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A CONSECUTIVE VIEW OF THE PROPHECIES

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Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Sep 4, 1856

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 8, No. 18.

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A CONSECUTIVE VIEW OF THE PROPHECIES

By Joseph Bates

CONCERNING

THE KINGDOM OF GOD

AND

ITS ESTABLISHMENT ON THE EARTH.

BY JOSEPH BATES. (Continued.)

III. CHRIST DELIVERS UP THE KINGDOM TO GOD.

Not the kingdom of David which he receives in heaven, and is yet to be set up on mount Zion, as we have proved, and have no end, but the universal kingdom of his Father, where he is to rule for a limited time as a Priest-king, after the order of Melchisedec, and Mediator of the new covenant, and his Father having subjected all his enemies unto him, and made them "his footstool." Here is the end of his priestly and kingly rule on his Father's throne, and the time for him to receive the throne of David.
Age-to-come writers teach that Christ reigns 1000 years on earth, and then delivers up the kingdom to God. This theory would prove that Christ will sit on two thrones, having all power, and rule over two kingdoms during 1000 years. And what would be still more unintelligible, one throne and kingdom would be in heaven and the other on earth. "The Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool." To sit at the right hand of God is to be "far above all principalities, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that's named, not only in this world, but also in that world which is to come; and hath put all things under his feet." Eph. i, 20-22. See also Heb. viii, 1; 1 Pet. iii, 22. This is in agreement with the Apostle's letter also to the Hebrews. Chap. x, 12, 13.
That the limited time for Christ to sit at the right hand of his Father on his throne above in heaven, is, till his enemies are under his feet, or "made his footstool." Then when he reigns on the earth he does not sit at the right hand of his Father, and consequently not on his throne, but simply on his father David's throne. This is in harmony also with the Apostle's letter to the Corinthians. Chap. xv, 23-28. "But every man in his own order: Christ the first fruits; afterwards they that are Christ's at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father: when he shall have put down all authority and power. For he must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death."
By using a paraphrase it will be read thus: "Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when the Father shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For Christ must reign till the Father hath put all enemies under Christ's feet."
By comparing this with the promise of God, that he would subdue all the enemies of Christ, and make them his footstool, while he [Christ] sat on the throne of his Father in heaven; [Ps. cx, 1; Heb. x, 12, 13; viii, 1; Rev. iii, 21;] we clearly see that the delivering up of the kingdom to God at the end, is at the time of Christ's second coming to raise the righteous dead, and give them victory over death. In verses 54-55 we have it more clearly; viz., "For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised. . . . Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, [Isa. xxv, 8] Death is swallowed up in victory." That is, death is abolished as he afterwards wrote. 2 Tim. i, 10.
The end, in the 24th verse, must refer to the end so often spoken of by the prophets and apostles and Jesus, respecting the sign of his coming, and the end of the world. "Then cometh the end, when he SHALL HAVE DELIVERED up the kingdom to God." By this we learn, as already proved, that the end comes after he has delivered up the kingdom; for then he comes to reap the harvest of the earth; and he says, The harvest is the end of the world. He further says, "And he that overcometh and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations." Rev. ii, 26. This must be over the wicked nations before the resurrection of the righteous dead. Then at his second coming, Death will be destroyed, swallowed up; or, as the Apostle further says, abolished.
Here then we prove conclusively that the end is at Christ's second appearing, after he delivers up the kingdom, and reigns on his Father's throne in heaven. Age-to-come writers say that Christ will come the second time and set up his kingdom over his father David's throne on the earth, and reign a thousand years, and then he will deliver up the kingdom. But there are but two kingdoms brought to view in this subject: 1. God's kingdom which ruleth over all. Ps. ciii, 19. 2. Christ's kingdom upon the throne of David. Isa. ix, 7. And this last cannot be delivered up, because it is unlimited, and without end. But the first one herein named must end, because it was given him for a limited time; viz., Till his enemies are made his footstool. Then it follows that Christ delivers the first, and receives the second; viz., his own, and then comes with the keys of hell and of death to unlock the graves of the sleeping saints, and destroy, and for ever abolish, death, the last enemy of the righteous. Now as they contend that Christ will reign on the earth 1000 years after his second coming and the resurrection of the saints, and then deliver up the kingdom to the Father; they will also be burdened to prove that Christ occupies the two thrones and reigns over the two kingdoms, one in heaven, the other on the earth, at the same time, for the space of 1000 years. If the reader will turn to the second paragraph in this series, he will see what we have proved, viz., that Christ cannot be seated on the throne in heaven while he reigns on the earth.
From the two foregoing propositions we show that the kingdom is set up in heaven, and not on the earth. Also that Christ delivers up the universal kingdom to God in heaven, and not after he has reigned 1000 years on the earth. If the readers wish to examine this subject still further, we recommend them to read the articles of Bro. J. H. Waggoner, in Review for March 20th, and April 10th, 1856. The next proposition is,

