p. 1 | The Day of the Lord by George W. Holt

Publishing Committee · Saratoga Springs, N. Y. · Mar 23, 1852

The Day of the Lord.

By George W. Holt

BY G. W. HOLT.

Much has been said and written upon the subject of the day of the Lord, or 1000 years of Rev. xx, and different views have been presented.

The view given by Bro. Wm. Miller was, that the Lord Jesus Christ would be revealed from heaven at the commencement of the 1000 years, the righteous dead raised, and the living changed and caught up to meet the Lord in the air; at the same time the wicked were to be cut down, and the earth purified by fire, and prepared for the residence of the saints. They were to live and reign with Christ 1000 years. At the expiration of the 1000 years the wicked dead were to be raised and gather around the camp of the saints and the beloved city, consequently they would come upon the New Earth.

This view we consider erroneous. We cannot believe that the devil with all his wicked host will ever be permitted to tread upon the earth made new. "And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me; I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel." Eze. xx, 38; see also Eze. xiii, 9.

The Advent Harbinger teaches that there will be probation during the 1000 years, and a great work accomplished by the preaching of the everlasting gospel to sinners, Jews and heathen, by immortal saints.

This we believe to be a gross error; for we read, "And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall DESTROY WITH THE BRIGHTNESS OF HIS COMING." 2 Thess. ii, 8. Again, "And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bond man, and every free man hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said 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"?

Another view is, that the 1000 years are in the past, the "devil and satan" has been bound during that period, and those that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands, have "lived and reigned with Christ 1000 years. That satan was bound, and the saints lived and reigned with Christ during the first 1000 years of the reign of papacy.

The first view we consider the most consistent, but dissent from them all, for this reason, that they do not harmonize with scripture.

We will now attempt to give the bible view of the subject.

There are a number of different days mentioned in the scriptures, 1. The day of 24 hours. 2. The day covering an indefinite period of time. 3. The day of the Lord's anger or wrath. 4. The day of the Lord, or the day of judgment, and reign of the saints with Christ 1000 years. 5. The day of eternity.

The first and second need no comment, as they are well understood and all agree in relation to them.

3. THE DAY OF WRATH. This we believe to be in the future, preceding the day of the Lord. The day of the Lord's wrath has often been confounded with the day of the Lord. In this day the seven vials of God's wrath will be poured out upon the wicked, which will cause the time of trouble such as never was, spoken of by Daniel the prophet.

John in Rev. xviii, speaking of the fall and destruction of Babylon, in the 8th verse says; "Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her." This is evidently a prophetic day of one year. This view I think is sustained by the prophet Isaiah: "For it is the day of the Lord's vengeance, and the year of recompenses for the controversy of Zion." Isa. xxxiv, 8. "For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come." Isa. lxiii, 4. "To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn." Isa. lxi, 2.

The prophet in the chapters referred too, is speaking of the indignation of the Lord upon all nations, and the treading of the wine-press of the wrath of God. It is here called the day of vengeance and the year of my redeemed. "Zion shall be redeemed with judgment and her converts with righteousness. And the destruction of the transgressors shall be together, and they that forsake the Lord shall be consumed." Isa. i, 27, 28. This agrees with the testimony of Daniel: "And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book." Dan. xii, 1.

It is very evident that the pouring out of the seven last plagues of the 15th and 16th chapters of Revelation will cause this time of trouble. "The first angel poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshiped his image" Rev. xvi, 2. These plagues we believe will be real and literal, and may be illustrated by the plagues that came upon Egypt.

"And they took ashes from the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it up towards heaven: and it became a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast." Ex. ix, 10.

"And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man; and every living soul died in the sea. And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters: and they became blood." Verses 3, 4.

"And the Lord spake unto Moses, say unto Aaron, Take thy rod and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become blood; and that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, . . . And the fish died." Ex. vii, 19, 21.

"And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God which had power over these plagues; and they repented not to give him glory." Verses 8, 9.

The prophet Isaiah seems to refer to the same period: "And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the rivers shall be wasted and dried up. And they shall turn the rivers far away; and the brooks of defence shall be emptied and dried up: the reeds and flags shall wither . . . and everything sown by the brooks shall wither, be driven away, and be no more. The fishers also shall mourn, and all they that cast angle into the brooks shall lament, and they that spread nets upon the waters shall languish. Moreover they that work in fine flax, and they that weave net-works [Margin, white works] (Linen and cotton manufactories) shall be confounded." Isa. xix, 5—9.

Joel also refers to the same dreadful scene. "Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come. Is not the meat cut off before our eyes, yea, joy and gladness from the house of our God? The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken down: for the corn is withered. How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate. O Lord to thee will I cry: for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burnt all the trees of the field. The beasts of the field cry also unto thee: for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness." Joel i, 15—20.

