Nature and Extent of Coming Judgments.
By Editor
CLOSELY connected with the great prophetic outlines or chains of prophecy, we find many explicit statements of the determination of the Lord concerning the people and nations of the earth. We have seen that their wickedness will increase and become very great before the end of the world, and that the Lord Jesus will come to take vengeance. Will he come without any warning being given? This is a very interesting and important question to consider. The Saviour foretold the destruction of Jerusalem and of her children, and declared it was because they knew not the time of her visitation. Luke 16:41–44. By this we judge that they might have known the time. God never visits a nation or an age in judgment without first giving a warning of impending danger. So it was with the antediluvians, the Sodomites, the Egyptians, the Ninevites, and the Jews. And by these examples we learn that it is not necessary that all, or even many, become convinced by these warnings; for many will not be convinced; but it has always been sufficient when they who tremble at his word, who are willing to believe, have been so fully warned that they might have opportunity to escape. Such was the warning to Noah, to Lot, to the Hebrews, to the people of Nineveh, and to those of the Jews who believed the preaching of Christ. The others of these several ages, having had the same warning, “knew not” till their destruction came upon them. There was no necessity for the ignorance of those who were destroyed, in any of these cases, for they all had full and timely warning. But they refused to listen, and hardened their hearts against the evidence presented to them. Jerusalem might have averted the judgment that came upon her, for Jesus declared his willingness, yes, his desire, often, to have gathered her children, but they rejected his offer of mercy. Matt. 23:37. But there was one class that was especially guilty, and more than all others deserving of the wrath which fell upon that guilty nation; it was comprised of those who were instructed in the word of the Lord; to whom the Lord had intrusted the responsibility of teaching the people his truth; but who took away “the key of knowledge;” who would neither enter in themselves, nor suffer others to enter in who were willing. Luke 11:52. Their guilt was that of the watchman at whose hand the Lord will require the blood of them that fall unwarned. Eze. 3:17–20. May the Lord spare in this our day, that we be not deceived by the cry of “peace and safety” when “sudden destruction” is coming. That another destruction, great and terrible, is foretold in God’s word, none can deny. And it becomes all who have any regard for his word, and for the salvation of themselves and of their fellow-men, to inquire (1) against whom these judgments are pronounced, and (2) at what time they are to be executed. If these judgments be 423proclaimed, and yet it be not known whether they will overtake few or many, or what is the necessary preparation to escape them; or whether they are far off or near, whether at the coming of Christ or one thousand years subsequent to his coming, the trumpet will then give an uncertain sound, and “who shall prepare himself to the battle?” These different ideas are being advocated, and if it be truth that the destruction will not take place till a long time after Christ’s second coming, or if there will be many who will escape that destruction, then they who proclaim the judgments of God as soon coming, on “all flesh,” or on all the unrighteous of the earth, are found “false witnesses of God.” But if this latter view be true, if the wrath of God is speedily to be poured out on all the inhabitants of the earth who are not “Christ’s at his coming,” then they who put far off the evil day, or promise a way of escape other than that presented through repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ, are taking away the key of knowledge, and at their hands will be required the blood of those who fall without warning. From all that is said in the Bible respecting the teachings of false prophets, we should learn to avoid crying, Peace, when the Lord says, There is no peace. Crying, Peace, when danger is impending, has been the characteristic of false prophets in all ages, and is to be a prominent part of the delusion of the last days. “For when they shall say, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them.” 1 Thess. 5:1–3. And so the cry of peace and safety will be made in the last days; but instead of peace there will be war, and instead of safety there will be a snare. Therefore Zion’s watchmen are directed to “Sound an alarm in my holy mountain; let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand.” Joel 2:1. The people are summoned to hear this alarm as follows: “Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye people; let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the world, and all things that come forth of it. For the indignation of the Lord is upon all nations; and his fury upon all their armies; he hath utterly destroyed them; he hath delivered them to the slaughter.” Isa. 34:1, 2. This day is spoken of by all the prophets. Says one, “The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord; the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men because they have sinned against the Lord; and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord’s wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy; for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.” Zeph. 1:14–18. Again, in the same book, it is said: “My determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger; for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.” Chap. 3:8. Another prophet says: “Howl ye, for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.” “Behold the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.” Isa. 13:6, 9. And again, the same prophet says, “Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste.” “The land shall be utterly emptied and utterly spoiled; for the Lord hath spoken this word.” Chap. 24:1, 3. Jeremiah gives an account of this destruction more full and emphatic than those already quoted. “Thus said the Lord God of Israel unto me: Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee to drink it. And they shall drink and be moved, and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them. Then took I the cup at the Lord’s hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom the Lord had sent me; to wit, Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and the kings thereof, and the princes thereof, to make them a 424desolation, an astonishment, an hissing, and a curse, as it is this day; Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and his servants, and his princes, and all his people; and all the mingled people, and all the kings of the land of Uz, and all the kings of the land of the Philistines, and Ashkelon, and Azzah, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod, Edom, and Moab, and the children of Ammon, and all the kings of Tyrus, and all the kings of Zidon, and the kings of the isles which are beyond the sea, Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all that are in the utmost corners, and all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mingled people that dwell in the desert, and all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of the Medes, and all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another, and all the kingdoms of the world, which are upon the face of the earth; and the king of Sheshach shall drink after them. Therefore, thou shalt say unto them, Thus said the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Drink ye, and be drunken, and spue, and fall, and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you. And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at thy hand to drink, then shalt thou say unto them, Thus said the Lord of hosts: YE SHALL CERTAINLY DRINK. For lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished; for I will call for a sword upon ALL THE INHABITANTS OF THE EARTH, saith the Lord of hosts. Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The Lord shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth. A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the Lord hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth. And the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth; they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground.” Jer. 25:15–33. It has been supposed that some nations will escape; but such a supposition is here contradicted; the language is clear and definite—the destruction will be universal and utter; and that it will include the heathen is plainly stated by the prophets. “Thus saith the Lord God: Howl ye, Woe worth the day! For the day is near, even the day of the Lord is near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time of the heathen.” Eze. 30:2, 3. Another prophet says, “For the day of the Lord is near upon all the heathen.” Obad. 15. And another, “Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; prepare war, wake up the mighty men; let all the men of war draw near; let them come up; beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning-hooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong. Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about; thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord. Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat; for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.” Joel 3:9–12. EDITOR.
(To be continued.)