A Rehearsal of the
Second Coming
Because Jesus said on the day when
Peter confessed-"Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God"
(Matt. 16: 13-28), "Verily, I say unto you, There be some
standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son
of Man COMING IN HIS KINGDOM," there are those who
contend that the fulfillment of those words required the return of
Jesus, and the setting up of the Kingdom during the lifetime of the
Disciples, and that therefore because no literal Kingdom was set up
during the lifetime of the Disciples, Jesus must have meant a
"Spiritual Kingdom," which they claim was inaugurated on
the "Day of Pentecost" and that Jesus now reigns through
the Church.
Is this true? If not, what is the explanation of Jesus' words? Here we see the misleading character of the chapter divisions in the King James Version of the Scriptures. There should be no chapter division between Matthew 16th and 17th. The passage should read
Is this true? If not, what is the explanation of Jesus' words? Here we see the misleading character of the chapter divisions in the King James Version of the Scriptures. There should be no chapter division between Matthew 16th and 17th. The passage should read
"Verily I say unto you, There be
some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the
Son of Man COMING IN HIS KINGDOM. And after six days Jesus
taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into
an high mountain apart, and was TRANSFIGURED before them: and
His face did shine as the sun, and His rainment was white as the
light.. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias
(Elijah) talking with Him." Matt. 16: 28; 17: 1-3.
In this "Transfiguration Scene" we have a fulfillment of Jesus' words, that there were some, only three, Peter, James, and John, of His Disciples, who should not "taste of death" until they saw the Son of Man "Coming in His Kingdom," for the "Transfiguration Scene" was a "rehearsal" of the "Second Stage" (Revelation) of Christ's Second Coming. Like as John was transported across the centuries into the "Day of the Lord," and had revealed to him in the Book of Revelation the things that are to come to pass in the "Latter Days," so Peter, James and John had a "Foreview" on the Mount of Transfiguration, of the Coming of Christ in His Glory. In that "Scene" Moses was a type of the "First Resurrection Saints" (Jude 9), and Elijah of those who shall be "caught out" without dying (II Kings 2: 11) ; and their glory on the Holy Mount is a sample of the Glory of the Saints at the Rapture. That this is a correct interpretation of Jesus' words is clear from the statement of Peter
"For we have not followed
cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and
COMING of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eye-witnesses of His
Majesty (Glory). For He received from God the Father Honor and Glory,
when there came such a voice to Him from the 'Excellent Glory.' This
is My Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this Voice which
came from Heaven we heard, WHEN WE WERE WITH HIM IN THE HOLY
MOUNT" (the Mount of Transfiguration). II Pet. 1: 16-18.
(Matt 17:5 )
(Matt 17:5 )
From the use of the word "COMING" in this passage we see that the "Transfiguration Scene" was a "Foreview" of the "Second Coming," and was a fulfillment of Jesus' words that some of His Disciples should not taste of death until they saw the Son of Man "Coming in His KINGDOM."
Another passage has been cited in the attempt to prove that the Coming of the Son of Man is only spiritual. It is
"But when they persecute you in
this city, flee ye into another; for verily I say unto you, Ye shall
not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of Man BE
COME." Matt. 10: 23.
These words were addressed to the "Twelve Disciples." Jesus sent them forth to preach, that "the Kingdom of Heaven was AT HAND." They were limited in their ministry to the "Lost Sheep of the House of Israel," and were forbidden to go to the Gentiles or Samaritans. Matt. 10: 1-7. They never finished their work. The King was rejected, and the offer of the Kingdom at that time was withdrawn, hence the Coming of the Son of Man was postponed. But the Gospel of the Kingdom is to be renewed after the Church is "caught out," and will be preached by the "Two Witnesses" (Moses and Elijah) and the "Godly Remnant" of Israel during the "Tribulation Period," and when they shall, in that day, have gone over the "Cities of Israel," Christ will return to the Mt. of Olives.
As the purpose of the "First
Stage" of Christ's Second Coming is to reunite the "Soul"
and "Body" of the "Righteous Dead," as well as to
"catch out" the "Righteous Living," it will be
helpful to have some knowledge of the "Spirit World." We
must not forget that man is a "trinity," composed of
"body," "soul," and "spirit"
(I Thess. 5:23. Heb. 4: 12), and that the "soul" is the
body or home of the "spirit" between the death of the
physical body and its resurrection, and that our physical or material
body corresponds to our "soulish body" as the glove does to
the hand that it covers, and that our "soulish body" can
see, and hear, and feel, and think, and speak. As proof of this we
have the story of the "Rich Man and Lazarus." Luke 16:
19-31. This is not a parable, for parables do not give proper names,
as Abraham and Lazarus, but is an account of the state of the
Righteous and Wicked in the other world. As we know from the
narrative, the bodies of both Lazarus and the Rich Man were buried on
the earth. The account then is descriptive of what happened to them
in their disembodied state in the "Underworld," and from it
we learn that they could see, hear, feel, thirst, talk, and remember,
proving that they had not lost self consciousness, and that there is
no such thing as SOUL SLEEP. We also must not forget that to
the Jew "Abraham's Bosom" was a type of "Paradise."
"The Underworld" (Hades) in Christ's day was made up of two
compartments, "Paradise" and "Hell," separated by
an "impassable gulf." See the Chart, "The Heavens,"
page 34, letters "P," "H," and "K."
"Hell" is the abode of the souls of the Wicked between the
death and resurrection of their bodies. After the resurrection of
their bodies, and their judgment before the "Great White Throne"
(W), the Wicked go to the "Lake of Fire" (G). Rev. 20:
12-15*
*For a full account of the "Spirit World" see the writer's book on "The Spirit World
When Jesus died on the Cross His body was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea (Matt. 27: 57-60), and His soul went to Paradise, where He had an engagement that day to meet the soul of the "Penitent Thief" (Luke 23:43), whose body was buried in the "Potter's Field." It was in their "Soulish Bodies" then that they met in Paradise. When Jesus' "soul" returned from "Paradise" on the third day to reoccupy His body in Joseph's tomb, He did not return alone, He led "captivity captive" (Eph. 4: 8-10) and brought out with Him all the souls of the "Righteous Dead" imprisoned in the Paradise section (P) of the "Underworld," and placed them in the "Paradise" of the "Third Heaven" (E), to which Paul was caught up. II Cor. 12: 1-4. This is clear from other scriptures. Jesus said the "Gates of Hell" (Hades, the Underworld) should not prevail against the Church. Matt. 16: 18. Then "Hell" (Hades) has gates to prevent the escape of its inmates. What Jesus did before He came back from the "Underworld" was to seize the "Keys of Hades," unlock the "Gates" of the "Paradise Section'' (P) and empty it of its inmates, and then lock it up that it might remain empty. As proof of this we have Jesus' declaration to John on the Isle of Patmos, 66 years later, when He said-"I am He that liveth, and was dead: and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen: and have the 'KEYS OF HELL' (Hades) and of DEATH (the Grave)." Rev. 1: 18. Jesus then by His Resurrection unlocked not only the "Paradise Section" of "Hades" and transferred the souls of the "Righteous Dead" to the "Paradise Section" of the Third Heaven, but He also has the "Keys of DEATH," that is, of the "GRAVE," and when the time comes He will unlock the graves of the dead and resurrect their bodies. As far as we know the souls of the "Wicked Dead" are still in the "Hell Section" of the "Underworld," and will remain there until the "Second Resurrection" at the close of the Millennium, when they will return to the earth and get their bodies, and then go to the "Great White Throne judgment," from which they will be consigned to the "Lake of Fire." Rev. 20: 12-15.
*For a full account of the "Spirit World" see the writer's book on "The Spirit World
When Jesus died on the Cross His body was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea (Matt. 27: 57-60), and His soul went to Paradise, where He had an engagement that day to meet the soul of the "Penitent Thief" (Luke 23:43), whose body was buried in the "Potter's Field." It was in their "Soulish Bodies" then that they met in Paradise. When Jesus' "soul" returned from "Paradise" on the third day to reoccupy His body in Joseph's tomb, He did not return alone, He led "captivity captive" (Eph. 4: 8-10) and brought out with Him all the souls of the "Righteous Dead" imprisoned in the Paradise section (P) of the "Underworld," and placed them in the "Paradise" of the "Third Heaven" (E), to which Paul was caught up. II Cor. 12: 1-4. This is clear from other scriptures. Jesus said the "Gates of Hell" (Hades, the Underworld) should not prevail against the Church. Matt. 16: 18. Then "Hell" (Hades) has gates to prevent the escape of its inmates. What Jesus did before He came back from the "Underworld" was to seize the "Keys of Hades," unlock the "Gates" of the "Paradise Section'' (P) and empty it of its inmates, and then lock it up that it might remain empty. As proof of this we have Jesus' declaration to John on the Isle of Patmos, 66 years later, when He said-"I am He that liveth, and was dead: and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen: and have the 'KEYS OF HELL' (Hades) and of DEATH (the Grave)." Rev. 1: 18. Jesus then by His Resurrection unlocked not only the "Paradise Section" of "Hades" and transferred the souls of the "Righteous Dead" to the "Paradise Section" of the Third Heaven, but He also has the "Keys of DEATH," that is, of the "GRAVE," and when the time comes He will unlock the graves of the dead and resurrect their bodies. As far as we know the souls of the "Wicked Dead" are still in the "Hell Section" of the "Underworld," and will remain there until the "Second Resurrection" at the close of the Millennium, when they will return to the earth and get their bodies, and then go to the "Great White Throne judgment," from which they will be consigned to the "Lake of Fire." Rev. 20: 12-15.
