation concerning believing sinners saved by ,grace4 ,there is nothing higher than that1 which is revealed here1 and it is safe to say that ,god could not tell us anything better and more precious than what ,he has told us in this chapter4 ,first stands the greatest doxology of the ,scriptures4 ,blessed be the ,god and ,father of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in ,christ4 ,this takes it all together4 ,we are as believers of ,christ united to ,him1 ,one with ,him and therefore we possess every spiritual blessing the ,god and ,father of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ is capable of giving4 ,then follows the great facts connected with our redemption in ,christ4 ,here we find election1 predestination1 adoption1 or putting into the ,son-place1 ,redemption1 the source of redemption as well as the prize of redemption4 ,let us glance briefly at those glorious steps which lead up to our verse4 ,they are just seven4 ,we can only name them1 much as we would like to ponder over each4 #a4 ,we are chosen in ,him before the foundation of the world4 ,he thought of us and loved us before ever a single thing had been created4 #b4 ,marked out for the ,son-place through ,jesus ,christ4 ,according to the good pleasure of ,his will ,he has given us the place of a ,son4 #c4 ,he has taken us into the favor in the ,beloved4 ,in that beloved ,one we are beloved forever accepted in ,him4 #d4 ,we have redemption through ,his blood1 the forgiveness of offences1 according to the riches of ,his grace4 #e4 ,then we have the knowledge of the mystery of ,his will1 according to ,his good pleasure which ,he purposed in ,himself for the administration of the fulness of times1 to head up all things in the ,christ4 #f4 ,in ,him we have obtained an inheritance2 and then the last step1 the seventh1 we are sealed with the ,holy ,spirit of promise1 the earnest of that inheritance which we have obtained4 ,now let me just say this little word on the last great fact4 ,the authorized version reads after that ye believed ye were sealed with that holy ,spirit of promise4 ,this translation is misleading and gives ground to an error which is becoming more and more widespread4 ,it is the error that the ,holy ,spirit is not given at once when the sinner believes1 but that the ,holy ,spirit is received in a definite experience after we have believed4 ,it is an error2 the passage before us does not teach this but the very opposite1 for it reads1 in whom also believing1 ye were sealed with the ,holy ,spirit4 ,every one who has believed received in the act of believing the ,holy ,spirit4 ,and this blessed gift1 not an influence1 but the person of the ,holy ,spirit1 is both the seal and the earnest4 ,a seal makes secure and denotes safety4 ,by that seal we are owned by ,god4 ,we are ,his property1 we belong to ,him4 ,then the ,holy ,spirit is the earnest of our inheritance1 the pledge of it4 ,we give an earnest when we buy a property1 it is an advance payment1 the first installment4 ,so is the ,holy ,spirit from the side of our ,god the earnest of the purchased possession4 ,how happy and full of joy we should be with the knowledge of all these precious truths1 with the seal and earnest of our possession4 ,but the earnest 7not the seal7 is up to a certain time and that time is when we come into the full possession of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession to the praise of ,his glory4 ,this brings us to the whole matter before us4 #a4 ,in the first place what is our inheritance mentioned here8 ,we find the word inheritance three times in this chapter4 ,in whom we have also obtained an inheritance 7verse #aa74 ,then in the #adth verse1 ,the earnest of our inheritance4 ,we find it again in the #ahth verse4 ,so that ye should know what is the hope of ,his calling and what the riches of the glory of ,his inheritance in the ,saints4 ,the inheritance is1 according to these passages1 twofold4 ,believers constituting the church have an inheritance and we are ,his inheritance4 ,the inheritance we have1 our inheritance1 is nothing less than the inheritance of the ,christ4 ,he made ,him ,heir of all things4 ,he is the ,heir of ,god4 ,the same is said of us as believers4 ,we are heirs of ,god and joint heirs with the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,god has put us1 according to the good pleasure of ,his will in ,christ1 in the place of sons and because ,he has made us sons ,he has made us heirs4 ,the inheritance of the first begotten from the dead is the inheritance of all who are by ,grace constituted sons in ,him4 ,and what is ,his inheritance which we shall share in all eternity8 ,we find in it the preceding verses1 having made known unto us the mystery of ,his will1 according to ,his good pleasure which ,he purposed in ,himself for the administration of the fulness of times2 to head up all things in the ,christ1 the things in the heavens and the things upon the earth4 ,in other words1 ,he is the heir of all things and these include both the heavens and the earth4 ,all is put under ,his feet4 ,and this glorious inheritance belongs to us2 we shall share it with ,him in all eternity4 ,what mind and heart can grasp it6 ,it is unspeakable and unfathomable4 ,our inheritance is often lowered in that people speak about the earth as being the inheritance4 ,certain passages from the ,old ,testament are quoted in support of this4 ,the meek shall inherit the earth1 the earth has ,he given to the children of men4 ,but this does not at all refer to our inheritance1 but rather to the inheritance of an earthly people in the millennium4 ,our inheritance assuredly includes the earth1 but the heavens are the supreme place for the church4 ,as ,he is now far above all principalities and power and might and dominion1 in the heavenlies1 so will the church occupy the heavenlies with ,him1 the glorified ,head1 and in the ages to come ,god will show in this very position and possession ,he has given to us ,his exceeding riches of ,his ,grace4 ,but here we read not only of an inheritance1 which belongs to us1 but it speaks of the purchased possession4 ,there is no difference at all between these two terms our inheritance and the purchased possession2 they are one and the same thing4 ,the inheritance1 the possession of the heavenlies and of the earth is acquired or purchased and the purchase price is the blood of the ,son of ,god4 ,the precious blood of the ,son of ,god has not only redeemed us and made it possible for us to share ,his inheritance to the praise of ,his ,glory1 but it has also purchased both the heavenlies and the earth4 ,the heavenlies as well as the things on earth have been defiled by sin and needed the purchase2 the blood of the ,son of ,god alone could accomplish that4 ,in the same sense we read in the first chapter of ,colossians of the reconciliation of all things1 the things in heaven and the things on the earth4 ,it is an interesting fact that we find the same word the purchased possession as it is translated here at four other places in the ,new ,testament4 ,twice in ,thessalonians1 once in ,hebrews and once in #ast ,peter4 ,each time it refers to the future4 #a ,thess4 v3#i4 ,god has not set us for wrath1 but 7literally7 unto acquiring salvation through our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 who has died for us that whether we may be watching or sleep1 we may live together with ,him4 ,the acquiring of salvation is future and corresponds to the purchased possession4 #b ,thess4 ii3#ad4 ,unto which ,he called you through our ,gospel1 unto an acquiring of the ,glory of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 #a ,peter ii3#ai4444 ,a people for an acquisition2 that is1 a people formed for a possession corresponding to ,isaiah xliii3#b4 ,this people have ,i formed for myself1 they shall show forth my praise4 ,this is spoken1 of course1 concerning ,israel4 ,it also finds an application in the church1 the royal ,priesthood4 ,in the possession of our inheritance we shall make known ,his excellencies1 ,his ,glory4 ,hebrews x3#ci4 ,the word is likewise found also relating to the future1 the preservation of the soul1 the same as salvation in the future sense4 #b4 ,and now we reach the main thought of the ,scripture before us4 ,the purchased possession1 the inheritance1 though it has been fully paid for1 is completely purchased1 is yet to be redeemed4 ,while we said that our inheritance and the expression the purchased possession are the same1 it is not so with purchase and redemption4 ,these are two different things4 ,the purchase is by blood1 but the redemption here is by power4 ,the purchased possession is to be redeemed by power4 ,now as this is so the inheritance must be in a state of alienation from ,god2 some power has hold of it who has no right to it4 ,if this were not the case it would be impossible to speak of a redemption by power4 ,it is just like the possession of some land in a frontier state4 ,a person purchases a large tract of land4 ,it is his1 he has a perfect title to it4 ,but now he comes and looks over his purchased possession and he finds a number of people who settled upon it4 ,they have erected houses and make a claim that it belongs to them1 but they have no right to it at all4 ,either by law or by force they are to be evicted from the property to which they have no right4 ,at a certain time the owner comes and claims his ownership and casts out these people4 ,and even so that which the ,lord has purchased and which belongs to ,him and to the sons of ,god with ,him1 ,his inheritance and our inheritance is possessed up to this time by evil1 ,god opposing powers and they have still control of it till the hour of eviction comes4 ,all things are indeed put under ,his feet1 but we see not yet all things put under ,him1 though we see as a pledge that it shall be so1 ,jesus who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor4 ,the earth is the ,lord's and the fullness thereof1 and yet the earth is still in the grasp of that mighty being1 who had shown to our ,lord the kingdoms of this world claiming them as his own and offering the same to the ,lord4 ,the father of lies spoke the truth then1 for the kingdoms of this world are in his possession and they are still his4 ,he is still the god of this age1 the prince of the world4 ,the enemies of ,christ seen and unseen are not yet made ,his footstool1 nor will they be till the power of ,god does it in that mighty act of a future redemption4 ,still there is the groaning of all creation1 waiting for something better to come1 waiting for the deliverance from the bondage of corruption1 waiting to be brought into the glorious liberty of the children of ,god4 ,the deliverance of groaning creation takes place when the sons of ,god are manifested1 and that is the time of the redemption of the purchased possession4 ,and we also who have the first fruits of the ,spirit1 groan within ourselves1 waiting for the adoption1 the redemption of the body4 ,and the redemption of the body belongs to the redemption of the purchased possession4 ,and how is it with the heavens8 ,surely here we cannot speak of some evil powers holding possessions1 and that it is necessary to redeem that possession by power8 ,it is exactly this which is mostly before us in this epistle of the ,heavenlies4 ,to some ,christians this is almost impossible to grasp and yet it is clearly revealed in the ,scriptures that the heavenlies1 the sphere above the earth and way beyond1 is in the grasp of the evil tenants which under the headship of ,satan form mighty principalities and powers and dominions4 ,he himself as head reaches into heaven and has access to the very throne itself4 ,he is not only the god of this age and the prince of this world1 but also ,the prince of the power in the air4 ,how mighty he is as such1 what powers are at his disposal1 how vast his kingdom is1 how numerous the fallen beings with him and how the demons fill the air1 no saint has ever fully realized1 nor shall we ever realize it1 till the ,god of peace has ,satan completely bruised under our feet4 ,think for a moment of what the ,scriptures say4 ,there is the first and second chapter in the ,book of ,job4 ,some call it fiction4 ,we call it one of the greatest revelations of the ,word of ,god4 ,there is the throne of ,god1 and to that throne comes ,satan as the accuser of the brethren4 ,the ,new ,testament verifies that this is still the case1 and that at the present time this mighty being still accuses the saints of ,god before the throne of righteousness4 ,and that is one of the reasons why the ,lord ,jesus ,christ as our advocate appears in the presence of ,god for us4 ,again we read the words of a prophet4 ,i saw the ,lord sitting on ,his throne and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right and on his left4444 ,and there came forth a spirit and stood before the ,lord and said1 ,i will persuade him 7,king ,ahab74 ,and the ,lord said unto him1 ,wherewith8 ,and he said1 ,i will go forth and ,i will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets 7#a ,kings xxii3#ai-bc74 ,and furthermore here in the ,epistle to ,ephesians in the last chapter we read of the warfare of the ,christian believer1 which is not with flesh and blood but against principalities1 against powers1 against the rulers of the darkness of this world1 against the wicked spirits in the heavenlies4 ,this passage alone is sufficient evidence to show that the heavenlies are up to the present time tenanted by wicked spirits4 ,they hold possession of the heavenlies and have control there4 ,but ,christ has triumphed over ,satan and his wicked spirits and has purchased that heavenly possession4 ,it belongs to ,him and to ,his church1 and when the right time comes the redemption of that possession will take place and the heavenlies will be cleared from these usurpers4 #c4 ,this brings us to the third thought connected with this theme4 ,when and how will the purchased possession be redeemed by the power of ,god8 ,we are not left to speculation on this matter1 for while we have here just a few words concerning this great event we have in another part of the ,bible a revelation1 which may be termed the complete history of the redemption of the purchased possession4 ,there we have the when and the how we have asked completely answered4 ,that book is our great ,new ,testament ,book of ,prophecy1 the ,revelation4 ,the parts in which the redemption of the purchased possession by the power of ,god is revealed are chapters xii and xx4 ,the twelfth chapter is one of the great chapters in this marvelous book4 ,it is not only a great chapter1 but also an important one4 ,in examining any exposition of the ,book of ,revelation one does well to turn to this chapter and read what the expositor has to say on it4 ,if he is straight here his book is well worth reading2 