THE MARRIAGE OF THE LAMB.
By James White
In our remarks on this subject last week we stated, that there are two things, or events, which the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments illustrate by the marriage covenant: first, the union of God's people in all ages with their Lord; and, second, Christ's reception of the Throne of David in the New Jerusalem above. One class of scriptures set forth the union of believers with their Lord, by the use of marriage as a figure. This union has existed since the days of righteous Abel, and cannot be regarded by any one as the marriage of the Lamb. There is another class of scriptures which set forth Christ's reception of the Throne of the Fifth Kingdom, as King of kings, and Lord of lords, in which marriage is used to illustrate that union. But Christ being united to that Throne is one event, to occur at the end, and nowhere else. The confusion which has existed on this important subject has been in consequence of not regarding this distinction. The Throne of the Fifth universal Kingdom will be in the New Jerusalem, the metropolis of that Kingdom, hence when Christ is united to that Throne, he receives the City as the Capital of the Kingdom, therefore in the marriage of the Lamb, the Holy City is represented as the Bride. Christ receives the title and office of King, and receives the Throne, and the Capital of the Fifth Kingdom, which is called the marriage of the Lamb, before his second coming to destroy his enemies, and raise from the dead and change to immortality, the subjects of the Kingdom. To this agrees the word of the Lord, as we shall now show. Ps. ii, 7-9. "I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." That this text refers to Christ, and the time of his reception of the Throne, there can be no doubt. Mark well: Christ asks for, and receives the territory of the Fifth Kingdom, before the nations are dashed in pieces by the plagues and the second advent. Dan. vii, 13, 14. "I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they 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." The personage called, "one like the Son of man," is understood to be the Lord Jesus Christ. The "Ancient of days," God the Father. And the "clouds of heaven," not the clouds we see floating upon the atmosphere, but a multitude of angels attended with the glory of God. When Christ ascended to the Father to be a priest, he was attended by angels. "A cloud received him out of their sight." When he approaches the Ancient of days to receive the Kingdom, it is "with the clouds of heaven," he is attended by angels; and when he returns from the wedding, and appears the second time, he comes with the "clouds of heaven," or with "all the holy angels with him." But when does "one like the Son of man" come to the Ancient of days to receive the kingdom? Is it at Christ's second advent to earth? No, unless it can be shown that God the Father is now located on the earth! Then, was not this text fulfilled at the ascension of Christ? No, because, 1. Christ ascended to heaven, not then to receive the kingdom, but first to be clad in priestly garments, for more than 1800 years, before he should change them for Royal robes. 2. The position which the text holds in the prophetic chain of Dan. vii, forbids its application to the ascension of Christ. In that chain are what we shall call six great links. 1. The lion, representing Babylon. 2. The bear, Medo-Persia. 3. The Leopard, Grecia. 4. The fourth beast, Rome. 5. The fourth beast, with three horns plucked up by the little horn, Papal Rome. 6. The Son of man approaching the Ancient of days to receive the kingdom. As the fifth link represents the period of Papal dominion, reaching from A. D. 538, to 1798, the scenes connected with the reception of the kingdom, represented by the sixth link of the prophetic chain, must occur—sometime between 1798 and the second coming of Christ. We know of no event in which we may apply Dan. vii, 13, 14, (which speaks of the Son's approaching the Father to receive the kingdom,) but to Christ's entering the Most Holy of the heavenly Sanctuary, at the termination of the 2300 days. That the marriage takes place before the second advent, is evident from Christ's admonition to the waiting ones. "Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their Lord when he will return FROM THE WEDDING," &c. Luke xii, 35, 36. Again, when Jesus appears the second time, with power and great glory, he has "on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." Rev. xix, 16. Therefore he is King before he comes. This is in harmony with Dan. vii, 14. "And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom," &c. With this glory which he receives of the Father, he comes to raise the dead, change the living saints, and to destroy those who are left of the plagues. This also agrees with Dan. ii, 44. "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom," &c. Christ will receive the Throne and Capital, and the "heathen for his inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession," before the kings of the earth are dashed in pieces, hence it is said, "in the days of these kings," &c. If it be urged that it cannot be properly said that the kingdom is set up till all the component parts are brought together, the King, Capital, Subjects, Territory, &c., we would say, that as the territory of God's everlasting kingdom is the whole earth, under the whole heaven, the objector's view of the subject cannot be realized till the close of the 1000 years of Rev. xx, when the New Heavens and New Earth appear. We have seen no view of this subject which will harmonize all the scripture testimony respecting it, only this, which may be expressed in few words:—The work of setting up the fifth universal kingdom is commenced in the days of earthly kings. The marriage of the Lamb, the reception of the Throne and Capital, takes place before the second advent. The subjects of that kingdom are made immortal at Christ's coming, (at which time the nations are dashed in pieces,) and follow their Lord up to the New Jerusalem. But the work will not be fully completed till the fifth universal kingdom shall embrace as its territory the entire New Earth, at the close of the seventh millennium. The marriage of the Lamb, and events in the experience and history of the church connected with the marriage, are illustrated by the parable of the ten virgins. Matt. xxv. But with the view that the Church is the bride, and that the marriage takes place at, or after, the resurrection of the just, this parable cannot be applied with any degree of propriety to the marriage of the Lamb. This view of the bride, and the time of the marriage, makes the coming of the bridegroom in the parable represent Christ's second coming. And the going in of the five wise virgins to the marriage, represent, of course, the ascension of the resurrected just, to meet their Lord in the air. But if the going in of the wise virgins be the ascension of the just to the presence of their Lord, the coming "afterward," of the foolish virgins, saying, "Lord, Lord, open to us," must represent the ascension of the unjust to the place where the Lord and the just are, being married!! We shall find no less difficulty in applying the marriage of the king's son with the view that the church is the bride, and that the marriage takes place after the first resurrection, and change of the living saints to immortality. "And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: and he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither, not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Matt. xxii. If the marriage be after the saints are caught away to meet their Lord; we inquire, Who are illustrated by the man found at the marriage not having on the wedding garment? Will any be caught up by mistake? And on examination will they be found to be of the wicked? And will they be found bound hand and foot, and cast down to the earth again? Again, allowing the church is to be the bride, who are "the nations of the saved," that walk in her light? Rev. xxi, 24. If the church is the wife, who are they that are called to the marriage as guests? "Jerusalem which is above" is the "mother" of the children of promise. But if the church be the Lamb's wife, who are the children? With the view that the church is the Lamb's wife, there is perfect confusion, and the greatest inconsistencies, while with the view that the New Jerusalem is the bride and that the marriage precedes the second advent there is a most perfect and beautiful harmony. J. W.