A CONSECUTIVE VIEW OF THE PROPHECIES
By Joseph Bates
ITS ESTABLISHMENT ON THE EARTH.
"AND in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever." Dan. ii, 44. Respecting this testimony of the prophet Daniel, certain writers contend that the God of heaven sets up the kingdom on the earth, at the second appearing of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; that then, and there he commences a reign of 1000 years on his father David's throne, in connection with the immortalized saints, over unbelieving rulers, and their unbelieving subjects; granting them probation and salvation during the said 1000 years, or, as they term it, Age to Come. Against this view we propose to present the Bible testimony with respect to giving him the kingdom. Setting up the kingdom, and also delivering the kingdom to God, and reign of the saints with Christ during the 1000 years, and their inheritance of the new earth, in the following order: I. That the kingdom referred to in Dan. ii, 44, is given to Christ previous to his second advent.
II. That the God of heaven sets up the kingdom in heaven.
III. Christ delivers up the kingdom to God.
IV. That Jesus the King of kings and Lord of lords appears from heaven in his kingdom.
V. At the second appearing of Christ the wicked nations are destroyed.
VI. Saints taken from the earth to mount Zion in heaven.
VII. Saints in judgment with Christ in the 1000 years.
VIII. Christ and the saints execute the judgment.
IX. Saints receive their inheritance.
X. Christ commences his reign on the earth in the place of his father David's throne over the house of Jacob forever. Before commencing with the foregoing order, it may be necessary (1st.) to state a few things relative to the kingdom spoken of in Dan. ii, 44, and (2d.) the kingdom that Jesus now occupies. 1. At the first advent of our Lord and Saviour. Mark says, he "came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.'" Chap. i, 14, 15. This we understand is the same kingdom spoken of in Dan. ii, 44. This kingdom was lost in consequence of Adam's transgression, and is yet to be restored from the curse, by our Lord and Saviour. Thus he preached the gospel of the kingdom; the kingdom of God at hand. It is the fifth and next universal kingdom at hand, after the fourth universal kingdom spoken of in the prophecy of Daniel. It is the kingdom under the whole heaven, which "shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom." 2. After the resurrection of Jesus, he said to his disciples, "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." "So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and set on the right hand of God." Mark xvi, 19. And set down with his Father upon his throne. See Rev. iii, 21. Paul, in his epistle to the Hebrews, [chaps. v, vi, and vii,] shows that Christ is called of God an high priest, after the order of Melchisedec." And adds in chap. viii, "Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens: a minister of the Sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched and not man." Zechariah says, "Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is the BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord. . . . and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne, and he shall be a priest upon his throne; and the counsel of peace shall be between them both." That is, between the Father and the Son. Chap. iv, 12, 13. For the word BRANCH, see Jer. xxiii, 5, 6. Said Jesus, "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. We think the foregoing testimony on the second point clearly proves the past and present position of our Melchisedec High Priest, reigning and ruling on the universal throne [Ps. ciii, 19; 1 Chron. xxix, 11] of his Father. And the Scriptures as clearly testify up to what point he will remain with his Father upon his throne; viz., "The Lord said unto my lord, sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool." Ps. cx, 1; Matt. xxii, 44; Acts ii, 34, 35; Heb. x, 13. Then from his ascension to the present time Jesus reigns with his Father upon his universal throne, expecting till "the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David. . . . And of his kingdom there shall be no end." This synchronizes with the text; viz., "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever." Luke i, 32, 33; Dan. ii, 44. Verses 34, 35, should be read in connection with the 44th verse, and compared with Rev. xix, 11-16 and then the 19th verse, which shows the very kings specified in the text gathered to make war with Jesus as he comes descending from heaven in his kingdom which had been set up in heaven in the days of these earthly kings. Verses 20 and 21 show that Jesus the King conquers them. The order presents itself thus: 1. God sets up the kingdom before Jesus appears from the opening heavens. 2. The earthly kings gather together to make war with him at his coming. 3. At his appearing he destroys them. Then, "in the days of these kings the God of heaven sets up a kingdom." This brings us to our proposed order. I. THAT THE KINGDOM REFERRED TO IN DAN. II,
44, IS GIVEN TO CHRIST PREVIOUS TO HIS
