Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Jul 24, 1893
Editorial.
By Editor
"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable."—2 Tim. 3:16.
THE gospel of Christ comes to the world through individual hearts. It cannot be operated through a system, or through a church, independent of the persons who compose the church. It is not found in some great treasure house the key of which is controlled by some particular church. The key to God's blessings is faith, and faith means perfect submission of the will to God and the appropriation of his promises to the heart and life.
THOSE who have thus received Christ can preach his gospel; for the preaching of the gospel is the preaching of Christ, the Incarnate Word. The charge is not, Preach about the word, but, Preach the word. It is not to preach about Christ, but to preach Christ. He who has the word in his heart can proclaim the word, but he who has not the word does not know the word, and hence cannot proclaim it. So also if one does not know Christ, if he has not Christ in the heart, he cannot preach Christ. It was necessary that Christ should be revealed in Paul before he could preach Him among the heathen. Gal. 1:16.
THIS is one of the great truths which has largely slipped from the gospel of the church. There are plenty of men, able and learned, D.D.'s, A.M.'s, S.T.D.'s, etc., who are preaching flowery sermons and writing and reading fine essays about the word. They sit in judgment on its inspiration, and discourse about its "errancy" and "inerrancy." They put themselves above prophet, apostle, and Author in what they have to say about the word. In that word which is thus cut and carved and criticised is Christ, the Living Word. They know him not, and therefore they know not his word. They are deceived in believing that they are preaching the gospel when they know not the gospel, and, sadder than all else, multitudes are deceived into believing the same thing.
FROM this evil grows another. The gospel is "the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth." But as they do not know the gospel, they do not know its power, nor does its power follow their preaching. Men are not reformed. Morality does not increase. Ordinances of the church are not kept. Not having the word of God, not having the power of the word behind the preaching, transgression continues and multiplies within the church itself. Instead of submitting to God and his will, they substitute something which they call his will. For his power they substitute earthly power. Hence comes Sunday as an institution of "the church," though not of God. Hence comes appeal for Sunday laws, the power of the world instead of the power of God. Hence also comes the persecution of those who will not submit to human decrees. "And these things," says Christ to his true church, "will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me."
THEY KNOW NOT WHAT SPIRIT THEY ARE OF.
By Editor
THE Scriptures teach that Satan is “the prince of the power of the air, the spirit which now worketh in the children of disobedience.” As He brought calamities upon the earth in fire and flood and pestilence in times past, so as the time of Christ’s coming and the end of the age draws near all these evils will increase. Right at this very time the same prophetic word tells us will go forth to the world this Sabbath agitation. The truth will be preached concerning the true Sabbath, and apostate Christianity will endeavor to force upon the souls of men a false sabbath. To give them more power over the masses they will appeal to everything to excite superstitious fear. They will say that cyclones, the great conflagrations, etc., are the judgment of God upon the nation because the false sabbath is disregarded. In 1884 Seventh-day Adventists published the following:—
It will be declared that the nation is offending God by the violation of the Sunday sabbath, that this sin has brought calamities which will not cease until Sunday observance shall be strictly enforced, and that those who present the claims of the fourth commandment, thus destroying reverence for Sunday, are troublers of the nation, preventing its restoration to divine favor and temporal prosperity.—Great Controversy, vol. 4, edition of 1884.
As the brave firemen of Chicago were perishing in the flames of the disastrous fire in the great cold-storage building on July 10, a convention of preachers and laymen were assembled in the First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburg, Pa. There were present John Morrison, State treasurer of Pennsylvania, and Rev. Dr. George, secretary of the American Sabbath [Sunday] Association. Resolutions were passed denouncing Sunday opening of the World’s Fair, and deciding to do all in their power to boycott the Exposition, and the report says that they “wound up the meeting by declaring that to-day’s fire and consequent loss of life were the result of a visitation of Providence. . . . It was as the convention was about adjoining that news of the accident at the Fair was received. Many ministers said that nothing better could be expected, and that worse things would happen.”—S. F. Examiner.
There are those, we presume, who will believe all this; and some who profess to be the children of that loving Father will rejoice. To such we commend the words of our Lord:—
“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”
Like John and James of old, before the Spirit of God had regenerated their hearts, these zealous reformers are anxious to call fire down upon the heads of those who agree not with them. Let them, and all who would be led by them, ponder the words of Christ spoken to James and John on that occasion:—
“And they [the Samaritans] did not receive him [Christ], because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of Man has not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.”