if not he must be wrong in the greater part of the book4 ,the great vision is the woman travailing in pain to be delivered of a manchild4 ,the catching away of that manchild1 which the red dragon was ready to devour4 ,the casting out of ,satan after the manchild is with ,god and in heaven1 the persecution of the woman and her seed by the serpent4 ,the erroneous interpretation always concerns the woman4 ,many make her to be the church1 and then the manchild is a select company of the elect church1 overcomers1 first fruits1 or as some call them the #add1jjj4 ,the woman has nothing to do with the church4 ,she typifies ,israel and this is easily verified from ,old ,testament passages4 ,the manchild destined to rule the nations with a rod of iron is ,christ who1 according to the flesh1 came from ,israel4 ,satan hated ,him and would have devoured ,him1 but could not4 ,the man-child is caught away and then after ,he is in the presence of ,god all the other events come rapidly to pass4 ,we notice that a number of important things are passed over entirely in the beginning of this chapter4 ,they are implied1 of course4 ,nothing is said of the earthly life of ,christ1 nothing of ,his death and resurrection4 ,they are implied in ,his being caught away unto ,god4 ,there is nothing said of this present age and nothing of the church1 but she is likewise implied in this scene4 ,the manchild does not stand for the person of ,christ alone1 but for the completed ,christ1 ,i mean by this the ,christ1 the ,head and the ,body1 the church united to ,him in ,glory4 ,what is spoken of the ,christ in resurrection is also spoken of ,his church4 ,the promise to rule the nations with a rod of iron is not only to ,him but through ,him also to those who overcome4 ,and he shall rule them with a rod of iron1 as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers1 even as ,i received of my ,father 7,rev4 ii3#bh74 ,it is also significant that we do not read of the ascension here of our ,lord4 ,if the word were here that the man-child ascended1 ,i doubt if then we could say the church is implied1 for the word ascension is never used in connection with the church4 ,but it reads ,caught away1 and the very same word which is used here is used in #a ,thess4 iv4 ,caught up together with them in clouds4 ,what follows next is the war in heaven and the casting out of ,satan4 ,this will not take place till the complete church1 the ,body and ,bride of ,christ1 is taken up4 ,then ,satan will be completely bruised under our feet4 ,in spite of his malice1 in spite of his power and accusations1 in spite of his challenge to ,god and fearful attacks1 there is not one member of that glorious body missing1 all the redeemed are in the presence of the ,lord and then ,satan is forced down to the earth by ,michael and his angels4 ,in heaven there is a loud voice which declares3 ,now is come salvation and strength1 and the kingdom of our ,god1 and the power of ,his ,christ1 for the accuser of our brethren is cast down1 which accused them day and night before our ,god4 ,and they overcame him by the blood of the ,lamb1 and by the word of their testimony1 and they loved not their lives unto death4 ,therefore rejoice1 oh ye heavens1 and ye that dwell in them4 ,then ,satan as the accuser has no more place in heaven and the advocacy of ,christ concerning ,his own1 as ,he said in ,his highpriestly prayer1 ,i pray for them1 has an end4 ,they are all safe with ,him in glory4 ,the heavenlies are thus cleared of ,satan and his hosts when the church is brought in and the eviction is the redemption of the purchased possession4 ,it takes place by the power of ,god through the mighty ,being whose name is ,who is like ,god1 ,michael4 ,satan the usurper cast out of the heavenly sphere goes down to the earth having great wrath4 ,how fearful must be the wrath of that ,being6 ,who of us can imagine it1 what it will be8 ,surely the ,lord would never leave ,his church1 ,his ,bride on the earth1 when that awful ,being with that great wrath comes down4 ,indeed what we have said shows clearly that the great tribulation is impossible as long as the church1 the complete church1 is not yet in glory4 ,for to have the great tribulation on the earth the old serpent must be cast down on the earth4 ,the redemption of the purchased possession begins then with the rapture of the church to be with ,christ in ,his ,inheritance in the ,heavenlies4 ,this is followed by ,satan being cast out of heaven4 ,and then a few years more and the heavens open and the ,king of kings and ,lord of lords appears4 ,the ,son in all ,his ,glory is manifested bringing many sons with ,him to ,glory4 ,it is then that we have the redemption of the purchased possession completed4 ,and ,i saw an angel come down from heaven1 having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand4 ,and he laid hold on the dragon1 that old ,serpent1 which is the ,devil and ,satan1 and bound him a thousand years and cast him into the bottomless pit1 and shut him up1 and set a seal upon him1 that he should deceive the nations no more1 till the thousand years should be fulfilled1 and after that he must be loosed a little season4 ,and ,i saw thrones and they sat upon them1 and the judgment was given unto them1 and ,i saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of ,jesus1 and for the ,word of ,god1 and which had not worshipped the beast1 neither his image1 neither had received his mark upon their foreheads1 or in their hands2 and they lived and reigned with ,christ a thousand years 7,rev4 xx3#a-e74 ,then all of groaning creation will be delivered and ,satan will no longer be the god of this age1 the prince of this world nor the prince of the power in the air4 ,there will be peace on earth and ,glory to ,god in the ,highest4 ,christ will reign and ,his church with ,him in the ,glory above4 ,what a time it will be when it comes4 ,what singing in heaven and on the earth4 ,then shall ,he have ,his full inheritance which we share and also have ,his inheritance in us ,his ,saints1 and ,he will be admired in all them that have believed4 ,and all this is near4 ,just a little while longer and we shall hear ,his shout which calls us and all ,his redeemed into ,his presence1 with bodies redeemed by ,his power to enter into our inheritance1 the purchased possession4 ,and now two things need to be mentioned in closing4 ,our conflict is with these evil spirits1 the usurpers1 both in the heavenlies and here on earth4 ,may we be victors through the power of the ,christ in us and ,his ,spirit4 ,the conflict is becoming hotter1 especially for those who enter into their privileges and realize in faith their place and future glory4 ,let us also walk worthy of our calling4 ,let it be seen that we are sealed by the ,holy ,spirit and have ,him as the earnest of our inheritance4 ,a ,christian who professes to have such an inheritance and who professes to wait for the redemption of the purchased possession and who grasps after the honors of the world and runs after its riches is a sad spectacle indeed4 ,,the ,,history ,,of ,,satan ,satan is a person and has a history4 ,no intelligent believer in the ,bible denies this1 for the ,bible teaches in both ,testaments that such a being exists1 and more than that1 the history of this person is given in the ,word of ,god4 ,he is not a divine being1 but a creature4 ,his origin1 his work and his final destiny are revealed in the ,scriptures4 ,yet it needs to be stated that much in connection with this person is obscure and that certain facts can only be learned by inference4 ,questions are often asked concerning this being1 which no one can answer4 ,we mean these questions ,why ,god created such a being1 if ,he knew that he would be ,his enemy and do the awful work he has done and which he is still doing1 or ,why does ,god still permit him to do this work and why does ,he not end his career8 ,in such matters it behooves us to confess our ignorance and also our faith in an all-wise ,god1 whose wisdom1 sovereignty and justice are perfect4 ,some day these unrevealed mysteries will be all cleared up for the ,saints of ,god4 ,what ,person ,he ,was ,the conception1 which originated in the middle ages1 in connection with the gross perversion of the truth of ,god1 that this person is one of repulsive and grotesque countenance1 with the figure of a monstrosity1 is an invention and cannot be verified from ,scripture4 ,the ,bible knows nothing of such a being with a horrible face and figure4 ,the very opposite is the teaching of the ,word of ,god4 ,he was originally the greatest and most marvelous creation of ,god4 ,though now fallen and the enemy of ,god1 he still retains much of his original beauty and wisdom4 ,in ,isaiah xiv3#ab the word ,lucifer 7lightbearer7 refers to him4 ,he is called ,son of the ,morning4 ,that must have been his name when unfallen4 ,still more striking is the description of the same person in one of the great prophetic utterances of ,ezekiel4 ,in chapter xxviii3#aa-ai we read the following3 ,moreover the word of the ,lord came unto me1 saying1 ,son of man1 take up a lamentation upon the king of ,tyrus1 and say unto him1 ,thus saith the ,lord ,god2 ,thou sealest up the sum1 full of wisdom1 and perfect in beauty4 ,thou hast been in ,eden1 the garden of ,god2 every precious stone was thy covering1 the sardius1 topaz1 and the diamond1 the beryl1 the onyx1 and the jasper1 the sapphire1 the emerald1 and the carbuncle1 and gold3 the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created4 ,thou art the anointed cherub that covereth2 and ,i have set thee so2 thou was upon the holy mountain of ,god2 thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire4 ,thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou was created1 till iniquity was found in thee4 ,by the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence1 and thou hast sinned3 therefore ,i will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of ,god3 and ,i will destroy thee1 ,o covering cherub1 from the midst of the stones of fire4 ,thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty1 thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness3 ,i will cast thee to the ground1 ,i will lay thee before kings1 that they may behold thee4 ,these words are words of lamentation over the wicked king of ,tyrus4 ,while this king is mentioned the description does not fit him at all1 but must be applied to the one who was the unseen power behind the throne of the ,tyrian king4 ,the great city of ,tyrus1 once so glorious and now forever gone1 is a type of the commercial glory of the world1 its wealth and its prince1 foreshadowing the final great world-city and world-system ,babylon4 ,satan controlled ,tyrus as he will also control the coming1 final ,babylon4 ,we have therefore here a description of ,satan in his original condition as an unfallen creature4 ,he was full of wisdom and perfect in beauty4 ,he was in ,eden the garden of ,god and every precious stone was his covering4 ,he was the anointed cherub that covereth1 perhaps an archangel like ,michael4 ,he was in the mountain of ,god and perfect in the day of his creation4 ,we quote another passage from which we may learn by inference his original greatness and majesty4 ,jude predicts the final apostasy of this present age1 which culminates in man despising dominions and speaking evil of dignities4 ,he then makes a statement in which ,satan is mentioned3 ,yet ,michael the archangel1 when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of ,moses1 durst not bring against him a railing accusation1 but said1 the ,lord rebuke thee 7verses #h-i74 ,it is a unique revelation nowhere else found in the ,bible that when ,moses' body was to be laid away1 the devil appeared on the scene4 ,perhaps ,michael was commissioned by the ,lord to bury the body of ,moses4 ,the devil evidently laid claim to the body of ,god's servant4 ,perhaps he wanted the body to be preserved in an embalmed condition as an object of idolatry4 ,when ,michael faced him he durst not bring a railing accusation against him4 ,he still recognized in him1 though fallen1 the greatness of his original being4 ,this is sufficient to show that ,satan was once a mighty1 glorious1 majestic being1 full of wisdom and beauty4 ,being a creature he is not omnipotent1 nor is he omniscient or omnipresent4 ,his ,fall ,his fall and how he became the great enemy of ,god is also revealed4 ,we find it in the two chapters already quoted1 ,isaiah xiv and ,ezekiel xxviii4 ,he said in his heart ,i will ascend into heaven1 ,i will exalt my throne above the stars of ,god2 ,i will sit also upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north4 ,i will ascend above the heights of the clouds1 ,i will be like the ,most ,high 7,isaiah xiv3#ac-ad74 ,ezekiel's prophecy tells us that iniquity was found in him4 ,thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty1 thou has corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness 7,ezek4 xxviii3#ag74 ,in the beginning of this chapter a similar statement is made1 which also must be applied to ,satan4 ,thus saith the ,lord ,god1 because thine heart is lifted up1 and thou hast said1 ,i am a ,god and sit in the seat of ,god4 ,the ,new ,testament also bears witness to the fact and reminds us of the above revelations in #a ,timothy iii3#f4 ,speaking of the qualifications of an elder1 we read1 ,not a novice1 lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil4 ,the word condemnation has the meaning of crime in the ,greek4 ,he revolted against ,god2 he was not satisfied with the position and place the ,creator had given him and aimed to occupy the throne above the stars and be like the ,most ,high4 ,then he fell and became the enemy of ,god1 which he still is and ever will be4 ,in his attempt to become like the ,most ,high other angels sided with him and shared in the fall likewise4 ,where ,was ,his ,original ,dwelling ,place ,if this being attempted to put his throne above the stars1 then must he have had a throne somewhere else4 ,if he aimed to ascend into heaven and be like the ,most ,high1 he must have had some dwelling place which ,god had assigned to him4 ,there is no positive ,scripture concerning this place4 ,yet by inferential evidence the knowledge can be gained that our earth in its original condition was the domain of this great creature of ,god4 ,in the beginning ,god created the heavens and the earth4 ,we do not know when this was4 ,in certain ,bible editions the date #djjd ,b4 ,c4 is placed in the margin over against ,gen4 i3#a4 ,but that is incorrect4 ,it would make the earth not quite #fjjj years old4 ,science has demonstrated the fact that our globe is of a very great age4 ,no human being can tell the exact time when ,god created the heavens and the earth4 ,it may have been #b million or #bj million or #bjj million years ago4 ,we