"A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. . . . And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom." Luke xix, 12, 15. Mark, he received the kingdom in a far country. Daniel testifies to this fact as follows: "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." Chap. vii, 13, 14. "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." Ps. ii, 8, 9. "And the seventh angel sounded: and there were great voices in heaven, saying, the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever." Rev. xi, 15. As Christ is the recipient of but one kingdom, and that one is "upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever," then what he states, and what Daniel and David saw in relation to his asking and receiving the kingdom of David, John in holy vision declares takes place under the sounding of the seventh angel, at which time "the temple of God was opened in heaven."130Verse 18. This transaction is in perfect harmony and synchronizes with the words of Jesus; viz., "He that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth: I know thy works; behold I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it." Rev. iii, 7, 8. See also Isa. xxii, 22. His going to receive his kingdom at the opening of the door in the temple of God in heaven must be identical with his going to the marriage [Matt. xxv, 10] at the end of the prophetic periods in the prophecy of Daniel; to receive and be united with his bride, "that great city the holy Jerusalem," [which is above is free, which is the Mother of us all,] the capital of his kingdom, which figures signify his changing his position from the Holy to the Most Holy place, to cleanse the Sanctuary at his appointed time; viz., the end of the 2300 days. For further proof of this the Lord directed Habakkuk to a vision that should be written, and made plain upon tables. "For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak and not lie. . . . It will surely come." Daniel the prophet was afterwards taught that the appointed time was "unto 2300 days, then shall the Sanctuary be cleansed." The high priest in the earthly Sanctuary went into the Most Holy place at the appointed time, once a year. These priests served "unto the example and shadow of the heavenly." Then our great High Priest in the heavenly will go in to the Most Holy place at his appointed time; viz., at the end of the 2300 prophetic days to cleanse the Sanctuary. His return from the wedding [Luke xii, 36] will show his work finished in the Sanctuary, the Third Angel's Message closed, his priestly garments laid aside, and he ready to be anointed king over his father David's throne. An objection may arise here with the reader, that the appointed time brought to view here is yet in the future. We answer, that the vision the Lord gave for an appointed time, has been written and made plain on tables and has spoken to the world, or it has not. If it has not spoken at the time appointed, then the world will forever remain in as profound ignorance of its fulfillment as Daniel was when he said, "none understood it." But the explanation which was given to Daniel afterwards (in chap. ix) was all clear; he then acknowledged the thing was true, but the time appointed was long. [chap. x, 1.] 2300 years. Because in chap. ix, 25, the angel established the starting point of the vision from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem. Ezra and Nehemiah were the only prophets charged with this matter. Ezra testifies that he received a decree or commandment to restore and build Jerusalem in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king. Chaps. vii, 1, 7, 9, 11-26; ix, 9. All chronologists, with but few exceptions, agree that the seventh year of this king's reign was in the year before Christ 457. Let us now add to this, the present year after Christ, and we shall have the sum of 2313 years. This is thirteen years more than is required by the angel to reach the appointed time. Some have urged that Nehemiah received the true decree in the year 445 before Christ. Then let us add to this the present 1856 after Christ, and we have the sum of 2301 years. One year this side of the point. Here is proof that we are this side of all the Bible testimony for the appointed time. Then let us go back in time and see if we can find the true time. We ask, was the appointed time of Habakkuk and Daniel's visions written and made plain upon tables, and explained to the world about one year ago? No. Were they made plain on tables and explained about thirteen years ago? Yes. At a Second Advent Conference held in Boston, May, 1842, a unanimous vote was given to write the vision on tables, (lithographic stone), and three hundred copies (charts) were prepared for them that run, to read, or explain them to the people. From that time to the Fall of 1844 meetings were held in thousands of places in different parts of the world, for the very and express purpose of explaining the appointed time on the charts. Neither history nor the church have any record of these facts before 1842. We have before proved that this appointed time cannot be found beyond our present time, nor the intervening time since 1844, where the vision did "speak and not lie," for it "surely come." Here then we present undisputed testimony from the Bible and historical facts from the whole world which was then aroused as never before, nor since, to list the explanation of the above named vision for a time appointed, ending in 1844, which was the specified time for our Melchisedec Priest-king to go to the Marriage to receive from the Ancient of Days dominion and glory, and a kingdom. This brings us to our next proposition. II. THAT THE GOD OF HEAVEN SETS UP THE KINGDOM IN HEAVEN.
