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e Blessed
Hope
By Edward B. Dennett
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Bibles & Publications
5706 Monkland, Montréal, Québec H4A 1E6
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BibleTruthPublishers.com
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e Blessed Hope
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Contents
e Blessed Hope: the Hope of the Church ...................5
e Blessed Hope: Is It a Present or Deferred Hope? ...13
e Blessed Hope: Rapture of the Saints ......................21
e Blessed Hope: Judgment Seat of Christ .................31
e Blessed Hope: Marriage Supper of the Lamb ........39
e Blessed Hope: Restoration of the Jews ...................47
e Blessed Hope: the Apostasy and the Antichrist .....57
e Blessed Hope: the Great Tribulation ......................67
e Blessed Hope: the Appearing of Christ ..................77
e Blessed Hope: the Kingdom of Christ ...................87
e Blessed Hope: the New Jerusalem ..........................99
e Blessed Hope: Great White rone and Eternal
State ....................................................................109
e Blessed Hope: the Hope of the Church
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e Blessed Hope: the Hope
of the Church
We propose, if the Lord will, to treat in successive
papers upon the subject of the Lord’s coming, with its
accompanying and subsequent events. As it is becoming
every day more manifest that we are in the midst of the
perilous times (2Tim. 3), it behooves the Lord’s people to
be increasingly occupied with the expectation of His return.
It is now many years since the cry was raised, “Behold, the
Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet Him” (Matt. 25:6).
Up until that time the Church had fallen into profound
slumber, drugged by the opiate inuences of the world, so
that the doctrine of the Lord’s return for His saints was
forgotten, ignored, or denied. But when, through the action
of the Spirit of God, this cry went forth, thousands were
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startled from their sleep, and, trimming their lamps, went
forth once again to meet the Bridegroom. For a season they
lived daily in the hope of His return; and so mightily did
this hope act upon their hearts and lives that it detached
them from everything — every association, habit, and
practice — unsuitable to Him for whom they waited, and
kept them with their loins girt, and their light’s burning, as
those who were waiting for their Lord (Luke 12:35-36).
But time went on; and while the doctrine of the Second
Advent has been apprehended and taught by increasing
numbers, and while the truth has been undoubtedly the
support and consolation of many godly souls, it is yet a
question if large numbers of the saints of God have not lost
its freshness and power. For is it not patent to all observers,
that the standard of separation is becoming lower and
lower? at worldliness is on the increase? that saints are
permitting themselves associations out of which they have
professedly come? that many of us, therefore, are in danger
of once more falling asleep, even with the doctrine of the
hope upon our lips?
If this be so — and it is the subject of common
remark — the time has come when the truth on this
subject needs to be pressed home again upon the hearts
and consciences of believers. For the Lord is at hand, and
He desires that His people should be on the watch-tower,
longing and eagerly waiting for His return. Surely therefore
it is high time to awake out of sleep, knowing that our
salvation is nearer than when we believed, “For yet a little
while, and He that shall come will come, and will not
tarry” (Heb. 10:37). And He Himself has said, “Blessed are
those servants, whom the Lord when He cometh shall nd
watching: verily I say unto you, that He shall gird Himself,
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and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth
and serve them” (Luke 12:37).
We have in these remarks assumed, and now we proceed
to prove from the Scriptures, THAT THE COMING OF
THE LORD JESUS IS THE DISTINCTIVE HOPE
OF THE CHURCH. is might be done from almost
every book of the New Testament. We shall cite enough to
place the subject beyond a doubt.
First, our Lord Himself prepared His disciples to
maintain, after His departure, the expectation of His
return. “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his
Lord hath made ruler over His household, to give them
meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, Whom his
Lord, when He cometh, shall nd so doing. Verily I say
unto you, at He shall make him ruler over all His goods”
(Matt. 24:45-47). He then proceeds to characterize the
evil servant as one who should say, “My Lord delayeth His
coming,” (vs. 48), and indicates the punishment into which
such an one should fall. e next two parables — that of the
virgins, to which reference has been made, and that of the
talents — teach distinctly the same lesson, and the more
forcibly from the fact that the virgins who fell asleep, and
the servants who received the talents, are the same who are
dealt with respectively on the Lord’s return.
e same instruction is found in Mark’s gospel. “Take
ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
[For the Son of man is] as a man taking a far journey, who
left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to
every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.