"And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, and blasphemed the God of heaven, because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds." Verses 10, 11.

"And Moses stretched forth his hand towards heaven: and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days: they saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days." Ex. viii, 22, 23.

This also agrees with the prophets. "For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine." Isa. xiii, 10.

"And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light. All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord God." Eze. xxxii, 7, 8.

The sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining." Joel ii, 10; see iii, 15.

"And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord God, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day." Amos viii, 9.

"And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the Kings of the east might be prepared. Verse 12. This doubtless will be literal, and better understood about the time of its fulfillment.

Here John has another view. "And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth, and the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty." Verses 13, 14.

This undoubtedly is the work of Sorcery practised by many at the present time, by the deceptive arts under the names of Biology, Psychology, Mesmerism and spiritual rappings, or pretended communication with the dead. John does not say that this work of deception commenced with the pouring out of the sixth vial; but he here has another view and saw by what means the wicked would be gathered together to the great battle. This work of deception by the false prophets has been practised more or less in all ages of the world.

For this reason the seven nations were driven out from the land of Canaan. "There shall not be found among you . . . any one that useth divination, or an observer of times or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination to the Lord; and because of these abominations the Lord thy God hath drive them out from before thee." Deut. xviii, 10, 12.

"Hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers which speak unto you. For I have not sent them saith the Lord, yet they prophesy a lie in my name; that I might drive you out, and that ye might perish, ye, and the prophets that prophesy unto you." Jer. xxvii, 9, 15.

The same deceptions were practised in the days of the apostles by the false prophets "to pervert the right ways of the Lord." "And when they had gone through the Isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-jesus, But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith." Acts xiii, 6, 8.

"But there was a certain man called Simon, which before time in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God." Acts viii, 9, 10.

This work of sorcery and deception has been wonderfully revived in these last days. Jesus refers to this among the signs of the last days. "For there shall arise false christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch that, if it were possible they shall deceive the very elect. Matt. xxiv, 24.

Paul also speaks of the same deceptive power before the coming of the Lord. "Whose coming is after the working of satan, with all power, and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they receive not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie; that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." 2 Thess. ii, 9—12.

This work of deception will probably increase until the great majority are led captive, and so deceived by it as to engage in the great battle against the Lamb and his humble followers. By this means they are led to resist the truth, and make war upon those that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Thus Pharaoh and his host were deceived by the magicians, and led on until they were overwhelmed in the mighty waters of the Red Sea. "And Pharaoh also called the wise men, and the sorcerers: Now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents." Ex. vii, 11—13.

At this time when the wicked host are arrayed against God and his people the seventh vial is poured out. "And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying it is done. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great." Verses 17—21.

In these plagues the wrath of God is filled up on the wicked, and the angry nations of the earth, that have "set at naught the counsel of God, and would none of his reproof" are now cut down without mercy, to be no more a people, until the second resurrection. As saith the prophet Isaiah, "They shall be gathered together as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited." The pouring out of the seventh or last plague agrees with the testimony of the prophets.

"Thou shalt be visited of the Lord of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire." Isa. xxix, 6. "And the Lord shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall show the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and hail stones." Isa. xxx, 30.

"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." Jer. xxv, 30.

"I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hail-stones, fire, and brimstone." Eze. xxxviii, 22.

"And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army; for his camp is very great; for he is strong that executeth his word; for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?" Joel ii, 11.

"The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth shall shake; but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel," Joel iii, 16.

"The Lord will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the habitations of the shepherds shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall wither." Amos i, 2.

This day of the Lord's wrath will be dreadful in the extreme. A grievous and noisome sore on the worshipers of the beast and his image, the waters turned to blood, the sun with its withering rays and scorching heat, causing the herbage to fade away, and every thing sown to wither; and men thirsting for water, and there is none, darkness over the face of the earth, and men blaspheming the God of heaven and repent not; but, like Pharaoh deceived by the magicians, gather together against the King of kings and Lord of lords, and his army that follow him. Thus they are led on by the false prophet that deceiveth them by his miracles until the voice of God from the throne shakes the heaven and the earth, and the mountains are thrown down, the islands disappear, the rocks rend, and hail mingled with fire falls from heaven about the weight of a talent. [Some say 60 pounds others 100 and Richard Watson in his Bible Dictionary says 125 pounds.] And the Lord himself descending from heaven with a shout, and the voice of the Archangel and the trump of God, the graves are opened, and those that sleep in Jesus awake, the living changed from mortal to immortality, and caught up with them to meet the Lord in the air.