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From what has been said we see that the souls of the "Righteous Dead," since the resurrection of Jesus, go to the "Paradise" of the "Third Heaven" (E), that they may be "WITH THE LORD." Phil. 1:23. II Cor. 5:8. There they will remain until the time comes for the "Rapture of the Church," when they will return with Jesus, and while He tarries in the air (I Thess. 4: 17), they will continue on to the earth (see Chart) and re-enter their resurrected and glorified bodies, for we read that when Jesus comes back He will bring with Him the souls of those who "SLEEP IN JESUS." I Thess. 4:14. The expression, "Sleep in Jesus," has no reference to "Soul Sleep," but is a term applied only to the bodies of the "Righteous Dead," and signifies that we are to think of the bodies of the "Dead in Christ" as only sleeping or resting.
While "Paradise," as a suburb of Heaven, is a glorious place, it does not follow that the state of the Righteous there is more blissful than, it was in the "Paradise Section" of the Underworld. We must not forget that while the souls of the Righteous in Paradise are free from sorrow and sickness, and enjoy the society of the saints of all ages, their state is more one of rest and waiting than of activity or service (Rev. 6:9-11), for it is a state of limitation and incompleteness, for they have not as yet received their resurrection body with all its glorious powers, nor been judged so as to receive their reward, or crown, if they are entitled to any. The description of Heaven and the New Jerusalem as given in the Book of Revelation is still future, and the things there described will not come to pass until after the Rapture of the Church. From this we see the meaning of the Apostle when he says-"We groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the REDEMPTION OF OUR BODY" (Rom. 8:18-23); and as this is not possible until the Return of the Lord Jesus, who will then change our "vile body," that it may be fashioned like unto His GLORIOUS BODY" (Phil. 3:20-21), we should be doing all we can to hasten His Return.
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The Scriptures speak of "Two
Resurrections." One of the "JUST" (the justified, or
Righteous), the other of the "UNJUST" (the
Unjustified, or Wicked). Acts 24:15. The character of these
Resurrections is different, for one is unto "LIFE" (Eternal
Life), the other is unto "DAMNATION" (Eternal
Punishment). John 5:28-29. The "Time Space" between these
Resurrections is 1000 years, and they are designated as the "First"
and "Second" Resurrections. Rev. 20: 4-6. As a "day"
with the Lord is as a "1000 years" (II Pet. 3: 8), and the
Millennium is a 1000 years long, then the "FIRST"
Resurrection (that of the Righteous) will take place on the
Morning of the "Millennial Day," and the "SECOND"
Resurrection (that of the Wicked) as the Evening Shadows Fall. In
this Pamphlet we are only interested in the resurrection of the
Righteous.* The Apostle Paul gives us an account of it in I Cor. 15:
35-49. In verses 50-55 he describes the transformation of the "Living
Saints" as simultaneous with the resurrection of the Dead in
Christ. (1) The Apostle tells us that this "vile body" is
sown in "Corruption," that is, in "foul rottenness"
so offensive that we are compelled to box up the remains of our
loved ones and bury them in the earth, but that it is to be raised in
"INCORRUPTION." (2) It is sown in "Dishonor,"
caused by sin, but shall be raised in "GLORY." That is it
shall be fashioned like unto His-"GLORIOUS BODY." Phil.
3:20-21. (3) It is sown in "Weakness." How weak is the body
ravaged by disease, but it shall be raised in "POWER."
Not only will God manifest His power in raising the dead, but
those raised shall have physical powers far surpassing any that they
have now. They shall have "X-Ray" power of sight,
"Megaphone" power of speech, "Wireless" power of
communication, "Telephonic" power of hearing, and
"Aeronautic" power of flight through the ether, that shall
enable them to traverse the highways and byways of the "Stellar
Spaces," and pass from Heaven to earth as a beam of light. (4)
It is sown a "Natural Body," it is raised a "SPIRITUAL
Body." By "Spiritual" body we are not to
understand some sort of "Etherealized Ghost-like Structure"
that has no substance. Every "Force" in the Universe must
have a"Motor," that is a machine adapted to its use. The
motive force of the human body is the "Soul," and of the
"Resurrection Body" the "SPIRIT." "The
'First Adam' was made a Living Soul'; the 'Last Adam' a QUICKENING
SPIRIT'." I Cor. 15:45. From this we see that our "Resurrection
Body" is called a "SPIRITUAL" body because its
"motive force" will be that of "SPIRIT," not
the Holy Spirit, but the "Spirit Power" that runs the
Universe. Nevertheless, it will be a Material body, not a "Will
o' the Wisp," but of "flesh" (spirit flesh) and
"bones" such as Jesus' Resurrection body had. Luke
24: 36-39. 0 happy day, when the undressed soul shall put on the
fadeless beauty and undying glory of the "Resurrection Body."
That will be the Easter of all Easters, when the voice of the
Archangel shall summon the sainted dead to rise, and corruption shall
put on incorruption, and we shall be caught up to meet the Lord in
the Air. I Thess. 4: 13-18.
*For a fuller description of the Resurrections see the writer's book on "The Spirit World."
*For a fuller description of the Resurrections see the writer's book on "The Spirit World."
One of the objections to the Doctrine of the "Second Coming of Christ" is the claim that He may come back at any time. Post-millennialists tell us that the writers of the New Testament looked for Him to come back in their day, and as He did not do so, is proof that they were mistaken, and that Paul in his later writings modified his statements as to the imminency of Christ's return. It is a fact that while Jesus said: "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. . . . Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh" (Matt. 24:42-44), He did not in these passages teach that He would return during the lifetime of those who listened to Him. In fact, in His Parables He intimated that His return would be delayed, as in the Parable of The Talents, where it is said: "After a long time the Lord of those servants cometh." Matt. 25:19. What Jesus wanted to teach was the sudden and unexpected character of His return. As to the Apostles, while they exhorted their followers to be ready, for the "night is far spent, the day is at hand," and the "coming of the Lord draweth nigh," their language simply implied "imminency," but not necessarily "IMMEDIATENESS." And the use of the word "WE" in I Cor. 15:51, "WE" shall not all sleep, but WE shall all be changed," is not a declaration that the Lord would return in Paul's day and some would not die but be translated, for the Apostle is talking about the Rapture and he means by "We" a certain class of persons, the saints that shall be alive when that event occurs, whether in his day or at some later time.
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It was clearly known to our Lord that certain events must come to pass before His Return, but to have disclosed that fact would have nullified the command to "Watch," therefore He in "mystery form," as in the seven parables of Matt. 13, hid the fact that His Return would be delayed. It would take time for the "Sowing of the Seed," the growth of the "Wheat" and "Tares," the growth of the "Mustard Tree," and the "Leavening of the Meal." So rapid was the spread of the Gospel in the first century that the followers of Christ were warranted in looking for the speedy Return of the Lord, but it was true then, as in every century since, that we do not know what the extent of the "Harvest" is to be, and when it will be ripe, so the Lord can return. Matt. 13:30. Uncertainty then as to the "time" of the Lord's return is necessary to promote the "watchful" spirit. If the early Church had known that the Lord's Return would have been delayed for 20 centuries, the incentive to watchfulness would have been wanting.
By "Imminency" we mean "may happen at any time." For illustration, you hurry to the railroad station to catch a train. You find the train has not arrived, though it is past the hour. Though it is late it is on the way, and it would not be safe for you to leave the station, for it may arrive any minute, but as a matter of fact, it does not come for half an.hour. Now if you had known that it would not arrive for half an hour you would have used the time in some other way than "waiting" and "watching." So we see that "Imminency" does not necessarily imply "IMMEDIATENESS," but does demand "Watchfulness."
It is the firm conviction of the writer that there has been unnecessary delay in the Return of the Lord, caused by the failure of the Church to obey the "Divine Commission" to evangelize the world (Matt. 28:19, 20), and it is past the time when He should have returned. Of course, this was foreseen by God, and His foreknowledge has held back the development of the forces of evil, etc., until the "Fulness of the Gentiles" should be gathered in, and the "Harvest" is ripe for the gathering. Rev. 14:14-20. At no time in the history of the Christian Church have the conditions necessary to the Lord's Return been so completely fulfilled as at the present time; therefore, His Coming is IMMINENT, and will not probably be long delayed. Let us be ready and watching.
While the writer, as stated, is disposed to believe that the Return of the Lord is "past due," and while he is no "time setter," yet there is a "theory" that may throw some light on the
IMMINENCY OF HIS RETURN
that it might be well to examine. It is called
THE GREAT WEEK OF HUMAN HISTORY,
and is based on the "Seven Days" of the "Creative Week," and the declaration of scripture (II Pet. 3:8), "That one day is with the Lord as a THOUSAND YEARS, and a thousand years as ONE DAY." The Millennium in the Old Testament is described as a "Sabbath Keeping" period of rest, and is referred to as such in Heb. 4:4-11, where it is associated with the "Seventh Day" of the "Creative Week." Now we know that the length of the Millennium is 1000 YEARS (Rev. 20:1-9), and if it corresponds with the "Seventh Day" of the "Creative Week," why should not the remaining six days be of the same length? If so, and those days correspond with the past of human history, then from the date of the "Creative Week" up to the beginning of the Millennium should be 6000 years of human history. In confirmation of this we have the fact that a careful study of the genealogical tables and history of the Old Testament seem to show that from Adam to Christ was about 4000 years, or four days of a thousand years each, corresponding to the first four days of the "Creative Week," and from Christ down to the present time we have over 1900 years, or nearly 2 days of 1000 years each, thus making nearly 6 days of 1000 years each of human history, and as Christ is to come back before the Millennium, and all signs point to His speedy return, then the "theory" that the "Seven Days" of the "Creative Week" are typical of Seven "One Thousand Year Periods" is not unwarranted in Scripture.