Watch ye therefore; for ye know not when the master of
the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cock-
crowing, or in the morning; lest coming suddenly, he nd
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you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch”
(Mark 13:33-37).
In the gospel of Luke the same truth is repeated again
and again. We have quoted one striking passage (Luke
12:35-37). Another may be added: “He said therefore, A
certain nobleman went into a far country, to receive for
himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten
servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto
them, Occupy till I come” (Luke 19:12, 13). en, as in
Matthew, we nd him coming and examining the servants
as to their use of the money entrusted to them (vs. 15).
One scripture from John’s gospel will suce. e
disciples were plunged into sorrow at the prospect of their
Lord’s departure from them. How does He meet the state
of their souls? He says, “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).
e four gospels, therefore, unite in distinct testimony
to the return of the Lord for His people, and in the
proclamation that this event constitutes their hope during
His absence. We pass now to the Acts and the epistles.
Turning rst of all to the Acts, what do we nd? After
His resurrection, the Lord had appeared to His disciples,
“being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things
pertaining to the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3). e time
having come for His ascension, He led them out as far
as Bethany (Luke 24:50); and when He had ended His
instructions, “while they beheld, He was taken up; and
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a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they
looked steadfastly toward heaven, as He went up, behold,
two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said,
Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven?
is same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven,
shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into
heaven” (Acts 1:9-11). Could any language be more precise?
or, construed by the circumstances, be more signicant?
or, we may add, less likely to be misunderstood? ey had
seen their Lord depart from them. He was taken up, and
they watched His receding form until a cloud intercepted
Him from their gaze; and while they behold with mute
astonishment, they receive the message that the One
they had seen depart should return in like manner (and
therefore in Person) as they had seen Him go into heaven.
e wonder is, that with these distinct words the Church
could have ever lost the hope of the Lord’s return.
e evidence of the epistles is no less clear and decided.
“So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming”
(revelation, margin) “of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor.
1:7). “Our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we
look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:20).
“How ye turned to God from idols, to serve the living and
true God; and to wait for His Son from heaven” (1ess.
1:9-10; see also 1ess. 2:19; 3:13; 4:15-18; 2ess. 1:7;
2:1; 3:5). “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious
appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ”
(Titus 2:13). “So Christ was once oered to bear the sins
of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear
the second time, without sin, unto salvation” (Heb. 9:28.
Also James 5:7-8; 1Pet. 1:7, 1Pet. 3John 3; Rev. 3:11; Rev.
22:7,12,20).
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Although these are only some of the scriptures which
might be adduced, it will at once be seen how largely the
subject is dealt with in the word of God; and on examination
it will be discovered that this is because it is bound up,
interwoven, with the very essence of Christianity. Take
away the hope of the Lord’s return, and you at once rob
Christianity of its true character. It cannot be too strongly
asserted, that it is not a doctrine to be accepted or rejected
at pleasure, but that it is a part and parcel of the truth itself,
connected with the calling and place of the believer, his
relationship to Christ, and his future blessedness. Hence,
indeed, Paul reminds the essalonians that they were
converted to wait for God’s Son from heaven; and every
believer now is converted for the same thing. To be without
this hope and expectation, therefore, is to be ignorant of
the believer’s portion in Christ.
It follows from this that the normal attitude of every
believer is that of waiting for Christ. Nay, more, every one
brought upon Christian ground has this characteristic,
though he may be all unconscious of it; for the Word says
that the ten virgins, ve of whom were foolish, took their
lamps, and went forth to meet the Bridegroom. eir
profession therefore — even though they had no oil — was
that they were waiting for Christ.
