Signs of the Times, Vol. 37, No. 37. (9/20/1910)

Signs of the Times

Sep 20, 1910

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Sep 20, 1910

Fundamental Gospel Facts

The Government:

"The Lord hath prepared His throne in the heavens; and His kingdom ruleth over all." Ps. 103:19.

The Subjects:

"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." Eccl. 12: 13, 14.

Transgression:

"Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law." 1 John 3: 4. "All unrighteousness is sin." 1 John 5: 17.

The Disobedient:

"There is none righteous, no, not one." "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Rom. 3: 10, 23.

The Consequence:

"And so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." Rom. 5: 12.

The Remedy:

"For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith." Rom. 1: 16, 17.

The Fruitage:

"Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." Rev. 14: 12.

"IF YE WILL INQUIRE, INQUIRE YE."

By Editor

This Inquirers' Department is conducted for the purpose of helping those who are studying the Bible. The answers are oftentimes only suggestive. They are never to be considered infallible, only as they agree with the infallible Word. The writer who may answer them does not consider that his opinion is infallible. He will simply give the best that he has, and plead with the inquirer to search the Word. Such questions only will be answered as, to the editors, seem to minister to the good of the readers and to the mission of the paper. We can not answer repeatedly in the same volume questions upon the same scripture. The name and address must accompany question, not for publication, but as an evidence of good faith, and that answer may be made by letter if deemed advisable. No letters are answered which do not contain the name of the writer. It is well always to enclose stamp for reply.

3244.—The Lord's Supper and the Passover

Does the Lord's Supper take the place of the Passover?

M. O. B.

In a way, yes; and really, no. It takes its place simply as a commemorative ceremony binding God to His people. It did not mean, however, what the Passover meant. There were two things in the Passover. One was the commemoration of the deliverance from Egyptian bondage when Israel was made a free people. That was the great idea in the mind of the Jew generally. The Passover spoke to him of national deliverance, and it was therefore a great national feast. It also represented, which but few of them saw, the only One who can save from that deeper, darker Egypt of sin,—Jesus Christ; and therefore the paschal lamb was a type of Jesus Christ and was fulfilled in Him as the apostle declares, "Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us." 1 Cor. 5: 7. The Lord's Supper is a memorial, not a type. It is to call to remembrance in a public way the great offering of Christ for us, but it is more than this; it is a representation, in actual bread and wine, of the life communion which ought to exist between brethren through Christ; and the broken bread representing Christ's broken body, and the life, His shed blood, that which binds together His children.

There is also a forward aspect in the Lord's Supper. It points the believer forward to that time when Christ shall again meet with His disciples in the kingdom of God. Therefore "as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till He come." While there are likenesses between the Lord's Supper and the Passover, one should not be confounded with the other. It was after the Passover meal was ended that Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper.

3246.—Spirits in Prison

Will you please explain the meaning of 1 Peter 3:19? That was referred to me as a proof of the immortality of the soul.

The meaning of this text can much better be learned by taking into consideration the context. Read from verses 18 to 20. Let us question the text.

What has Christ once done?—"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust."

Why did He do it?—"That He might bring us to God."

That He might do this what did He pass through?—"Being put to death in the flesh."

After this what was wrought for Him?—"But quickened [or made alive] by the Spirit."

What did He do by that Spirit?—"He went and preached unto the spirits in prison."

Who were these spirits in prison?—Men "which sometime were disobedient."

When were they disobedient, and when did He preach to them?—"When once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah."

What period of time was spent in that preaching to the disobedient ones?—"While the ark was a preparing."

What was the result of the preaching?—"Wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water."

Through whom did He preach?—"Noah, . . . a preacher of righteousness." 2 Peter 2:5.

How did Noah obtain this righteousness and this commission?—"By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith." Heb. 11:7.

The "spirits in prison" were in the prison-house of sin, bound by sin. The purpose of our Lord in giving Himself, and of God in giving His Son, was to save men from that prison-house of sin. See Isa. 61:1; Luke 4:18. God's law shuts every sinner up into sin, the only deliverance of which is the Gospel of Christ. Gal. 3:23. It was our Lord who preached through Noah as declared by Peter himself in his first epistle, 1:10-12. It was the Spirit of Christ by the prophets of old which testified of Jesus, so that when our Lord went and preached to the spirits in prison it was by placing His own Spirit upon Noah; and the time when that generation needed the preaching, was when the ark was preparing.