know1 however1 that the human race became a recent tenant on this earth4 ,the human race is not older than about #fjjj years4 ,in that distant past before man was created the earth was in a different form4 ,at that time there was a gigantic animal creation and an equally gigantic vegetation in existence4 ,it has been brought to light through the fossil beds2 but in none of these fossils is found a trace of a human being4 ,this great original creation was plunged at one time into an awful catastrophe4 ,death and destruction came upon it1 every living thing was extinguished1 while water covered everything and all was enveloped in darkness4 ,this is exactly the condition of the earth as described in the second verse of the ,bible4 ,and the earth was without form and void2 and darkness was upon the face of the deep4 ,if we turn to ,isaiah xlv3#ah we find a significant statement3 ,for thus saith the ,lord who created the heavens2 ,god himself that formed the earth and made it2 ,he hath established it1 ,he created it not in vain2 ,he formed it to be inhabited4 ,the word vain 7tohu7 is the same word used in ,gen4 i3#b and translated without form4 ,from this we learn that ,god did not originally create the earth as without form and void1 enshrouded in darkness4 ,it became this through a judgment which fell upon it4 ,between the first and second verses of the first chapter of ,genesis is therefore a long1 immeasurable period of time4 ,now1 if this original earth was ruined and passed through a judgment1 why did this ruin and judgment take place8 ,this question must remain unanswered unless we bring that first judgment in connection with the revolt and fall of ,satan1 who had his dwelling place on this earth4 ,this explains not only the ruined condition of the earth in ,gen4 i3#b1 but throws a great deal of light on ,satan's successful attempt to get back his lost dominion through man and his tenacious hold on the earth1 as the prince of the world and god of this age4#a ,man ,upon ,the ,earth ,in ,god's own time this earth was put into the condition to become the habitation for the human race4 ,of this we read in ,genesis i3#c-ca4 ,god then created man in ,his own image1 and said1 ,let them have dominion over the fish of the sea1 and over the fowl of the air1 and over the cattle1 and over all the earth1 and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth 7,gen4 i3#bf74 ,and ,god blessed them1 and ,god said unto them1 ,be fruitful1 and multiply1 and replenish the earth1 and subdue it1 and have dominion over the fish of the sea1 and over the fowl of the air1 and over everything that moveth upon the earth4 ,thus the earth1 which was originally ,satan's habitation1 was given to man4 ,the ,fall of ,man ,when all this took place this great fallen being was no doubt an eyewitness4 ,he beheld ,god working in rearranging the chaos of the original earth produced by his revolt4 ,he saw how ,god created man4 ,he heard how ,god spoke to man and gave him to possess his former estate which he had lost by his rebellion4 ,he beheld ,god putting man and woman into the garden of ,eden4 ,he listened when ,god said ,of the tree of knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it1 for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die 7,gen4 ii3#ag74 ,then he must have been moved with envy and jealousy4 ,he sees another in possession of his past domain4 ,something like this must have come into his mind--if ,i only can get man ruined and turn him against ,god1 if ,i can make of man a rebel and lay hold on him1 ,i shall get back the place which once was mine and then defy ,god4 ,the third chapter in ,genesis shows how he succeeded in carrying out this plan4 ,through the serpent he approached the woman and said1 ,yea1 hath ,god said1 ,ye shall not eat of any tree of the garden8 ,god had spoken2 the first word to man had come from ,his lips4 ,satan's first work was to make ,god's creature doubt ,god's ,word4 ,the first destructive critic who denied that ,god hath spoken was ,satan4 ,every man1 no matter what learning he may claim1 who denies the inspiration of the ,bible1 and that the ,bible is the revelation and ,word of ,god1 is the mouthpiece of ,satan4 ,emboldened by the woman's answer he said ,ye shall not surely die1 an out and out denial of what ,god had said2 and then adds the lying promise1 ,your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as gods4 ,he wanted to be like the ,most ,high1 and now he injects his own character into man4 ,the transgression followed2 sin came into the world and death by sin1 the moment ,god's commandment was disobeyed4 ,what a sneer and laughter1 what a triumphant shout ,satan must have uttered when the deed was done6 ,and with the fall of man he laid hold again on this earth and became its prince4 ,satan's ,doom ,announced ,then the ,lord sought that which was lost1 the guilty pair1 and addressed the serpent4 ,the words the ,lord then spoke contain the first prophecy of the ,bible4 ,it concerns ,satan1 how ,god will deal with him and his final doom4 ,and ,i will put enmity between thee and the woman1 and between thy seed and her seed2 it shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise his heel 7,gen4 iii3#ae74 ,without fully explaining this prophecy1 which may well be termed the germ of all subsequent prophecy1 we but point out what it means4 ,from the woman there is to come a seed1 an offspring who is to bruise the head of the serpent 7,satan71 that is1 overcome the serpent1 and that the serpent is to bruise the heel of the seed of the woman4 ,furthermore1 there is to rage a conflict between the serpent and the woman and between the serpent's seed and the seed of the woman4 ,there can be no question whatever that the seed of the woman means the ,son of ,god in ,his incarnation4 ,paul writes to the ,galatians1 ,but when the fulness of time was come ,god sent forth ,his ,son made of a woman 7,gal4 iv3#d74 ,he is the seed of the woman1 the virgin-born ,son of ,god4 ,his death is mentioned in this first prophecy as the bruising of ,his heel4 ,then the final victory over ,satan and his final doom1 his head is to be bruised4 ,and till that is accomplished there is to be conflict between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent1 a conflict between those who side with ,god1 believe on and wait for the promised ,one1 and those who side with ,satan and his works4 ,satan heard then from the lips of ,jehovah that the seed of the woman would conquer him and seal his doom4 ,his ,work and the ,conflict ,begins ,the predicted conflict began at once4 ,two sons are born to ,adam and ,eve4 ,satan watched them4 ,he is interested to see if one of them might be the seed4 ,he saw ,cain bringing an offering of the fruit of the ground 7the labor of his hands7 unto the ,lord4#b ,satan must have been delighted with ,cain1 as he beheld him1 as a self-righteous man1 rejecting ,god's provision for him as a sinner4 ,he knew ,cain was his man and belonged to his seed4 ,it was different with ,abel4 ,abel brought of the firstlings of the flock and of the fat thereof4 ,by faith ,abel offered unto ,god a more excellent sacrifice than ,cain1 by which he obtained witness that he was righteous1 ,god testifying of his gifts 7,heb4 xi3#c74 ,he was a believer1 who owned himself as a sinner and because he believed1 ,god accepted his offering4 ,as ,satan beheld this scene he must have imagined that ,abel was the seed of the woman4 ,then he filled ,cain with wrath and moved him to slay his brother ,abel4 ,thus ,satan manifested himself in the beginning of the human race as the liar and the murderer4 ,our ,lord testified of this character of the enemy when ,he spoke to those who conspired to kill ,him and who belonged to the ,devil's seed3 ,ye are of your father the devil1 and the lusts of your father ye will do4 ,he was a murderer from the beginning1 and abode not in the truth1 because there is no truth in him4 ,when he speaketh a lie1 he speaketh of his own2 for he is a liar and the father of it 7,john viii3#dd74 ,but the murder of ,abel was unavailing4 ,eve bore another son and called his name ,seth1 for ,god1 said she1 hath appointed me another seed instead of ,abel1 whom ,cain slew 7,gen4 iv3#be74 ,satan was defeated for the first time4 ,an ,interesting ,history ,an interesting history follows4 ,the ,old ,testament history is the history of conflict between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman4 ,satan continually worked to oppose ,god1 attempting to prevent the coming of that promised seed of the woman4 ,he knew if he succeeded in this he would not again be dispossessed from this planet and his own doom would never come4 ,besides trying to prevent the coming of the promised ,one1 his aim is to control the nations1 have dominion over them1 and to deny the truth of ,god made known to man by revelation4 ,he corrupted the human race before the deluge so that the earth was corrupt before ,god and filled with violence 7,gen4 vi3#aa74 ,this great being knew well that ,god is holy and cannot tolerate evil4 ,he plunged the race into great wickedness in the hope that ,god would destroy the whole race and leave him possessor of the earth4 ,but ,noah found grace in the sight of the ,lord4 ,when ,satan received the knowledge that the seed to conquer him and seal his doom would come through ,abraham1 he then opposed the seed of ,abraham to frustrate ,god's purpose4 ,the land which was promised by ,jehovah to ,abraham and his descendants was settled by the nations which were ,satan-controlled and were his willing instruments4 ,satan's power in wickedness and vileness was manifested in the ,canaanites4 ,that is why the ,lord commanded their utter extermination4 ,so that in the land itself there was a steady conflict between the seed of the serpent1 the ,canaanites1 and the seed of the woman1 godly ,israelites4 ,when ,pharaoh gave the command to kill all the male children born to ,israel in ,egypt1 it was another attempt of ,satan to make the coming of the promised seed impossible 7,ex4 i3#af74 ,but ,god took care and used the ,hebrew midwives1 the weaker vessels1 to bring to naught the wicked plan4 ,pharaoh brought up in his own palace one of the ,hebrew boys1 whom ,satan would have killed2 and that boy became the great leader and deliverer of ,israel4 ,all the persecutions of the people ,israel in ,egypt were ,satan's work4 ,when at last they had left the house of bondage1 ,satan in impotent rage stirred up ,pharaoh to attempt their destruction2 but ,pharaoh and his army found their graves in the ,red ,sea4 ,afterward ,jehovah announced that the promised seed should be of the house of ,david4 ,then ,satan watched ,david and his descendants4 ,through ,saul he persecuted ,god's anointed1 but failed to touch his life4 ,immediately after the ,lord had made the covenant with ,david 7#b ,sam4 vii7 promising him a son whose ,kingdom shall be established 7the seed--,christ71 ,satan led ,david to commit his awful sin4 ,jehoram1 the son of ,jehoshaphat1 belonged to the seed of the serpent4 ,this wicked son of ,david slew all his brethren4 ,it was ,satan's attempt to exterminate the descendant of ,david 7#b ,chronicles xxi3#d74 ,then the ,arabians came and slew all his sons except ,ahaziah4 ,still greater was ,satan's attempt to end forever the house of ,david through wicked queen ,attaliah4 ,she was the mother of ,ahaziah4 ,when her son had been slain she arose and destroyed all the seed royal of the house of ,judah 7#b ,chronicles xxii3#aj74 ,satan had made the awful suggestion to her and when the seed royal was destroyed he thought he had triumphed at last4 ,but ,jehoshabeath1 the daughter of the ,king1 took ,joash the son of ,ahaziah1 and stole him from the ,king's sons that were slain1 and put him and his nurse in a bedchamber4 ,so ,jehoshabeath1 the daughter of ,king ,jehoram1 the wife of ,jehorada the priest1 hid him from ,attaliah so that she slew him not4 ,and he was with them hid in the house of ,god six years 7#b ,chron4 xxvii3#aa-ab74 ,satan was defeated4 ,through ,haman he made still another attempt to have all the ,jews1 men1 women1 and children1 killed4 ,god watched over ,his people again and ,satan's plan was frustrated4 ,and how much else might be added6 ,throughout ,old ,testament history he had his chosen instruments1 like ,nimrod1 the kings of ,babylon1 the ,pharaohs1 the ,assyrian1 the ,persian ,kings1 ,alexander and others through whom he attempted world dominion4 ,he instigated the cruel and terrible wars4 ,israel1 the people of ,god1 were led by him into idolatry and apostasy4 ,in all this and much besides his aim was the defiance of ,god and to keep ,god from carrying out his plan of redemption though the promised seed4 ,the ,promised ,seed and ,satan's ,opposition ,the promised seed came4 ,the ,son of ,god took on the creature's garb and became man1 the son of ,david and son of ,abraham1 according to the flesh4 ,all ,satan had done for #d1jjj years had been in vain4 ,god had kept ,his promise4 ,king ,herod was the seed of the serpent and when the child was born1 ,satan moved him to seek the young child to destroy him4 ,herod1 inspired by the murderer from the beginning1 exceeding wroth1 sent forth and slew all the children that were in ,bethlehem1 and in all the coasts thereof from two years old and under 7,matt4 ii3#af74 ,but ,god had watched1 and the young child was on the way to ,egypt when ,satan's suggestion was carried out by the ,roman soldiers4 ,and how many more times he must have made the same attempt6 ,when ,satan had taken him on the pinnacle of the temple and suggested cast thyself down1 he tried it once more4 ,the people of ,nazareth were the serpent's seed and under his control when they rushed him out of the city and attempted to cast him headlong down a precipice4 ,the storms on the lake were ,satan's work to take ,his life4 ,little did he know that the ship in which the ,son of ,god slept peacefully1 though it filled with water1 was the only unsinkable ship which sailed the seas4 ,he could not touch the seed of the woman1 for ,he was holy1 without sin1 and death had not claim on ,him4 ,yet ,he had come to die that through death ,he might destroy him that had the power of death1 that is1 the devil4 ,he knew that the ,lord ,jesus would get the victory and the dominion over this earth by the way of the ,cross4 ,that is why he took ,him on the exceeding high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world1 and the glory of them4 ,he offered all to the ,son of ,man1 if ,he but would fall down before him4 ,he wanted ,him to keep away from the cross for he knew then and knows now1 far better than many a so-called theologian1 that redemption for the individual and redemption for this earth1 the nations and groaning creation has its blessed source in the work of the ,cross4 ,he was defeated in all his malice