Is this then the attitude of the reader? Are you waiting
for the coming of the Lord Jesus? Is this the one blessed
hope that cheers your soul along your lonely pilgrim path?
Are your eyes ever xed upon the Bright and Morning
Star? Or are you so absorbed in present things that, like
the ve foolish virgins, you have grown heavy, and fallen
asleep? If, alas! it be so, let the words, “Behold, I come
quickly,” “Behold the Bridegroom,” rouse you from your
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slumbers, even while there is delay, lest coming suddenly
He nd you sleeping. Or perhaps you know the truth of
His coming. But the question, beloved reader, is, Are you
waiting for Christ? To know the doctrine is one thing; but
it is quite another to be living hourly and daily in the hope
of the Lord’s return. If you are waiting, your aections are
all concentered on Him whom you expect; you are apart
from everything which is not according to His mind and
will; you are sitting loose to all that nature holds dear; and
with a full heart you can respond to His announcement of
His speedy coming. “Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”
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e Blessed Hope: Is It a Present or Deferred Hope?
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e Blessed Hope: Is It a
Present or Deferred
Hope?
e question now arises, whether the coming of the
Lord is an immediate hope, or whether we are to look for
the occurrence of preceding events. is is a vital point; and
hence it is necessary to be very careful in the consideration
of the teaching of Scripture upon the subject.
Speaking generally, then, it may be said that there are
three words found in connection with the Second Advent.
e rst is παρονσια — which means simply “coming,”
and hence is applied to the personal coming of any one,
as well as to that of Christ. (See 1Cor. 16:17; 2Cor. 7:6;
2Cor. 10:10; Phil. 1:26; Phil. 2:12; as examples of its use
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in the coming of persons). It is used some sixteen times in
relation to the coming of Christ (Matt. 24:3,37,39; 1Cor.
15:23; 1ess. 2:19; 3:13; 4:15; 5:23; 2ess. 2:1,8-9; Jas.
5:7, 1Pet. 1:16; 3:4). e use of the word — from its very
signicance — is general; and does not, therefore, of itself
indicate the precise character of the event with which it
may be associated. It is found alike, as will be seen from
the above passages, in Matthew 24 and 1essalonians 4.
Another word is ἀποκάλωφις, and signies “revelation,” and
this is used four times (1Cor. 1:7; 2ess. 1:7; 1Pet. 1:7,
13; and we might add, perhaps, 1Pet. 4:13). is word is
xed in its application — always referring to the revelation
of our Lord from heaven, that is, to His coming with His
saints, and in judgment to the earth — as, for example, in
2essalonians 1:7. e last word is ἐπιφανεία and means
“appearing” or “manifestation,” and is rendered in the
English Bible “appearing” is word is used once of the
rst coming of our Lord (2Tim. 1:10); and ve times (if we
include 2essalonians 2:8, where it is used in conjunction
with παρονσία of His future appearing. In addition to this,
it may be added that when the Lord announces His own
coming (as, for example, in Rev. 22:7, 12, 20), He employs
the common word ἔρχομαι — “I come.”
Now the diculty is this. If we have to wait for the
appearing or the revelation of Christ, it is very evident
that we cannot entertain any immediate expectation of the
Lord. For we learn from Scripture that many events are to
precede that time. us, to take 2essalonians 2, the man
of sin — in other words, the antichrist, is rst to appear
upon the scene; and this, as we are also taught, necessitates
the previous restoration of the Jews to their own land, the
rebuilding of their temple, and the reestablishment of their
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sacricial services (Matt. 24:15; Dan. 9:26-27; Rev. 11-13).
Moreover the great tribulation, with all its sorrows, must,
in that case, be passed through before the coming of the
Lord.
Is this, then, the teaching of Scripture? In the rst place,
it cannot be denied that believers are spoken of as waiting for
the appearing or revelation, as well as the coming of Christ.