If our inference is correct, then it follows that the Return of the Lord will take place before the close of this present century. How much before is uncertain. If the Millennium is to be ushered in in A.D. 2000, then the "Rapture" must take place at least 7 years before that. See Chart No. 5, on "The Seven Thousand Years of Human History." But right here we must sound a note of caution. There is too much confusion in Biblical Chronology to fix any dates with certainty. Doubtless God has ordered it so, so as to keep us in doubt as to the exact date of the Lord's Return. It may have been 4075 years, instead of 4004 (as generally given), from Adam to Christ. In that case we are living in the year 5993 from the creation of Adam, or on the eve of the Rapture. Again we must not forget that God uses in "Prophetical Chronology" the Calendar Year of 360 days to a year, while we use the Julian or Astronomical Year of 365% days, and it would be necessary for us to find out what kind of year is used and reduce it to the Calendar year. Thus we might find that we are nearer the end of the six thousandth year than we are aware, and that the Return of the Lord is IMMINENT. However, while we may look upon the above theory as suggestive and in a way confirmatory of the near coming of the Lord, it is not conclusive, and we are not warranted in fixing any date based upon it. And further, we must not forget that the "Rapture" may take place some time before the "Tribulation Period" begins and Antichrist is revealed. So if we could fix the exact date when this century will close, and count back 7 years, the Rapture might occur 5, 10 or even 25 years before that, so as to give time for the rebuilding of Babylon and other events that are to occur before the Tribulation Period can begin, otherwise the Rapture would not be a surprise. It is not for the Christian to look for "Times" and "Seasons" and "Signs." To do so will put him in the class of those who say: "My Lord delayeth His Coming" (Luke 12:42-48). and he will become preoccupied with other things and neglect to be watchful. Let us live as if we expected the Return of our Lord at any moment.
Two Women Grinding at the Mill.
Luke 17:30-37
The Apostolic Church was Pre-Millennial, and for over 200 years no other view was entertained. The writings of the "Church Fathers" abound in evidence of that fact. But about A. D. 250, Or;gen, one of the Church Fathers, conceived the idea that the words of Scripture were but the "husk" in which was hid the "kernel" of Scripture truth. At once he began to "Allegorize" and "Spiritualize" the Scriptures, and thus founded that school of "Allegorizing" and "Spiritualizing" interpreters of Scripture, from which the Church and the Bible have suffered so much. The result was that the Church largely ceased to look for the Lord's Return.
When Constantine became sole Emperor of Rome in A. D. 323, he united Church and State, and bestowed such great gifts and privileges ion the Church, that it claimed that the Millennial blessings of the Old Testament had been transferred from the Jews to the Christian Church. The arrogance and persecution of the Papal Church led to the charge that it was the "Beast" (Antichrist) of the Book of Revelation. This led to an effort to expunge the Book of Revelation from the Sacred Canon, and when this failed, the Bible was locked up and became a sealed book, and the gloom of night settled down upon all Christendom. The result was the "Dark Ages." But amid the gloom God was not without witnesses to the Blessed Hope. At the Reformation the doctrine of the Premillennial Return of the Lord was revived, but was again lost sight of in the religious controversies that led to the formation of numerous sects. The result was an ebb of spirituality and the growth of Rationalism, which refused to believe that the world was fast ripening for judgment, and a new interpretation of the Millennial Reign of Christ was demanded. This interpretation was furnished by the Rev. Daniel Whitby (1636-1726), a clergyman of the Church of England, who claimed that in reading the promises made to the Jews in the Old Testament of their restoration as a nation, and the re-establishment of the Throne of David, he was led to see that these promises were spiritual and applied to the Church. This view he called a "New Hypothesis."
He claimed that Israel and Mount Zion represented the Church. That the promised submission of the Gentiles to the Jews was simply prophetic of the conversion of the Gentiles and their entrance into the Church. That the lying down of the lion and the lamb together typified the reconciliation of the Old and New natures, and that the establishment of an outward and visible kingdom at Jerusalem, over which Christ and the saints should reign, was gross and carnal, and contrary to reason, as it implied the mingling together of human and spiritual beings on the earth.
His "New Hypothesis" was that by the preaching of the Gospel ' Mohammedanism would be overthrown, the Jews converted, the Papal Church with the Pope (Antichrist) would be destroyed, and there would follow a 1000 years of righteousness and peace known as the Millennium; at the close of which there would be a short period of Apostasy, ending in. the return of Christ. There would then be a general resurrection of the dead, followed by a general judgment, the earth would be destroyed by fire and eternity would begin.
The times were favorable for the "New Theory." A reaction had set in from the open infidelity of those days. All England was in a religious fervor. The "Great Awakening" followed under Whitefield and Wesley, and it looked, as Whitby claimed, that the Millennium was about to be ushered in. That he was mistaken the events of history since that time have shown. It is evident that we are not in the Millennium now, as the "Godless Civilization" of today proves.
Nevertheless his "Theory" was favorably received everywhere, and spread with great rapidity and became an established doctrine of the Church, and is what is known today as the "Post-Millennial" view of the Second Coming of Christ, and supposed to be the orthodox faith of the Church. In short, "Post-Millennialism," as advocated in our day, is barely 200 years old, while "Pre-Millennialism" dates back to the days of Isaiah and Daniel.
The sad thing is that this "false doctrine_e" of "Post-Millennialism" is taught in our Bibles by the headings of the chapters in the Old Testament. For illustration the headings of chapters forty-three and four of Isaiah read-"The Lord comforteth The Church with His promises," whereas the chapters are not addressed to the Church at all, but to Jacob and Israel, as we see by reading them. The ordinary reader overlooks the fact that the chapter headings of the Bible are put there by the publisher and should be omitted, as they are misleading, as for illustration the title to the Book of Revelation, which is called
"The Revelation of St. John the Divine," whereas it should be called
"THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST."
Rev. 1:1.
The fact is, the doctrine of the
Premillennial Coming of the Lord is but the revival of the belief of
the Apostolic Church that looked for the Return of the Lord at any
time.
The "Church" and the "Kingdom" are not identical. They are never confounded in the Scriptures. The Church is compared to a "House" (I Tim. 3: 15), to a "Temple" (I Cor. 3: 16-17), to a "Body" (I Cor. 12:12-31), but never to a "Kingdom." Christ is the "HEAD" of the Church (Eph. 1:22; 4:15; 5:23; Col. 1:18), but He is never spoken of as its "KING." His relation to the Church is that of "LORD" (Master). I Tim. 6:13-14. The saints are not His "subjects" or His "servants," they are fellow "HEIRS." Rom. 8: 17. The Church is not to be ruled over by Christ, but to rule with Him. The Church is here, the Kingdom is TO COME. The Church is being "built up," a gradual process, the Kingdom is to be "SET UP," a sudden event. The Church is an invisible and Heavenly "SPIRITUAL ORGANISM," entered by the "New Birth," and is to be "caught out," while the Kingdom is an outward, visible, and earthly "POLITICAL ORGANIZATION" that is to be "set up" on the EARTH, of which the Jewish Nation will be the "Head" (Deu. 28: 11-13), and will have a King, a Throne, and a Capital City-Jerusalem. The Kingdom is characterized by a "Throne," the Church by a "Table." Thus we see that the Church and the Kingdom have different "spheres" of work, and different "time periods" in which to do that work. Therefore what God has separated let no, man join together.
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I. WHAT THE CHURCH IS
2. The Church is a BODY.
The Church is not only an "Elect Body," it is the "BODY OF CHRIST." Eph. 1:22-23. As its "HEAD," there could be no Church until Christ had been raised from the dead and seated at the Right Hand of God, for God does not make headless bodies. In I Cor. 12:12-13 we are told how this "Body" is formed. It is formed by "Spirit Baptism." The Church then could not have existed until the "Gift" of the Holy Spirit on the "Day of Pentecost." Therefore the Church is composed only of those who are baptized into it by the Holy Spirit, that is by the "New Birth," and when the Holy Spirit ceases His work of "Baptism" the formation of the Church as Christ's "BODY" will cease, and the Church will be complete, and be taken out of the world. The Church then is not an "Organization," but an "ORGANISM"-a LIVING BODY.
3. The Church is a BUILDING.
In I Cor. 3:9 the Church is spoken of as "God's BUILDING," and in verse 16 as the "TEMPLE OF GOD." In Eph. 2: 20-22, as a building in process of construction, it is spoken of as being "fitly framed together" and growing into a "HOLY TEMPLE" for the "HABITATION OF GOD" in the Person of the HOLY SPIRIT. As God's Presence was manifested in the Tabernacle by the "Shekinah Glory," so now in this Dispensation, when Israel, nationally, is out of fellowship with God, and there is no Temple at Jerusalem, the Church is the "Habitation of God" on earth, where He manifests Himself through the "Third Person" of the Godhead-the HOLY SPIRIT. Matt. 18: 20; 28: 20. The "Spiritual Temple" of the Church could not be erected until Christ became the "ROCK." Matt. 16: 18. I Cor. 3:9-11. Then upon Christ the "Rock," the "Foundation of the Apostles and New Testament Prophets" was laid (Eph. 2:20-22), and the first layer of the superstructure of 3000 "Living Stones" (I Pet. 2: 5) was laid on the "Day of Pentecost" (Acts 2:41), and a few days later the second layer of 5000 was added (Acts 4: 4), and so on, down the centuries, the Church has been growing as a "HOLY TEMPLE."