3247.—Resist Not Evil

By Editor

Will you please explain in harmony with such scriptures as Matt. 26:52; Rev. 13:10; John 18:36; Matt. 5:39, and other scriptures, the words spoken by Jesus, "He that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one"? Luke 22:36. As I understand the example and teaching of the Master, we should not resist evil even in self-defense.

The context may throw some light upon this expression. See verse 37, "And He was reckoned among the transgressors." It seems to be quite clear from the history which is given of Jesus and His disciples that they did not carry swords to defend themselves or wage physical warfare with any man. That was contrary to the whole teaching of the Master; and yet when Jesus was taken, there was seemingly a manifestation of resistance on the part of Him and His disciples. So He was reckoned among the transgressors. The fact may have been brought into His trial that His disciples carried swords, and Jesus permitted this because that was the very thing that was in the hearts of His disciples; but He permitted it not that they might defend Him, not that they might overcome or injure His enemies, because when one of His disciples did draw a sword and cut off the ear of one of the Lord's adversaries Jesus immediately put forth His hand and healed the wound made by His rash disciple. But their action gave the Master an opportunity to teach a lesson of principle to all the ages. When one of these rash disciples drew the sword in defense of the Master, Jesus rebuked him by saying: "Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I can not now pray to My Father, and He shall presently give Me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?" Matt. 26:52-54.

We find the fulfillment of prophecy in this case, and the foundation of a great lesson; the prophecy, that He was "reckoned among transgressors;" the lesson, that He rebuked the rashness on the part of His disciples, showing that "not by might nor by power" must wickedness be met. He rebuked that spirit that would enforce the principles of His kingdom by the sword. Those who have failed to learn the lesson have brought incalculable loss upon the church and untold misery upon the world, of which the Dark Ages and all persecutions are witness; while on the other hand those who have followed the Master have even through their death and suffering advanced His glorious kingdom.

3245.—The Passover Lamb and Our Lord

By H. R. C.

Was there a lamb prepared and eaten by Jesus and His disciples at the last supper and partaken of by them?

It seems to be without question that there was. We find the direction for eating the Passover in Exodus 12. It is there made very clear. Before the Passover Jesus sent His disciples and they were commanded to ask of the man in whose house they celebrated the Passover, "The Master saith, Where is the guest-chamber, where I shall eat the Passover with My disciples?" Mark 14:14. The disciples were there bidden to make ready, and in the making ready they must have followed the directions given in Exodus 12. Jesus ate the Passover with them, for we read in Luke 22:15 His own words, "With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer." The conclusion therefore seems inevitable that they must have slain the paschal lamb and that He must have eaten it with His disciples.

3248.—A Conditional Prophecy

By Editor

Will you please tell me if Ezekiel 47 and 48 have reference to the new Jerusalem and the twelve tribes of Israel? It says the fruit of the trees are for meat, and the leaves for medicine. Eze. 47:12. Does it refer to the Tree of Life? Or will such trees be in the new earth, and do we need medicine there?

The whole of the last part of Ezekiel was a conditional prophecy. From the 36th chapter onward God warned Israel and pleaded with them by every means in His power, to induce them to turn to Him. He told them that their righteous dead would be raised again, and that all the kings of the North and their enemies far and near would be brought in subjection; that a new temple would be built, and that a new division of the land would take place; that the life and healing power of God would come down upon Palestine and the earth as never before; and He also laid down the conditions on which this would be done, in Eze. 43:9-11. That is, they must put away their wickedness, be ashamed of their iniquities. The sad fact is that they were not ashamed. They did not put away their iniquities, and the glorious temple presented by Ezekiel was not built; only one with a shadow of the greatness of that temple was erected by Zerubbabel.

The conditions of God's working are found in Jer. 18:7-10. God may speak good concerning a nation; but if that nation fails to do its part, the Lord will repent of the good that He thought to do. He may speak evil concerning the course of a nation; but if that nation turns from its evil way, the Lord will repent of the evil that He threatened. That temple never will be built. It provided that sacrifices should be offered, but when Jesus Christ died upon the cross He fulfilled all sacrifices. All those promises, however, are faintly typical of what will take place in that new heavens and new earth when God shall restore them by His mighty power.

