California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists · Oakland, Cal. · Jan 14, 1875
The Sermon.
By James White
SIGNS OF THE END.
BY ELDER JAMES WHITE.
"What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world."—DISCIPLES.
"When ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors."—JESUS. Matt. 24:3, 33.
CAN anything be learned from the Bible relative to the period of the second advent? This is a question unsettled in many minds. This is a grave inquiry; and, from the very nature of the subject, is worthy of close investigation, and a candid answer. It is a matter of painful regret that not a few, under the influence of popular prejudice, have decided that the period of the second advent is a secret, hidden with the Lord. While these may scarcely be reached with this subject, as long as they remain under the influence of those religious teachers who denounce all investigation of it as prying into the secrets of the Almighty, there is still a larger class who wait for evidence before deciding. It is with ardent hope of benefiting these, that we write.
We accept the Bible as a revelation from Heaven. What God has revealed in that book; let no man call a mystery, or a secret of the Almighty. "The secret things belong unto the Lord our God; but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever." Deut. 29:29. If the sacred Scriptures do not designate any period in particular for the second appearing of Christ, then men should at once abandon the vain search for proofs of his soon coming. But if prophecy, in a most clear and harmonious manner, does point to the period of that great event, and if there is evidence that "it is near, even at the doors," the subject at once assumes vast importance.
When the disciples inquire, "What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?" Jesus does not reprove them for inquiring into that which was purposely hidden from all men; but he answers that question in the most definite manner. He even states that there should be signs of that event in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and adds, "When ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors."
The simple fact that the Lord mentions signs of his second advent, is the best proof possible that his people were not to remain ignorant of the relative nearness of the event. Add to this evidence his declaration that when these signs should be seen, his people should know that it was near, at the doors, and the case becomes an exceedingly strong one.
No truth of inspiration can be more clearly stated than that God reveals his designs to his prophets, that men and nations may be warned before their accomplishment. "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." Amos 3:7. Before visiting with judgments, God has uniformly sent forth warnings sufficient to enable the believing to escape his wrath, and to condemn those who have not heeded the warning. This was the case before the flood. "By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his house, by which he condemned the world." Heb. 11:7.
At a later period, when the nations had become sunken in idolatry and crime, and the destruction of wicked Sodom was determined, the Lord said, "Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do, seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?" Gen. 18:17, 18. And due notice was given to righteous Lot, who, with his daughters, was preserved; and none, even in that guilty city, perished without due warning. Lot evidently warned the people; and, in thus communing with them, was "vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked." 2 Pet. 2:7, 8. When he warned his sons-in-law, "he seemed as one that mocked." Gen. 19:14. And when "the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter," Lot warned them, and entreated them to desist from their wickedness. And they at once did that which all sinners, since the days of righteous Lot, have been disposed to do to those who faithfully warn them of their sins; namely, they charged him with being a judge.
Before the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, a forerunner was sent to prepare the way before the Lord. Those who did not receive Christ, were rejected, "because," as he said to Jerusalem, when warning the people of the destruction of their city and temple, "thou knewest not the time of thy visitation." Luke 19:44. We have on record the Lord's prediction of the destruction of Jerusalem during the time of the generation that rejected him, which was fulfilled in less than forty years from the time of his crucifixion. And, that the Christians in Judea might escape its impending doom, they were told that 'when they should "see Jerusalem compassed with armies," or, as recorded by Matthew, "the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place," they were to "flee to the mountains." Luke 21:20; Matt. 24:15. They heeded the admonition, and escaped to Pella.
Such is the testimony of inspiration respecting the dealings of God with his people in past ages. And it cannot be supposed that God will change his course relative to the future, when that future is to realize the crowning consummation of all prophetic declarations. Probably no one chapter of the Bible speaks more fully, and more definitely, upon the subject of the second coming of Christ, than Matt. 24. We invite the attention of the candid reader to a brief explanation of the entire chapter.