and cunning4 ,and finally the ,cross1 preceded by the agony in ,gethsemane4 ,satan was there2 with unspeakable hatred he planned ,his death4 ,he entered into ,judas2 he used the ,pharisees and ,sadducees1 the priests and elders1 which were all ,satan's seed1 to have ,him put to death4 ,the cry ,away with ,him6 ,crucify ,him6 was inspired by himself4 ,he used man to dishonor the ,son of ,god1 to revile ,him1 spit in ,his face1 to scourge ,him and finally to nail ,him to the ,cross4 ,did he think that he might yet get the victory and keep the ,lord ,jesus from finishing the work the ,father gave ,him to do8 ,we do not know if such was the case1 but we know that while the ,son of ,god gave ,himself1 ,satan had also his part in ,his rejection and ,his death4 ,our ,lord conquered4 ,he won the victory and those blessed never-to-be-forgotten words1 ,it is finished tell of the final doom of ,satan and the coming glories of a new heaven and a new earth4 ,the thorn-crowned ,man of that cross of shame will some day be the glory-crowned ,man who claims ,his inheritance1 and because he wore the thorns and paid for all sin's curse1 ,he will rid this earth from the works of the devil4 ,the tomb was closed with the big stone and then sealed with the ,roman seal4 ,a watch too is set4 ,how careful ,satan is6 ,what a good memory he has6 ,yet how blind6 ,he wanted to prevent ,his triumphant resurrection1 as if he had more power than ,god6 ,on the third day the stone was rolled away4 ,he came forth4 ,death and the grave are conquered4 ,he is the resurrection and the life4 ,then the man-child1 whom the dragon wanted to devour 7,rev4 xii7 was caught up to the throne of ,god1 destined to rule the nations with a rod of iron4 ,like another ,joash1 ,he is hidden in the house of ,god4 ,he fills the throne there and awaits in that place of glorious exaltation the time when ,satan will be dethroned and ,he1 the ,son of ,man1 will receive ,his own throne4 ,the ,conflict ,continues ,as stated elsewhere1 ,satan by having succeeded in getting the ,jews and ,gentiles to reject the ,prince of ,life and the ,lord of ,glory1 became what he has not been in previous ages1 the god of this age 7#b ,cor4 iv3#d74c ,and so the conflict continues4 ,satan can no longer attempt to prevent the coming of the promised seed or attack ,his ,person1 for ,he is in glory as the glorified ,man4 ,he knows1 however1 that ,he has a seed on this earth1 a seed which has the promise given that he1 ,satan1 is to be bruised completely under their feet4 ,this seed is the church4 ,the enmity and conflict during this present age is therefore between the seed of the serpent and the seed of ,christ1 those who are in ,him and in whom ,christ dwelleth4 ,all students of ,prophecy know that the seven church messages in the book of ,revelation 7chapters ii and iii7 contain a prophetic forecast of the history of the church on earth1 from the apostolic age to the time when the true church is taken to glory and the apostate church disowned by the ,lord4#d ,in these prophetic messages ,satan's work in opposition to the church is made known4 ,in the ,apostolic age he acted in introducing error2 he sowed the tares4 ,after the ,apostles had passed away a time of great persecution set in which is indicated in the message to ,smyrna4 ,the ,roman emperors were the serpent's seed4 ,they claimed divine honors and worship4 ,as ,satan's instruments they persecuted the church1 and thousands upon thousands of believers died the martyrs' death4 ,the cruel tortures and horrible forms of death were ,satan's work by which he attempted to exterminate the church4 ,when he found that the blood of the martyrs was the seed of the church1 and that the church increased in spite of these persecutions1 then he began to corrupt the church4 ,the professing church settled down where ,satan's throne is1 that is1 she gave up the place of separation and became a world institution4 ,gradually the ,gospel and the doctrine of ,christ became perverted1 heathenish customs were introduced and finally the culmination was reached in the ,romish apostasy4 ,these developments are described in the messages to ,pergamos and ,thyatira4 ,when the ,reformation set in the fires of persecution were kindled again2 once more ,satan1 as the murderer1 tries to prevent the victory of the truth of ,christ and the ,gospel4 ,satan's work can thus be traced in the history of the church down to our own times4 ,the destructive criticism of our own times1 the so-called new theology1 the different systems1 which deny the ,deity of our ,lord and which reject ,his atoning death1 like ,christian ,science1 belong to the seed of the serpent4 ,and so does ,spiritism1 ,theosophy1 ,mormonism and other cults4 ,in these systems and cults he appears as an angel of light1 blinding the eyes of them that believe not4 ,and no marvel1 for ,satan himself is transformed into an angel of light1 therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness1 whose end shall be according to their works 7#b ,cor4 xi3#ad-ae74 ,why ,he ,hates the ,church ,he hates the true church because he knows its members are the blood-bought hosts of the ,son of ,god1 destined to rule and reign with ,him over this earth1 which ,satan still holds in his grasp4 ,there is another reason why he has tried to exterminate the true church or to corrupt it4 ,satan has knowledge concerning the future4 ,when our ,lord was on earth the demons cried out ,what have we to do with thee1 ,jesus1 thou ,son of ,god8 ,art thou come hither to torment us before the time8 7,matt4 viii3#bi74 ,from this we learn that the demons know the difference between the first and second coming of our ,lord4 ,they know when ,he comes the second time their doom will be sealed and they will no longer be permitted to torment and ruin the bodies and souls of men4 ,satan unquestionably knows his doom and that it is linked up with the ,return of our ,lord4 ,he also knows that the church1 as the body of ,christ1 must be completed before ,he comes again4 ,this must be a leading reason why he hates the church and attempts to corrupt it by evil doctrines and persecutes those who are ,christ's4 ,all his efforts are unavailing for the ,lord ,jesus ,christ keeps ,his people4 ,world ,dominion ,satan's ,endeavor ,throughout this age this enemy of ,god also endeavors to control the earth politically and rule the nations4 ,the ,roman emperors mostly all aimed at world-dominion and did the devil's bidding to obtain their object4 ,what horrible things were done and the depths of wickedness history makes known to us4 ,throughout the centuries of our age1 again and again1 he raised up instruments and inspired them to great deeds in bloody wars to control nations and kingdoms4 ,napoleon is a notable example4 ,his ambition was to become the head of a great ,european empire4 ,a cartoonist of #ahab pictured ,satan holding ,napoleon in his lap and saying to him1 ,this is my beloved son in whom ,i am well pleased4 ,if this was true of ,napoleon that he was of the seed of the serpent1 doing his will1 how much more is it true of the ,hohenzollern1 ,william ,,ii4 ,his deeds and the deeds of his associates in this war of all wars surpass the deeds of ,nero1 ,attila and ,napoleon4 ,the devil's bait was swallowed by this ,prussian emperor and he hoped to gain world dominion1 but has now found out that the devil is a liar4 ,nor must we forget the popes with their spurious claims of being ,christ's vice-regents on earth and their attempt to exercise temporal power4 ,behind their claim there stands the same dark shadow4 ,satan's ,final ,opposition ,when this age ends ,satan will make a final effort in opposing ,god4 ,he will be permitted to succeed for a brief time and do what is in his heart to do4 ,this takes place after the true church has left the earth4 ,satan will then be cast out of heaven and coming down to this earth once more in person1 he manifests great wrath1 knowing that he hath but a short time 7,rev4 xii3#ab74e ,the mystery of lawlessness1 which has been at work from the beginning will break out fully and find a consummation through the power of ,satan4 ,the thirteenth chapter of ,revelation gives the future history of ,satan's seeming success and triumph4 ,he will succeed in forming a great empire1 which is the old ,roman empire in a revived form4 ,this empire1 which is called a beast1 will receive ,satan's power1 and will have over it a wicked leader1 whom ,daniel saw as the little horn on the ten-horned beast4#f ,the dragon's plan to control the earth has seemingly been realized4 ,he then institutes the great tribulation4 ,but there is a second beast mentioned in ,revelation xiii4 ,he has two horns like a lamb but speaks as a dragon4 ,this is the ,antichrist1 the man of sin1 the son of perdition4 ,like the little horn1 the political leader1 this second beast is ,satan's man4 ,he leads the religious apostasy and tries to stamp out what is left of the truth of ,god on the earth4 ,he himself claims to be ,god and takes the place in the temple of ,god 7in ,jerusalem71 and by lying signs and wonders backs up his claims4 ,his work is described in ,rev4 xiii3#aa-ah and #b ,thess4 ii3#c-ab4 ,fearful will be those days when the true church is gone and when ,god1 as a judgment1 lets ,satan rule over those who rejected the offers of ,his love in ,his blessed ,son4 ,another work of his is seen in the final ,babylon and the scarlet clad woman1 who rides the beast 7the revived ,roman empire74 ,and finally when the hour approaches of ,christ's visible and glorious return1 ,satan summons the kings of the earth and their armies1 gathering them together to make war against ,him that sat on the horse and against his army 7,rev4 xix3#ai74 ,but then his defeat has come4 ,the ,king of kings and ,lord of lords appears in glory4 ,the glory-flash1 the brightness of ,his ,coming strikes down the beast and the false prophet 7,antichrist74 ,the battle of ,armageddon of short duration is over4 ,satan and all his hosts are utterly defeated4 ,in ,revelation xx we have the record of what will happen to the dragon1 that old serpent1 which is the ,devil and ,satan4 ,he will be chained and cast into the pit of the abyss for a thousand years so that he can seduce the nations no more4 ,he is dethroned and ,christ is enthroned4 ,christ and ,his ,saints reign over the earth4 ,during this millennium righteousness and peace will reign4 ,wars will be no more1 for the supreme war-lord is chained in prison4 ,armies will be unknown1 for he who is behind it all has no more power4 ,idolatries and its degrading immoralities are no longer known1 for he who deceived the nations has been arrested4 ,nor will there be any more cults which deny the ,lord1 ,his virgin birth1 ,his resurrection1 for the liar can lie no more and the visible presence of ,christ stops every mouth4 ,after this millennium of indescribable blessing and glory1 ,satan will be permitted to get out of the prison for a little season4#g ,his first work is to begin another war encompassing the camp of the ,saints4 ,a swift judgment follows4 ,and the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone1 where the beast and the false prophets are1 and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever 7,rev4 xx3#aj74 ,his eternal dwelling place will be the lake of fire1 not to be destroyed1 but to live on forever and ever4 ,there too will be the beast and the false prophet and all who are not found written in the book of life4 7,rev4 xx3#ae74 ,and then what8 ,and ,i saw a new heaven and a new earth1 for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away and there was no more sea4 ,and ,john saw the holy city1 new ,jerusalem1 coming down from ,god out of heaven1 prepared as a bride for her husband4 ,and ,i heard a great voice out of heaven saying1 ,behold the tabernacle of ,god is with men1 and ,he will dwell with them1 and they shall be ,his people1 and ,god himself shall be with them1 and be their ,god4 ,and ,god shall wipe away all tears from their eyes2 and there shall be no more death1 neither sorrow1 nor crying1 neither shall there be any more pain1 for the former things are passed away 7,rev4 xxi3#a-d74 ,such is the history of ,satan4 ,it is the history of the earth1 and a marvellous history it is4 ,the original earth1 once ,satan's domain1 then judged and covered by water and darkness on account of his revolt4 ,the earth as it is now is given to man and ,satan through the fall of man laying hold of it again4 ,then the long history of the conflict for well nigh #f1jjj years4 ,the ,son of ,god1 the ,creator of all things1 appearing on earth to procure the needed redemption2 ,satan defeated every step of the way4 ,and after ,satan's power manifested to the full1 ,christ appears and rids this earth1 for whose redemption ,he paid by ,his blood1 of the dark shadow4 ,and finally this earth becomes in its eternal state1 as a new earth1 surrounded by a new heaven1 the eternal dwelling place of ,god in the midst of ,his redeemed people4 #a ,the question may be asked by some1 ,if ,satan and his angels possessed the earth and were dispossessed1 to what other place did they go8 ,undoubtedly the atmosphere surrounding this earth1 called the first heaven4 ,satan is called ,the prince of the power of the air 7,eph4 ii3#b74 ,notice also the work of putting the firmament in order1 the atmosphere1 on the second day 7,gen4 i3#g7 is not pronounced good4 #b ,cain in rejecting ,god's way of approach by sacrifice and bringing instead his own works was the first ,unitarian and ,christian ,scientist4 #c ,see ,the ,present ,age in this volume4 #d ,exposition of ,revelation1 by ,a4 ,c4 ,gaebelein1 unfolds this more fully4 #e ,see chapter ,the ,redemption of the ,purchased ,possession4 #f ,the ,roman ,empire in its final form of ten kingdoms4 #g ,see ,revelation1 by ,a4 ,c4 ,gaebelein1 in explanation of this interesting prophecy4 ,,the ,,conversion ,,of ,,the ,,world ,,and ,,the ,,jews ,the term1 the conversion of the world1 is nowhere used in the ,bible4 ,that there is1 according to the predictions of ,god's ,holy ,word1 a wonderful future in store for the earth1 when nations will learn war no more1 but learn righteousness instead1 and worship ,jehovah as ,king and ,lord1 is too well known to every intelligent ,christian to need restatement4 ,when that jubilee time comes the knowledge of the glory of the ,lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the deep2 the groaning creation1 now so sadly sharing in the curse of man's sin1 will be delivered from its groans4 ,it is noteworthy that there are no promises in the ,new ,testament which would authorize the ,church of ,god to expect the accomplishment of these predictions as the result of her testimony and activity4 ,if this were her work1 to convert the world1 to lead nations to know ,god1 to abandon the most horrible