Who of the wicked will be able to stand amid the scenes of the day of God's wrath, and the refulgent light and dazzling glory which will enshroud the Son of God at his second coming, as he appears with the glory of his Father, and all the holy angels.

At the appearance of one angel, at the sepulchre, the keepers fell as dead men. It is no wonder then that the wicked flee to the rocks, dens and caves of the earth, and call for rocks and mountains to fall on them, and hide them from the face of him that sitteth upon the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. Isaiah says, "And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth."

Some may now inquire respecting the state of the righteous during the day of God's wrath, or pouring out of the seven last plagues. We will let the Psalms and Prophets answer.

"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow, of the Almighty. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his TRUTH shall be thy SHIELD and BUCKLER. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noon-day. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him." Ps. xci, 1, 3, 7, 10, 11, 15. Please read the whole Psalm.

"When thou passeth through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour." Isa. xliii, 2, 3.

"Therefore thus saith the Lord God, behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry: behold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty: behold, my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed: behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of spirit. For the Lord God shall slay thee, and call his servants by another name." Isa. lxv, 13—15.

"Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger." Zeph. ii, 3.

"Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth." Rev. iii, 10.

The four angels are to hold the four winds of the earth until the servants of the living God are sealed. John in vision heard the angel say, "Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads." This agrees with the marking of those that cry and sigh for the abominations done in the land spoken of by Ezekiel. It was said to the men having the slaughter weapons, "Slay utterly old and young both maids and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark."

There seems to be a striking resemblance between this time and the deliverance of the children of Israel from Egypt. The prophet says, "According to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt will I show unto him marvelous things." Micah. vii, 15.

The children of Israel remained in Egypt while the plagues were poured out upon their oppressors. The noisome and grievous sore did not in the least affect the children of Israel, neither their cattle. While the Egyptians had blood to drink the Israelites had water; while darkness came upon the Egyptians the Israelites had light in all their dwellings. Thus in the plague of hail mingled with fire, and the destruction of the first born, God's people were not harmed by them.

The servants of God will all be sealed before the plagues begin to fall upon the wicked. The destiny of every one will be decided. "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he that is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And behold, I come quickly." Rev. xxii, 11, 12.

When the work of our High Priest is done in the Sanctuary in the heavens, Michael the Great Prince will stand up, clad with the garments of vengeance to go forth to "tread the nations in his anger, and trample them in his fury."

This day is near and hasteth greatly. How important that we be found ready, with our loins girt about with TRUTH, that we heed the admonition of Jesus, to "watch and pray always, that we may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man."

3. THE DAY OF THE LORD, OR DAY OF JUDGMENT. The length of this day is 1000 years. It is introduced by the voice of God, the revelation of Jesus Christ, the binding of satan, and the final deliverance of all who are found written in the book of life. Here commences the glorious Jubilee to the innumerable company of the redeemed. Jesus, according to his promise, has come and taken his children away from this earth, to live and reign with him in the Holy City, New Jerusalem, while the earth, which has been filled for 6000 years, rests, lays desolate, and is left without an inhabitant.

That the length of this day is 1000 years seems to be clearly shown by the following scriptures: "But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that ONE DAY is with the LORD as A THOUSAND YEARS, and A THOUSAND YEARS as ONE DAY." 2 Pet. iii, 7, 8.

And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a THOUSAND YEARS." Rev. xx, 4.

It also appears by the above scripture to be the DAY OF JUDGMENT. Peter here speaks of the day of judgment, and perdition of ungodly men; and exhorts the brethren not to be ignorant concerning its length.

It also appears from the testimony of Paul, that God has appointed a DAY in which to judge the world. "Because he hath appointed a DAY in the which he will judge the world in righteousness, by that man whom he hath ordained." Acts xvii, 31.

It is also clear from other scripture that the saints will sit with Christ in Judgment. "And Jesus said unto them, verily I say unto you, that ye which have followed me in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit on the THRONE OF HIS GLORY, ye shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel."

This text proves that the saints must first be raised before they sit on thrones in judgment, with Christ upon the throne of his glory. The rendering of Campbell makes this point still plainer: "Jesus answered, verily I say unto you, that at the renovation, when the Son of Man shall be seated on his glorious throne, ye my followers, sitting also upon twelve thrones, shall judge the twelve tribes of Israel." Matt. xix, 28.

"To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne." Rev. iii, 21.

"Know ye not that the saints shall judge the world," says Paul. He also adds, "know ye not that we shall judge angels." Paul undoubtedly here refers to the fallen angels. "And the angels which kept not their first estate, [principality, Margin,] but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day." Jude verse 6.