Verse 1. "And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple; and his disciples came to him for to show him the buildings of the temple." Jesus had been addressing the multitude, in the presence of his disciples. He had reproved the scribes and Pharisees for their sins, and had declared the doom of the Jews, their city, and their temple. Chap. 23. The disciples supposed that the temple would stand forever. And they called the attention of Christ to its magnificence and strength, as if to convince him that he was mistaken.
Verse 2. "And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? Verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down." This statement from the Master could but deeply interest the disciples. And whether they supposed that the destruction of the temple, the coming of Christ and the end of the age, would all occur at the same time, or at different periods, it matters not; since Christ in his answer in this chapter, has distinctly spoken of each separately, and has given each its place in the prophetic history of events.
Verse 3. "And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?" These questions relate, first, to the destruction of Jerusalem; and, second, to Christ's second coming at the end of the Christian age. They were distinctly answered by our Lord, not, however, before the promiscuous multitude; but on the occasion of a private interview with his disciples. Christ here speaks to his disciples; hence his words are addressed to the church ever after. Mark the caution given by our Lord as he commences to answer these questions.
Verses 4, 5. "And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many." Jesus knew the heart of man, and that many impostors would arise, and deceive multitudes. He here warns his disciples, and guards them against the deceptions of corrupt and ambitious men. Such was the general expectation of the appearance of the Messiah among the Jews, that many would set up the claim that they were the Christ, to carry out selfish purposes. Buck, in his "Theological Dictionary," gives a list of false Christs as they have appeared during the Christian dispensation.98
1. Caziba, who set himself up at the head of the Jewish nation, and proclaimed himself their long-expected Messiah. To facilitate the success of his bold enterprise, he changed his name to that of Barchocheba, alluding to the Star foretold by Balaam. Adrian raised an army, and sent it against him. He retired into a town called Bither, where he was besieged. Barchocheba was killed in the siege, the city was taken, and a dreadful havoc succeeded. The Jews themselves allow, that, during this short war against the Romans in defense of this false Messiah, they lost five or six hundred thousand souls. This was in the former part of the second century.
2. In the reign of Theodosius the younger, in the year of our Lord 434, another impostor arose, called Moses Cretensis. He pretended to be a second Moses, sent to deliver the Jews who dwell in Crete.
3. In the reign of Justin, about 520, another impostor appeared, who called himself the son of Moses. His name was Dunaan. He entered into a city of Arabia Felix, and there he greatly oppressed the Christians; but he was taken prisoner, and put to death by Elesban, an Ethiopian general.
4. In the year 529, the Jews and Samaritans rebelled against the Emperor Justinian, and set up one Justin for their king; and accounted him the Messiah. The emperor sent an army against them, killed great numbers, took their pretended Messiah, and immediately put him to death.
5. In the year 571, was born Mahomet in Arabia. At first he professed himself the Messiah who was promised to the Jews. By this means he drew many of that unhappy people after him. In some sense, therefore, he may be considered in the number of false Messiahs.
6. About the year 721, in the time of Leo Isaurus, arose another false Messiah in Spain; his name was Serenus. He drew great numbers after him, to their no small loss and disappointment, but all his pretensions came to nothing.
7. The twelfth century was fruitful in false Messiahs; for about the year 1137, there appeared one in France, who was put to death, and many of those who followed him.
8. In the year 1138, the Persians were disturbed with a Jew who called himself the Messiah. He collected together a vast army. But he, too, was put to death, and his followers treated with great inhumanity.
9. In the year 1157, a false Messiah stirred up the Jews at Corduba, in Spain. The wiser and better sort looked upon him as a madman, but the great body of the Jews in that nation believed in him. On this occasion almost all the Jews in Spain were destroyed.
10. In the year 1167, another false Messiah arose in the kingdom of Fez, which brought great troubles and persecutions upon the Jews that were scattered throughout that country.
11. In the same year an Arabian set up for the Messiah and pretended to work miracles. When search was made for him, his followers fled.
12. Not long after this, a Jew, who dwelt beyond Euphrates, called himself the Messiah, and drew vast multitudes of people after him.
13. In the year 1174, a magician and false Christ arose in Persia, who was called David Almusser. He pretended that he could make himself invisible; but he was soon taken and put to death, and a heavy fine laid upon his brethren the Jews.