result of sin1 war--we would have to confess that she has failed miserably4 ,nor is it true1 as some now say1 that this world war will1 when it ends1 bring about these blessed things by man's renewed efforts4 ,if it is the work of present agencies1 the expected world conversion lies in an unreachable distance4 ,according to ,prophecy ,it is in the ,old ,testament ,prophetic ,word where we find the promises that the nations of the world will be brought to know ,god1 that all the ends of the earth shall turn to the ,lord and that all kings shall fall down before ,him4 ,it is written that ,all nations shall serve ,him1 ,all nations shall call ,him blessed1 and that the whole earth will be filled with ,his glory4#a ,nor is the ,old ,testament ,prophetic ,word silent as to how and when all this is to be brought about4 ,as the writer has shown in his ,harmony of the ,prophetic ,word1 before this glorious future can come for the nations of the earth the ,lord's return must have taken place2 and this event is preceded by judgments upon the nations1 and partial restoration of ,god's ancient people to their own land1 the calling of a ,god-fearing remnant amongst them1 and by the great ,tribulation4 ,when these things have come to pass1 immediately after the days of that ,tribulation1 our ,lord will appear in the clouds of ,heaven with power and great glory4 ,the ,day of ,vengeance has come1 but in wrath mercy will be remembered4 ,all ,israel living in that day will be saved1 and ,his ,kingdom will be established upon this earth4 ,the nations of the earth are then gathered into this kingdom4 ,they will not be gathered into the ,church1 as is often said1 for the ,church is no longer here but has entered into glory to reign with ,christ over the earth4 ,daniel in his vision beheld the ,son of ,man coming with the clouds of ,heaven3 ,and there was given ,him dominion and glory1 and a kingdom1 that all people1 nations and languages should serve ,him4 ,his dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away1 and ,his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed 7,dan4 vii3#ac-ad74 ,as the result of the first coming of our ,lord in humiliation and ,his sacrificial death ,he receives the ,church1 which is now forming during this age4 ,when ,he comes the second time ,he receives this world-wide ,kingdom1 in which the nations of the earth will be subjects4 ,when that time comes1 and not before1 the kingdoms of this world become the ,kingdom of our ,lord and of ,his ,christ1 and ,he shall reign forever and ever 7,rev4 ii3#ae74 ,so much for the conversion of the world1 and the blessings promised to the nations and to the whole earth4 ,it is inseparably linked with the second coming of ,christ4 ,the ,nations which ,enter into the ,kingdom ,in ,matthew xxv3#ca our ,lord speaks of what will take place when ,he has returned1 ,when the ,son of ,man shall come in ,his glory1 and all the holy angels with ,him1 then shall ,he sit upon the throne of ,his glory1 and before ,him shall be gathered all nations1 and ,he shall separate them one from another as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats2 and ,he shall set the sheep on ,his right hand1 but the goats on the left4 ,we are aware that this passage is often looked upon as teaching a universal judgment of the whole human race2 but it is not that4 ,not a word is said by our ,lord concerning the resurrection of the dead4 ,the dead are not included in this judgment4 ,this judgment can therefore not be identified with the ,great ,white ,throne ,judgment of ,revelation xx4 ,nor is the ,church in any way connected with this judgment1 because when that takes place the saints are with the ,lord in glory4 ,it is the judgment of the living nations which the ,lord finds on earth at the time of ,his second coming4 ,this judgment will cover the first part of ,his reign as ,king1 when ,he will first rule like ,david in subduing ,his enemies1 when ,gog and ,magog1 under the leadership of the ,prince of ,rosh1 will also be dealt with in judgment 7,ezekiel xxxviii and xxxix71 and that will be followed by ,his reign as ,prince of ,peace1 as foreshadowed by the reign of ,solomon4 ,now1 at this judgment of the nations1 when ,he divides them as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats1 there will be nations which ,he puts at ,his right hand1 and to which ,he saith1 ,come ye blessed of ,my ,father1 inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world4 ,these nations are therefore converted nations1 righteous nations1 declared to be fit for that ,kingdom over which ,he will reign4 ,the question arises1 ,when were these nations converted8 ,though the ,gospel has been preached for about #aijj years yet we do not know of any converted nation on the earth to-day4 ,the nations which we term ,christian nations are at present engaged in the most bloody war of all history4 ,yet in as much as the ,lord finds converted nations on the earth when ,he comes back and receives ,his throne1 these nations must have been converted previous to ,his coming4 ,it is therefore an important and interesting question1 ,when and how were the nations converted which the ,lord at the judgment of nations calls blessed1 and bids to enter the ,kingdom on earth8 ,they were not converted by the preaching of the ,gospel as it is done to-day1 for if they were converted as the result of the testimony of the ,church they would share in the glorious destiny1 ,caught up in clouds to meet the ,lord in the air4 ,the only alternative then is that they will be converted after the true ,church has been completed and taken into glory4 ,sometimes before our ,lord is manifested from ,heaven with ,his holy angels1 a turning of nations to ,god must therefore take place4 ,it will be during the time when ,god deals with this earth in mighty judgments1 when the earth and the heavens are shaken1 when ,antichrist1 ,satan's masterpiece1 is on the earth and produces the ,great ,tribulation4 ,it will be one of the startling events of the end of the age1 after the ,church has been removed from the earth4 ,during these years of trouble1 judgment1 and great tribulation1 ,god will give a final witness to all nations4 ,of this our ,lord speaks in ,matt4 xxiv3#ad1 ,and this ,gospel of the ,kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations1 and then shall the end come4 ,though the ,gospel of ,grace is being preached world-wide1 the preaching of the ,gospel of the ,kingdom as a witness unto all nations has not yet taken place4 ,it falls into the seven years preceding the visible coming of our ,lord4 ,who ,will be ,used in the ,conversion of ,these ,nations8 ,but who will be the preachers who proclaim the ,gospel of the ,kingdom if all true ,christians have left the earth and the true ,church is no longer here8 ,the apostates and destructive critics of to-day1 with the mass of professing ,christians who received not the love of the ,truth will surely not take up the preaching of the ,gospel of the ,kingdom1 for we read in the ,word of ,god that those who received not the love of the ,truth that they might be saved will follow the strong delusion of ,antichrist and believe the lie 7#b ,thess4 ii3#aj-aa74 ,who then are the preachers8 ,an elect company of ,god's ancient people1 ,israel4 ,they are now scattered among all the nations of the earth1 judicial blindness is upon them2 but it will not be always so1 for ,god has not cast away ,his people4 ,when the ,church is gone the ,lord will not leave the world without a witness4 ,he will raise up a company of ,god-fearing people1 ,israelites2 take away the veil from their hearts and use them as heralds4 ,as it was in the beginning of this present dispensation1 so will it be at the close4 ,the first preachers were ,jews1 and the last heralds before the ,lord comes in visible glory will again be ,jews4 ,to them will be given the last evangel of ,god's mercy to a lost world4 ,to every nation1 and kindred1 and tongue1 and people 7,rev4 xiv3#f72 and the message1 ,fear ,god and give glory to ,him for the hour of ,his judgment is come1 and worship ,him that made heaven and earth1 and the sea1 and the fountains of waters 7,rev4 xiv3#g74 ,they will preach the ,gospel of the coming ,kingdom1 that the ,kingdom is about to come1 and then call upon all nations to repent and turn to ,god4 ,it would be intensely interesting if we could follow the calling of this remnant of ,israelites for this testimony as revealed in different portions of the ,old ,testament4 ,such a remnant of believing ,israelites is anticipated in the ,psalms1 which speak of the coming final deliverance of ,israel4 ,there we read of their persecutions1 their prayers1 and their expectations4 ,the reader will please turn to ,psalm xliv3#aj-bf2 ,psalms lv to lvii2 ,psalm lxiv1 lxxix and lxxx2 ,isa4 lxiii3#ae to ,isa4 lxiv4 ,and how well this remnant is fitted to give a world-wide testimony among all nations1 for they are scattered amongst the nations and acquainted with the different languages4 ,therefore the preaching of the ,gospel of the ,kingdom to all nations will be accomplished before the real end comes4 ,revelation--,chapter ,seven ,we call attention here to the seventh chapter of ,revelation4 ,in this chapter we read of the sealing of one hundred and forty-four thousand4 ,how much confusion might have been avoided if expositors and ,christians had not lost sight of two facts in connection with this sealed company4 ,first1 this sealed company cannot be called now1 nor are they in connection with the ,church of ,god1 because the ,church according to the scope of the ,book of ,revelation is no longer on the earth when this takes place2 and secondly1 the ,word states clearly that these sealed ones are of all the tribes of the children of ,israel4 ,this sealed company therefore is of ,israel1 and will be called after the ,church has been removed to her heavenly destination4 ,in the second half of this chapter in ,revelation we read of another company4 ,john writes1 ,after this ,i beheld1 and lo1 a great multitude1 which no man could number1 of all nations and kindreds1 and people1 and tongues1 stood before the throne1 and before the ,lamb1 clothed with white robes and palms in their hands4 ,when one of the elders had asked1 ,who are these which are arrayed in white robes1 and whence came they8 ,he told ,john1 ,these are they which came out of the ,great ,tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the ,lamb4 ,we learn that this multitude of all nations comes out of the ,great ,tribulation4 ,it is not the ,church1 for the ,church is not in the ,great ,tribulation4 ,this great multitude represents the ,gentile nations who heard the final testimony and who believed1 ,they turned in repentance to ,god and were then washed in the ,blood of the ,lamb4 ,this great company does not stand before a heavenly throne1 but it is the millennial throne which is in view here1 and their blessedness throughout the millennial kingdom1 after having suffered in the ,great ,tribulation1 is described4 ,they are the nations which the ,king calls blessed1 and which will inherit the ,kingdom4 ,they are the fruits of the faithful witness of the elect ,jewish remnant heralding the ,kingdom before the ,lord comes4 ,these ,my ,brethren ,when our ,lord addresses from ,his throne these converted nations ,he says1 ,inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren1 ye have done it unto ,me4 ,who are ,his brethren8 ,he means by this term ,his brethren according to the flesh1 from whom as concerning the flesh ,he came 7,rom4 ix3#d-e74 ,the nations who listened to their testimony when they appeared with the ,gospel of the ,kingdom1 and who believed that message1 manifested their belief by treating the messengers with kindness1 giving them to eat and to drink1 and clothing them4 ,they did what the ,gentile ,rahab did to the ,jewish spies1 the advanceguard of the victorious host of ,israel4 ,and the other nations who despised the final offer of ,god's mercy in the preaching of the ,gospel of the ,kingdom showed no kindness to the ,jewish messengers2 and these nations which spurned the last offer will pass away from the earth4 ,what ,else ,converted ,israel ,will ,do ,when the ,lord comes all ,israel living in that day will be saved1 except the apostates 7,ezekiel xx3#ch71 those who have worshipped the ,beast and followed ,anti-christ4 ,they shall look upon ,him ,whom they have pierced1 and mourn for ,him 7,zech4 xii3#aj74 ,this converted nation will be a kingdom of priests1 and become the nucleus of that ,kingdom into which the nations converted during the ,tribulation1 and all nations throughout the ,millennium1 will be gathered4 ,beautiful are the words of ,isaiah1 speaking of that time 7,isa4 lxi3#f-i73 ,then the ,gentiles shall come to the light which has risen among that nation1 and kings to their brightness4 ,read the sixtieth chapter of ,isaiah4 ,in fact the entire prophetic ,word witnesses to the fact that ,israel1 so long a curse among the nations1 will be a blessing to all the nations4 ,it seems from another passage that when the ,millennium begins with the coming of the ,king1 that certain portions of the earth must yet be reached1 and that work is to be done among different nations to make known the great events which have taken place4 ,and ,god will use ,israel for this work4 ,isa4 lxvi3#ai3 ,and ,i will set a sign among them1 and ,i will send those that escape of them unto the nations1 to ,tarshish1 ,pul1 and ,lud1 that draw the bow1 to ,tubal1 and ,javan1 to the isles afar off1 that have not heard my fame1 neither have seen my glory2 and they shall declare my glory among the ,gentiles4 ,the last sentence of this prophecy1 they shall declare my glory among the ,gentiles1 tells us that they will have a work to do after ,his glory has been manifested4 ,there is another passage in ,zechariah which also speaks of how they will be used1 ,zech4 viii3#bc3 ,thus saith the ,lord of hosts3 ,in those days it shall come to pass1 that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations1 even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a ,jew saying1 ,we will go with you1 for we have heard that ,god is with you4 ,this necessarily also comes after the ,lord has come and set up ,his ,kingdom4 ,israel will therefore be definitely used in bringing the nations of the earth into the ,kingdom4 ,in that coming ,kingdom1 converted1 ,spirit-filled ,israel will be the head of all nations1 and be used in world-wide ministry and blessing4 ,then will be fulfilled what the ,lord said through ,isaiah3 ,ye shall be named the priests of the ,lord2 men shall call you ministers of our ,god2 ye shall eat the wealth of the nations1 and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves4 ,what blessing is in store for the whole world1 when that time comes may also be learned from ,rom4 