This Psalmist also says, "this honor have all his saints." But we cannot believe it to be in this mortal state. God will not submit the work of judging, to poor erring mortals, subject to the temptations of the devil. It is quite enough for finite, feeble man to overcome the temptations of the arch enemy, and to keep his own heart right in the sight of God.

"Judge nothing before the time until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the heart."

When the immortal saints sit on thrones with Christ, in the great day of judgment, then they will not only judge the world but fallen angels. Daniel in the night visions saw that judgment was given to the saints of the Most High. But not until the Ancient of days came, and the little horn ceased prevailing against the saints, and was destroyed by the brightness of Christ's coming.

John in vision "saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them."

What thrones did John see? Answer, the TWELVE THRONES spoken of by Jesus. Who sat upon them? Answer, the resurrected and immortal saints. This is clear from the connection. John "saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image neither had received his mark, . . . and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished."

It is clear from this scripture that the righteous are to be raised at the commencement of the 1000 years; and the rest of the dead (of course the wicked) are not to be raised until the thousand years were finished.

This 1000 years, and reign of the saints with Christ cannot be in the past, but is in the future. During this period satan was to be bound. John in vision "saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is not Pagan Rome, but THE DEVIL, AND SATAN, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, [abyss,] and shut him up and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled; and after that he must be loosed a little season." Rev. xx, 1—3. This is not yet fulfilled.

It is written, the dragon gave his power, and his seat, and great authority to the Papal beast. It is also said that they worshipped the dragon which gave power into the beast; and they worshipped the beast. The dragon power then existed in the beast, and they worshipped both at the same time. The dragon power was exercised by the beast during the period of 1260 years, commencing in A. D. 538, and terminating A. D. 1798; therefore, was not bound. And the saints have not lived and reigned with Christ at any one period more than another, in any sense, since his ascension.

We see the dragons's power exercised by Pagan Rome from the days of Christ to that of Papal Rome; then given to the beast to exercise for the period of 1260 years; then to be exercised by the two-horned beast in making war upon the remnant that keep the commandments of God, and the testimony of Jesus Christ, until the angel comes down from heaven at the commencement of the 1000 years, and destroys his power, binds him and casts him into the bottomless pit, there to remain until the thousand years are expired.

While satan is bound, and the saints keep the Jubilee, the whole land will rest, and lay desolate, without an inhabitant. We will now quote some scripture to show the state of this earth during the 1000 years.

"And the Lord spake unto Moses in Mount Sinai, saying, speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the Lord. Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof; but in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the Lord: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard. That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest, thou shalt not reap neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land." Lev. xxv, 1—5. This we think shadows forth the rest to the land after being tilled 6000 years, and then resting the seventh.

"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. xiii, 9.

"BEHOLD, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this word." Isa. xxiv, 1, 3.

The prophet here has the earth "emptied" and "laid waste"; and then lest some should get the idea that sinners might still live and remain on the earth after the coming of the Lord, he adds, "and turneth IT UPSIDE DOWN, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof."

Isaiah in chapter xxxiv, in speaking of the indignation of the Lord, and the slaying of all nations, says, "he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter." And in regard to the earth he says, "from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever."

"But the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it; the owl also and the raven shall dwell in it. And thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof: and it shall be an habitation of dragons, and a court for owls. The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow."

This will be very unfavorable indeed for those who think of remaining on this earth AFTER the Advent of the Lord, to PREACH the everlasting gospel, as they will have a large congregation only of these doleful creatures to receive or reject their message.

"Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the WHOLE land is spoiled. . . . I beheld the earth, and lo it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. . . . I beheld, and lo there was NO MAN, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld, and lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by his fierce anger. For thus hath the Lord said, THE WHOLE LAND SHALL BE DESOLATE." Jer. iv, 20, 23—27.

"I have cut off the nations: their towers are desolate; I made their streets waste, that none passeth by; their cities are destroyed, so that there is NO MAN, that there is NONE INHABITANT." Zeph. iii, 6.

"And the dead shall be cast out as dung, and there shall be no man to comfort them: for the earth shall be wasted, and the cities shall be cast down. There shall be, NO MAN LEFT TO TILL THE EARTH, AND TO SOW IT. The trees shall give fruit, and who shall gather them? The grapes shall ripen, and who shall tread them? for all places shall be DESOLATE OF MEN." 2 Esdras xvi, 23—26.

It is frequently asked, If the earth is left desolate of inhabitants during the 1000 years, who will Christ and his saints reign over during that period, as though it was necessary that the wicked nations of earth should live, for them to reign over.