3249.—The Commandments of the Bible.—

By Editor

3249.—The Commandments of the Bible.—

T.—We have once before answered this question. It would be impossible to give all the commandments of the Bible, be they ever so small, without printing a great part of the Bible. This is entirely out of the question. The Lord tells us by the prophet Hosea (8:12), "I wrote for him the ten thousand things of My law; but they are counted as a strange thing." The American Revised Version. The regular Revised Version speaks of God's drawing out His law into ten thousand precepts. Every injunction in God's Word would be among the commandments of the Lord. The words "precept," "testimony," "judgment," "statute," and still other terms are used, synonyms of commandment. Nor have we space to give all the references where the word "Sabbath" occurs. Our correspondent should secure a good concordance. One can be gotten very reasonably, and such things as that could more easily be looked up through a concordance than to take space in our paper for it. He may have some neighbor who would be only too glad to loan a concordance for a little time in looking up such a matter.

The Mother a Missionary

By Ellen G. White

By Mrs. E. G. White

An important missionary field is opened before the mother. The humble round of duties which women have learned to regard as a wearisome task, should be looked upon as a grand and noble work. It is the mother's privilege to bless the world by her influence; and in doing this she will bring joy to her own heart. She may make straight paths for the feet of her children, through sunshine and shadow, to the glorious heights above. Let the mother go often to her Saviour, with the prayer, Teach us, how shall we order the child, and what shall we do unto him? This simple petition, breathed from the heart of the finite, will find its way to the heart of the Infinite. If the mother will but heed with care the instructions already given in the sacred Word, she will receive further light and knowledge as she shall have need.

It is only when she seeks in her own life to follow the teachings of Christ that the mother can hope to form the characters of her children after the divine pattern. In every generation there have been corrupting influences to blight and contaminate. Fashion and custom exert a strong power over the young. If the mother fails in her duty to instruct, counsel, and restrain, her children will naturally accept the evil and turn from the good. God would have parents enter upon their work with energy and courage, and prosecute it with fidelity. Whatever He has made it their duty to do, He will give them wisdom and strength to accomplish.

While they should, above all else, train their children for the future life, parents should by no means neglect to prepare them for the present life. The mother should study how she may best train her sons and daughters to become useful and happy members of society. She should remember that every habit formed, every thought or feeling cherished, every act performed, however unimportant, will either promote or hinder the accomplishment of this object. The Lord desires that we should enjoy the blessings with which He has surrounded us, and that in all the acts of our lives we should express our continual gratitude. We can do this, not by neglecting and abusing His gifts, but by putting them to a wise and noble use, by exerting a right influence over our fellow men, by reforming wrong customs, instead of following them. "Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart." It is only in pursuing a right course that light and gladness attend our path.

Society is molded by the influence of the mother. She may be wholly occupied within the narrow limits of her home, apparently engaged in life's humblest duties; yet if she does her work as well as she may do it, in the fear of God, she is gaining greater victories than the leader of armed hosts. She may send forth from her home young men and young women strong in right habits and firm principles. The upright deportment and unblemished morals of her children will be a blessing to the church and to society.

God brought the Israelites from Egypt that He might establish them in the land of Canaan, a pure, holy, and happy people. In the accomplishment of this object He subjected them to a course of discipline, both for their own good and for the good of posterity. Had they been willing to deny appetite, in obedience to His wise restrictions, there would have been no feeble ones in all their tribes. Their descendants would have possessed both physical and mental strength. They would have had clear perceptions of truth and duty, keen discrimination, and sound judgment. But the requirements of God were disregarded then as they are disregarded now. The people were dissatisfied with the simple, wholesome food which had been provided by their Creator. Habits of self-indulgence brought the sure result,—degeneracy and decay.

God's commands are never designed to make men unhappy. They are the dictates of infinite wisdom, goodness, and love. While they secure the glory of God, they also promote the happiness of men. His restrictions are a safeguard against depravity of heart and corruption of life. The appetites and passions, indulged without restraint, enslave and degrade the higher and nobler power.

Intemperance in eating and drinking leads to the indulgence of the animal passions. And those who, understanding the effect of their course, indulge appetite and passion at the expense of health and usefulness, are preparing the way to disregard all moral obligations. When temptation assails them, they have little power of resistance. This was the cause of Israel's continual backsliding; and it is the reason why there is so much crime and so little true godliness in the world to-day. The only path of safety is the path of daily restraint and self-denial.