xi3#ab-ae4 ,let all true believers pray as never before1 ,even so1 come ,lord ,jesus4 #a ,we give a few of the many passages which predict these things4 ,read them carefully with the contex3 ,psalm xxii3#bg-bh1 xlvii3#g-h1 lxvii3#d-e1 lxxii2 ,isa4 lx3#b-i2 ,dan4 vii3#ac-ad2 ,zech4 ii3#aa4 ,,the ,,feasts ,,and ,,the ,,names ,leviticus xxiii ,the ,lord commanded ,his people ,israel to keep seven yearly feasts4 ,we find them mentioned in their proper order in ,leviticus4 ,the feasts1 or holy convocations are3 ,the ,feast of ,passover1 the ,feast of ,unleavened ,bread1 the ,feast of ,first-fruits1 the ,feast of ,pentecost1 the ,feast of ,trumpets1 the ,day of ,atonement and the ,feast of ,tabernacles4 ,while these feasts had a special meaning for ,god's people ,israel and their worship they are also the shadow of things to come2 they have a decided prophetic meaning4 ,in a most remarkable manner they reveal the whole plan of redemption4 ,all the dispensational dealings of ,god with ,jews and ,gentiles may be traced in these feasts4 ,we find also in the ,old ,testament ,scriptures seven compound names of ,jehovah4 ,these are the following3 ,jehovah-,jireh 7,jehovah provides71 ,gen4 xxii3#ad2 ,jehovah-,rophekah 7,jehovah thy ,healer71 ,exod4 xv3#bf2 ,jehovah-,nissi 7,jehovah my banner71 ,ex4 xvii2 ,jehovah-,shalom 7,jehovah is ,peace71 ,judges vi3#bd2 ,jehovah-,roi 7,jehovah my ,shepherd71 ,psalm xxiii3#a2 ,jehovah-,tsidkenu 7,jehovah our ,righteousness71 ,jer4 xxiii3#f2 ,jehovah-,shammah 7,jehovah is there71 ,exek4 xlviii3#ce4 ,these names are also prophetic2 they tell out the story of redemption and may be linked with the ,feasts of ,jehovah4 ,the interesting fact is that these names are given in the ,word in such an order that they correspond with these feasts of ,jehovah4 ,i4 ,the ,passover ,feast4 ,this was to be observed on the fourteenth day of the month of ,abib and was kept in memory of ,israel's redemption and deliverance from ,egypt1 the house of bondage4 ,the ,passover-lamb was slain and its blood sprinkled on the lintel and side-posts of the door4 ,god assured them when they were in ,egypt1 ,when ,i see the blood ,i will pass over you4 ,and so it was4 ,the blood of the slain lamb sheltered them and secured immunity from death4 ,the lamb1 as a spotless victim1 died that they might live4 ,this feast marked the beginning of ,israel's history as a redeemed people2 their years were to be counted from that day 7,exod4 xii3#a74 ,the blessed story of this great redemption was not to be forgotten1 but to be remembered from generation to generation 7,exod4 xii3#bd-bg74 ,the ,passover lamb and the sheltering blood foreshadow most blessedly the atoning work of the ,cross1 the sacrifice of our ,lord and ,his precious blood4 ,the paschal lamb is a type of ,christ our ,passover4 ,christ our ,passover is sacrificed for us 7#a ,cor4 v3#g74 ,our ,lord fulfilled the type in every detail4 ,when the time came for the ,lord ,jesus ,christ to give ,his life1 ,satan made an effort that ,his death should not occur on the ,passover-feast4 ,satan knew that he was the true ,lamb1 and so he tried to prevent ,his death at the proper time 7,matt4 xxvi3#e2 ,mark xiv3#b74 ,but the ,lamb of ,god died at the very time1 thus fulfilling the ,scriptures4 ,redemption by blood stands first1 for it is the foundation of everything4 ,jehovah-,jireh--the ,lord will provide--is ,his name in connection with ,abraham when he put his son ,isaac as a sacrifice upon the altar4 ,when ,isaac asked1 ,where is the lamb for a burnt-offering8 ,abraham answered1 ,my son1 ,god will ,himself provide the lamb for a burnt-offering 7,gen4 xxii3#h74 ,the ram was provided to be put upon the altar and ,abraham called the place ,jehovah-,jireh4 ,and so the ,lord has provided the ,lamb2 ,he has provided a free and full salvation through ,his own ,son4 ,how beautifully this name of ,jehovah fits the ,passover feast needs not to be demonstrated4 ,every one can see this4 ,,ii4 ,the ,feast of ,unleavened ,bread4 ,this feast could not be separated from ,passover4 ,passover without the feast of unleavened bread would have not only been an impossibility1 but an insult to ,god4 ,and so also the feast of unleavened bread without the ,passover4 ,leaven is always the type of evil1 corruption and sin4 ,an unleavened condition means the opposite1 it means holiness4 ,god redeems unto holiness4 ,what ,he redeems is destined to share ,his own holy character4 ,this feast of unleavened bread was to be kept for seven days4 ,in ,corinthians 7#a ,cor4 v3#g-h71 where we read of ,christ our ,passover1 the unleavened bread is likewise mentioned4 ,christ our ,passover is sacrificed for us2 wherefore let us keep the feast1 not with old leaven1 neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth4 ,and before this it is written ,know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump8 ,purge out1 therefore1 the old leaven1 that ye may be a new lump1 as ye are unleavened4 ,redemption delivers from the power of indwelling sin4 ,redeemed by blood1 and saved by grace1 our calling is unto holiness4 ,spiritually to keep the feast of unleavened bread means to live in the energy of the new nature1 walking in the ,spirit4 ,and ultimately ,his redeemed people will be wholly sanctified delivered from the very presence of sin4 ,he will present the church to ,himself1 a glorious church1 not having spot1 or wrinkle1 or any such thing2 but that it should be holy and without blemish 7,eph4 v3#bg74 ,that will be when we shall be with ,him in glory4 ,then the gracious work of redemption is completed and crowned4 ,jehovah-,rophekah1 the ,lord thy ,healer1 ,he calls ,himself in ,exod4 xv3#bf4 ,bless the ,lord1 ,o my soul1 and forget not all ,his benefits2 who forgiveth all thine iniquities1 who healeth all thy diseases1 who redeemeth thy life from destruction1 who crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mercies 7,psalm ciii3#b-d74 ,we look forward to the day when in the kingdom to come the inhabitant shall not say1 ,i am sick 7,isa4 xxxiii3#bd71 when ,his redeemed1 blood-washed people shall be glorified and then wholly sanctified as to body1 soul and spirit4 ,when our body of humiliation is changed that it may be fashioned like unto ,his glorious body 7,phil4 iii3#ba71 then shall we know all the gracious power of ,jehovah-,rophekah4 ,,iii4 ,the ,feast of ,first-fruits4 ,the third feast is the ,feast of ,first-fruits 7,lev4 xxiii3#i-ad74 ,while the ,passover typifies the death of ,christ1 the waving of the sheaf of the first fruits is the blessed type of the physical resurrection of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,it is the third feast2 the number three in the ,word of ,god is almost in every instance connected with resurrection4 ,one sheaf only was brought into the presence of ,jehovah2 this sheaf was the earnest of the harvest to follow4 ,but now is ,christ risen from the dead1 and become the first-fruits of them that slept 7#a ,cor4 xv3#bj74 ,but every man in his own order3 ,christ1 the first-fruits2 afterward they that are ,christ's at ,his ,coming 7#a ,cor4 xv3#bc74 ,the grain of wheat had fallen into the ground and died4 ,but ,he liveth2 the full ear of the sheaf waved before ,jehovah typifies the abundant fruit which ,he brings unto ,god4 ,it was waved on the morrow after the ,sabbath4 ,that is the first day of the week1 the glorious resurrection morning4 ,thus we see in this feast ,christ risen from the dead1 the first-fruits1 now at the fight hand of ,god4 ,and as ,he was raised from among the dead1 so shall ,his people be raised from among the dead1 when ,he descends from heaven with the shout2 while living believers shall be changed in a moment4 ,and all will be with ,him in that blessed day when ,he comes for ,his own4 ,jehovah-,nissi1 the ,lord my ,banner 7,exod4 xvii3#ae74 ,israel1 as we read in this chapter1 fought with ,amalek 7the type of the flesh74 ,joshua was the leader of ,god's people in this warfare1 while ,moses was on the top of the hill holding up his hands that ,israel might prevail4 ,and ,joshua gained the victory over ,amalek4 ,joshua typifies ,christ risen from the dead1 who1 like ,joshua1 brings ,his people through ,jordan into the promised land4 ,and ,moses on the top of the hill with his uplifted hands also represents ,christ risen from the dead1 at ,god's right hand interceding for ,his people4 ,through a risen ,christ1 whose life we have1 and who liveth for us1 we get the victory in the conflict down here4 ,he died for us1 which gives us peace2 ,he lives for us and in us1 which gives us power4 ,the risen ,christ is our banner and victory4 ,,iv4 ,the ,feast of ,pentecost 7verses #ae-bb74 ,this is the ,feast of ,weeks1 also called ,pentecost 7the ,greek word for fifty7 because it was celebrated fifty days after the ,feast of ,first-fruits4 ,after seven ,sabbaths had passed by1 a new ,meal-offering was to be brought to the ,lord4 ,it consisted of two loaves1 which were of fine flour1 leaven also was to be put in them2 they were to be the first-fruits unto the ,lord4 ,in the beginning of ,leviticus we read of the meal-offering4 ,the offering here in the ,feast of ,weeks1 or ,pentecost1 was a new meal-offering4 ,the meal-offering in the first part of this book 7ii3#a-af7 is the type of ,christ in ,his perfect humanity4 ,in that meal-offering there was no leaven1 but fine flour was mixed with oil1 and oil was poured upon it before it was exposed to the fire4 ,all this blessedly foreshadows the ,lord ,jesus in ,his spotless humanity and the sufferings through which ,he passed4 ,but here is a new meal-offering1 into which leaven was put4 ,fifty days after ,christ arose1 when the day of ,pentecost had come1 the ,holy ,spirit descended out of heaven4 ,while ,he filled the assembled believers in ,jerusalem1 ,he also baptized them into one body2 the church1 the body of ,christ1 began with this great event4 ,the new meal-offering1 therefore1 is a prophetic type of the church4 ,let us notice that the loaves of this new meal-offering were also called first-fruits4 ,this word identifies them with ,him who is the first-fruits of them that slept1 the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,he is the ,first-fruits and ,his believing people are likewise called by that name4 ,of ,his own will begat ,he us with the word of truth1 that we should be a kind of first-fruits of ,his creatures 7,jas4 i3#ah74 ,believers have the first-fruits of the ,spirit 7,rom4 viii3#bc74 ,christ also is the firstborn1 while believers are ,his brethren destined to share ,his glory 7,rom4 viii3#bi72 and the church is called the church of the firstborn 7,heb4 xii3#bc74 ,this new meal-offering1 a type of the church1 was made of fine flour1 which comes from the corn of wheat4 ,it typifies the true believer1 who is born again1 and possesses the new nature1 and only those who are born again are members of the true church4 ,the leaven put into this offering is the type of sin and the old nature1 which is still in the believer4 ,therefore the sin-offering was made prominent in connection with this feast1 which tells us of the blessed work of ,christ as the sin-bearer of ,his people4 ,the two loaves foreshadow believing ,jews and ,gentiles1 which compose the church4 ,some day the church will be presented to the ,lord1 as the new meal-offering was brought into ,his presence4 ,this will happen when the ,lord comes for ,his ,saints4 ,jehovah-,shalom1 the ,lord is ,peace 7,judges vi3#bd74 ,how beautifully this name of ,jehovah harmonizes with ,pentecost4 ,he has made peace in the blood of the ,cross4 ,peace be unto you was ,his blessed word of greeting to the assembled disciples on the resurrection day4 ,and ever since ,he is in the midst of those who gather unto ,his ,name and ,his blessed1 precious word of peace remains throughout this age for ,his redeemed people4 ,furthermore1 ,he is our peace1 who hath made both one1 and hath broken down the middle wall of partition1 having abolished in ,his flesh the enmity1 the law of commandments in ordinances1 for to make in ,himself of twain one new man1 so making peace4 ,and that ,he might reconcile both unto ,god1 in one body by the cross having slain the enmity thereby4 ,and came and preached peace to you which were far off1 and to them that were nigh 7,ephes4 ii3#ad-ag74 ,but let us notice here that four months elapsed before another feast was kept4 ,during these four months the harvest and vintage took place4 ,the feast of ,pentecost had after it this long period before the trumpet was blown for another solemn feast4 ,this interval has a prophetic meaning of much importance4 ,dispensationally we are still in the ,feast of ,pentecost4 ,this age is the age of ,pentecost4 ,the ,holy ,spirit is present to accomplish ,his great mission1 which is to gather out the church4 ,this blessed work goes on during this age4 ,but some day the ,spirit's work will surely be finished and the new meal-offering1 the church1 will be presented in glory4 ,how this will be accomplished we know from #a ,thess4 iv3#ac-ah and #a ,cor4 xv3#e #a-ed4 ,let us remember then that the four feasts foreshadow the ,cross of ,christ 7,passover72 the ,work of the ,cross which is complete ,redemption 7,unleavened ,bread72 the ,resurrection of ,christ 7,first-,fruits72 the ,holy ,spirit and ,his ,work on earth1 the out-calling of the church 7,pentecost74 ,we are living in the interval between ,pentecost and the fifth feast4 ,but the next feast in its prophetic meaning will not come till the church is completed and presented unto the ,lord4 ,the harvest has to come4 ,and the harvest is in verse #bb the same as in ,matt4 xiii3#ci4 ,recently a theory has been advanced according to which the ,lord must come for ,his ,saints on the ,jewish feast of ,trumpets4 ,but that is only a speculation4 ,it is disproven by the fact that the new meal-offering on the feast of ,pentecost1 typifying the church1 must be first presented to the ,lord1 before the feast of trumpets can come4 ,what the feast of trumpets foreshadows we shall see next4 ,v4 ,the ,feast of ,trumpets4 ,the feast of trumpets1 the day of atonement and the feast of tabernacles in their prophetic meaning are still future4 ,nor will the events foreshadowed come to pass till the harvest1 the end of the age1 comes1 and the church has been removed from the earth4 ,the trumpets here must not be identified with the last trump in #a ,cor4 xv3#ec or the trump of ,god in #a ,thess4 iv4 ,the feast of trumpets does not foreshadow the ,coming of the ,lord for ,his ,saints4 ,the feast of trumpets shows prophetically the call of ,god to the remnant of ,his earthly people4 ,they are to be regathered and a remnant of them is to be brought back4 ,but the ,lord does not regather earthly ,israel as long as ,his heavenly people are still here4 ,an awakening spiritually and nationally is predicted