In 1Corinthians 1:7 the apostle says, “Ye come behind in
no gift, waiting for the coming (ἀποκάλυφιν) of our Lord
Jesus Christ” Again, writing to Timothy, he says, “at
thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable,
until the appearing (ἐπιφανεία) of our Lord Jesus Christ”
(1Tim. 6:14). Once more, in his epistle to Titus, he says,
“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing
(ἐπιφανεία) of the great God and our Saviour Jesus
Christ” (Titus 2:13). Will believers, then — believers of
this dispensation, that is the Church — remain upon the
earth until the appearing of Christ? A close examination of
Scripture shows that there are two distinct events dened:
the coming of the Lord Jesus for His saints, and the
coming of Christ with His saints. In 1essalonians 3:13,
as well as in many other passages, we nd the latter; and
in 1essalonians 4:15-17 the former; and Paul teaches
us most distinctly in Colossians that the coming of Christ
with His saints will take place at His appearing. He says,
“When Christ, [who is] our life, shall appear, then shall ye
also appear with Him in glory” (Col. 3:4). If this be so, the
saints must have been caught up to be with Christ before
His return to the earth in public manifestation.
Leaving for the moment the diculty already stated,
but only to be able to solve it the more completely, we
may inquire, Is there anything to happen between now, as
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far as the Scriptures teach, and the return of the Lord?
May the Christian, in other words, momentarily expect, be
constantly waiting for, Christ? e teaching of our blessed
Lord has been alluded to; but we may once more recall
the fact that, both in the parable of the virgins, and in that
of the talents, no other conclusion could have been drawn
from His words; for the virgins who fall asleep are the same
who are awakened by the cry, “Behold, the Bridegroom,”
and the servants who receive the talents are the same
who are reckoned with on His return. Collect, indeed, all
the Scriptures in which He speaks of His coming, and it
cannot be doubted for a moment that He intended to infer
the possibility of His coming back at any, even the most
unexpected, moment. (See Mark 13:34-37; Luke 12:35-
37; John 21:20-21.)
e Apostle Paul uses language of like import. In
writing to the Corinthians concerning the resurrection of
the bodies of believers, he is careful — led of the Spirit of
God — to say, “Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not
all sleep, but we shall all be changed” (1Cor. 15:51); and
in the epistle to the essalonians he says, “We which are
alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord” (1ess.
4:15). It is clear, therefore, by the use of the word “we,” that
he included himself as among the possible number who
might be found alive on the Lord’s return; and hence that,
as far as he knew, there was nothing to hinder the Lord’s
coming for His saints during his own lifetime. at Peter
thought it not improbable is likewise seen from the fact
that he received a special revelation to inform him that he
would have to die (2Pet. 1:15). And surely the fact that
the last announcement of the inspired record is, “Surely I
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come quickly” (Rev. 22:20), would foster and strengthen
the same conclusion.
But notwithstanding all this evidence, everything
depends upon the question whether Christians (the
Church) will remain on the earth until the Lord’s
appearing. If then we turn to Matthew 24, and contrast it
with a scripture in Colossians, we shall nd this question
distinctly and plainly answered. In Matthew 24 we read,
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the
sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,
and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the
heavens shall be shaken: and then shall appear the sign of
the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of
the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming
in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He
shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and
they shall gather together His elect from the four winds,
from one end of heaven to the other” (Matt. 24:29-30).
Here we have the order of events at the appearing of the
Son of man; and the reader will mark that (1) there is the
tribulation, (2) the disturbance of the heavenly luminaries,
(3) the sign of the Son of man in heaven, (4) the mourning
of the tribes of the earth, (5) their seeing the Son of man
coming, while as yet the elect are upon the earth still
ungathered. But what have we read in Colossians? at
“when Christ, [who is] our life, shall appear, then shall ye
also appear with Him in glory” (Col. 3:4). So also in the
Revelation, we nd that when Christ comes out of heaven
for judgment (His appearing), “the armies which were in
heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in ne
linen, clean and white” (Rev. 19:11-14). Who are these?
eir dress is characteristic, and supplies the answer; for in
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the eighth verse we read, “the ne linen is the righteousness”
(righteousness — ζικαιώματά) “of saints.”