4. The Church is to be the BRIDE OF CHRIST. At present the Church is a "VIRGIN," but a Virgin espoused. II Cor. 11:2. The first Adam had his bride and so must the "Last Adam." Some hold that the Church cannot be both the "Body" and "Bride" of Christ, and that the "Bride" must be Israel. But we must not forget that there are "Two Brides" mentioned in the Scriptures, one in the Old Testament and the other in the New. The one in the Old Testament is "Israel," the Bride of Jehovah, the one in the New Testament is the "Church," the Bride of Christ. Because- of her whoredoms Israel is at the present time a "cast off WIFE." When she ceases from her adulteries she will be taken back. Jer. 3: 1-18; Ezek. 16: 1-63; Hosea 2: 1-23, 3: 1-5. She will not be taken back as a "Virgin," but as a "Wife." But it is a "VIRGIN" that the Lamb (Christ) is to marry. So the "Wife" of the Old Testament cannot be the "Bride" (Virgin) of the New Testament. Again, the "Wife" (Israel) is to reside in the earthly Jerusalem during the Millennium, while the "Bride" (the Church) will reside in the New Jerusalem. These distinctions make it clear that Israel cannot be the "Bride" of Christ. Where the word "Wife" is used in Rev. 19: 7-9; 21:9-10, it signifies the relation of the Bride to Christ after marriage, when she is no longer "Bride" but "Wife." As to the Church being both the "Body" and "Bride" of Christ, we have the type of Eve, who was of the body of Adam before she became his bride.
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II. THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH
As we have seen, the Church is not an "Organization," but an "Organism." Therefore it is not a "Social Club" organized,and supported for the benefit of its members. Neither is it a "Place of Amusement" to pander to the carnal nature of man. Nor is it a "House of Merchandise" for the sale of "Indulgences," or other commodities, whereby the money of the ungodly can be secured to save the penurious church member a little self sacrifice. Neither is it a "Reform Bureau" to save the "bodies" of men. The reformation of men is very commendable, as are all forms of "Social Service," but that is not the work of the Church. All the great philanthropic and civilizing agencies of the world are "By-Products" of Christianity, but the "Mission" of the Church is her "COMMISSION" to "Evangelize" the world. Mark 16: 15-16. Acts 1: 7-8. The "Kingdom Idea" has robbed the Church of her "UPWARD LOOK," and of the "BLESSED HOPE." There cannot be any "Imminent Coming" to those who are seeking to "Set up the Kingdom." The "Kingdom Idea" has robbed the Church of the "Pilgrim" and "Martyr Spirit," and caused it to go down into Egypt for help. When the Church enters into an "Alliance with the World," and seeks the help of Parliaments, Congresses, Legislatures, Federations and Reform Societies, largely made up of ungodly men and women, she loses her "SPIRITUAL POWER" and becomes helpless as a redeeming force. The end of such an "Alliance" will be a "Religious Political Regime" that will pave the way for the revelation of Satan's great "Religious Political Leader" and "Superman"the ANTICHRIST.
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III. THE HISTORY OF THE CHURCH
It is the Divine way to give, at the
beginning of some new thing which God is going to do in the earth, a
"Prophetic Foreview" of its history. The "Prophetic
Foreview" of Israel's history is given in Deuteronomy, chapters
27 to 30, and of the Gentiles in Daniel, chapters 2 and 7. Both of
these down to date have been literally fulfilled. It follows
therefore that we should find somewhere in the Scriptures a
"Prophetic Foreview" of the History of the Christian
Church. This History we find in the Book of Revelation, chapters 2
and 3, in the "Messages to the Seven Churches of Asia."
These were typical churches and are descriptive of "Seven
Church Periods." The Prophetic meaning of these "Messages"
was hidden to the early Church because time was required for Church
History to develop and be written so a comparison could be made to
reveal the correspondence. For a full description of this
correspondence see the author's work on the Book of Revelation. An
outline is shown on the accompanying Chart. We are now living in the
"Laodicean" or "Last Stage" of the Church's
History in this Dispensation, which reveals the fact that the next
"Event" is the "Return of the Lord," who will
"SPUE" the "Lukewarm" Church out of His
mouth. Rev. 3: 14-16.
IV. THE PRESENT LOCATION OF THE CHURCH IN THE SPIRITUAL HEAVENS
What is true of the "Physical
Heavens" is true of the "Spiritual Heavens." In the
last book of the Old Testament Jesus is called the "Sun of
Righteousness." Mal. 4: 2. When He was on the earth He declared
Himself to be the "LIGHT OF THE WORLD" (John 9: 5),
but that "LIGHT" was eclipsed by Calvary. From this
we see that earth's "Spiritual Day" or "Night" is
dependent on whether Jesus as the "Sun of Righteousness" is
visible or invisible, and is determined by His presence or absence.
See the Chart, "Night and Day." Page 54. As Jesus is not
now visibly present on the earth the period in which we are living is
NIGHT, and we should expect only such illumination as the night can
furnish, which in the physical heavens is the Moon and Stars, and on
the earth artificial light. This is "MAN'S DAY" (I
Cor. 4: 3 margin), a day of intellectual light, and as we have
improved our artificial lights, and now use electricity where once we
used candles, so men are boasting of the improvements they have made
in intellectual lights, such as scientific discoveries and the
various new religious cults, and have replaced "Divine
Revelation" by the "Light of Reason," and reject the
illumination of the Holy Spirit for the "ignis fatuus" of
"SEDUCING SPIRITS." I Tim. 4: 1. II Pet. 2: 1-2.
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If this is the "Night" of this Dispensation what luminary in the "Spiritual Firmament" are we to look to for light? What luminary gives light in the physical heavens at night? The Moon. Then we must look to the "MOON" of the "Spiritual Firmament" for light, and that is the Church. The Moon shines by reflected light from the Sun, so the Church shines by reflected light from the "Sun of Righteousness." The Moon is only visible in the night, so the Church is only visible in the night of this Dispensation. When the "Sun of Righteousness" arises, and the "Day of the Lord," or "Millennial Day," dawns, the Church will become invisible, not because she will cease to exist, but because her light will pale before the greater light of the "Sun of Righteousness."
What time is it then on the Dial of God's Timepiece? It is NIGHT. But what time of the Night? Let the Apostle Paul answer. "The night is far spent, the day IS AT HAND." Rom. 13:12. Jesus divided the night into "Four Watches."
"Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the 'Master of the House' cometh, at EVEN, or at MIDNIGHT,.or at the COCK-CROWING, or in the MORNING." Mark 13:35. The "Four Watches" are
FIRST WATCH:-"Evening."
From 6-9 P. M. Corresponding to "Apostolic Times."
SECOND WATCH:-"Midnight." From 9-12 P. M. Corresponding to the "Dark Ages."
THIRD WATCH:-"Cock-crowing." From 12-3 A. M. Corresponding to the "Period of the Reformation."
FOURTH WATCH:-"Morning." From 3-6 A. M. We are living in the "MORNING WATCH."
SECOND WATCH:-"Midnight." From 9-12 P. M. Corresponding to the "Dark Ages."
THIRD WATCH:-"Cock-crowing." From 12-3 A. M. Corresponding to the "Period of the Reformation."
FOURTH WATCH:-"Morning." From 3-6 A. M. We are living in the "MORNING WATCH."
How beautifully this is pictured prophetically in the experience of the Disciples on that night on the Sea of Galilee when the winds were contrary. Matt. 14: 22-33. After the miracle of feeding the 5000 Jesus constrained His Disciples to embark in their boat for the Galilean side of the Lake while He sent the multitude away, and then went into a mountain apart to pray. When the Disciples were halfway across the Sea they were caught in one of those sudden and severe storms that sweep over the Sea of Galilee, and, because the winds were "contrary," they "toiled in rowing," and could make no progress. Then it was that Jesus came to their rescue walking on the sea, that became a liquid floor, smooth and level, beneath His Holy Feet. The Disciples did not dare to turn back, for that would have been to fail in duty, but Jesus saw their faithfulness and was on His way to their rescue. They did not know it, but Jesus was COMING, and we are told the time, that it was the "FOURTH WATCH" of the night-the "MORNING WATCH."
That tempest tossed boat on the Sea of Galilee is a type of the Christian Church breasting the waves of sin and worldliness and false doctrine of this Dispensation. It is long past midnight, and it seems as if all the available forces of evil are associating themselves together, to, by one cyclonic effort, swamp the frail bark of the Church, and cause it to be engulfed in the waves of sin and unbelief. Over against it blow the "CONTRARY WINDS" of Atheism, Skepticism, Infidelity, Ritualism, Formalism, Unitarianism; Rationalism, Spiritualism and the "False Cults." To many it is a dark hour. Sabbath Desecration, Lukewarmness, Indifference, and Worldliness are sapping the strength of the toilers in the boat. The clouds thicken and blacken, and the sky becomes more overcast as the "Falling Away" advances. II Thess. 2: 3. Many are pessimistic. But amid the deepening gloom we must not forget that the "darkest hour" of the night in just before the dawn. Jesus has not forgotten His Disciples. He sees them "toiling in rowing." Soon He will leave the "Place of Intercession" and come to their rescue. Soon above the clouds that are now beginning to hide the "Empress of the Night"-the Church, as she sinks toward the horizon, will be seen
"THE MORNING STAR."