It does not require a great stretch of imagination to conceive what would be the fate of Sunday transgressors if the power were in the hands of these Pittsburg “reformers.” They would make Cotton Mather and Graham of Claverhouse blush with their inhumanities.
One more fact which we wish to state to all: Sunday is not a holy day; it has never been given of God as such; it has never been commanded, blessed, or hallowed by the Great Head of the Church, and the World’s Fair people are transgressing no divine law in swinging open the gates. There is not one word in all the Bible, which these Sundarians profess to believe, which commands the observance of Sunday; and “where no law is, there is no transgression.” Rom. 4 : 15. Chicago and the whole country is wicked enough, but God will not condemn one soul for not doing what he has not commanded, or doing what he has not forbidden.
GOD'S WILLINGNESS TO GIVE HIS SPIRIT.
By Elder J. O. Corliss
BY ELDER J. O. CORLISS.
HE who looks into the word of God to there behold the Lord's glorious character, may by the Spirit of the Lord be changed into the same image. 2 Cor. 3:18. The light of God's glory is in his word, and when it is read with a sincere desire to find him there, that light, which is his Spirit, shines out, and into the heart, transferring there the light of the knowledge of the glory, or character, of God, in the face of Jesus Christ. Therefore, to find God, and to know him by reading his word, one must look by faith into the face of Jesus Christ, and there behold the character of God, which will otherwise be hid from view. The light of this knowledge will thus shine into the heart, to light up the whole man. He will not see this light in himself. He will see Christ which will cause him to loathe self whenever seen and to desire Him who is altogether lovely and the chiefest among ten thousand. Yet, while self may appear repulsive, the light which is reflected from Christ through the earthen vessel will reveal to all who behold him the excellency of the power of God, rather than anything of the one in whom it dwells.
But is not such excellency confined to a favored few? The Saviour has settled that question by asking another: "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children; how much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him." Luke 11:13. Can this question of the Saviour be definitely answered?—No indeed; for the one reason that the finite mind is not capable of weighing the proposition involved. True, every father knows somewhat of his desire to bestow good gifts on his own children, notwithstanding his evil tendencies. But who can measure the desire of Him who is good, and only good, to give his own good Spirit to those who sadly need it? Surely the gift of Christ—God's only begotten—does reveal that desire, but the knowledge of the extent of that gift is removed from the realm of human thought, by its very greatness. Who, then, will express it? One thing, however, may be safely stated: God will give his Spirit to all who sincerely ask it, as much more willingly, and surely, and to as much greater extent, than earthly parents give good gifts to their children, as that God is greater and better than earthly beings. Certainly, none need be without the aid of the Comforter.
Another animating thought which accompanies this promise, as with all others from the source, is that it is by no means confined to the apostolic age. No, for "the word of the Lord endureth forever." "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my word shall not pass away," is the unfailing statement of the Saviour himself. We may, therefore, be sure that God's willingness to give his Holy Spirit to men, has in no way diminished since the day in which the Saviour assured it to his disciples. The best of evidence to this effect is found in that other promise made on the day of Pentecost. The disciples were then filled with the Holy Spirit, and spoke words which they never before had been able to utter. Under the power of this manifestation, Peter, especially, spoke burning words of reproof to those who had indifferently regarded the tragic death of Christ, closing his impassioned speech with the bold statement that the same Jesus whom they had crucified was even then exalted to the high position of "both Lord and Christ."
Accompanied by the Spirit, these words penetrated the hearts of the wondering multitude, causing them to inquire with much seriousness and alarm what they should do. The answer was returned: "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." How did he know that gift was for such as they? Was it not then confined to a few apostles? Had its power ever been demonstrated through the common people? On what ground, then, could they, the alleged murderers of Him whose Spirit was thus promised, expect any such exaltation? Notwithstanding all this, the apostle knew that the Lord wanted to bestow on them this gift, and so quickly and confidently gave his reason for the statement: "For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." Acts 2:38, 39.
So then the gifts of the Spirit are not withheld from any who will to have them. Whoever, to the latest hour of probation, will place himself in that relation to God necessary to receive his divine communication, can have these gifts as certainly, and in the same fullness, as they were then bestowed upon the immediate disciples of our Lord. "Many wonders and signs were done" by the power of the Spirit then. Why should not the same signs have always followed believers, since the same Spirit is promised to all? While it is true that many professed Christians have not the power of the Spirit, as then revealed, and even feigned to ignore it, yet it might be theirs to enjoy if they would but have it.
