A REMARKABLE CONFESSION.
By C. Castberg
In the Holy Scriptures, as on a large kinetoscopic screen, the history of the past, present, and future passes before our vision in living, moving pictures. Acted out before our eyes we see the great, fierce conflict between Christ and Satan, between the ambassadors of light and the agents of darkness. Filled with amazement, we behold the wondrous love of God in His dealings with mankind, His tender mercy as it is revealed in Christ Jesus. Beginning with Genesis, we are carried down through the ages to the time brought to view in Revelation 20, when the closing scenes of this world’s great drama are passing across the stage of action. While viewing these varied pictures, it seems as if the night of sin and shame never would cease; but at last the consummation of all things comes; the principles of truth and righteousness triumph; His loyal subjects are vindicated, and evil is trampled under foot—forever blotted from the fair face of the universe of God. The thousand years have expired—years of peaceful bliss in heaven for the righteous, while the gloom of death hovered over the desolate earth, making it a dismal but appropriate prison-house for Satan and his angels. The judgment of the wicked, whose life and deeds the saints have had a share in weighing and investigating, has been irrevocably rendered. The New Jerusalem, with its happy, glorified throng, has come down out of heaven from God, and the voice of the Son of Man, which at the beginning of the thousand years awakened the righteous to life everlasting, sounds once more, and all the wicked dead, of every kindred, and tongue, and people, are brought forth; “the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp, of the saints about, and the beloved city.” Rev. 20:8, 9. Led by Satan and his hosts of angels, these poor, deluded mortals imagine that they are powerful enough to take possession of the Edenlike valley that lies before them. Filled with astonishment and admiration, and carried away by their passions, they gaze with covetous eyes upon the vast city, with its beautiful golden spires and towering palaces. But from this jasper-walled metropolis flashes forth a light, the glory of which dazzles the spectators, and fills their hearts with awe and apprehension. “And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle.” Rev. 20:7, 8. “Thus saith the Lord God: It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought; and thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages [See Zech. 2:4], I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, to take a spoil and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land. . . . And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company and a mighty army; and thou shalt come up against My people of Israel as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against My land, that the heathen may know Me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.” Eze. 38:10–16. But of what avail is the cunning of Satan or the inventions and might of men against a city whose defense is the Lord God Almighty? “Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein; for I, saith the Lord, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.” Zech. 2:4, 5. “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn.” Isa. 54:17. “I will encamp about Mine house because of the army, because of him that passeth by, and because of him that returneth; and no oppressor shall pass through them any more; for now have I seen with Mine eyes.” Zech. 9:8. “There shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie; but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” Rev. 21:27. “Without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters.” Rev. 22:15. What a motley, restless crowd! They might have been among those who dwell safely within the walls of the holy city; but they loved the wages of unrighteousness, and the gates of the New Jerusalem are forever closed against them. The clamorous, turbulent multitude soon realize that all attempts to take the city are utterly futile; hostilities are suspended, and beholding Him whom God has highly exalted, and given a name which is above every name, the knee of every one in that vast assemblage bows, and every tongue confesses “that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Phil. 2:9–11. The parable of the sheep and the goats here finds its application. Matt. 25:31–46. The sheep, the saved, are on His right side in “the camp of the saints” (Rev. 20:9); the goats, the wicked, are on His left side “without” the city. Rev. 22:15. It was of this time that Jesus spoke these solemn words:— “There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.” Luke 13:28. A graphic picture of this terrible hour is drawn in one of the books of the Apocrypha. We read there the confession of those “who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power,” “because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” 2 Thess. 1:9; 2:10. Having described their wasted, and ruined lives, and their pitiful end, the prophet of God carries us forward to the “resurrection of damnation,” and says:— “And when they cast up the accounts of their sins, they [the wicked] shall come [in the second resurrection] with fear; and their own iniquities shall convince them to their face. Then shall the righteous man stand in great boldness before the face of such as have afflicted him, and made no account of his labors. When they see it, they shall be troubled at the strangeness of his salvation, so far beyond all that they looked for. And they, repenting and groaning for anguish of spirit, shall say within [among] themselves, This was he whom we had sometimes in derision, and a proverb of reproach; we fools accounted his life madness, and his end to be without honor. How is he numbered among the children of God, and his lot is among the saints! Therefore have we erred from the way of truth, and the light of righteousness hath not shined unto us, and the Son of Righteousness rose not upon us. We wearied ourselves in the way of wickedness and destruction; yea, we have gone through deserts where there lay no way; but as for the way of the Lord, we have not known it.” “What hath pride profited us? or what good hath riches with our vaunting brought us? All those things are passed away like a shadow, and as a post that hasteth by; . . . even so we in like manner, as soon as we were born, began to draw to our end, and had no sign of virtue to show; but were consumed in our own wickedness. For the hope of the ungodly is like dust that is blown away with the wind, . . . but the righteous live forevermore; their reward also is with the Lord, and the care of them is with the Most High. Therefore shall they receive a glorious kingdom, and a beautiful crown from the Lord’s hand; for with His right hand shall He crown them, and with His arm shall He protect them. He shall take to Him His jealousy for complete armor, and make the creature [nature] His weapon for the revenge of His enemies. He shall put on righteousness as a breastplate, and true judgment instead of an helmet. He shall take holiness for an invincible shield. His severe wrath shall He sharpen for a sword, and the world shall fight with Him against the unwise. Then shall the right-aiming thunderbolts go abroad; and from the clouds, as from a well-drawn bow, shall they fly to the mark.” Wisdom of Solomon 4:15–20; 5:1–21. Thus ends this world’s history, the closing scenes of which the pen of Inspiration has so vividly depicted:— “Fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone.” Rev. 20:9, 10. “The elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” 2 Peter 3:10. “The breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it.” Isa. 30:33. “Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves [Hebrew, their lives] from the power of the flame.” Isa. 47:14. “They shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts.” Mal. 4:3. “It is done.” The great controversy is ended. The Seed of the woman has bruised the head of the serpent. Gen. 3:15. From lips made immortal ascends a shout of victory and praise—a song that is heard to the uttermost parts of the universe, and which sounds and resounds through the golden portals of heaven:— “Great and marvelous are Thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are Thy ways, Thou King of saints. Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? for Thou only art holy; for all nations shall come and worship before Thee; for Thy judgments are made manifest.” Rev. 15:3, 4. “And He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.” “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. . . . And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away.” Rev. 21:5, 1–4. C. CASTBERG.