Nothing but the power of God, combined with human effort, can accomplish the work of ennobling and uplifting our race. Had men been willing to learn the lessons which God had given them, successive generations would not have deteriorated so greatly in physical, mental, and moral power. Christ, enshrouded in the cloudy pillar, had spoken again and again to Israel for their good; but they had not heeded His voice. Again He appeared to Manoah and his wife with definite instructions concerning the course she should pursue to insure physical and moral health to her offspring. God had a work for the promised child of Manoah to do,—a work which would require careful thought and vigorous action. It was to secure for him the qualities necessary for this work that all his habits were to be carefully regulated. There are to-day many

statesmen, senators, lawyers, judges, and others in responsible positions, whose physical habits have been, nearly all their lifetime, at war with natural laws. At the outset of their career, these men may have possessed rare intellectual powers; but the precious gifts of God have been soiled and dimmed, and in too many cases buried, in the mire of self-indulgence.

He who will observe simplicity in all his habits, restricting the appetite and controlling the passions, may preserve his mental powers strong, active, and vigorous, quick to perceive everything which demands thought or action, keen to discriminate between the holy and the unholy, and ready to engage in every enterprise for the glory of God and the benefit of humanity.

It is the mother's work to train, to educate, and to discipline. While she seeks to store the mind of her child with useful knowledge, let her fortify the young heart with good principles. There is missionary work to be done at home by the fireside. This important field is neglected because of the difficulties to be met; because the work requires labor and self-denial. But will not the result compensate for the sacrifices made, the efforts put forth? Are souls in heathen lands more precious than souls at home? It is indeed a matter which should concern us, that in foreign lands young girls are growing up to wifehood and motherhood knowing nothing of their duties to themselves, to their children, or to God. But should we not at the same time give some thought to the fact that the girls of America are almost wholly destitute of that knowledge and training which would make them useful and honored as wives and mothers? Would that we could lead mothers who are now worshiping at fashion's shrine to become missionaries at home, training their children to become an honor to God and a blessing to humanity. Would not our Maker look upon such a work with approval?

There is a wide field of labor opened before every mother. If her work is wrought faithfully, in the fear of God, it will bring forth fruit unto eternal life. The mother's work should begin at home. This is the fountain-head from which her influence and usefulness should flow. If her duties here are discharged with fidelity, she will see all around her fields where she may work with the best results. And by and by those words from her Master will fall as sweetest music upon her ear—"Well done, thou good and faithful servant. . . . Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."

Man's Sin and Saviour

By E. J. Hibbard

XI. The Sanctuary Cleansed

IN the plan of God, the Bible mentions two sanctuaries, one on earth and the other in heaven; and the former a type and shadow of the latter. Also the priesthood and service of the earthly sanctuary were all an example and shadow of heavenly things.

Giving directions to Moses concerning the first tabernacle mentioned in the Scriptures, after mentioning the materials commanded for building the same, God adds: "And let them make Me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I show thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it." "And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was showed thee in the mount." Ex. 25: 8, 9, 40.

This is the briefest notice that can be given of the direction given Moses concerning the building of the earthly sanctuary. But Christ is "a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. . . . For if He were on earth, He should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law: who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith He, that thou make all things according to the pattern showed to thee in the mount." Heb. 8: 2, 4, 5.

In a former article we found that the service of the earthly sanctuary was completed each year on the Day of Atonement, that daily through the year, each morning and evening, a sacrifice was offered by the priests for the whole congregation, and the blood sprinkled as directed by the Lord. In this way a record of sin and its remedy was made in the sanctuary. Chapter 4 of the book of Leviticus we find to give specific directions in reference to the sin-offering itself; the sixteenth chapter giving minute details in reference to the cleansing of the sanctuary and of the people from sin on

The Day of Atonement

First, on this day a special offering was to be made for the priests themselves; and, contrary to the custom on any other day during the year, the high priest alone went into the most holy place of the tabernacle, making final atonement for themselves and their families there. Afterward, he came to the door of the tabernacle, where two goats had been brought, and cast lots upon them, one lot for the Lord, and the other for a scapegoat. The goat upon which the Lord's lot fell was slain, and his blood sprinkled in the most holy place of the sanctuary, upon the mercy-seat and before the mercy-seat, giving evidence of the satisfaction of justice demanded by the law concealed within the ark. The final work of cleansing was to sprinkle the blood of the goat, and of the bullock, which was slain for the priests, upon the horns of the altar of sacrifice outside the tabernacle. Thus we see the whole sanctuary was cleansed or hallowed from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.