When writing to the church at Corinth, the apostle said that he thanked God always on our behalf, "for the grace of God which is given us by Jesus Christ." 1 Cor. 1:4. The particular grace referred to, which so engrossed the apostle's mind that he gave continued thanks to God, was that in everything we are enriched by him in all utterance, and in all knowledge. But to what extent? "Even as the testimony [witness] of Christ was confirmed in you; so that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." It is the Spirit of Christ—the Comforter—which testifies of Christ. John 15:26. It is the same Spirit that "beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." Rom. 8:16. "The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Rev. 19:10. Therefore to have the testimony of Christ confirmed in us is to have the Spirit take up its abode in the heart, and thereby seal the individual unto the day of redemption. Eph. 4:30.
But this reception of the Spirit is not only the abiding evidence of God's ability and willingness to confirm us to the end, that we may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ, but is also the taking in of God's power, by which is manifested the operation of every special gift of God. The bestowal of this Spirit is God's testimony to the church that he desires its members to enjoy the fullness of every gift. So then, when the testimony of Christ is confirmed in believers, the gifts of the Spirit will be signified among them.
THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. NO. 2.
WE noticed in the last issue of the SIGNS the meaning and use of the words which refer to our Lord's coming and events connected therewith. These words were (1) erchomai, and its derivatives, which signify to come, to go, to pass; (2) ephistemi, having the meaning of coming suddenly upon, impending, to be at hand; (3) heko, which means to be come, to have arrived; (4) parousia, meaning a coming, arrival, personal presence; (5) apokalupsis, signifying disclosure, manifestation, revelation, appearance; (6) epiphaneia, meaning appearance, brightness, glorious display. Many references to passages of Scripture were cited to show the use of these words in the New Testament.
Is there but one coming of Christ, or are there several? The Bible presents three different events in the close of Christ's priestly work, which in our English version are referred to as "comings." The first of these is shown in Matt. 25:10 as the coming of the Bridegroom. The parable in which this text is found does not tell us the time of this coming, but it reveals this, that it is when the marriage of the Lamb is about to be consummated, or when the Bridegroom comes to take his bride. What is meant by the term marriage? Who or what is the bride?
We reply to the latter question first. It is most plainly declared that the bride is the New Jerusalem. In Rev. 21:9 it is recorded that an angel said to John: "Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife." And the next verse reveals as clearly as words can who the bride is: "And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God." And this is in harmony with the word of the Lord through Paul and Isaiah. Paul says in Gal. 4:26, "But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all." And Isa. 9:6 declares that Christ is "the everlasting Father." We are of God, begotten through him. Jerusalem is our mother, and is therefore the Lamb's wife.
But this New Jerusalem is also the capital579of the Abrahamic inheritance, or the kingdom of the Seed, Christ. It is that city for which Abraham looked, "whose builder and maker is God" (Heb. 11:10), the capital of that "better country" (verse 16). This same thought is also presented in Isa. 62:4, 5: "Thou [Jerusalem] shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shalt thy land any more be termed Desolate; but thou shalt be called Hephzibah [my delight is in her], and thy land Beulah [married]; for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee; and as a bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee." The same truth is taught in Isaiah 54. Jerusalem which is above is now said to be barren; the children have not yet come home, and she is represented as mourning for them. See Gal. 4:26, 27. Isa. 54:5 reads as follows: "For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; the God of the whole earth shall he be called." More evidence might be presented, but this is sufficient to prove that the Bridegroom is Christ, and the bride is his everlasting kingdom, of which the New Jerusalem is the representative or the capital city, the palace of the King.
When does Christ take this kingdom? He was not a king while here; he prevented those from making him king who so desired. He went away from earth "to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return." Luke 19:11, 12. He now reigns a kingly priest on his Father's throne. Rev. 3:21; Heb. 8:1; 5:10; 7:1, 2.