IV. THAT JESUS, THE KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS, APPEARS FROM HEAVEN IN HIS KINGDOM.

"And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. . . . When ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand." "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so be for ever with the Lord." Luke xxi, 27, 31; 1 Thess. iv, 16, 17.
"I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing, and his kingdom." 2 Tim. iv, 1.
"And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle."
"And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and true, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns. . . . And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of kings, and Lord of lords." Rev. xiv, 14; xix, 11, 12, 16.
At the second appearing of Jesus John sees him come out of heaven crowned a king. Paul says he comes in his kingdom. This is positive proof that the change of kingdoms and the setting up of Christ's kingdom, all take place in heaven, as we have shown.

V. AT THE SECOND APPEARING OF CHRIST THE WICKED NATIONS ARE DESTROYED.

On a certain occasion while Jesus was preaching the kingdom of God and the coming of the Son of man, he said, "As it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came and DESTROYED THEM ALL. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot: they did eat, they drank, they bought, theysold, they planted, they builded; but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all." Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. Luke xvii, 26-30.
That the wicked will all be destroyed as in the days of Noah and Lot, at the revelation of the Son of man, is clear and certain, from the view that John afterwards had when the dreadful scene was shown him in vision. He thus describes it: "I saw heaven opened," and the faithful and true One coming to "judge and make war." "His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns." "And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood," "And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations. . . . And he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God." "And I saw the beasts, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshiped his image. These both were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the throne, which sword proceeded out of his mouth; and all the fowls were filled with their flesh." Rev. xix, 11-21.
The beasts here to be destroyed constitute the Babylon of the Apocalypse, for which the seven last plagues are in reserve. See chap. xviii, 4, 8. These are the professed churches, having the form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. John saw their utter destruction when the Son of man came: "the remnant also," that is, all that will be left from the destruction of Babylon. When the remnant of anything is taken away, nothing remains. After Jesus had died and was brought from the dead, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, these dreadful scenes so long foretold by holy men of God, were summed up in heaven in accordance with the testimony of Jesus, and an angel sent to signify it to John in these words: I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. If any man shall add unto these things, or take away from the words of this prophecy, God shall add unto him the plagues written in this book, and take away his part out of the book of life.
To this utter destruction of wicked men agree the words of Moses, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Joel, Amos, Zechariah, Malachi, and the holy Apostles of the Lamb.
Isaiah was shown the coming of Jesus, his garments red with blood, treading the winepress all alone; with the dreadful declaration, "For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come." Again he says, "Come near, ye nations, to hear, and hearken, ye people; let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the world and all things that come forth of it. For the indignation of the Lord is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter. The mountains shall be melted with their blood. And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved. . . . For it is the day of the Lord's vengeance, and the year of recompenses for the controversy of Zion." Chap. lxiii; xxxiv, 1-4, 8. See also chap. lix, 17-20.
The reader will not fail to see that Isaiah in his day had a view of the same dreadful scene at the second appearing of the Lord. Utter destruction upon all nations and all their armies. We are told that there will not be utter destruction, for there are millions of heathens who never heard of God or the gospel; they will have that privilege after Christ comes. Paul settles that point beyond a doubt: "And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Thess. i, 7, 8. When all are destroyed that know not God, and obey not the gospel, at the appearing of our Lord, none but the righteous can be left.
Daniel's testimony to the same point: "Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and of clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the Summer threshing floor; and the wind carried them away that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. This is the dream."
This dream, as we read, relates to the four universal, earthly governments, symbolized by the four parts of the metallic image. In giving the interpretation he says, "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." Chap. ii, 34-36, 44.