We would now inquire of such, if it be necessary that wicked nations should live always in order for Christ and his redeemed to reign, how will they reign on the New Earth, after the devil and all his host are cast into the lake of fire, and burned up? We read, "They shall reign for ever and ever," after the New Earth appears. See Rev. xxii, 5. Will the wicked nations live on the New Earth for ever and ever, for Christ and the saints to reign over? Jesus will reign in judgment, and the saints will reign with him during the period of 1000 years. We have already shown that the wicked are cut down before and at the commencement of this period, and the righteous caught away to be with the Lord.

Some may inquire, where is the abode of the saints at this time. Said Jesus, "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." John xiv, 1—3.

Jesus does not say that he will come and live with us, but he will come and take us to his Father's house of many mansions the New Jerusalem, to live and reign with him. Abraham looked for a city not made with hands, but one with "foundations, whose builder and maker is God."

"But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all." Gal iv, 26.

In this city is the throne of God, and of Jesus, also the twelve thrones on which the saints of God will sit. This will be the place of judgment. While the wicked are "shut up as prisoners in a pit," (all dead,) the books will be opened, and their deeds examined, and their judgment meted out accordingly.

John in a vision saw "the books opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life." Here three books are mentioned. One, the Statute Book, (The Bible,) containing the ROYAL LAW, which is to judge every man. Said Jesus, "the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day." [1000 years.] His words were the words of his Father.

"Another book which is the book of life." This is the Lamb's book of life in which the names of the righteous are enrolled, with their good deeds only remaining, their sins having been previously forgiven and all blotted out. The other book contains the names of the wicked with their deeds. Jesus and the saints will be witnesses against the wicked in that day. "Ye are my witnesses saith the Lord."

"Some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after.

Likewise the good works of some are manifest beforehand; and they that are otherwise cannot be hid." 1 Tim. v, 24, 25. The sins of the righteous go beforehand to the Sanctuary and are blotted out by the High Priest. At the same time their good deeds are manifest; but the sins and evil deeds of the wicked remain unforgiven, and go to judgment afterwards. Righteous Abel, and those who were with him will be witnesses against the wicked that lived in that generation. Likewise the righteous of each generation down to the last that shall live upon the earth.

5. THE DAY OF ETERNITY. This day is introduced by the loosing of satan, the devil, the resurrection of the wicked, the Holy City, New Jerusalem descending from God out of heaven, and the final destruction of the wicked.

We read, "And when the thousand years are expired, satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and that "the rest of the dead [the wicked] lived not again until the thousand years were finished."

When the devil is loosed, and the wicked are raised, Jesus will stand upon the mount of Olives as we read in the prophecy of Zechariah: "And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south." Zech. xiv, 4.

It is clear from the connection that this place will be the location of the Holy City.

"And ye shall flee [the wicked that are raised] to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee." Verse 5.

"All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon, south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin's gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner-gate and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king's wine-presses. And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited." Verses 10, 11.

When Jesus comes in the clouds of heaven, at the commencement of the 1000 years, the saints do not then come with him, but all the holy angels. The saints are then caught away to live and reign with him 1000 years. When this is fulfilled, at the commencement of the day of eternity the Lord God and all the saints with him come down in the Holy City, New Jerusalem and it is located upon the land here referred too.

Satan gathers the whole host of Gog and Magog [the resurrected wicked] around the Beloved City, and Camp of the saints; the same host that have been deceived by him, and are still deceived, and they come up on the breadth of the old earth, that has been desolate 1000 years, to battle. Here they think to overcome the saints, and take the City; but to their great consternation they hear their final sentence pronounced: "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels."

The judgment, which had been previously meted out by Jesus and the saints, is now executed. Each one receives his punishment "according as his work shall be." At this time the Devil and his angels and all the wicked are cast into the lake of fire and burned up, "root and branch" and "into smoke shall they consume away." "This is the second death."

At the same time the earth will be purified by fire and as John saw, there will be a New Heaven and a New Earth, and the meek will inherit it for ever and ever.

That the day when the Lord's feet will stand upon mount Olives, is the day of eternity, is evident from the following scripture: "And it shall come to pass in that day, [the day that he stands upon the mount of Olives,] that the light shall not be clear nor dark." I will here give the margin: "It shall not be clear in some places, and dark in other places of the world." That is, there will be no darkness; "it shall be ONE DAY which shall be known to the Lord, not day nor night; but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light." Zech. xiv, 6, 7. Here, at evening time it is dark, there it will be light.

This agrees with the testimony of John: "And there shall be no night there, and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever." This day shall be ONE, known to the Lord, that has no end.