He sits on the Father's right hand till his foes are subdued by the Father. Ps. 110:1. The same truth is expressed in Zech. 6:12, 13 and 1 Cor. 15:24-28. Of this last text we give the following paraphrase, which will be found to harmonize with the other scriptures above quoted and referred to:—
"Then cometh the end [of the present age, Christ's priesthood], when he [Christ] shall have delivered up the kingdom [of grace] to God, even the Father; when he [the Father] shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he [Christ] must reign [on his Father's throne] till he [the Father] hath put all enemies under his [Christ's] feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he [the Father] hath [then literally, now in purpose] put all enemies under his [Christ's] feet. But when he saith all things are put under him [Christ], it is manifest that he [the Father] is excepted, which did put all things under him [Christ]. And when all things shall be subdued unto him [Christ], then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him [the Father] that put all things under him [Christ]; that God may be all in all."
It is manifest from the above that it is not until the close of Christ's priestly work that he receives his kingdom, or that the marriage takes place; and the going in to the marriage, or the coming of the bridegroom, must precede the marriage itself. To those of our readers who are familiar with the question of the priesthood of Christ, the time of the coming of the Bridegroom to the marriage will be readily understood. A study of the subject shows:—
(1) That the sanctuary built by Moses was typical of the heavenly; (2) that the priests ministered unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, even the ministry of our great High Priest (see Ex. 25:9; Heb. 8:5; 9:1-12; 8:1); (3) that as the sanctuary of the earthly had two apartments, the holy and the most holy, so also had the heavenly (see Rev. 4:5; 8:3; 11:19 compared with Heb. 9:1-7); (4) that as the high priest closed his round of service in the most holy place (Heb. 9:7), so Christ, the antitypical priest, would finish his there; (5) and as that work was in reality a judgment work, in which men would be cut off, or their sins cleansed and put away by the cleansing of the sanctuary (Leviticus 16), so Christ cleanses the heavenly sanctuary from all remembrance of sin in the close of his ministry, which is also (as it must be) a judgment work (Heb. 9:23, 24; Rev. 14:6, 7); (6) that the 2300 days of Dan. 8:14, beginning in 457 B.C., ending in A.D. 1844, reach to the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary, or the work of the investigative judgment, which determines who are worthy of life and a part in the first resurrection (Luke 20:35; 1 Cor. 15:51, 52); (7) that at the end of this investigative judgment, at the end of Christ's priesthood, which will close before Christ comes, the decree which forever settles the cases of all responsible beings, which shows that all have either accepted of Christ or closed their hearts to the voice of mercy, goes forth from the lips of the Judge (Rev. 22:11, 12; Zeph. 2:1-3). All this may be abundantly proved.
This coming to take the kingdom is shown in Daniel 7. In verses 9 and 10 is presented the great Judge of all, surrounded by holy angels, opening that great tribunal. This took place in 1844. Just at this time, as Daniel views this dread tribunal, he sees the following:—
"I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him." Verses 13, 14.
This coming, therefore, is not a coming to this earth, but a coming to the Ancient of Days in heaven, when he sits as judge in the last closing work, in the most holy place of the heavenly temple. Christ not only finishes his work as priest here but he also receives his kingdom. This was the coming (erchomai) or going in of the Bridegroom. Those who trusted God's word in 1844, followed Christ by faith into the most holy place and his closing work. This coming or going did not close probation, but it fulfilled the prophecy of Dan. 8:14 and Rev. 14:6, 7. God revealed it through the prophetic word.
THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST.
By J. P. Lorenz
BY J. P. LORENZ.
WHEN we hear the trumpet sounding,
Then our Saviour will appear;
Earth and sea are all resounding
That our King is drawing near.
Signs and wonders in the sky
Tell us that our Lord is nigh.
He is coming with great power;
Rocks will rend, the earth will quake,
When he speaks at that great hour:
"Sleeping saints, awake! awake!"
He is coming, hear the cry,
Christ our Saviour in the sky.
Then shall he in accents tender
Speak, as written in his word:
"Come, ye blessed of my Father,"
Rise to meet your coming Lord.
Then shall every wicked eye
See the saints ascend the sky.
Gracious God, wouldst thou inspire
Now our hearts with hope and cheer?
We thy holy strength desire,
While thy day is drawing near.
Brethren, lift faith's standard high,
"Your redemption draweth nigh!"
Buffalo, New York.
THE SECOND OF THESE COMINGS
of Christ is after this judgment work is over, and he comes to reckon with his servants, or decides forever the cases of all living. Matt. 25:19. At the time this judgment work closes, the following decree goes forth previous to the coming of Christ to this earth:—
"He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he that is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly." Rev. 22:11, 12.