Mark, these five prophecies from Paul, Isaiah, John, Christ and Daniel, point us directly to the second appearing of Christ, for the utter destruction of all earthly kingdoms. When unbelievers in all earthly kingdoms are consumed, and no place found for them, reasonable men would admit that they must be dead. John has told the straight story. First, all are destroyed, and live not again for 1000 years, while the righteous live with Christ during the same 1000 years, from the first resurrection, and never die. Rev. xix, 19-21, xx, 1-6. Then [verses 7-9] when the 1000 years are expired, fire from heaven devours them. Here is reliable evidence that the wicked all die twice: (1.) with pestilence, famine and the seven last plagues, at the time of Christ's second appearing; (2.) a thousand years afterwards by fire from heaven. "This is the second death."
The kings spoken of in the text, are those that arose out of the divided state of the fourth universal kingdom, [Rome,] from A. D. 356 to A. D. 483, and are still in existence to be destroyed when the stone [Christ] shall smite the image on the feet.
There are many other prophecies pointing to the same awful destruction, as far onward as the voice of God, where the battle of the great day begins. Jer. xxv. Here he is directed to cause "all the kingdoms of the world which are upon the face of the earth," to drink of the wine of the wrath of God's fury. "For I will call a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the Lord of hosts." Verses 15, 26, 28. "The Lord shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation. . . . Against all the inhabitants of the earth. . . . And the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth, even unto the other end of the earth." Verses 30, 33.
From Rev. xiv, 10; xv, 1; xvi, 19, we may also learn that the winecup of his fury, "his dregs thereof," [Ps. lxxv, 8,] will be found in the last plagues set in reserve for this dreadful destruction.
David prophesies the same. Ps. xlvi, 6-9. Isa. again, chap. xiii, 6-11; Eze. xiii, 5-15; xxxviii, 18-22. Joel is more full in his description. Chap. iii, 1, 2, 9-17; ii, 1, 2; Hab. iii, 13-16; Zech. xiv, 1-3, 12, 13; Zeph. i, 14-18; iii, 6-8; Rev. xvi, 17. These eight prophecies all point to the voice, or the battle which is at the same time.
Isaiah was further shown that men would hear, but understand not, and see, but perceive not, "until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate." Chap. vi, 9-11. (Verse 13 shows that the holy seed were reserved. So other prophets declare when they speak of this utter destruction. See Jer. iv, 27; Zeph. iii, 9; Amos ix, 8; Zech. xiii, 8, 9.) "Thus hath the Lord said, The whole land shall be desolate, . . . every city shall be forsaken, and not a man dwell therein." Jer. iv, 27, 29. 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. The 8th verse shows that it is not in the past tense, but in the future; even when he shall gather the nations and assemble the kingdoms to destroy them.
"Behold the Lord maketh the earth empty. . . . The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved." . . . The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard. . . . And it shall fall, and not rise again." Isa. xxiv, 1, 19, 20. Verse 21 says, "And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall punish . . . the kings of the earth upon the earth."
This is in perfect harmony with the foregoing, and points to the same time, to the same utter destruction, the same kings and kingdoms that we have presented under this proposition. At the sounding of the seventh trumpet John says "the kingdoms of this world became our Lord's." David further explains that it was the heathen and the uttermost parts of the earth that he received, and adds: "Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." Our text says "it [or he] shall brake in pieces and consume all these kingdoms."
Here is additional proof that the kingdom will be set up in heaven in the days of these kings, because their destruction will be completed by Christ at his second appearing in his kingdom.
Now let us place these two views in juxtaposition.
HOLY SCRIPTURES. AGE TO COME.
1. All unbelievers will be destroyed in connection with the second appearing of Christ. 1. Multitudes of people and nations will be saved to hear the gospel when Christ comes.
2. "The Lord maketh the earth empty . . . utterly broken down, clean dissolved. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard. . . . And it shall fall and not rise again." 2. Part of the earth will then be made new; for Christ will set up his kingdom there over David's throne, and be permanently established for a thousand years, and the glory of the Lord will fill the earth as never before since there was a nation.
3. "Their streets waste that none passeth by; their cities are destroyed so that there is no man, that there is none inhabitant." 3. The streets will be thronged with people. The city of Jerusalem in Palestine will be built and continue to rise in glory and splendor as never before. The earth will be filled with the innumerable multitude of the saints, [Rev. vii, 9; Heb. xi, 12,] a multitude that no man can number, and they with Christ their king, will rule over the heathen: and the world will be filled with the good news and glad tidings of the gospel, which will be proclaimed to them from the time that Christ comes the second time, and onward during 1000 years.
According to this doctrine the earth will always be inhabited by a great mass of people, and at the second coming of Christ, the saints of all ages, which cannot be numbered for multitude, are to spread themselves all over it. When in this very same 1000 years the prophets, apostles and Christ have stated that there would be no one living on the earth. I hope my readers will not fail to see the great contrast there is between these two opposite views, and thus decide for God and his word.