The "Morning Star" is the herald of the coming day. It is seen only by the "Watchers" or the early risers. In the "Spiritual Heavens" Christ is also the "BRIGHT AND MORNING STAR." Rev. 22:16. II Pet. 1 : 19. He is the "Morning Star" when He comes and takes out His Church at the "Rapture," He is the "Sun of Righteousness" when He comes back with His Church at the "Revelation" to reign on the earth. The appearance of the "Morning Star" only intensifies the darkness of the night. So between the appearing of Christ as the "Morning Star," and His coming as the "Sun of Righteousness," there will be a period. of great darkness, known as "The Great Tribulation." Matt. 24: 21, 29-31. We are living in the "Fourth Watch," soon the "Morning Star" will appear, and the Church will be "Caught Out." Then will follow the "Great Tribulation," and after it will come the "SUNRISE" of that bright "Millennial Day," when Christ, as the "SUN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS," shall shine in full orbed splendor in the "Spiritual Heavens" of a "DAY" that is to be 1000 years long.
The Drag Net Matt 13:47-50
Is the World to be Converted Before
Christ Comes
The common opinion is, that the Gospel is to be preached in all the world until the whole world is converted, then will follow the Millennium, after which Christ will come back and there will be a "General Resurrection" and a "General judgment," and the earth will be destroyed by fire, time will cease and eternity begin. Is this the "Program" of the Scriptures?
After nearly 1900 years of Gospel preaching are the churches of Christ throughout the world multiplying with great rapidity? Are the congregations in the churches increasing in numbers and taxing the seating capacity of the churches to accommodate them? Are the churches in downtown and congested districts stronger and more crowded and influential than ever? Are the professing followers of Christ more consecrated, spiritual, and benevolent than ever before? Are Christian men and women taking their religion into their business and social affairs as never before? Are our young men and women forsaking the world in large numbers and giving themselves to the ministry and missionary work? Are the treasuries of the missionary societies burdened with an oversupply of funds? Have our churches no difficulty in meeting their financial needs? Have the cities, towns and countries of the world, where the Gospel has been preached for centuries, become thoroughly Christianized, so that today worldliness and sin is largely unknown in them? Is it a fact that the children of Christian parents naturally and willingly accept the Gospel so that Christianity is growing as rapidly as the birthrate in Christian families? Is Christianity so influencing business, commercial and manufacturing enterprises, that business is now being conducted on Christian principles? Are the combinations of capital and labor run on the basis of the "Golden Rule," and in the "Spirit of Christ"? Are the nations of the earth beating their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks? Are they dismantling their navies and diminishing the size of their armies? Have cities and towns ceased building jails, prisons, penitentiaries and houses of correction? Is there no further use for officers of the law and courts of Justice? Is the government of our towns and cities and nations more free from misrule than ever before? Is the law more honored, and are there fewer divorces and more purity of life in the 20th century than in the 19th?
To ask these questions is to answer them. Is the Gospel then a failure, or have we misinterpreted its mission? There are three lines of argument we may follow in seeking our answer.
I. The HISTORICAL Argument
The history of the world, as outlined in the Scriptures, has consisted up to the present Dispensation, of five Dispensations, all marked as the Rev. A. T. Pierson, D.D., so clearly outlined, by seven features essentially the same-"First, an advance in fullness and
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clearness of revelation; then gradual
spiritual declension ; then conformity to the world ending with
amalgamation with the world; then a gigantic civilization brilliant
but Godless; then parallel development of evil and good; then an
Apostasy, and finally a Catastrophe." These five
Dispensations were-(1) The Edenic, that of "Innocence."
It ended in the "FALL OF MAN." (2) The
Ante-Diluvian, that of "Conscience." It ended in the
"FLOOD." (3) The Post-Diluvian, that of "Human
Government." It ended in the "Confusion of Tongues"
at "Babel." (4) The Patriarchal, that of the
"Family." It ended in slavery for Israel in EGYPT.
(5) The Legal, that of "Law." It ended in the "CRUCIFIXION
OF CHRIST" and the scattering over the world of the Jewish
people. See the Chart, "The Failure of Man," page 58. Now
how is this Dispensation of "Grace" in which we are
living to end? Is it to end differently from those that preceded it?
For our answer we must turn from History to Prophecy.
II. The "BIBLICAL"
Argument.
For the sake of brevity and to avoid repetition we will limit our argument to the words of Christ Himself. For further proof read the Chapter on "The Signs of the Times," page 65. In Matt. 13:1-52 we have a "Parabolic" prophetic description of the character of this Dispensation. In the Parable of "The Sower" we find that only % of the seed sown got in, grew up, and brought forth fruit, and of that % only a small part brought forth a 100 fold. In the Parable of the "Wheat and Tares" we find that the Wheat and the Tares are to grow side by side until the Harvest, which is the end of this Dispensation, and that they will ripen into fullness, each after his own kind, until the angel reapers shall gather out the Tares, preparatory to burning them after the Wheat has been safely gathered into the "Heavenly Barn." In the Parable of the "Mustard Tree" we see how the visible church is sought as a "roosting place" by the "birds of the air," the emissaries of Satan (Matt. 13:4, 19), who lodge in its branches, not so much for shelter as to befoul the tree. These are the "False Teachers" of II Pet. 2: 1-2, which are so evident in our day. In the Parable of the "Leaven" we see the spread of "Evil Doctrine" in the sphere of the Christian Church. Leaven in the Scriptures is a type of evil. It cannot be a type of the Gospel, for the Gospel does not spread of itself, while Leaven does. And as the Leaven is to permeate and contaminate the whole mass of meal, it is clear that "Evil Doctrine" will prevail in the Church in the closing days of this Dispensation. Passing over the 5th and 6th Parables that refer to Israel, the "Hid Treasure," and the Church, the "Pearl," we come to the Parable of the "Dragnet" From this Parable we see that at the close of this Dispensation, instead of the whole "sea of humanity" being in the Gospel net, only a small proportion will be caught, and of them not all are good, for the good fish are gathered into vessels, and the bad are cast away." From these Parables we see that the world is not to be converted before Christ returns. For a full explanation of these Parables see my book on "Dispensational Truth."
In His "Olivet Discourse" (Matt. 24: 1-31), delivered by Jesus on the Tuesday night before His Crucifixion, in answer to the Disciples' question-"And what shall be the 'SIGN' of Thy Coming, and of the end of the world (Age) "-Jesus said
"Ye shall hear of wars and rumors
of wars .., nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against
kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and
earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the BEGINNING OF
SORROWS. . . . Many 'False Prophets' shall rise, and shall
deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many
shall WAX COLD. . . . Then shall be great 'Tribulation,' such
as was not since the beginning of the world ... and except those days
should be shortened, there should be no flesh SAVED: but for the
elect's (Jews) sake those days shall be shortened."
That Jesus did not here refer to the "Tribulation" that befell the Jews at the destruction of Jerusalem in A. D. 70 is clear, for He adds-
"IMMEDIATELY after the
'Tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon
shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and
the powers (Evil Powers) of the heavens shall be shaken. (None of
these things happened at the Destruction of Jerusalem) : and THEN
shall appear the 'SIGN (a cloud) OF THE SON OF MAN' in heaven
(the atmospheric heavens) : and THEN shall all the 'Tribes of the
Earth' MOURN, and they shall see the 'Son of Man' coming in
the clouds of heaven with POWER and GREAT GLORY."
These words reveal the fact that when Jesus comes back, it will be IMMEDIATELY after a period of wars, famines, pestilences, earthquakes and a season of "Great Tribulation," that if it is not shortened will destroy all flesh, and that when He comes back, instead of being received joyfully, the "Tribes of the Earth" shall MOURN, men's hearts failing for FEAR (Luke 21 :25-27), all Kindreds (nations) of the earth shall WAIL because of Him (Rev. 1: 7), and the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman and every free man, shall hide themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains ; and say to the mountains and rocks-"FALL ON US, AND HIDE US FROM THE FACE OF HIM THAT SITTETH ON THE THRONE, AND FROM THE "WRATH OF THE LAMB:" FOR THE GREAT DAY OF HIS WRATH IS COME; AND WHO SHALL BE ABLE TO STAND? Rev. 6:15-17.
What an awful time is here revealed. It is not a picture of a Gospel converted world gladly welcoming the return of its Lord, but of a panic stricken world seeking to escape from His presence, when He shall be revealed in "FLAMING FIRE" taking VENGEANCE on them that know not God (the Heathen), and that obey not the "Gospel of Christ" (the Wicked). II Thess. 1: 7-10. Truly Christ will not find "THE FAITH," covering the earth, when He returns. Luke 18: 8.
III. The "WORLD" Argument.
One of the objections to the Pre-Millennial Return of Christ is that it cannot be squared with the belief in the "Continuance of History." But it will no more interfere with the "Continuance of History" than the First Coming of Christ did. The world moved on then just as it did before, and so it will after His Second Coming. The "Second Coming" will be but an "episode" or "event" in history. Another objection is, that it is not scientific. That it nullifies the "Evolutionary Development" of Christianity, and is a confession that the "Spiritual Forces" of God are unable to save the world, and that God will have to resort to "Miraculous Militarism," and send the "Armies of Heaven," under the leadership of Christ, to save Himself from defeat. Rev. 19:11-21.