Speaking of the heavenly sanctuary in contrast with the earthly, it is written that "Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: nor yet that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; for then must He often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself." Heb. 9: 24-26. And again, it is true that Christ "needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people; for this He did once, when He offered up Himself."

The Importance of the Work

From these two quotations we gather the fact that the one sacrifice of Christ took the place of all the daily sacrifices of the earthly sanctuary; and that one cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary takes the place of the yearly cleansing of the earthly sanctuary. It will therefore be of interest to find from the Scriptures when the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary will occur, for on this event hangs the destiny of the world; because you will remember that in cleansing the earthly sanctuary on the Day of Atonement all Israel was commanded to afflict every man his soul and to confess his sins before the Lord. Any person refusing or neglecting to do this was forever cut off from among God's people. This we learn from Lev. 23: 27-30. It was therefore a work of judgment, for it fixed the destiny of every professed servant of God. Once a year every person in Israel had to settle in his own mind definitely and forever whether he would choose to make full surrender to God, confess and forsake all his sins, and begin the new year with a clean record, or whether he would forever separate from the service and recognition of the God of Abraham.

If therefore sometime, near the end of this world, the heavenly sanctuary is cleansed, then, if the type means anything, we must conclude that every professed servant of God will make a full surrender, confess and forsake every sin, accept all the provisions of the Gospel of salvation, and be wholly sanctified from sin, or else separate once and forever from Jesus Christ and His salvation.

The Time of the Cleansing

God chose the prophet Daniel as the channel through which He would reveal this latter truth. In chapter eight of Daniel's prophecy God revealed a ram, a goat, and some horns upon each. The angel Gabriel was sent to interpret the vision, and he stated that the ram which Daniel saw represented the kings of Media and Persia, and the rough goat the kingdom of Grecia; the first horn the first king, which we all know to have been Alexander; the four horns rising in its place represented the four divisions of his empire; and another little horn, which waxed exceeding great toward the south, and east, and toward the pleasant land, stood for "a king of fierce

countenance," and "understanding dark sentences," whose kingdom should continue to the end of this world, or till it is "broken without hands." This king of fierce countenance was to make war with God's people: he was to magnify himself against "the Prince of the host" of heaven, or the "Prince of Princes," as He is called in this chapter, and also tread both the host of heaven and its sanctuary under foot. "Then [said Daniel] I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake,

How Long Shall Be the Vision

concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed." Dan. 8: 13, 14.

If there was any meaning to the question and the answer given, then when this sanctuary shall be cleansed, the host of heaven and the sanctuary which were trodden under foot by this power, shall be delivered.

It is an open secret that the government of Rome followed the divided state of the Grecian kingdom, and that ecclesiastical Rome perpetuates the name and genius of civil Rome to the end of the world. It is therefore not difficult to see that ecclesiastical Rome is the power which treads under foot the people and sanctuary of God and reigns against the Prince of Princes. This is the power which, through its priesthood, claims to have succeeded the Aaronic priesthood, and has put itself in the place of Christ in His heavenly priesthood and service. Through this power the heavenly sanctuary and its service were eclipsed for centuries; and not until the end of this long prophetic period above mentioned, did any one again reveal to mankind this hidden truth. But this truth was clearly revealed in the Scriptures, and proclaimed by Paul to the Hebrews, as we have just seen.

In explaining this vision to Daniel, the angel had proceeded as far as the time phase when Daniel fainted and was sick certain days; but the angel returned a little later, as Daniel, by prayer and supplication, was pleading for light upon the sanctuary question. It was Gabriel who came each time to explain the vision. From Dan. 8: 16 we learn that God commanded him to make this man, Daniel, to understand the vision; and since he had not completed this command when Daniel fainted, it was necessary that he should return, which he did when Daniel was praying, as we have before stated.

That the sanctuary was uppermost in Daniel's mind during this prayer is seen from his closing words: "Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of Thy servant, and his supplications, and cause Thy face to shine upon Thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake." Dan. 9: 17.