This coming to reckon ushers in a time of momentous importance. When that decree goes forth, the day of salvation ends and the day of Jehovah's fierce anger begins. Zeph. 2:1-3. This is evident from the decree itself. That day will be of greater moment to those then living than any other ever known. It will not be ushered in by the sound of a trumpet. Christ will simply lay off his priestly robes, and put on the garments of vengeance. Isa. 59:17, 18; Rev. 15:5-8. This does not mean an arbitrary cutting off of God's mercy toward the wicked; it is the sad announcement of the God of love that men have decided their own cases by willfully closing their ears to his appeals, their hearts to his love. They have so identified themselves with the sin that with the sin they must die. The approach of this time will not be indicated any more than was the approach of the angel of Jehovah, who slew the first born of Egypt; in the language of Scripture, that day "will come as a thief in the night." 2 Peter 3:10. The following passages, quoted last week, refer to the same time:—
"For ye know not what hour your Lord doth come [erchomai]. But know this, that if the good man of the house had known in what watch the thief would come [erchomai], he would have watched. . . . Therefore be ye also ready; for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh [erchomai]." Matt. 24:42-44. "Blessed is that servant, whom his Lord, when he cometh [hēkō, is come], shall find so doing." Verse 46. "After a long time the Lord of those servants cometh [erchomai], and reckoneth with them." Matt. 25:19. "The bridegroom came [erchomai]." Verse 10. "Ye know not when the master of the house cometh [erchomai], at even, or at midnight, or at the cock crowing, or in the morning." Mark 13:35. "For the Son of Man cometh [erchomai] at an hour when ye think not." Luke 12:40. Also verses 39, 43. "Will come [hēkō, will have come] in a day when he looketh not for Him." Verse 46. "The day of the Lord so cometh [erchomai] as a thief in the night." "Are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief." 1 Thess. 5:2, 4. "If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come [hēkō, will have come] on thee as a thief." Rev. 3:3. "Behold, I come [erchomai] as a thief." Rev. 16:15.
The fitness of speaking of this event as a coming will be seen if we will consider the change in relation between Christ and mankind. Previous to this time he appears in the presence of God for them as priest, pleading his blood in their behalf; but when that day is reached, he is no longer priest, but appears as judge to execute sentence. But his coming is not to this earth, but a coming forth from the heavenly sanctuary, where he has stayed the vials of wrath from the world, to execute judgment upon the guilty. Rev. 11:15-19; 15:5-8; Dan. 12:1. Those who have accepted of Christ, will not be overtaken as a thief. Like the Israelites in Egypt, the sprinkled blood of the Lamb of God will keep far from them every plague. Psalm 91. There are other passages which relate to the same time, but the reader will have no hesitation in referring them to the proper event. The Greek word used in all these cases is either erchomai or hēkō, or their derivatives.
We will consider this further in our next.
A BIBLE "ERROR."
A FEW years ago the enemies of the Bible were certain that they had found an historical mistake in Daniel, fifth chapter, the first verse of which informs us that Belshazzar was king when the city was taken by Cyrus. Secular history asserted that Nabonidus was king, that he was defeated on the plain outside the walls, retreated to Borsippa, his life was spared, and he was given a little province in Carmania. All this seemed to contradict the biblical record until Colonel Rawlinson discovered from a Babylonian tablet that Nabonidus associated with him on the throne, with truly royal dignity, his son Belshazzar, who, it is evident, commanded the forces within the walls, while his father sallied forth to attack the enemy on the plain. This also explains why Daniel was promised the third place in the kingdom. Since Rawlinson's discovery, infidels have been silent on the subject580of this “egregious blunder.” The Bible can afford to wait. It just sits and conquers.—The Defense.
THE JUDGMENT
By J. H. Durland
THE MILLENNIAL REIGN. NO. 2.
The First Resurrection (Continued).
IN 1 Corinthians 15 the apostle speaks of the resurrection, and again he gives the time the righteous shall be brought forth. “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order; Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.” Verses 22, 23. In this same chapter we read what he says of the righteous living:—
“Behold, I show you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we [the living ones] shall be changed.” Verses 51, 52.
At this time will be the glad reunion of those whom death has separated. All the righteous that are in their graves will be called forth, and as they come from the land of the enemy, clad in immortality, they will be met by the living righteous, and all will rise to meet Jesus, who has called them.