throughout the prophetic ,word for ,his people ,israel4 ,see ,isa4 xxvii3#ac and ,joel ii3#a4 ,matt4 xxiv3#ca has often been applied as meaning the church4 ,this is incorrect4 ,the elect to be gathered by the trumpets' sound is ,israel4 ,the blowing of the trumpets on the first day of the seventh month precedes the great day of atonement and heralds that approaching day4 ,jehovah-,roi1 the ,lord is my ,shepherd 7,psalm xxiii3#a74 ,christians have almost universally applied this precious ,psalm to themselves and forgotten that ,israel also has a part in it4 ,he who is our ,shepherd is the ,shepherd of ,israel4 ,he gave ,his life as the good ,shepherd for all ,his sheep2 yea1 ,he died for that nation 7,john xi3#ea74 ,there is a day coming when this loving1 caring ,shepherd1 who was here once and sought the lost sheep of the house of ,israel1 will seek them again4 ,behold ,i1 even ,i1 will both search for my sheep and will seek them out4 ,as a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his flock that are scattered1 so will ,i seek out my sheep2 and will deliver them out of all places whither they have been scattered in the day of clouds and thick darkness4 ,and ,i will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries1 and will bring them to their own land1 and feed them upon the mountains of ,israel by the rivers and in all the inhabited places of the country 7,ezek4 xxxiv3#aa-ad74 ,and when ,he gathers them1 then will they joyfully praise ,him as their ,shepherd and know ,jehovah-,roi4 ,,vi4 ,the ,day of ,atonement4 ,this solemn feast followed immediately the blowing of the trumpets4 ,lev4 xvi gives us the full description of that important day4 ,on that day the blood of a sacrificial animal was carried within the vail and sprinkled by the high-priest on the mercy seat4 ,when the high-priest has done this and came out from the ,holiest the second sacrificial animal1 a goat1 was brought before him4 ,he then put his hands upon the head of the goat and confessed upon it all the iniquities1 the transgressions and sins of the children of ,israel4 ,and the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited3 and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness 7chapter xvi74 ,and here the dispensational aspect comes in4 ,before the transgressions of ,israel could be confessed over the scapegoat and before the goat could be sent forever away with its burden1 the high-priest had to come out of the ,holiest4 ,as long as ,he remained alone in the ,holiest1 the goat could not carry away the sins of the people4 ,when the ,lord appears the second time1 when ,he comes from heaven's glory as the ,king-,priest1 then the blessed effect of ,his death for the nation will be realized and their sins and transgressions will forever be put away4 ,then they will in true repentance look upon ,him whom they pierced and mourn for ,him4 ,and their sins will be forgiven and remembered no more4 ,they will1 through grace1 become the righteous1 the holy1 the ,spirit filled nation4 ,in that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of ,david1 and to the inhabitants of ,jerusalem for sin and uncleanness 7,zech4 xiii3#a74 ,jehovah-,tsidkenu--,the ,lord our ,righteousness4 ,it is significant that this name of ,jehovah appears twice in ,jeremiah4 ,once it means our ,lord and connected with the acknowledgement of ,him as our righteousness is the promise that ,he shall reign as ,king4 ,in ,his days shall ,judah be saved and ,israel shall dwell safely1 and this is ,his name whereby ,he shall be called ',jehovah-,tsidkenu' 7,jer4 xxiii3#e-f74 ,they will know ,him as their righteousness1 as we know ,him as our righteousness4 ,but when8 ,when ,he has come and they accepted ,him as their ,lord and ,king4 ,in ,jer4 xxxiii3#af the city of ,jerusalem shall be called by that name4 ,one of the future names of restored ,jerusalem will be the ,lord our righteousness4 ,no doubt1 because the ,king has chosen her and manifests ,his glory in1 round about and above ,jerusalem4 ,,vii4 ,the ,feast of ,tabernacles4 ,the seventh feast began on the fifteenth day of the seventh month and was kept after the harvesting4 ,thou shalt observe the feast of ,tabernacles seven days1 after thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine 7,deut4 xvi3#ac74 ,besides this it was a memorial feast of their wilderness journey of the past4 ,therefore they made booths of palm trees and willows4 ,the palm is the emblem of victory and the willow the emblem of suffering and weeping4 ,this feast is prophetic of the millennium and the coming glory1 when ,israel is back in the land and the kingdom has been established in their midst4 ,then the ,king will manifest ,himself in the midst of ,his people4 ,it will be a time of rejoicing and victory1 when sorrow and sighing1 so long the lot of ,israel1 will no more be heard4 ,it comes after the harvest 7the end of the age7 and the vintage 7the winepress of the wrath of ,god74 ,the ,gentiles1 too1 will join in that feast2 it will be celebrated by ,jews and ,gentiles throughout millennial times 7,zech4 xiv3#af71 while the glorified church dwells with the ,lord in the heavenly ,jerusalem above the earth in marvellous glory1 seen by the inhabitants of the world during the millennial age4 ,it will probably be during that feast that the ,king of kings and ,lord of lords will appear in visible glory in ,jerusalem to receive the homage of ,israel and the representatives of converted nations4 ,how beautiful is the order of these last feasts of ,jehovah6 ,the blowing of the trumpets1 the remnant of ,israel called and gathered2 the day of atonement1 ,israel in repentance1 looking upon ,him whom they pierced1 when ,he comes the second time2 the feast of ,tabernacles1 the ,kingdom come1 the time of peace and glory for the earth4 ,jehovah-,shammah1 the ,lord is there 7,exek4 xlviii3#ce74 ,the name of that city from that day shall be ,jehovah-,shammah--the ,lord is there4 ,this is another millennial name of the city of ,jerusalem4 ,the closing chapters of ,ezekiel tell us of ,israel's restoration1 the overthrow of their enemies1 ,gog and ,magog1 the powers from the ,north4 ,then the glory returns 7,ezek4 xliii3#a-e71 a wonderful temple is seen once more in ,jerusalem1 the ,lord manifests ,himself in the midst of the city and living waters will flow forth from ,jerusalem4 ,thus the last compound name of ,jehovah clearly points to millennial times4 ,we have seen that the feasts and the names of ,jehovah are prophetic4 ,they reveal the great redemption and tell us of the cross1 the work accomplished there1 how ,god made provision and redeems unto ,himself4 ,we traced in them ,his resurrection and the victory2 the coming of the ,holy ,spirit1 the formation and completion of the church2 the regathering and the restoration of ,israel1 their spiritual blessing and the millennium4 ,his ,name is blessedly linked with these feasts4 ,how wonderful is the blessed ,word of ,god6 ,and how we may find ,his gracious purposes in every portion of this ,book of books4 ,soon the last three feasts may be ushered in4 ,let us therefore as ,his heavenly people1 with a heavenly hope and destiny1 wait daily for the promised home-call1 the gathering shout4 ,,when ,,the ,,shadows ,,flee ,,away ,until the day break and the shadows flee away1 ,i will get me to the mountain of myrrh1 and to the hill of frankincense 7,sol4 ,song iv3#f74 ,for nearly #f1jjj years the shadows of sin and death and all which goes with it have been upon the human race4 ,it has been a long and dreary night4 ,nor has that night become less as centuries passed by4 ,never before have the shadows of the night1 the shadows of sin1 been so dark and horrifying as now4 ,never before has there been so much sorrow1 so much weeping and suffering in the earth as during our generation4 ,that it will not be always so ,god's holy ,word assures us4 ,the night will end some day4 ,watchman what of the night8 ,watchman1 what of the night8 ,the morning cometh4 ,what morning did the watchman mean8 ,it is that morning which all the great prophets of ,god beheld in holy vision4 ,the morning when the day breaks and the shadows flee away4 ,then that which has been shall be again and peace on earth as well as glory to ,god in the highest will follow4 ,how and when will that long-promised morning come8 ,not through man's efforts4 ,not even through the preaching of the ,gospel or the activities of the church4 ,not through a progressive civilization or through great reforms4 ,many expect in our days a better time for this earth as the result of the great struggle of nations4 ,one of the slogans has been2 ,we fight to make the earth a decent place to live in2 while others believe that after the war a perfect and permanent peace with world-wide brotherhood and prosperity will solve all the problems of the human race4 ,the complete overthrow of autocracy with its horrible crimes is in sight4 ,democracy will be victorious4 ,nations1 we doubt not1 will be brought together in a great league of nations1 and all we have been fighting for as a nation to maintain justice and righteousness will be accomplished4 ,but is this going to end sin8 ,will this mean that all the world turns now to ,god and to ,his ,son8 ,will this victory end human suffering and wipe away all tears8 ,will it bring back the lost paradise8 ,will famines and pestilences1 earthquakes now be stopped8 ,will as a result of the victory of democracy groaning creation be delivered from its groans by the removal of the curse which has rested upon it so long8 ,has the perfect day come when all strife ceases forever and the sword can never again be unsheathed8 ,with all the achievements of our times and the realization of our human hopes the age is still this present evil age1 ,satan is not yet dethroned1 but he is still the ruler and the god of the age4 ,the night is still on4 ,the promised daybreak has not yet come when the shadows flee away4 ,may ,god's people remember this now when a wave of optimism no doubt will soon sweep this world1 when everywhere the message of peace and safety will be preached1 when the rush for world betterment will become almost irresistible4 ,not ,till ,he ,comes ,not till the ,lord ,jesus ,christ comes again and is enthroned as ,king over this earth will that day break when the shadows flee away4 ,he alone can bring that longed for better day for the earth4 ,his is the power and the glory to do it4 ,he came from heaven down into this night of sin to purchase back ,his alienated creation4 ,he paid the price so wonderfully great which only ,god can rightly value4 ,the crown of thorns ,he wore because the thorns are the emblems of the curse which rests now upon creation as the result of man's sin4 ,he tasted death for everything4 ,on the cross ,he accomplished the mighty work1 procured salvation for believing sinners1 sealed ,satan's doom1 and that work is furthermore the pledge and guarantee of the victory for ,god in bringing back creation to its former perfect condition1 only with greater glory added4 ,the once thorn-crowned ,christ is in glory yonder4 ,there faith's eye sees ,him1 who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor4 ,but some day ,he will get the many crowns of which ,he is worthy1 and when that glorious day comes1 the shadows flee away4 ,come then1 and1 added to thy many crowns1 ,receive yet one1 the crown of all the earth1 ,thou who alone art worthy6 ,it was thine ,by ancient covenant1 ere ,nature's birth2 ,and ,thou hast made it thine by purchase since1 ,and overpaid its value with ,thy blood4#a ,let us see then what shadows will flee away when ,he comes back to earth again and claims ,his blood-bought inheritance4 ,let us see what glories are in store for this earth when the ,son of ,man receives that kingdom which will extend from sea to sea unto the uttermost parts of the earth4 ,i4 ,as to ,his ,redeemed ,people4 ,the breaking of the day is heralded by the ,morningstar1 followed by the rising of the ,sun in all his glory4 ,thus nature teaches us ,scripture truths4 ,christ comes first for ,his own ,saints2 that is the ,morningstar4 ,and then ,he comes in fullest glory with all ,his ,saints as the sun of righteousness with healing in ,his wings2 that is the sunrise when all shadows of the night will flee away4 ,the ,saints of ,god wait now for the breaking of the day1 for ,his coming as the ,morningstar4 ,and when ,he comes and opens with ,his triumphant shout the graves of the righteous dead1 and calls the living ,saints for the unspeakable change1 in a moment1 the twinkling of an eye1 to put on immortality--then the shadows for ,his people are forever1 yes forever1 gone4 ,no more bodies then of humiliation1 but glorified bodies2 no more separation from loved ones and from saints1 but a blessed eternal reunion and fellowship2 no more sorrow1 but everlasting joy2 no more crying and tears1 but all tears wiped away2 no more sinning1 but perfect holiness2 no more troubles1 but perfect rest4 ,what a glory time it will be when for us1 ,his own beloved people the day breaks1 and the shadows flee away4 ,as shadows now increase1 because the night is far spent and the day is at hand1 the ,saints of ,god should daily think of the soon coming day-break1 that blessed1 happy moment when we shall see ,him as ,he is and shall be like ,him4 ,,ii4 ,the ,shadows ,will ,flee ,away from ,israel and ,israel's ,land4 ,no pen can describe the history of this people and the dark shadows which have been upon them4 ,as the homeless nation they have wandered throughout this age1 in fulfillment of the predictions of their own prophets1 among the nations of the earth4 ,awful have been their persecutions1 and tribulations upon tribulations have been their lot4 ,suffering and sorrow1 the meat and drink of every generation since they were driven from their ,god-given land4 ,how dark are the shadows which have come upon that people once more as the result of the world conflict4 ,millions have lost their all4 ,hundreds of thousands are homeless wanderers in eastern ,europe4 ,perhaps the story of their suffering in connection with the war will never be written4 ,and the end is not yet4 ,on the other hand their national hope has been revived as never before in their history4 ,regiments of ,jews have gone forth into the war with their own flags1 with ,david's shield in the center and the ,hebrew word ,immanuel4 ,they have been fighting like the ,maccabees of old4 ,jerusalem has been captured from the ,turks2 all ,palestine has passed into the hands of the ,allies2 never again can ,turkey have dominion over the land she has so horribly misruled4 ,what is to become of ,palestine and ,jerusalem8 ,let the answer be given through the letter which ,a4 ,j4 ,balfour wrote in behalf of the ,british ,government to ,baron ,rothschild3 ,the ,government views with favor the establishment