VI. SAINTS TAKEN FROM THE EARTH TO MOUNT ZION IN HEAVEN.

On that night in which our Lord was taken to be crucified, he said to his disciples: "Yet a little while I am with you; ye shall seek me; and as I have said unto the Jews, whether I go ye cannot come; so now I say unto you. Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards. . . . 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 xiii, 33, 36; xiv, 1-3.
Christ was crucified the next day, was buried, and arose and went to heaven. Peter could not follow him then, but he would follow him afterwards; viz., when he came again the second time at the resurrection. Then not only Peter but all the saints are to be taken to the mansions he has prepared for them. Paul was not present then, but he understood that the promise was to take the saints to heaven. Hear him."But ye are [Macknight says, shall] come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels; to the general assembly and church of the first born, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect. And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant." Heb. xii, 22-24.
This is perfectly plain. God and Christ live in the heavenly Jerusalem, where the first born are to be assembled. The very place where he is preparing the mansions for the saints. God's voice delivers the saints before they can go to mount Zion. The 26th verse shows this going to mount Zion yet future. Heb. xii, 22-24. Paul further declares that the Jerusalem which now is, is in bondage with her children; but Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. Gal. iv, 25, 26. It is the holy Jerusalem, the bride, the Lamb's wife, which is yet to descend out of heaven. The saints will come with it. Hence they must go there first. Jesus also made this plain, as follows: "And they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." Matt. xxiv, 30, 31. From this point of time the saints will ever be with the Lord. See 1 Thess. iv, 17.
Isa. lxiii, 1-4, shows the second coming of the Lord to be a day of vengeance, and year of the redeemed. "Vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel." At the same time the righteous dead raised and the living saints together caught up to meet him in the air. 2 Thess. i, 8; 1 Thess. iv, 17. Here are the two classes of men which the Bible describes: one destroyed, and the other redeemed at the second coming of Christ.
But we are told the saints stop only a little moment in the air, and then with their Lord descend to the mount of Olives; then he sets up the kingdom and reigns on the earth for a thousand years. We have shown that the Lord and his saints do not come to the earth at that time; but we will endeavor to show where they do go.
John describes the Saviour on a white cloud. To this the saints are caught up. When next spoken of they were seen standing as it were on a sea of glass, shouting victory over the beast and his image, [Rev. xv, 2,] and Babylon the great which had fallen. In chap. xix, 1-4, he describes the same people shouting over her destruction, and says that it was a great voice of much people in heaven. See also chap. xviii, 20. Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets. This they cannot do till Jesus calls them from their graves and takes them to heaven.
In chap. iv, 1-6, John saw a door opened in heaven, and was called to "come up hither." "And immediately I was in the Spirit: and behold a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne." "And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal." Again in chap. xxii, 1, "And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and the Lamb." Here we prove that this sea or body of water, proceeds out of the throne of God in heaven, where John saw the saints shouting over the beast and his image. This is the very place where Jesus promises they should go when he had prepared the mansions for them in his Father's house. Then the saints will not go from the white cloud to mount Olivet in Palestine, but up to the throne of God.
This is in perfect harmony with what is recorded in chap. xiv, 1-5; 144,000, standing with the Lamb, on mount Zion, redeemed from the earth, redeemed from among men. Their voice like many waters comes from "heaven:" they are without fault before the throne of God.
The persecuted saints are to be rewarded in heaven. Those who do and teach God's commandments shall be called great. Matt. v, 10-12, 19. Verse 16 shows that Jesus was speaking of the heaven where his Father lived. See also chap. vi, 21.
The saints will eat and drink in heaven. Matt. xxvi, 29; Luke xiv, 15; xxii, 28-30. The marriage supper will be in heaven. xix, 1, 5-9. See also Rev. vii, 16, 17.
The saints will sing four different songs in heaven: (1.) a song of victory over the beast and his image, &c. Rev. xv, 2, 3; xix, 1-4. (2.) As it were a new song that no man can sing. Chap. xiv, 2, 3. (3.) For the marriage of the Lamb is come. Murdock translates it, "For the marriage supper of the Lamb has come." Chap. xix, 5-9. As the first song [verse 1] is to be sung in heaven, so this will follow in order. The fourth song will come in its order after the Judgment.
Again, in chap. vii, 9, 10, John had a view of all the saints after the resurrection. It was said to him, "These are they which come out of great tribulation; and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them." Verses 14, 15.
Here is undisputed testimony which binds all the other points introduced under this head; viz., that at the resurrection the saints go immediately to heaven, and there partake of the marriage supper of the Lamb, eat and drink, sing, and serve God day and night in his temple. He has no temple but his own in heaven. When John saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, come down from heaven to earth, he says, "And I saw no temple therein." As God does not change his dwelling place, his temple cannot be removed.
We believe here is sufficient testimony to show that Jesus does not come to the earth at his second appearing. Hence Age-to-come theory has no starting point—no foundation.
(To be Continued.)