All that is needed to answer these objections is to compare the boasted civilization of today with that of 100 years ago, to see that the civilization of today has degenerated. The nations today are like "wild beasts" preying upon each other, as foretold by Daniel. Dan. 7: 1-28. The boasted genius of today is engaged not so much in constructive work, as in the invention of destructive instruments of war. Men and women and nations have become brutalized, and appear to be but "veneered barbarians." The "Blood Poison" of SIN, no longer hidden in some internal organ of the "Body Politic," is now revealed on the surface, and is seen in the lawlessness of the world. As just before the Flood, the earth is filled with "corruption" and "violence" (Gen. 6: 11-12), as Jesus said it would be, when He said
"AS it was in the 'Days of Noah,' SO shall it be ALSO in the 'Days of the Son of Man."' Luke 17: 26.
A comparison of those "Noah Days" with the present will indicate that we are living in the last days of this Dispensation.
NOAH
DAYS
The prominent characteristics of the
days shortly before the Flood were-
1. A tendency to
worship God simply as a "Creator," and not as "JEHOVAH,"
requiring Atonement for sin. For illustration the offerings of Cain
and Abel. Gen. 4: 3-8. So today men make light of a "BLOOD
Atonement."
2. A rapid advance in Civilization
and in the "Arts" and "Sciences" that led
to ease and luxury. Gen. 4: 19-22. This is true of today when we
consider all the modern inventions that tend to comfort and travel
and the transmission of news.
3. There was a union of the "Holy Line" of Seth and the "Wicked Line" of Cain, so that at the time of the Flood there were only 8 persons fit to be saved in the Ark. Gen. 7: 7, 13. So today there is an "Unholy Alliance" between the Church and the World.
4. A vast increase and "Congestion of Population" in the cities. Gen. 4: 16-17; 6: 1. This tended to all kinds of wickedness and corruption. Gen. 6: 5, 11-12. This is true of our great cities today, they are hotbeds of crime.
5. Undue "Prominence" of the "Female Sex." God's sentence upon Eve was that she should be subject to her husband (Gen. 3: 16), but the record of the cause of the Flood reveals the fact that the women of those days were not "stay at homes," but were prominent in public affairs. How true is this of today.
6. "Unlawful Intercourse" of the "Denizens of the Air" (Angels in human form) with the "Daughters of Men." Gen. 6: 2-4. For a full explanation of this see my book on "The Spirit World." The revival of Spiritualism and the resorting to "Familiar" or "SEDUCING SPIRITS" is one of the "Signs" of the "Latter Times," or last days of this Dispensation. I Tim. 4: 1-3. The restored city of Babylon will be the "hold" of all kind of "FOUL SPIRITS." Rev. 18:2.
7. The "Rejection" of the Preaching of Enoch and Noah. Jude 14-15. Today the preaching of the Pre-Millennial Coming of the Lord is scoffed at (II Pet. 3: 3-4) and turned away from, and teachers who will "itch the ear" with some smooth doctrine are popular. I Tim. 4:3-4.
From these seven marked features of the "Days of Noah" we see, by comparison, that we are bordering on the "Days of the Son of Man."
What we witness today is not a world converted by the preaching of
the Gospel, but a "Godless Civilization" that has
been built up by Satan in his attempt to bring in a "MOCK
MILLENNIUM." As a world converting power, after nearly 1900
years of effort, the Gospel has been a failure. A careful examination
of the "History of Missions" reveals the fact that the
world today is farther away from being converted than it was at the
close of the First Century. Modern missions began with William Carey
in A. D. 1792. The population of the world in A. D. 1792 was
estimated to be 731,000,000, as follows : 3. There was a union of the "Holy Line" of Seth and the "Wicked Line" of Cain, so that at the time of the Flood there were only 8 persons fit to be saved in the Ark. Gen. 7: 7, 13. So today there is an "Unholy Alliance" between the Church and the World.
4. A vast increase and "Congestion of Population" in the cities. Gen. 4: 16-17; 6: 1. This tended to all kinds of wickedness and corruption. Gen. 6: 5, 11-12. This is true of our great cities today, they are hotbeds of crime.
5. Undue "Prominence" of the "Female Sex." God's sentence upon Eve was that she should be subject to her husband (Gen. 3: 16), but the record of the cause of the Flood reveals the fact that the women of those days were not "stay at homes," but were prominent in public affairs. How true is this of today.
6. "Unlawful Intercourse" of the "Denizens of the Air" (Angels in human form) with the "Daughters of Men." Gen. 6: 2-4. For a full explanation of this see my book on "The Spirit World." The revival of Spiritualism and the resorting to "Familiar" or "SEDUCING SPIRITS" is one of the "Signs" of the "Latter Times," or last days of this Dispensation. I Tim. 4: 1-3. The restored city of Babylon will be the "hold" of all kind of "FOUL SPIRITS." Rev. 18:2.
7. The "Rejection" of the Preaching of Enoch and Noah. Jude 14-15. Today the preaching of the Pre-Millennial Coming of the Lord is scoffed at (II Pet. 3: 3-4) and turned away from, and teachers who will "itch the ear" with some smooth doctrine are popular. I Tim. 4:3-4.
From these seven marked features of the "Days of Noah" we see, by comparison, that we are bordering on the "Days of the Son of Man."
Heathen .........................420,000,000
Mohammedans .............130,000,000
Roman Catholics ...........100,000,000
Protestants ....................44,000,000
Greek Church ................30,000,000
Jews ................................7,000,000
731,000,000
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The population of the world, from
reliable statistics, see the Chart "Religious Statistics,"
page 63, was, in A. D. 1915, 1,700,000,000, as follows :
Heathen .........................875,000,000
Mohammedans .............225,000,000
Roman Catholics ...........280,000,000
Protestants ....................200,000,000
Greek Church ................110,000,000
Jews ................................10,000,000
1,700,000,000
After 123 years of Foreign Missionary work, from A. D. 1792 to A. D. 1915, there are today in round numbers only about 4,000,000 professing Christians in Heathen lands, which include China, India and Africa. Counting the Roman Catholics, the Greek Church, and the Protestants, only one-third of the world's population is nominally Christian, and of the Protestants only one-half, or 100,000,000, are church members, and of them possibly 50 per cent have never been born again. If in 123 years, from A. D. 1792 to A. D. 1915, Heathenism has increased from 420,000,000 to 875,000,000, and converts from Heathenism have only increased in the same time from the first convert to 4,000,000, is it not evident that there are more than a 100 times as many persons born into the world each year than are "NEW BORN?" How many centuries at this rate will it take the World not to be converted, but to BECOME HEATHEN? Then ,we must not forget that, alarmed at the spread of Christianity, there is a revival of the Heathen religions, and that the sending out of "Modern Theology" missionaries is hampering our Foreign Missionary Work. What do these facts and figures prove? Do they prove that the Gospel is a failure? No! The Gospel has never failed, and never will fail. It is the "Power of God" unto SALVATION. Rom. 1: 16. The "Gospel" is accomplishing just the mission that God intended it to. What these figures prove is, that it is not God's purpose to convert the world in this Dispensation, but simply to gather out an "Elect Body"-THE CHURCH.
Heathen .........................875,000,000
Mohammedans .............225,000,000
Roman Catholics ...........280,000,000
Protestants ....................200,000,000
Greek Church ................110,000,000
Jews ................................10,000,000
1,700,000,000
After 123 years of Foreign Missionary work, from A. D. 1792 to A. D. 1915, there are today in round numbers only about 4,000,000 professing Christians in Heathen lands, which include China, India and Africa. Counting the Roman Catholics, the Greek Church, and the Protestants, only one-third of the world's population is nominally Christian, and of the Protestants only one-half, or 100,000,000, are church members, and of them possibly 50 per cent have never been born again. If in 123 years, from A. D. 1792 to A. D. 1915, Heathenism has increased from 420,000,000 to 875,000,000, and converts from Heathenism have only increased in the same time from the first convert to 4,000,000, is it not evident that there are more than a 100 times as many persons born into the world each year than are "NEW BORN?" How many centuries at this rate will it take the World not to be converted, but to BECOME HEATHEN? Then ,we must not forget that, alarmed at the spread of Christianity, there is a revival of the Heathen religions, and that the sending out of "Modern Theology" missionaries is hampering our Foreign Missionary Work. What do these facts and figures prove? Do they prove that the Gospel is a failure? No! The Gospel has never failed, and never will fail. It is the "Power of God" unto SALVATION. Rom. 1: 16. The "Gospel" is accomplishing just the mission that God intended it to. What these figures prove is, that it is not God's purpose to convert the world in this Dispensation, but simply to gather out an "Elect Body"-THE CHURCH.
While we cannot name the exact date
of the Lord's Return its nearness may be known by the character of
the Times. As to this the New Testament gives no uncertain sound. In
Dan. 12:4, 9-10, we read, "But thou, 0 Daniel, shut up the
words, and seal the Book, even to the 'TIME OF THE END': many
shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. . . . Go thy
way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the 'TIME
OF THE END.' Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried;
but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall
understand; but the WISE SHALL UNDERSTAND." These words
declare that the prophecies of Daniel were to be "shut up"
and "sealed" until the "TIME OF THE END." This
expression does not mean the "end of Time," but is the
angelic messenger's way of referring to the "Last Days" of
the "Times of the Gentiles." At which time he declares that
the Book will be "unsealed," and "knowledge shall be
increased." What is here meant is "prophetic knowledge"
of the things recorded in the Book of Daniel and other prophetic
writings of the Scriptures.. This is made clear by the statement that
only the "wise" shall understand. That is, those who are
enlightened by the Holy Spirit, and not those who merely have
intellectual knowledge, for the wicked SHALL NOT UNDERSTAND. How
wonderfully this is true of these days. The Higher Critics have
labored hard to discredit the Book of Daniel, but without avail, for
the Book is more studied than ever, and is being "unsealed"
by Holy Spirit enlightened students of the Word of God, who clearly
see that we have reached the "Time of the End," and are
living in the closing days of the "Times of the Gentiles."