14. In the year 1176, another of these impostors arose in Moravia. But the reign of delusion is short, and his fate appears to have been similar to that of his predecessor.
15. In the year 1199, a famous cheat and rebel appeared in Persia, called David el David. He was a man of learning, a great magician, and pretended to be the Messiah. He raised an army against the king, but was taken and imprisoned.
16. We are told of another false Christ in this same century, by Maimonides and Solomon; but they take no notice either of his name, country, or good or ill success. Here we may observe that no less than ten false Christs arose in the twelfth century, and brought prodigious calamities and destruction upon the Jews in various quarters of the world.
17. In the year 1497, we find another false Christ, whose name was Ismael Sophus, who deluded the Jews in Spain. He also perished, and as many as believed in him were dispersed.
18. In the year 1500, Rabbi Lemlem, a German Jew of Austria, declared himself the forerunner of the Messiah, and pulled down his own oven, promising his brethren that they should bake their bread in the Holy Land next year.
19. In the year 1509, one whose name was Pfefferkorn, a Jew of Cologne, pretended to be the Messiah. He afterward affected, however, to turn Christian.
20. In the year 1534, Rabbi Salomo Malcho, giving out that he was the Messiah, was burned to death by Charles the fifth, of Spain.
21. In the year 1615, a false Christ arose in the East Indies, and was greatly followed by the Portuguese Jews, who were scattered over that country.
22. In the year 1624, another in the Low Countries pretended to be the Messiah of the family of David, and of the line of Nathan. He promised to destroy Rome, and to overthrow the kingdom of Antichrist, and the Turkish Empire.
23. In the year 1666, appeared the false Messiah Sabbati Sevi, who made so great a noise, and gained such a number of proselytes. He was born at Aleppo, imposed on the Jews for a considerable time; but afterward, with a view of saving his life, turned Mahometan, and was at last beheaded.
24. The last false Christ that had made any considerable number of converts, was one Rabbi Mordecai, a Jew of Germany; he appeared in the year 1682. It was not long before he was found out to be an impostor, and was obliged to fly from Italy to Poland, to save his life.
Here, then, we have a record of twenty-four false Christs who arose at different periods during thirteen hundred years of the Christian age, and deceived "many," as the Lord had said.
Verses 6-8. "And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that ye be not troubled; for these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows."
Wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes, have occurred at different periods since these words were spoken. Therefore, these, as they have ever existed, cannot be regarded as the especial signs of the end. It may be urged, however, with a good degree of consistency, that the Scriptures teach that these calamities would exist in the last days to that extent as to constitute a sign of the approaching Judgment. We wish to keep the important fact distinctly before the mind, that the sacred Scriptures do teach when men may not, and when they may, look for the second appearing of Jesus Christ.
The sacred writers had so uniformly associated such judgments as war, famine, pestilence, and earthquake, with the last Judgment, that the disciples would be in danger of concluding that the end would immediately follow the first appearance of these calamities; hence the caution given: "These things must come to pass, but the end is not yet." Here the disciples were clearly taught that they should not expect the end in their day. This fact is worthy of the candid attention of those who object to the proclamation of the second advent of Christ in the form of an especial message. These sometimes assert that it was right for the disciples to look for Christ in their day, and that it has been scriptural and right for all Christians to look for the second appearing of Christ in their time, from the days of the chosen twelve to the present time. And they decide that no more can be learned and believed upon this subject in our time, than by the Christians of past generations, and that the public mind should not now be moved upon this great question, any more than in all past time since the first advent of Christ.
We have seen that this position is incorrect so far as the early disciples were concerned. They are cited to the distant future as the time when their Lord should come. They are assured that they need not be troubled at hearing of wars and rumors of wars; "for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet." Our Lord then guides the minds of his disciples, as we shall see in the examination of this chapter, down over the time of the great apostasy, and the long period of the rule of papal Rome, before mentioning a sign of his second advent. He does not intimate that his people during these long periods may expect the end. No, not once. But when he comes near our time, the Lord gives signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars, and adds: "When ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors." (Continued.)