Evidently, therefore, “the elect” in Matthew 24 cannot
be the Church, since the saints who compose the Church
appear with Christ; and in fact, as the chapter itself
abundantly shows, they are the elect of Israel, the Jewish
remnant whom God by His Spirit has prepared for the
time when the Lord, whom they seek, shall come suddenly
to His temple (Mal. 3:1). It thus follows that the Lord
Jesus will return for His people prior to His appearing; and,
inasmuch as He destroys antichrist with the brightness of
His coming (2ess. 2:8), it must also be prior to his rise
and sway, and hence also before the great tribulation, since
(as will be seen later) this is connected with the time of the
antichrist.
But thereon follows a further thing. All the predicted
events which are looked for before the Lord’s appearing
are connected with the restoration of God’s ancient people,
and the actings of the man of sin, the son of perdition (the
antichrist); and consequently, as far as the Scriptures reveal,
there is nothing whatever between the present moment
and the possibility of the Lord’s return for His own.
How, then, is the fact to be explained that we are said
in Scripture to wait for the appearing, as well as for the
coming, seeing that when Christ appears we appear with
Him? Whenever the question of responsibility is brought
in, the appearing, and not the coming, is the goal; and this
is because that, since the earth has been the scene of the
responsibility, the earth also will be the scene of the displayed
recompense. is in no way interferes with the fact that
the coming of Christ for His saints at any moment is the
proper hope of the believer. On the other hand, it throws
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additional light on the ways of God in the government of
His people, brings out a new feature of the perfection of
the Lord’s dealings with His servants. When departing, He
entrusted to them gifts for His service, saying, “Occupy till
I come” (Luke 19:13). e responsibility of the servants in
the use of that which has been committed to their charge
is conned to, limited by, their sojourn upon the earth.
Hence it is when the Lord returns to the earth that the
result of their responsibility is declared. But it is not only
in the use of gifts that this principle is seen; it is found in
every sort of responsibility of the saint. e Corinthians
came behind in no gift, waiting for the revelation of our
Lord Jesus Christ; the essalonians are directed to look
forward for the blessed issue of their persecutions to the
time when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven
with His mighty angels (2ess. 1:7); and Timothy was
to keep the commandment without spot, unrebukable,
until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ (1Tim. 6:14).
For it is then that He comes to be gloried in His saints,
and to be admired in all them that have believed (2ess.
1:10); and then, therefore, that there will be the public
manifestation of the result and issue of the pathway of the
saint through this world. is is the consummation and
the fruition of the service of the believer, as well as the
time when the rights of the Lord Jesus Himself shall be
declared and vindicated, and consequently, in this aspect,
we are said to love His appearing (2Tim. 4:8).
But, as we have shown from the Scriptures, the Lord
returns for His saints before His appearing; and it is to
His coming, therefore, for them that their eye is directed.
is is the proper object of our hope. Our hearts occupied
with Himself, we wait longingly for the moment when,
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according to His word, He will come to receive us to
Himself, that where He is we may be also (John 14:3).
Such, then, is our attitude. As Israel on the Passover night,
with their loins girded, their shoes on their feet, and their
sta in their hand, waited for the signal to depart, so we
should ever be found, with our loins girt and our lamps
burning, expecting the Lord to descend from heaven with
a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the
trump of God, to fetch us out of this scene, to be forever
with Himself. Are we constantly maintaining this attitude?
Do we begin the day with the thought that, before the
darkness returns, we may be caught up into the unclouded
light of His presence? When we lie down at night, do
we remember that before the morning dawns we may be
caught away from our beds? Are all our matters kept so
constantly arranged that we should desire to alter nothing,
if the next moment we should be with the Lord? Are all
our purposes, all our occupations, undertaken and carried
on with this wondrous prospect before our eyes? Surely
nothing short of this should satisfy those who are living in
the expectation of the Lord. May He Himself lead us into
all the power of this blessed truth, using it to separate us
increasingly from everything not suitable to Himself; and,
by the presentation of Himself to us in all His beauty as
the Bright and Morning Star, may He occupy and absorb
our hearts!