in ,palestine of a national home for the ,jewish people and will use their best endeavors to facilitate the achievement of this object1 it being clearly understood that nothing will be done that may prejudice the civil or religious rights of existing non-,jewish communities in ,palestine4 ,here is the answer of the ,french ,government4 ,m4 ,sokolow1 representing the ,zionist organizations1 was received by ,monsieur ,pichon1 ,minister for ,foreign ,affairs1 who was happy to inform him that there is complete argeement between the ,french and ,english ,governments in all matters which concern the establishment of a ,jewish national home in ,palestine4 ,our own country has fallen in line and pledged itself to see that at last the ,jew is going to be treated with justice and that ,palestine will become an independent ,jewish state4 ,no wonder there is great joy among the masses of ,jews and that they too see a better day looming up for their people4 ,but do these tremendous events in the ,east mean that the day has come when the shadows flee away from the seed of ,abraham8 ,not by any means4 ,the time of ,jacob's trouble has not yet been4 ,the last siege of ,jerusalem1 prewritten in ,zechariah's prophecy 7chapter xiv7 still awaits its fulfillment4 ,to deliver that nation and that land completely and bring about the glories promised in ,god's infallible ,word needs more than the conquest of the land4 ,the flag of the ,british lion now flies over ,jerusalem4 ,some day another flag will be raised above that city--the flag of the ,son of ,man1 the ,son of ,david1 the ,lion of the tribe of ,judah4 ,only when ,he comes again and ,his blessed feet stand once more upon the ,mount of ,olives1 will that day of blessing and glory break for ,israel with all shadows fleeing away4 ,what it all will mean is fully written in prophecy4 ,much of what is written in the ,book of ,isaiah from chapter xl to the end of the vision of ,isaiah refers to that glory time1 when the ,king comes back1 and when for ,jerusalem the shadows flee away4 ,read especially chapters liv and lv2 lxvi4 ,in the other ,prophets read the following chapters3 ,jeremiah xxx and xxxi2 ,ezekiel xxxiv-xlviii2 ,daniel vii3#ac-bh and chapter xii2 ,hosea iii3#e1 v3#ae1 vi3#a-c1 xiv2 ,joel iii2 ,amos ix3#aa-ae2 ,obadiah1 verses #ag-ba2 ,micah iv-v2 ,habakkuk iii2 ,zephaniah iii3#h-bj2 ,haggai ii3#f-i2 ,zechariah ii3#f-ac1 viii1 ix3#i-aa1 xii-xiv4 ,here we have unfailing predictions of what will be when the day breaks and the shadows flee away from ,israel4 ,,iii4 ,the ,shadows for ,all the ,nations of the ,world ,will ,flee ,away4 ,in ,revelation xx3#c we read that ,satan1 the ,devil1 that old ,serpent is the deceiver of the nations4 ,as we have seen in the lecture on the history of ,satan he is the murder and liar from the beginning4 ,he is responsible for every war which has ever been fought2 he is the author of all idolatry2 he blinds the nations and keeps them away from knowing ,god4 ,for this reason peace cannot come till this dark shadow is chained1 the world cannot be brought to ,god and do righteousness till this arch-deceiver is robbed of his power4 ,we can rest assured that as long as this being is loose1 world conversion and universal peace are unobtainable4 ,and he will be chained by ,him who is the strong ,one and has conquered him already--our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,and therefore when ,he comes again the shadows will flee away from the nations of the earth4 ,china will no longer be domineered over by demon influences2 ,india1 ,africa and the islands of the sea will cast their idols away4 ,all swords will become plowshares1 all spears pruning hooks4 ,wars will cease even unto the ends of the earth2 nations will learn war no more4 ,the nations will learn righteousness2 all oppression will cease2 capital and labor has ended its strife2 poverty is unknown2 wickedness and crime of every description ends1 for the ,king reigns in righteousness1 and in ,his day shall the righteous flourish and abundance of peace4444 ,he shall have dominion also from sea to sea and from the river unto the ends of the earth4444 all kings shall fall down before ,him1 all nations shall serve ,him 7,psalm lxxii74 ,under ,his gracious reign of power famines and pestilences can no longer devastate this earth4 ,sickness and diseases will be banished and those who obey the laws of ,his kingdom will continue to live on earth1 so that death1 the common thing now1 as the wages of sin1 will become uncommon during the coming age4 ,what a glory time there is in store for this earth6 ,but we must not forget that day1 when the shadows flee away1 will be ushered in by a judgment of nations4 ,nations now in existence1 steeped in unspeakable wickedness1 having cast even a skin-deep civilization to the winds and outraged the laws of ,god and man1 will be dealt with in judgment and pass away as nations 7,matthew xxv3#ca74 ,,iv4 ,the ,shadows which are upon ,creation ,will ,also ,flee ,away4 ,the ,apostle ,paul tells us of creation's curse1 creation's groans and creation's deliverance3 ,for the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of ,god4 ,for the creature was made subject to vanity1 not willingly1 but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope4 ,because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of ,god4 ,for we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now 7,romans viii3#ai-bb74 ,creation has fallen under the curse through man's sin4 ,as man has continued in sin and has become worse in his deeds of defiance of ,god1 creation has also seen degradation in a like degree4 ,blights are seen everywhere4 ,tidal waves and terrific earthquakes have destroyed human lives by the millions4 ,all creation is suffering and groaning under the curse4 ,but it is not to be so forever4 ,the ,king who comes back is also the ,creator1 ,he who called all things into existence out of nothing4 ,he surely will set all things in order and deliver groaning creation4 ,he will put all things back as they were in the beginning and then earth will be once more a paradise4 ,if ,he would do anything less than that the dark shadow of the one who brought sin and death into the world would have the last word1 and could then sneer into the face of ,god the fact that in spite of the redemption price ,he could not restore things as they were in the beginning4 ,we quote but one passage from the ,book of ,isaiah in which this blessed time is predicted when the shadows flee away for a groaning creation3 ,the wolf also shall dwell with the lamb1 and the leopard shall lie down with the kid2 and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together1 and a little child shall lead them4 ,and the cow and the bear shall feed2 their young shall lie down together1 and the lion shall eat straw like the ox4 ,and the sucking child shall play at the hole of the asp1 and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice den 7,isaiah xi3#f-h74 ,do not say this has a spiritual meaning4 ,it has not2 it means what it says1 and when the ,king comes back ,he will do it all in ,his mighty power4 ,o scenes surpassing fables1 and yet true1 ,scenes of accomplish'd bliss6 which who can see1 ,though but in distant prospect1 and not feel ,his soul refreshed with foretaste of the joy8 ,rivers of gladness water all the earth1 ,and clothe all climes with beauty2 the reproach ,of barrenness is gone4 ,the fruitful field ,laughs with abundance2 and the land1 once lean1 ,or fertile only in its own disgrace1 ,exults to see its thistly curse repeal'd2 ,the various seasons woven into one1 ,and that one season an eternal spring4 ,the garden fears no blight1 and needs no fence1 ,for there is none to covet1 all are full4 ,the lion1 and the leopard and the bear ,graze with the fearless flocks2 all bask at noon ,together1 or all gambol in the shade ,of the same grove1 and drink one common stream4 ,apathies are none4 ,no foe to man ,lurks in the serpent now2 the mother sees ,and smiles to see1 her infant's playful hand ,stretch'd forth to dally with the crested worm1 ,to stroke his azure neck1 or to receive ,the lambent homage of his arrowy tongue4 ,all creatures worship man1 and all mankind ,one ,lord1 one ,father4 ,error has no place2 ,that creeping pestilence is driven away2 ,the breath of heaven has chased it4 ,in the heart ,no passion touches a discordant string1 ,but all is harmony and love4 ,disease ,is not2 the pure and uncontaminate blood ,holds its due course1 nor fears the frost of age4 ,one song employs all nations2 and all cry ',worthy the ,lamb1 for ,he was slain for us6'#b ,until the day break and the shadows flee away ,i will get me to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of frankincense4 ,the mountain of myrrh must mean the cross for myrrh means bitterness and was used in embalming the dead4 ,as long as ,he tarries let ,god's people tent by ,his ,cross and feast on ,his great love4 ,and frankincense has the meaning of worship and praise4 ,let us worship and praise ,him--until the day break and the shadows flee away4 #a ,william ,cowper4 #b ,william ,cowper4 ,,for ,,soon ,,shall ,,break ,,the ,,day ,up to the fair myrrh-mountain1 ,the fresh frankincense hill1 ,i'll get me in this midnight1 ,and drink of love my fill4 ,o hills of fragrance1 smiling ,with every flower of love2 ,o slopes of sweetness1 breathing ,your odors from above6 ,ye send me silent welcome1 ,i waft you mine again2 ,give me the wings of morning1 ,burst this still-binding chain2 ,for soon shall break the day1 ,and shadows flee away4 ,amid time's angry uproar1 ,unmoved1 unruffled still1 ,keep1 keep me calmly1 truly1 ,doing the ,loved ,one's will4 ',mid din of stormy voices1 ,the clamor and the war1 ,keep me with eye full-gazing ,on the eternal star2 ,still working1 suffering1 loving1 ,still true and self-denied1 ,in the old faith abiding1 ,to the old names allied2 ,for soon shall break the day1 ,and shadows flee away4 ,from earthly power and weakness ,keep me alike apart2 ,from self-will and unmeekness1 ,from pride of lip or heart4 ,without let tempests gather2-- ,let all be calm within1 ,unfretted and unshaken ,by human strife and sin4 ,and when these limbs are weary1 ,and throbs this sleepless brain1 ,with breath from yon myrrh-mountain ,revive my soul again2 ,for soon shall break the day1 ,and shadows flee away4 ,there my beloved dwelleth1 ,he calls me up to him2 ,he bids me quit these valleys1 ,these moorlands brown and dim4 ,there my long-parted wait me1 ,the missed and mourned below2 ,now1 eager to rejoin them1 ,i fain would rise and go4 ,not long below we linger1 ,not long we here shall sigh2 ,the hour of dew and dawning ,is hastening from on high2 ,for soon shall break the day1 ,and shadows flee away4 ,o streaks of happy day-spring ,salute us from above6 ,o never setting sunlight1 ,earth longeth for thy love2 ,o hymns of unknown gladness1 ,that hail us from these skies1 ,swell till you gently silence ,earth's meaner melodies6 ,o hope all hope surpassing1 ,for evermore to be1 ,o ,christ1 the ,church's ,bridegroom1 ,in ,paradise with thee2 ,for soon shall break the day1 ,and shadows flee away4 ,,the ,,coming ,,reign ,king of kings6 ascend ,thy throne2 ,visit this ,thine earth again2 ,gird ,thy sword upon ,thy thigh2 ,take ,thy mighty power1 and reign ,king of nations6 claim this world ,with its kingdoms for ,thine own4 ,raze each rebel fortress here1 ,level every hostile throne4 ,king of ,israel6 now arise1 ,and rebuild ,thy ,salem's walls2 ,gather ,jacob's scattered flock2 ,hear ,thine ,israel when he calls4 ,king of saints6 ,thy ransomed own1 ,they the members1 ,thou the head2 ,speed the great deliverance1 ,first-begotten of the dead4 ,king of glory6 ,king of heaven6 ,king of earth6 arise and reign2 ,all creation sighs for ,thee2 ,visit ,thine own earth again4 ,king eternal6 ,son of ,god6 ,earth and heaven shall ,thee obey2 ,principalities and powers ,own ,thine everlasting sway4 ,,these ,,are ,,the ,,true ,,sayings ,,of ,,god ,sure the record2 ,christ has come6 ,rich1 for us became ,he poor4 ,o my soul1 then know ,his love2 ,love ,him1 serve ,him evermore4 ,sure the record2 ,christ has died1 ,bearing on the cross our sin2 ,is not this the gate of life8 ,son of ,adam1 enter in6 ,sure the record2 ,christ is risen1 ,he hath broken every chain3 ,silent stands the empty tomb1 ,never to be filled again4 ,sure the promise2 ,christ will come1 ,though the promise lingers still2 ,heavy seems the wing of time1 ,weary with the weight of ill4 ,signs are mustering everywhere1 ,and the world is growing old2 ,love is low and faith is dull1 ,truth and right are bought1 and sold6 ,then when men are heedless grown1 ,and the virgins slumber all1 ,when iniquity abounds1 ,then ,he cometh1 ,judge of all6 ,cometh ,he to raise ,his own ,wipe the tear from every eye2 ,cometh ,he to right the wrong4 ,trodden truth to lift on high4 ,to dethrone the lie of lies1 ,each dark falsehood to destroy2 ,to begin the age of light1 ,earth's long sighed-for ,sabbath-joy4 ,,the ,,supper ,,and ,,the ,,advent ,till ,he come we own ,his name1 ,round ,his table gathering2 ,one in love and faith and hope1 ,waiting for an absent ,king4 ,blessed table1 where the ,lord ,sets for us ,his choicest cheer2 ,angels have no feast like this1 ,angels wait1 but sit not here4 ,till ,he come we eat this bread1 ,seated round this heaven-spread board2 ,till ,he come we meet and feast1 ,in remembrance of the ,lord4 ,in the banquet house of love1 ,in the ,bridegroom's garden fair2 ,thus we sit and feast and praise1-- ,angels look1 but cannot share4 ,till ,he come we take this cup1-- ,cup of blessing and of love2 ,till ,he come we drink this wine1 ,emblem of the wine above1-- ,emblem of the blood once shed1 ,blood of ,him our sins who bare2 ,angels look1 but do not drink1 ,angels never taste such fare4 ,till ,he come1 beneath the shade ,of ,his love we sit and sing2 ,over us ,his banner waves1 ,in ,his hall of banqueting4 ,happy chamber1 where the ,lord ,spreads the feast with viands rare2 ,angels now are looking on1 ,angels serve1 but cannot share4 ,till ,he come1 we wear the badge ,of the ancient stranger-band2 ,leaning on our pilgrim-staff1 ,till we reach the glorious land4 ,homeless here1 like ,him we love1 ,watch we still in faith and prayer2 ,angels have no watch like ours1 ,angels have no cross to bear4 ,till ,he come1 we fain would keep ,these our robes of earth unsoiled2 ,looking for the festal dress1 ,raiment of the undefiled4 ,ha6 these robes of purest light1 ,fairest still among the fair6 ,angels gaze1 but cannot claim1-- ,angels no such raiment wear4 ,till ,he come we keep this feast1 ,emblem of the feast above2 ,marriage-supper of the ,lamb1 ,festival of joy and love4 ,angels hear the bridal-song1 ,angels set the festal fare2 ,angels hear1 but cannot join2 ,angels wait1 but cannot share4