The "unsealing" began about 100 years ago, when the "Midnight Cry," "Behold, the Bridegroom Cometh," was heard in the "'Revival of Premillennial Truth." For centuries while the Bridegroom tarried the Wise and Foolish virgins "ALL slumbered and slept," and the Church lapsed into a condition of spiritual apathy, and "The Blessed Hope" was eclipsed. But now all over the world the Blessed Hope has emerged from the shadow, and the virgins are "trimming their lamps" preparatory to going out to meet their Lord, but only the "wise" have oil in their vessels and in their lamps. We are now living in the "Fourth Watch of the Night," soon the "MORNING STAR" (Christ. Rev. 22:16) will appear and we shall be caught out at the Rapture to meet Him and go into the Marriage Feast.
Let us take a hasty glance at the "Signs of the Times."
1. POST-MILLENNIAL SCOFFERS.
In II Pet. 3:3, 4 we read: "That there shall come in the 'Last Days' SCOFFERS, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of HIS COMING? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation."
How true this is of the present day. The Doctrine of the Second Coming is "scoffed" at, and those who hold it are looked upon as deluded fanatics, and sad to say, this opposition comes from prominent religious leaders of the Day.
2. APOSTASY. 'In II Thess. 2:3, we are told that "THAT DAY (the Day of the Lord) shall not come, except there come a`FALLING AWAY' first." This "Falling Away" is evidenced on every hand.
3. FALSE TEACHERS. In II Peter 2:1, 2 we are warned against "False Teachers" who shall privately bring in "damnable heresies," even denying the Lord that bought them, such as Christian Scientists and Russelites, and that many shall follow their "pernicious ways," and sad to relate these "followers" are recruited from the orthodox church members, of whom the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy (II Tim. 4:3, 4), saying: "The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears: and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto FABLES." This "turning away" is evidenced on every hand. There is a "turning away" in doctrinal standards, in the demand for a regenerated church membership, in church and Sunday school attendance, and in Sabbath observance. Many church goers will not endure "sound doctrine." They will not go to hear those who preach the "total depravity" of man, the necessity of the "New Birth," and the conscious and endless torment of those who reject Christ as a personal Saviour. They demand teachers who will "itch" (tickle) their ears with pleasing, novel and
sensational doctrines.
4. SPIRITUALISM.
In I Tim. 4:1 we are warned of a departure from the faith. That in the "Latter Times" (the Last Days of this Dispensation), some shall "depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils." This is being fulfilled in the increasing number of those who are forsaking their Christian belief to become followers of Spiritualistic. Mediums and to dabble in Psychical Research.
5. PERILOUS TIMES.
Of these times Paul told Timothy. "This know also, that in the `LAST DAYS' Perilous Times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection (for their own offspring), truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those who are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God : having a FORM of godliness, but denying the POWER thereof." II Tim. 3:1-5. We have neither time or space to enlarge upon the above, but what a catalogue we have here of the "perilous conditions" of the times in which we live.
6. HEAPED UP TREASURE. In James 5:1-6, we are told that in the "LAST DAYS" there shall be a class of "rich men," who shall have "HEAPED treasure together," and that by "FRAUD," and who shall use their ill-gotten gain in the pursuit of "pleasure" and "wantonness," and that God will hear the cry of those who have been cheated of their just share of the profits, and will send a sore judgment upon the guilty. What a description we have here of the unprincipled speculative and profiteering spirit of the days in which we live, when men become millionaires, and multi-millionaires, in a few years. Truly we are living in the "Last Days" of this Dispensation.
7. A LAODICEAN CHURCH. In the Message to the Church of Laodicea (Rev. 3:14-22) we have a description of the last stage of the professing Church on earth. It is described as neither "hot" nor "cold," but nauseatingly lukewarm, so that Christ says He will "spue it out of His mouth." It boastingly will claim to be "rich" and "increased with goods," and to have "need of nothing," not even of Christ, for He will be excluded and will have to knock for admittance, and it will be ignorant of its true condition, that it is wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. Unspeakably sad it is that this is the condition to a large extent of the professing Church of today.
8. THE FIG-TREE SIGN.
When Jesus' Disciples asked Him, after He had foretold the destruction of the Temple: "Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the SIGN of THY COMING, and of the end of the world (Age) ?" (Matt. 24:1-3), Jesus gave as a "Sign" of His Coming the "Fig-Tree Sign." The "Fig-Tree" symbolizes the nation of Israel, and its "budding" the revival of Israel as a nation. Here again we have evidence of the nearness of the Lord's Return for the revival of Zionism, and the passing of the Land of Palestine into the hands of a Christian nation, opens the way for the restoration of the Jews to their own land, and the fulfillment of the Fig-Tree Sign. The fact that the City of Jerusalem surrendered without the firing of a shot is significant. Jesus said that Jerusalem was to be trodden down of the Gentiles until "The Times of the Gentiles" should be fulfilled (Luke 21:24), and the taking of Jerusalem at this time may signify that "The Times of the Gentiles" is drawing to a close.
9. THE DISTRESS OF NATIONS. In Luke 21:24-27 Jesus tells us that as the "Times of the Ge.itiles" come to a close, "there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth DISTRESS OF NATIONS, with perplexity; the sea and the waves (the peoples of
the earth) roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the 'Powers of Heaven' (the Principalities and Powers of Evil, Eph. 6:11, 12), shall be shaken. And THEN shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory." In the prophecy of Haggai 2:6, 7, we read: "Thus saith the Lord of hosts; yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; and I will SHAKE ALL NATIONS, and the DESIRE (Christ) OF ALL NATIONS WILL COME." This has never been fulfilled as yet, and the present "Distress of Nations," the uprising of the masses in "National Revolutions," the "Tottering Thrones" and other indications that the nations are Being Shaken, is still further proof that we are living in the times just preceding the appearing of the Son of Man, the "DESIRE OF ALL NATIONS" who will bring peace to this troubled earth.
10. NOAH DAYS. The last "sign" that we would mention is the "sign" of the "Noah Days." Luke 17:26-30. As it was in the days of Noah, they did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded, so shall it be in the days of the Son of Man. Where you say is the sin in doing these things? They are not only commanded, they are necessary. That is true. The sin was not in "doing" them, but in doing them "UNTIL the Flood came." That is, they did nothing else. They forgot to worship their Maker. So today men and women are so busily engaged in doing the good things of life that they have no time to worship !God. They are so busy building homes for themselves on earth that they are neglecting to secure a home in heaven. They are more anxious that their children should make a good match on earth, than that they should be united to the Lord. They are so much concerned ',about their case in Court, that they have forgotten that they must stand at the Judgment Bar of God. For a fuller description of these "Noah Days" see my larger work on Dispensational Truth.
11. LOT DAYS. In the same connection with the "Noah Days" is classed the "LOT DAYS." Lot was Abraham's nephew. Gen. 12: 5. The herdsmen of Abraham and Lot could not agree, and to prevent a quarrel between them, which would have been a scandal in the eyes of the heathen in whose land they dwelt, Abraham suggested a separation. Gen. 13: 5-13. Lot, with the thought of worldly advantage for him;elf and family, first "looked" toward Sodom, then "pitched his tent" hear it, then became a "dweller in Sodom," and though he was a 'righteous man (not a holy man) and daily vexed his soul with the
filthy conversation of the wicked (IT Pet. 2: 6-10), he entered into the )political life of the city and became a judge. The result was that Lot lost his "TESTIMONY." And when he made a plea to the Sodomites to save his "Angel Visitors," and to his "Sons-in-Law" to flee, with their wives, with him, they "MOCKED" him. Gen. 19:1-38.
Nevertheless, because he was a child of God, though a backslidden one, he was saved "out of Sodom." So today there are many true Children of God who have become entangled in the world, of which Sodom is a type, and have "lost their TESTIMONY," and as a result will lose the salvation of their loved ones even though they th®mselves, like Lot, shall be "saved by FIRE." 1 Cor. 3: 11-15. But while Lot was saved from being consumed in Sodom, Sodom could not be destroyed until Lot was taken out. So the Wrath of God cannot fall upon a wicked world until the Church is "caught out." 11 Thess. 1:7-10. There are many Lots in these days.
The "unsealing" began about 100 years ago, when the "Midnight Cry," "Behold, the Bridegroom Cometh," was heard in the "'Revival of Premillennial Truth." For centuries while the Bridegroom tarried the Wise and Foolish virgins "ALL slumbered and slept," and the Church lapsed into a condition of spiritual apathy, and "The Blessed Hope" was eclipsed. But now all over the world the Blessed Hope has emerged from the shadow, and the virgins are "trimming their lamps" preparatory to going out to meet their Lord, but only the "wise" have oil in their vessels and in their lamps. We are now living in the "Fourth Watch of the Night," soon the "MORNING STAR" (Christ. Rev. 22:16) will appear and we shall be caught out at the Rapture to meet Him and go into the Marriage Feast.
Let us take a hasty glance at the "Signs of the Times."
1. POST-MILLENNIAL SCOFFERS.
In II Pet. 3:3, 4 we read: "That there shall come in the 'Last Days' SCOFFERS, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of HIS COMING? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation."