Where does Jesus take this company? This we know not if he has not told us. But on this point we have a “thus saith the Lord:” “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 14:1-3. Jesus promises to come for his people, and take them to the place he now occupies. In verse 12 he says, “I go unto my Father.” The Father is God, who sitteth on his throne, between the cherubim. See Ps. 99:1. From his throne proceeds the river of life, on whose banks is the tree of life. Rev. 22:1, 2. This is the city of God. To this place Jesus has promised to take his people at his coming.
THE JUDGMENT.
We have already read from the Scriptures that the dead in Christ will be raised when Jesus makes his appearance. But the Scriptures also say, “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” Heb. 9:27. Then the judgment of the righteous must take place before they are resurrected, or made immortal. This is in harmony with the words of Jesus which we have already read. “They that have done good, unto the resurrection of life.” John 5:28, 29. It must be decided who are righteous before they can be called forth. Does this take place before or after Christ appears in the clouds? We are not left to conjecture on this point. “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is holy, let him be holy still.” Rev. 22:11. Everyone must admit that when this decree goes forth every man’s destiny is sealed. While it may not decide the degree of punishment, it does decide who shall be saved or lost. It is very important that the reader give special attention to this text. If we read it correctly, it teaches that there is a time
when a decree shall go forth that shall forever settle the destiny of every individual on the earth. When it goes forth, it will be impossible to convert the unconverted, or for the converted to be lost. Will this decree go forth before or after the millennium? Let the Bible answer: “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Rev. 22:12. Jesus himself says the decree goes forth before he comes. His coming is “quickly” to follow the decree.
Let us now consider for a moment what we have already gone over: 1. The millennium begins with a resurrection. 2. Those resurrected at this time are the holy ones. 3. This takes place when Christ appears in the clouds. 4. At this same time the righteous living are changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, and caught up to meet the Lord in the air. 5. Jesus takes them to the place where he now is, which is the city of God. 6. Before his voice awakes the dead, the decree goes forth that decides every individual’s case as to his salvation. We must then conclude that there can be no probation for sinners during the millennial reign.
THE REST OF THE DEAD.
“But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.” Who are the rest of the dead? We have already learned that the righteous dead are raised at the beginning of the thousand years, and with the righteous living they are taken to the New Jerusalem. Then the rest of the dead must be the wicked dead. But as with the righteous, so with the wicked, a part of them will be living on the earth when the voice of Jesus is heard in the heavens. In 1 Thess. 4:17 we read, “Then we which are alive and remain,” etc. As we have already said, this implies that some who will be alive when Christ appears will not remain alive. As all the righteous living are changed and taken with Jesus, those who are alive and do not remain must be the wicked.
Of that day we read in Jer. 25:31: “A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the Lord hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword.” Another prophet speaks on this subject as follows: “The Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.” Isa. 26:21. This is the time when the wicked have fully united with Satan. The time has come for God to vindicate the authority of his downtrodden law. “He will give them that are wicked to the sword.” Now the angel of death goes forth, not as he did in ancient Egypt, to slay the firstborn only, but the command is, “Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women. . . . They began at the ancient men which were before the house.” Eze. 9:1-6. The work begins among those who have professed to be the spiritual leaders of the people, but have proved themselves to be false watchmen.
At this time Jesus comes forth as a mighty conqueror. “And I saw heaven open, 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 had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. . . . And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron; and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” Rev. 19:11-16. Of this great conflict Zechariah speaks in the following forcible language: “And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth. And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the Lord shall be among them; and they shall lay hold everyone on the hand of his neighbor, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbor.” Zech. 14:12, 13. In this mad strife, by the awful outpouring of the unmingled wrath of God, the wicked inhabitants of the earth fall in death. “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; they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried.” Jer. 25:33.
At the coming of our Lord the wicked are blotted from the face of the whole earth,—consumed with the spirit of his mouth, and destroyed by the brightness of his glory. Then they that are alive,—the righteous,—are taken to the city of God, and the earth is emptied. “Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.” Isa. 24:1. These scriptures show that the millennial reign with Christ cannot be on this earth. If all the righteous are taken away from the earth to the city of God, and all the wicked that were living when the Lord appeared were stricken down in death at the beginning of the millennium, there are none of its inhabitants living on the earth during that period. The wicked are all dead, and the word says they “lived not again until the thousand years were finished.” Then, during the millennial reign, there is not one of the wicked inhabitants living. Thus saith the Scriptures.