‘A little while’ — come, Saviour, come!
For ee y Bride has tarried long;
Take y poor waiting pilgrims home,
To sing the new eternal song,
To see y glory, and to be
In everything conformed to ee!”
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e Blessed Hope: Rapture of
the Saints
When the Lord returns for His people, two things will
take place — the resurrection of the dead in Christ, and
the change of living believers; and then both alike will be
caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and
so shall we ever be with the Lord. is is distinctly taught
in 1essalonians 4:16-17. Our blessed Lord Himself
foreshadowed this truth, indeed stated it, though His
meaning could scarcely be apprehended without the further
light of the epistles. On His way to Bethany, after the death
of Lazarus, He said to Martha, “y brother shall rise again.
Martha saith unto Him, I know that He shall rise again in
the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the
Resurrection and the Life: he that believeth in Me, though
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he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and
believeth in Me shall never die” (John 11:23-26). Here
then we have the same two classes — those who believed in
Christ, but who died before His return, these should live;
and secondly, those who should be then alive, and believed
in Him, these should never die — corresponding exactly
with the two classes found in 1essalonians 4.
In order, however, to make the subject clear and
simple, it must rst be shown that only believers will be
raised from the dead at the second coming of our Lord.
ere is no doctrine more plainly taught in the Scripture,
or so completely overlooked or ignored by the mass of
professing Christians. e common thought is, that at the
end of the world, at the close of the millennium, there will
be a resurrection alike of believers and unbelievers; that all
together will be arraigned before the judgment-seat, and
that then the eternal destiny of each will be declared. But
this theological conception, albeit so widely taught and
accepted, not only has no foundation in, but is also directly
opposed to, the teaching of the word of God. is will be
confessed if attention is given to the proofs about to be
shown, that none but believers will be raised at the Lord’s
coming.
First of all, a few Scriptures may be cited from the
gospels, in addition to that from John 11. On coming
down from the mount of transguration, the Lord charged
His disciples that they should not tell what they had seen,
“till the Son of man were risen from among the dead”
(ἐκ νεκρῶν). “And they kept that saying with themselves,
questioning one with another what the rising from among
the dead should mean” (Mark 9:9, 10). ey believed,
as Martha did, that there would be a resurrection at the
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last day (John 11:24); but hitherto they had never heard
of a resurrection from among the dead, and this it was
that caused their astonishment. Here, of course, it was
the resurrection of Christ Himself that was in question;
but inasmuch as He was the rstfruits of His own, His
resurrection was both the pledge and type of theirs. In
Luke 14:14 we nd the expression, “the resurrection of
the just,” and in another chapter (20:35) the Lord speaks
of those “who shall be accounted worthy to obtain that
world and the resurrection from among the dead” (καί τῆς
ἀναστάσεως τῆς ἐκ νεκρῶν). e phrase which the Lord
uses is unmistakable in its signication that it is a partial
resurrection, that those who obtain this resurrection will
leave others behind them in their graves. e teaching of
John 5:28-29 supports the same conclusion. Going back
to the 25th verse, it will be noted that the term “hour”
includes a whole dispensation. “e hour is coming, and
now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of
God; and they that hear shall live” at hour has lasted
from that moment until the present time, in accordance
with the preceding verse, “He that heareth My word, and
believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and
shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from
death unto life” and it will last until the Lord’s return. It
marks the whole day of grace. In like manner the term
“hour” in the 28th verse includes a whole dispensation.
“Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all
that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come
forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of
life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection
of damnation” — judgment (κρίσεως). Two resurrections
are thus clearly distinguished: that of life, which will take
e Blessed Hope
24
place, as we shall see, at the coming of the Lord; and that
of judgment, which will take place after the close of the
millennium (Rev. 20:11-15).