How true this is of the present day. The Doctrine of the Second Coming is "scoffed" at, and those who hold it are looked upon as deluded fanatics, and sad to say, this opposition comes from prominent religious leaders of the Day.
2. APOSTASY. 'In II Thess. 2:3, we are told that "THAT DAY (the Day of the Lord) shall not come, except there come a`FALLING AWAY' first." This "Falling Away" is evidenced on every hand.
3. FALSE TEACHERS. In II Peter 2:1, 2 we are warned against "False Teachers" who shall privately bring in "damnable heresies," even denying the Lord that bought them, such as Christian Scientists and Russelites, and that many shall follow their "pernicious ways," and sad to relate these "followers" are recruited from the orthodox church members, of whom the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy (II Tim. 4:3, 4), saying: "The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears: and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto FABLES." This "turning away" is evidenced on every hand. There is a "turning away" in doctrinal standards, in the demand for a regenerated church membership, in church and Sunday school attendance, and in Sabbath observance. Many church goers will not endure "sound doctrine." They will not go to hear those who preach the "total depravity" of man, the necessity of the "New Birth," and the conscious and endless torment of those who reject Christ as a personal Saviour. They demand teachers who will "itch" (tickle) their ears with pleasing, novel and
sensational doctrines.
4. SPIRITUALISM.
In I Tim. 4:1 we are warned of a departure from the faith. That in the "Latter Times" (the Last Days of this Dispensation), some shall "depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils." This is being fulfilled in the increasing number of those who are forsaking their Christian belief to become followers of Spiritualistic. Mediums and to dabble in Psychical Research.
5. PERILOUS TIMES.
Of these times Paul told Timothy. "This know also, that in the `LAST DAYS' Perilous Times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection (for their own offspring), truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those who are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God : having a FORM of godliness, but denying the POWER thereof." II Tim. 3:1-5. We have neither time or space to enlarge upon the above, but what a catalogue we have here of the "perilous conditions" of the times in which we live.
6. HEAPED UP TREASURE. In James 5:1-6, we are told that in the "LAST DAYS" there shall be a class of "rich men," who shall have "HEAPED treasure together," and that by "FRAUD," and who shall use their ill-gotten gain in the pursuit of "pleasure" and "wantonness," and that God will hear the cry of those who have been cheated of their just share of the profits, and will send a sore judgment upon the guilty. What a description we have here of the unprincipled speculative and profiteering spirit of the days in which we live, when men become millionaires, and multi-millionaires, in a few years. Truly we are living in the "Last Days" of this Dispensation.
7. A LAODICEAN CHURCH. In the Message to the Church of Laodicea (Rev. 3:14-22) we have a description of the last stage of the professing Church on earth. It is described as neither "hot" nor "cold," but nauseatingly lukewarm, so that Christ says He will "spue it out of His mouth." It boastingly will claim to be "rich" and "increased with goods," and to have "need of nothing," not even of Christ, for He will be excluded and will have to knock for admittance, and it will be ignorant of its true condition, that it is wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. Unspeakably sad it is that this is the condition to a large extent of the professing Church of today.
8. THE FIG-TREE SIGN.
When Jesus' Disciples asked Him, after He had foretold the destruction of the Temple: "Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the SIGN of THY COMING, and of the end of the world (Age) ?" (Matt. 24:1-3), Jesus gave as a "Sign" of His Coming the "Fig-Tree Sign." The "Fig-Tree" symbolizes the nation of Israel, and its "budding" the revival of Israel as a nation. Here again we have evidence of the nearness of the Lord's Return for the revival of Zionism, and the passing of the Land of Palestine into the hands of a Christian nation, opens the way for the restoration of the Jews to their own land, and the fulfillment of the Fig-Tree Sign. The fact that the City of Jerusalem surrendered without the firing of a shot is significant. Jesus said that Jerusalem was to be trodden down of the Gentiles until "The Times of the Gentiles" should be fulfilled (Luke 21:24), and the taking of Jerusalem at this time may signify that "The Times of the Gentiles" is drawing to a close.
9. THE DISTRESS OF NATIONS. In Luke 21:24-27 Jesus tells us that as the "Times of the Ge.itiles" come to a close, "there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth DISTRESS OF NATIONS, with perplexity; the sea and the waves (the peoples of
the earth) roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the 'Powers of Heaven' (the Principalities and Powers of Evil, Eph. 6:11, 12), shall be shaken. And THEN shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory." In the prophecy of Haggai 2:6, 7, we read: "Thus saith the Lord of hosts; yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; and I will SHAKE ALL NATIONS, and the DESIRE (Christ) OF ALL NATIONS WILL COME." This has never been fulfilled as yet, and the present "Distress of Nations," the uprising of the masses in "National Revolutions," the "Tottering Thrones" and other indications that the nations are Being Shaken, is still further proof that we are living in the times just preceding the appearing of the Son of Man, the "DESIRE OF ALL NATIONS" who will bring peace to this troubled earth.
10. NOAH DAYS. The last "sign" that we would mention is the "sign" of the "Noah Days." Luke 17:26-30. As it was in the days of Noah, they did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded, so shall it be in the days of the Son of Man. Where you say is the sin in doing these things? They are not only commanded, they are necessary. That is true. The sin was not in "doing" them, but in doing them "UNTIL the Flood came." That is, they did nothing else. They forgot to worship their Maker. So today men and women are so busily engaged in doing the good things of life that they have no time to worship !God. They are so busy building homes for themselves on earth that they are neglecting to secure a home in heaven. They are more anxious that their children should make a good match on earth, than that they should be united to the Lord. They are so much concerned ',about their case in Court, that they have forgotten that they must stand at the Judgment Bar of God. For a fuller description of these "Noah Days" see my larger work on Dispensational Truth.
11. LOT DAYS. In the same connection with the "Noah Days" is classed the "LOT DAYS." Lot was Abraham's nephew. Gen. 12: 5. The herdsmen of Abraham and Lot could not agree, and to prevent a quarrel between them, which would have been a scandal in the eyes of the heathen in whose land they dwelt, Abraham suggested a separation. Gen. 13: 5-13. Lot, with the thought of worldly advantage for him;elf and family, first "looked" toward Sodom, then "pitched his tent" hear it, then became a "dweller in Sodom," and though he was a 'righteous man (not a holy man) and daily vexed his soul with the
filthy conversation of the wicked (IT Pet. 2: 6-10), he entered into the )political life of the city and became a judge. The result was that Lot lost his "TESTIMONY." And when he made a plea to the Sodomites to save his "Angel Visitors," and to his "Sons-in-Law" to flee, with their wives, with him, they "MOCKED" him. Gen. 19:1-38.
Nevertheless, because he was a child of God, though a backslidden one, he was saved "out of Sodom." So today there are many true Children of God who have become entangled in the world, of which Sodom is a type, and have "lost their TESTIMONY," and as a result will lose the salvation of their loved ones even though they th®mselves, like Lot, shall be "saved by FIRE." 1 Cor. 3: 11-15. But while Lot was saved from being consumed in Sodom, Sodom could not be destroyed until Lot was taken out. So the Wrath of God cannot fall upon a wicked world until the Church is "caught out." 11 Thess. 1:7-10. There are many Lots in these days.
WAITING
There are some who would distinguish
between the words "Wait" and "Watch" as applied
to the "Second Coming," referring the word "Wait"
to the "Rapture" and the word "Watch" to the
"Revelation." While the word "Wait" is used
only in connection with the "Rapture," I Cor. 1:7; 1 Thess.
1: 10; l I Thess. 3: 5, the word "1'Watch" applies to both.
The word "Waiting" is a blessed word freighted with HOPE.
1. GOD THE FATHER is waiting to
be gracious to the Sinner.
2. GOD THE SON is waiting for the completion of His Bride
-the Church.
3. GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT is waiting to escort the Bride to
her Heavenly Home.
4. THE DEAD IN CHRIST are waiting the call of the Arch
angel.
5. THE LIVING SAINTS are waiting to he "caught out."
6. THE SOULS AND SPIRITS OF THE JUST are waiting
in Paradise for their resurrection bodies.
7. THE JEWS are waiting for their Messiah, and restoration
to their own land.
8. CREATION is waiting for the removal of the Curse.
9. THE CHURCH is waiting not for a "Love Letter" from her Beloved, not for "Precious Gifts" that will display His Riches and Bountiful Provision for her happiness, not a"Wireless Message" that will convey the thought that He, in the Person of the Holy Spirit, is with her, but she is waiting for His Personal, Bodily, and Visible Return. Come, Lord Jesus, COME!
2. GOD THE SON is waiting for the completion of His Bride
-the Church.
3. GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT is waiting to escort the Bride to
her Heavenly Home.
4. THE DEAD IN CHRIST are waiting the call of the Arch
angel.
5. THE LIVING SAINTS are waiting to he "caught out."
6. THE SOULS AND SPIRITS OF THE JUST are waiting
in Paradise for their resurrection bodies.
7. THE JEWS are waiting for their Messiah, and restoration
to their own land.
8. CREATION is waiting for the removal of the Curse.
9. THE CHURCH is waiting not for a "Love Letter" from her Beloved, not for "Precious Gifts" that will display His Riches and Bountiful Provision for her happiness, not a"Wireless Message" that will convey the thought that He, in the Person of the Holy Spirit, is with her, but she is waiting for His Personal, Bodily, and Visible Return. Come, Lord Jesus, COME!
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