According to the Scriptures, Christ rules on the universal throne, at the right hand of his Father, from his ascension into heaven until his Father makes his enemies his footstool. Rev. iii, 21; Ps. cx, 1; Heb. x, 12, 13; Matt. xxii, 44. His throne and crown are not given him until he has finished his work in the heavenly Sanctuary, and the atonement completed for all the saints, the 144000 sealed with the seal of the living God, the Third Angel's Message closed, probation ended, his Priestly and Meditatorial office forever closed in the Tabernacle of God. Then, as shadowed by the typical service [Lev. xvi, 23, 24] he changes his raiment. On his head is an helmet of salvation, "and he puts on the garments of vengeance for clothing." Isa. lix, 17. We understand that at this point of time he is anointed and crowned king, and receives his throne in accordance with the promises of God. "He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David." "Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever." Luke i, 32; Isa. ix, 7; Acts ii, 30. "But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever. . . . Therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows." Heb. i, 8, 9; Ps. xlv, 6, 7. This anointing is different from the anointing he received to preach the glad tidings of the kingdom. See Luke vi, 18; Acts iv, 27. "Also I will make him my first-born, higher than the kings of the earth. His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven. His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me. It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful WITNESS IN HEAVEN." Ps. lxxxix, 27, 29, 36, 37. "Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion." Ps. ii, 6. "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." Dan. xii, 1. Michael is King of kings and Lord of lords. See Dan. x, 13, 21; Rev. i, 5; xix, 16. To "STAND UP," signifies to reign. Proof. "Now will I show thee the truth. Behold there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia. . . . And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will. And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven." Dan. xi, 2-4. Then shall stand up a raiser of taxes. . . . And in his estate shall stand up a vile person. Verses 21, 22. See also chap. viii, 22, 23. Here are six universal rulers in Persia, Grecia and Rome, following in consecutive order, that stand up, or begin to reign. So when Michael (Christ) stands up, he also begins to reign. Where does he begin his reign? Ans. "Yet have I set my king upon my holy HILL OF ZION." From the foregoing testimony we learn that our great High Priest will close his work in the heavenly Sanctuary, and be inaugurated king upon his father David's throne on mount Zion in heaven, at the commencement of the time of trouble such as never was. This time of trouble begins with the pouring out of the vials of the wrath of God upon Babylon, called also the day of vengeance. "For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come." Isa. lxiii, 4; xxxiv, 8. "Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine." Rev. xviii, 8. As famine and death cannot come on the family of Babylon in one day of twenty four hours, for no one person could be famished in so short a time, or receive all of the seven plagues, we therefore understand that this is a prophetic day, as stated above; viz., "Day of vengeance, and year of the redeemed." See also Isa. xxi, 16. Here we further prove that from the time the Saviour is anointed and receives his crown and throne until he appears the second time to redeem the saints will be about one year. The reader will please notice these facts, because Age to Come writers deny it, and assert that God sets up a kingdom on the earth after Christ's second appearing. The difference in time between us, is about one year, and the places for setting up the kingdom are as far apart as heaven and earth. These writers further assert that there is no mount Zion in heaven, but it is the mount Zion in old Jerusalem in Asia, where the kingdom is to be set up. We think the Scriptures plainly teach with respect to mount Zion on earth, and also in heaven. That there is a mount Zion in heaven, we prove as follows: "The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake. . . . So shall ye know that I am the Lord your God, dwelling in Zion my holy mountain. . . . For the Lord dwelleth in Zion." Joel iii, 16, 17, 21; Amos i, 2. Jeremiah says, "The Lord shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation." Chap. xxv, 30. Paul says, "If they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from HEAVEN." Heb. xii, 25. "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." Rev. xvi, 17. As these prophecies are all shown to point out one great event, viz., the voice of God, how manifestly clear it is that mount Zion is the habitation of God, and is on high, and as Paul and John show, is in heaven. It is the place whereon is the temple, and throne of God. In Isa. viii, 16-19, we have a prophecy pointing to the very age and time we live in, viz., to the sealing of the disciples, while they wait upon, and are looking for, the Lord. And also to an opposite class that "seek unto familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter:" in another place called "spirits of Devils." The world has been witnessing these wonders for the last seven years. Verse 18 shows in this time the Lord of hosts dwelleth in MOUNT ZION. Paul further shows that the saints will come to "mount Zion, and unto the City of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem." John sees 144000 in their glorified state stand on mount Zion with the Lamb, "which were redeemed from the earth." Rev. xiv, 1-3. How plain and clear it is that there is a mount Zion in heaven, on which is located the temple and throne of the living God. This we think we have proved from the Scriptures to be the consecrated hill of Zion, [Ps. ii, 6.] where God is about to set up a kingdom in the days of these kings by giving his Son the throne of his father David, of which "kingdom there shall be no end." This brings us to our third proposition.