The Beginning of the 2300 Days

And Daniel continued: "Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation. And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding. . . . Therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision." Dan. 9: 21-23.

Gabriel stated that seventy weeks of these twenty-three hundred days were determined, or cut off, upon Daniel's people, "to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins." Sixty-nine of these weeks were to extend from the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, which at that time lay desolate, to Messiah the Prince. The remaining week of the seventy was to be devoted to the confirmation of the covenant which God had made. But in the midst of the week the sacrifice and oblation should be caused to cease, or in other words, Messiah should be cut off.

There were three commands given to rebuild Jerusalem, one by Cyrus, one by Darius, and the third by Artaxerxes; but the last is the only one which contains the command to restore as well as to rebuild. In the seventh chapter of the book of Ezra is found this decree, and from verses twenty-one to twenty-eight we find expressly stated that the laws of God, which before had been the laws of Israel, were to be restored, and this we all know is the only way to restore a kingdom. Hence we are sure that the decree of Artaxerxes is the one referred to by the angel Gabriel in speaking to Daniel. It was about five hundred and thirty-eight years before Christ when Gabriel made this announcement; and in the midst of the year four hundred and fifty-seven B.C., or four hundred and fifty-six and one half full years, that the decree was carried into effect. Now sixty-nine weeks contained but four hundred and eighty-three DAYS, or less than a year and a half of time; and from the command of Artaxerxes to Messiah the Prince, being four hundred and fifty-six and one half years to His birth, and twenty-six and one half years to His baptism and the beginning of His public ministry, we have four hundred and eighty-three YEARS exactly. It is therefore clear that in this prophetic line a day stands for a year.

The Last Work for the Jews as a Nation

We have already seen that seventy weeks were cut off from twenty-three hundred days to determine whether the Jewish people would finish their transgression and make an end of sins. They refused, and in the midst of the last prophetic week, or at the expiration of three and one half years of public ministry, Messiah was crucified; and at His crucifixion the veil of the temple was rent in twain from top to bottom, which showed that that service had ended; that He who stood for temple and sacrifice, for priesthood and service, had been offered upon the cross, was about to ascend on high, and begin the service of the heavenly sanctuary.

Yet three and one half years more the disciples of Christ preached the Gospel to none save the Jews only. This brings us seven years this side of Christ's baptism, or thirty-seven years this side of His birth. This, according to Usher's Chronology, would make it A.D. 34, in the midst of the year. At this point Stephen was stoned. (See Acts 7 and 8.) The official body of the Jews, which had committed Christ to death, had now rejected the mercy offered them by a crucified and risen Saviour, and imbrued their hands in the blood of one of His faithful apostles. From this time a persecution arose which scattered the church every way, and from this scattering the Gentiles heard the Gospel, and the first Gentile church (at Antioch, Syria) was raised up. From this church the Holy Spirit sent Paul and Barnabas forth as the specific apostles to the Gentiles. And the nation of Israel had closed its probation, had ceased to be the representative of God on earth to sinful men. The seventy weeks were ended.

The Closing of the Time

Now seventy weeks contain four hundred and ninety days, and this cut off from twenty-three hundred leaves eighteen hundred and ten. Since, therefore, the four hundred and ninety reached to the year thirty-four, the twenty-three hundred would continue eighteen hundred and ten years beyond that date, which would bring us to 1844, at which time some sanctuary must be cleansed.

We have already stated that the significance of the earthly sanctuary ceased when Christ was crucified. We all know that the sanctuary itself was destroyed by the Roman armies in A.D. 70; and since that date there has been no earthly sanctuary divinely appointed. Therefore the only sanctuary which could be cleansed in 1844 must be the heavenly sanctuary. And since the cleansing of the earthly sanctuary demanded that all the servants of God should put away every sin and make final choice, and since all the services of this earthly sanctuary were typical of those in the heavenly, are we not warranted in the conclusion that the final work in the priesthood of Christ began in 1844, and that we are nearing the end of probationary time? Are we not warranted in pleading with all men to make their final peace with God, and be ready against the

times of trouble and perplexity which are now at hand? Are we not warranted in asking that all professing Christians lay hold upon that salvation which will make it possible for them to finish their transgressions and make an end of sins? We think we are.

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