If we turn now to the epistles, we shall nd even more
exact statements. e subject of 1Corinthians 15 is the
resurrection of the body; and yet not the resurrection of the
bodies of all, but only that of believers. is may be seen at
a glance. After then showing the consequences of the false
doctrine — that there was no resurrection — the apostle
states the truth: “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and
become the rstfruits of them that slept. For since by man
came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made
alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the rstfruits;
afterward they that are Christ’s at His coming” (1Cor.
15:20-23). Language could not be more exact or explicit.
So also in the scripture already cited (1ess. 4) it is said,
“e dead in Christ shall rise rst” (no others are within
the apostle’s view): “then we which are alive and remain.”
ere is not a thought of unbelievers being included. It is
this fact which explains this same apostle’s expression in
another epistle: “If by any means I might attain unto the
resurrection of the dead” (rather, from among the dead)
(Phil. 3:11).
One more scripture may be permitted. In Revelation
20 we read of some who “lived and reigned with Christ
a thousand years” e application of this scripture will be
examined, if the Lord will, later on; but attention now is
called to the following statement: “But the rest of the dead
lived not again until the thousand years were nished. is
is the rst resurrection” (vss. 4-5). It is remembered that
interpreters have sought to prove that this is a spiritual
e Blessed Hope: Rapture of the Saints
25
resurrection (whatever that may mean); but if so, then
the resurrection at the close of the chapter is not a literal
one, and hence they would prove, like the false teachers
at Corinth, that there is no resurrection of the dead! No;
language so clear and unmistakable, especially when taken
in connection with the other scriptures used, places beyond
all doubt that God in His grace has purposed that believers
should rise from among the dead at the coming of the
Lord; and this is called the rst resurrection. Hence it is
that the term rstfruits is applied to the resurrection of
our blessed Lord (1Cor. 15:20), being the rstfruits of the
harvest of His own to be gathered in at His coming (See
Lev. 23:10-11).
ere is one scripture, however, which may seem, in
the minds of those who have not examined the subject,
to contradict the above statements. is is the well-known
passage in Matthew 25, in which we nd the sheep and the
goats gathered before Christ at the same time. is scene,
popularly conceived to be a description of the nal judgment,
is often referred to in opposition to the truth of the rst
resurrection of believers. But the slightest examination of
the words used by our blessed Lord will show that He does
not allude to the subject of the resurrection: “When the
Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels
with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory:
and before Him shall be gathered all nations” (vss. 31-32).
e reference is, therefore, to His appearing and kingdom,
and to His judgment of the living, and not of the dead. We
do not speak of “the nations” in respect of the dead: this
term describes the living. And observe, too, that there are
three classes — the sheep, the goats, and the brethren of
the King; and this fact itself xes the interpretation of the
e Blessed Hope
26
whole scene, showing conclusively that it is the judgment
of the living nations consequent upon the appearing of the
Son of man in His glory, and His assumption of His throne.
e “brethren,” therefore, are Jews, who had been sent out
as the King’s messengers with the annunciation of His
kingdom; and those who received them and their message
are the sheep, and those who rejected them are the goats.
eir relationship to the King is made dependent upon
their treatment of His messengers. (See for this principle
Matthew 10:40-42.)
Having then established that when the Lord returns it
is to fetch His own, whether they have previously died, or
are living still upon the earth, according to His word — “If
I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and
receive you unto Myself” (John 14:3) — we may now
consider the manner of His coming, as well as the rapture
of the saints. e most precise instruction is given to us
upon the subject in a scripture already referred to, but
which may now be quoted at large. “I would not have you
to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep,
that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For
if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them
also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. For this
we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which
are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall
not prevent” (go before, or anticipate) “them which are
asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven
with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the
trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise rst: then
we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together
with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and
so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1ess. 4:13-17). e
e Blessed Hope: Rapture of the Saints
27
bearing of this important passage is sometimes overlooked
from inattention to its exact statements. e essalonian
saints did not doubt concerning their portion in Christ on
His return; but, somehow or other, they had fallen into the
error of supposing that those who had fallen asleep before
that event would suer loss. It is to correct this mistake
that the apostle gives some special instruction “by the word
of the Lord,” that is by a revelation upon this particular
subject. He shows, then, that all who sleep in (or through,)
Jesus, God will bring back with Him, that this indeed is
connected with our faith in, and is a consequence of, the
death and resurrection of Christ. ereon he explains how
this is possible, and this explanation it is which formed
the subject of the special revelation to which we have
alluded. e Lord will come, and then the dead in Christ
will be raised, the living changed, and thus will be caught
up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in
the air.