What Pleases God.
By Gerhardt
What God decrees, child of his love,
Take patiently, though it may prove
The storm that wrecks thy treasure here.
Be comforted! thou needst not fear
What pleases God.
The wisest will is God's own will;
Rest on this anchor, and be still;
For peace around thy path shall flow,
When only wishing here below
What pleases God.
The truest heart is God's own heart,
Which bids thy grief and fear depart;
Protecting, guiding, day and night,
The soul that welcomes here aright
What pleases God.
Oh, could I sing as I desire,
My grateful voice should never tire,
To tell the wondrous love and power
Thus working out, from hour to hour,
What pleases God.
The King of kings, he rules on earth,
He sends us sorrow here, or mirth,
He bears the ocean in his hand;
And thus we meet, on sea or land,
What pleases God.
His church on earth he dearly loves,
Although he oft its sin reproves;
The rod itself his love can speak,
He smites till we return to seek
What pleases God.
Then let the crowd around thee seize
The joys that for a season please,
But willingly their paths forsake,
And for thy blessed portion take
What pleases God.
Thy heritage is safe in Heaven;
There shall the crown of joy be given;
There shalt thou hear and see and know,
As thou couldst never here below,
What pleases God.
—Gerhardt.
Ministration of Angels.
By Dudley Marvin Canright
SATAN GAINS POSSESSION OF THE EARTH.
SATAN having lost his place in Heaven, resolves to obtain a kingdom for himself. Man had just been created and put into possession of this earth. Proof: "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowls of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." Gen. 1:26. "The Heaven, even the Heavens, are the Lord's, but the earth hath he given to the children of men." Ps. 115:16. God made man the ruler over all the earth; it was his to occupy and enjoy. Probably good angels warned him of the fall of Satan, and cautioned him to beware of the devil's temptations. But Satan resolved to make an effort to cheat man out of the dominion of the earth, and make it his own home.
Did the devil have anything to do with the fall of man? We think that he did, and that by that transaction he accomplished more than simply the fall of man. He deceived our first parents, and led them into sin. Rev. 12:9, he is called "that old serpent, the devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world." If he "deceiveth the whole world," he must have deceived our first parents in the beginning. John says, "He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning." 1 John 3:8. In verse 12, he says that Cain "was of that wicked one, and slew his brother." Then "that wicked one" was in the world in the days of Cain, and had a hand in instigating him to kill his brother. By turning to Gen. 3:1-15, we find that that old serpent, the devil, and Satan, "which deceiveth the whole world," did indeed deceive Eve. "Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die; for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat; and gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat."
Here we see that the serpent did really lie to the woman and make her believe that it was for her good to eat of that fruit. Says Paul, "The woman being deceived was in the transgression." 1 Tim. 2:14. They did not do this deed willfully, but were deceived. "And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me and I did eat." Gen. 3:13. To argue that it was simply the reptile which we call the serpent, that did all this, is absurd. But when we understand that Satan was there with all his cunning, and simply used the serpent as his medium through which to deceive Eve, all is rational and harmonious. This makes Jesus' saying true, that the devil was a liar from the beginning.
But Satan had a grand object in view in this transaction; something more than to simply revenge himself on God. To ascertain what this object was, we will inquire what man lost by his fall. He was created, and then crowned with glory and honor (Heb. 2:7), and given a right to the tree of life (Gen. 2:9, 16, 17), which would perpetuate his life forever (chap. 3:22, 23). The whole earth was given him as his dominion. But by his transgression, man lost all that God had given him. 1. He lost his life. "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." Rom. 5:12. Death came, then, as the result of sin. If man had never sinned, he never would have died. 2. He lost his dominion over the world. Paul quotes David as above, and then comments on it as follows; "For in that he hath put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that was not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him." Heb. 2:6-8.
Ah! something has happened. Once all things were under him; but now we see a different state of things—man has lost his dominion. Into whose hands did this possession go when man had lost it? Back into the hands of God? No it did not. Says Paul, "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?" Rom. 6:16. God told Adam and Eve not to touch the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. Satan told them to eat freely of it. They heeded his advice, and took the fruit as he told them to do. By this act they left the service of God, and entered into the service of Satan. Thus they became his servants. This fact is too clear to be disputed.
