To Be Crowned King Before His Father’s Throne—The Event Marks the End of All Gospel Work—Christ’s Coming Will Follow Shortly After—Are there Events on Earth to Indicate When the Crisis Is Reached?
By T. E. BOWEN
Many are impressed that some great and important event is about to take place. This is true. That event is the end of this world’s career of sin. A burning question is, May we know when that period is about to begin which is spoken of in the Bible as the time when Christ receives His kingdom? With what event does it begin? While the Bible points out the event at its beginning, the exact time is nowhere given.
In Heaven, Not on Earth
The great event that begins the reign of Christ as King takes place in heaven. It is the event that was uppermost in the minds of His followers during the ministry of Jesus; namely, His entering upon His reign as King. On several occasions, the disciples were ready to crown Jesus king; but He would not permit them to do so. He knew it was not the purpose of His Father that He should enter His kingdom at His first advent. To Pilate’s question, “Art Thou the King of the Jews?” Jesus said, “To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world.” But He puzzled Pilate, as well as His followers, by adding, “My kingdom is not of this world,” in the sense of His ruling as king over any nation in their present sinful state.
This Time a Secret of the Father
While Jesus was born to be King, He abides His Father’s time. He told His disciples, before leaving them, that the time when He should take the kingdom, the Father kept in His own power. Acts 1:4-7. They did not know then that the entering upon His reign as King meant the end of all earthly kingdoms as such. But this is the truth. The time when the reign of Christ begins is when He goes to His Father in heaven to receive of Him the earthly kingdom—the rule of the whole earth. Shortly following this coronation ceremony is the visible coming of the Son of God to this earth as King in power and great glory to get His subjects.
When Christ goes to the Father to receive His kingdom, He will have ceased His ministry as Priest. This brings the end of the gospel on earth. This is identical with the closing of the ark’s door in Noah’s day. The door of mercy for sinners, the opportunity for sinners to find life, will then cease forever. That time comes at last to all on earth suddenly, as a thief in the night. Of that day and hour knows no man. Not even Jesus Himself, nor the angels in heaven, nor God’s people on earth, know the time until it is announced by the Father, and the events to take place in connection with it begin to come to pass. This occurs, however, some time prior to Christ’s personal advent to this earth to get His people—the subjects of His kingdom.
Jesus Receiving the Kingdom
“I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit. . . . I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds [angels] of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they [the angels] brought Him near before Him. And there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve Him: His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” Dan. 7:9-14.
As Jesus leaves His mediatorial work as Priest, nothing stays the pouring out of the vials containing the wrath of God, placed in the hands of the seven angels commissioned to pour them out “into the earth.” Neither is there anything to hold the winds of war and strife, that they should not blow upon the earth.
Events on Earth
The questions arise at once: May we know, by events on earth, when this important one in heaven is about to take place? Is there any clue by which we may know the time is about reached for Jesus to be summoned by His Father to come before Him to receive His kingdom?
A VETERAN TURKISH CAVALRYMAN OF THE BALKAN CAMPAIGNS ON HIS WAY TO JOIN HIS TROOP
For more than fifty years, Seventh-day Adventists have proclaimed to the world that there was one event to take place among nations that would be the last to occur, as recorded in the word of God, before Christ should take His kingdom. They have held that from the information given the prophet Daniel twenty-five hundred years ago by the angel Gabriel, that one event yet unfulfilled was bound up in the government now known as the Ottoman empire, or more familiarly spoken of as Turkey. Not that this nation was or is the most important of nations—not that! The solution seems to be found rather in that this nation, at the time of the end, should occupy territory counted as strategic, and that because of this, God foretells us what some of its last movements would be. When these should take place, then we might know that the next great and important event would be Christ’s standing up in heaven to receive the kingdom given Him by His Father.
An Important Event Foretold
We shall not go into the technical points leading up to the text giving us this light, but will simply state that the eleventh chapter of Daniel records the principal events among nations from the opening of the Persian kingdom, followed by Babylon, where Daniel was then standing, on down to the close of human history, or the end of all nations as such.
And further, we understand that this entire chapter has been transferred to the pages of history, except the last verse, which reads: “And he [Turkey, occupying territory north of Palestine, and hence designated as the king of the north] shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.” The next clause, verse 1, chapter 12, adds, “And at that time shall Michael [Christ] stand up.”
The palace of Turkey is now at Constantinople. The expression “between the seas in the glorious holy mountain” is understood to mean Jerusalem—so long held by the Jews as God’s sacred and glorious dwelling-place. Therefore we understand this scripture to mean that when the seat of the Turkish government is forced from Europe, either immediately or at some later time, Jerusalem will be chosen as the seat of this government; and that the next event—although it should be emphasized that no one knows, even then, how long afterward—the next event will be this very important one of which we have been speaking—Jesus’ receiving in heaven His kingdom, as presented to Him by His Father.
The World’s Outlook
Do events point in this direction? Are there indications that the Turk’s power is waning in Europe, and that he will be forced to remove his seat of government elsewhere? Every one who has given it any thought, knows that this is so. Russia for years has sought an outlet from the Black Sea through the Dardanelles. England has opposed this until this late war. Now England and Russia are allied in opposing Germany. Turkey has entered into the war arena, backed by the foe of Russia and of England. What the outcome may be, no one knows; but here775is a significant statement, taken from the Washington Star, under date of November 4, 1914: “Emperor Nicholas, of Russia, has left for the front, after issuing a manifesto, in which he says that Turkey’s action [of bombarding Russia’s Black Sea ports] opens the way for Russia to accomplish her historic mission on the Black Sea.”
This refers to instruction of Peter the Great many years ago, that Russia must secure this warm water outlet.
Why has Turkey remained so long in Europe, especially when even two years ago, during the Balkan war, the war slogan was that the Turk must go? Evidently God has had a hand in it. Apparently now the entire situation is changed; and with England bombarding Turkish forts, the prospects are that this waning power will not be able long to hold its strategic position in Constantinople, unless Germany should in some manner enable Turkey to do so a while longer. At all events, this is the last recorded change given us in the Book of God, to occur among nations before Christ takes His kingdom. Coincident with Jesus’ receiving the kingdom on high, many events press in for fulfilment on earth; but in this one event God gives His believing people a token by which they may know that the end is at hand.
Kingdom Transfers
The prophet foretold when Babylon should pass away and the kingdom be transferred to the Medes and Persians. Many years before this happened, the Lord named Cyrus, and pointed out that the river gates to that proud city would be left open in the siege that would seal Babylon’s doom. Literally that was fulfilled.
Again, Jesus very definitely indicated by a token to His disciples the time when Jerusalem, their beloved city, should be destroyed. Forty years later, that literally came to pass.
Among many other very striking conditions that would prevail at the time of the end, when all earthly kingdoms were about to be transferred to Jesus, one event is singled out by the angel Gabriel to Daniel as a token by which we may know that this most important event is very near—so near that the Word puts it, “at that time.”
Jesus’ Exhortation to His People Down at the End
Looking down to this very hour in which we now live, Jesus said: “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but My Father only. . . . Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come [from His ministry as Priest to receive of the Father His kingdom]. But know this, that if the good man of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” Matt. 24:36, 42-44.