Paul says Jesus suffered death that he might destroy the devil, "and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." Heb. 2:15. If men are in "bondage," who is their master? Let Peter answer: "For of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage." 2 Pet. 2:19. This is another testimony to the point. Adam and Eve were overcome by the arts of the devil. Thus, according to Paul, they became his servants, and according to Peter, his bondmen, his captives. Of course all their possessions went into the hands of their captor, or master, Satan. When Adam was overcome, his possession, the world, passed out of his hands into the hands of his captor, Satan. If man had deliberately rebelled against his Maker, then he would have forfeited his possession, which, of course, would have gone back to its original giver, God. But Adam and Eve were deceived, cheated, and overcome, by an enemy. Hence, instead of forfeiting their possession, they were defrauded out of it.
Thus the devil "beguiled" man out of his dominion, and usurped his place and authority. Hence he is now "the god of this world," or "the prince of this world." He now holds the dominion of the world, the same as Adam did before he lost it. Says Paul, "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost; in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." 2 Cor. 4:3, 4. Said Jesus: "For the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me." John 14:30. That Satan has a kingdom, is proved by the following text: "And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?" Matt. 12:26. A testimony to the same effect is found in Eph. 6:12: "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against wicked spirits in high places."
Rev. 11:15, puts this question beyond dispute. "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 of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever." When the seventh, or last, angel shall sound, the kingdoms of this world "become" the kingdom of our Lord and his Christ. Then it is certain that they were in the possession of some other person previous to that time, or else they could not "become" the Lord's at that time. We regard this as decisive proof on this point. We do not claim that Satan rules with unlimited authority. He has only the limited dominion which God gave Adam. God restricts him within certain limits beyond which he cannot go. God, for a limited time, simply permits Satan to do as he does.
But all we need to convince us that Satan has great authority in this world, is to cast our eyes over his history from Adam to the present time. Lying, robbing, hatred, war, murder, and bloodshed, have been the order of the day. Even in this boasted, enlightened age, where is there a Christian nation? Three-fourths of the world to-day do not believe in the true and living God, and nine-tenths of the rest are practical infidels! Man of reason, open your eyes and tell us whom the world is serving—God, or Satan? Is this the way the Lord rules? Is this his government? Look even at the brute creation, and you will see the same evil principle actuating them. From the least to the greatest of them, they are continually warring and preying upon each other. Paul says of them, "For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit, . . . waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body." Rom. 8:22, 23. Thus he shows that they are also under the curse, in the hands of the devil.
John makes this point very emphatic. He says, "We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness." 1 John 5:18, 19.
Dr. Adam Clark comments on this passage: "The whole world lieth in wickedness. . . . Lieth in the wicked one,—is embraced in the arms of the devil, where it lies fast asleep, and carnally secure, deriving its heat and power from its infernal fosterer. What a truly awful state! And do not the actions, tempers, propensities, opinions, and maxims, of all worldly men prove and illustrate this? 'In this short expression,' says Mr. Wesley, 'the horrible state of the world is painted in the most lively colors; a comment of which we have in the actions, conversations, contracts, quarrels, and friendships, of worldly men.' Yes, their actions are opposed to the law of God; their conversations, shallow, simulous, and false; their contracts, forced, interested, and deceitful; their quarrels, puerile, ridiculous, and ferocious; and their friendships, hollow, insincere, capricious, and fickle:—all, all the effect of their lying in the arms of the wicked one; for thus they become instinct with his own spirit; and because they are of their father, the devil, therefore his lust they will do."
The children of God in this world are so few that they only form an exception to the general rule. They are not of the world, but are chosen out of the world. Of them Jesus said, "If ye were of the world, the world would love his own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you." John 15:19. This is conclusive proof that the world is now under the control of Satan, serving him. If God ruled in this world, to be a child of God would be to do as the world does. But the truth is, this world is in rebellion against God, and is serving Satan, God's great enemy. Hence James says, "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever, therefore, will be a friend of the world, is the enemy of God." James 4:4. We will now leave the reader to judge whom the world is serving—God, or Satan.
D. M. CANRIGHT.
The Saints' Inheritance.
By John Norton Loughborough
THE THOUSAND YEARS.
WE proved in our last article that the saints are to go to Heaven with Christ at the commencement of the thousand years of Rev. 20, and that this "reign" cannot be on the earth, but is, as the text states it, a "Reign with Christ." The promises of the Bible in relation to the earth are of a three-fold character. Some of them have already been fulfilled, and some relate to the future possession of the earth by Christ and the redeemed, immortal saints. Many of them are conditional; for the conditions are distinctly expressed, and, as the people failed to fulfil the conditions on their part, of course, the promise being conditional, becomes null and void. Of promises that have reference to national blessings, I see not how they could be otherwise than conditional. To claim that God will bless a nation irrespective of its character, is contrary to all his past dealings with his people. Although there may be instances where promises of national blessings are given, and no condition expressed, yet such condition is always to be understood. The Lord says (Jer. 18:7-10), "At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; if that nation against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; if it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them."
There is no principle recognized in the word of God by which pardon can be obtained after the second advent of Christ. It cannot be effected by the mediation of Christ; for that ends when he lays aside his priestly garments and takes his position as a King. When Christ ceases his mediation, he that is unrighteous must be so still. Mercy then no longer pleads. The offering of Christ will then be of no avail, for he has forever cut the wicked off from having any interest in his blood; they must remain filthy still. If they offer beasts, the blood of beasts cannot take away sins. Because there is no principle recognized for salvation except the intercession of Jesus, we can see no chance for salvation after that intercession ends; so there can be no probation after his second advent. It is argued that, as the earth is the territory of the kingdom, if the kingdom is established at the coming of Christ, it must be that the thousand years' reign is on the earth. Now I shall not disagree with the first position, that the earth is to become finally the kingdom; for "the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven," are to be given to the saints of the Most High. It is the new earth, however, that is to be the inheritance of the saints. As regards the kingdom being established at the coming of Christ, we understand his kingdom does commence when he puts on his kingly robes. The government, or kingdom, we understand, is fully organized in the city above; and when sinners are destroyed out of the earth, and the earth made new, the dominion and greatness of that kingdom will be under the whole heavens.
If the reign of the thousand years is in Heaven, and the kingdom is not established on the earth till after that period, what is the condition of the earth during the thousand years? Whatever condition it is placed in at the commencement of that period, must be its condition to the close, unless we have evidence to the contrary. We read in Isa. 24: 1, "Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof." Verse 3. "The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled; for the Lord hath spoken this word." Verses 5, 6. "The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof: because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the99inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left."
It does not say there are a few men left on the earth, but the testimony is that the "Lord maketh the earth EMPTY." "The land shall be utterly emptied," &c. Then these few men left are not on the earth. We suppose those who are left are the saints, who, we have already shown, will go to Heaven with Jesus after his second advent.
Jeremiah describes (Jer. 4: 23-27) the state of things after the earth is turned upside down: "I beheld the earth, and lo, it was without form, and void: and the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. 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; yet will I not make a full end." The Lord will not make a full end, for the good reason that the earth is to be restored, and then it will be given to man as his inheritance. The quotation above shows as desolate a condition of the earth as when God first spoke it into existence. This desolation is in the day of the Lord, and as there is no proof that there is a man on earth again till the end of the thousand years, our position is that it is utterly emptied during that period.
We read in Zeph. 1: 2, 3, "I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the Lord. I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumbling-blocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the Lord." By reading verse 7, we learn when this is to be. "Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord God: for the day of the Lord is at hand: for the Lord hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests." In Rev. 19: 17, we read of the sacrifice and guests to which the prophet refers.
In Isa. 13: 9, we read, "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." The day of the Lord will desolate the land: so there are no mortal nations for the saints to reign over. The wicked dead have no resurrection till the end of the thousand years; and as the reign of the saints is with Christ, the earth must be desolate during the thousand years.