is may take place, as we saw in the last paper, at any
moment. Let us therefore familiarize our minds with the
scene. Suddenly, then, the Lord Himself will descend
from heaven in the manner here described. First, with a
shout. is has occasioned a diculty in many minds. If,
they have thought, the Lord returns only for His people,
and He descends with a shout, must it not then be in a
public manner? By no means necessarily. e word itself is
one of relationship, indicating, for example, the order of a
commander to his soldiers; and thus it is a shout intended
only for those to whom it is addressed, and the import
of which would not be understood by others. When our
blessed Lord was upon the earth, a voice came to Him
from heaven, and some of the bystanders thought that it
e Blessed Hope
28
thundered, while others said “an angel spake to Him” (John
12:28-29). So also at the conversion of Saul, his companions
heard a voice, that is the sound of a voice (Acts 9:7); “but
they did not hear the voice of Him that spake to me,” that
is the signicance of the voice (Acts 22:9; compare Daniel
10:7). So will it be when the Lord Himself shall descend
from heaven. All His own will hear and understand the
import of the shout; but if heard by others it will only seem
as the roll of distant thunder, or, taken in combination with
the voice of the archangel and the trump of God, should
these be likewise heard, as a strange phenomenon, to be
discussed and explained by scientic men. It is probable
that the three — the shout, the voice of the archangel, and
the trump of God (see Numbers 10) — have but one object,
the summoning, the assembling together, of the dead and
living saints for their translation into the presence of their
Lord.
Two eects follow, and follow instantaneously; for the
apostle says in another epistle, “We shall not all sleep, but
we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of
an eye, at the last trump” (1Cor. 15:51-52). “e dead in
Christ shall rise rst” What a stupendous scene! All that are
Christ’s, including, therefore, saints of the past, as well as of
the present dispensation, shall rise at His coming (1Cor.
15:23). Tracing down the line of the ages from Adam till
the last saint to be gathered in, all this countless multitude
will, “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,” spring up
from their graves — raised incorruptible. And not only so,
but all the saints then living will be changed, so that all
alike will be clothed upon with their resurrection bodies, in
fashion like unto Christ’s body of glory (Phil. 3:21). It is,
then, when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption,
e Blessed Hope: Rapture of the Saints
29
and this mortal shall have put on immortality, that the
saying that is written will be brought to pass, “Death is
swallowed up in victory” (1Cor. 15:54; see also 2Cor. 5:1-
4). But no sooner has this marvelous change been wrought,
than all its subjects will be caught up “in the clouds, to
meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the
Lord” en the Lord Himself enters for the rst time, as
far as His people are concerned, upon the full fruit of His
redemption-work, of the travail of His soul. And what
tongue could tell, or pen describe, His joy when He thus
redeems from the grave the very bodies of His people, and
when He brings by the word of His power all His chosen
ones into His presence, and all conformed to His own
image! Nor is it possible to express even our own joy, the
joy on which we then shall enter, when the longing desires
of our hearts are all realized, and, like Him, we shall behold
His face, see Him as He is, and be with Him forever.
“Knowing as I am known!”
How shall I love that word,
How oft repeat before the throne,
“Forever with the Lord!”
It is for this we wait, and the time is not far distant
when all will be accomplished; for we rest on the sure word
of our faithful Lord, who has said, “Surely I come quickly”
e Blessed Hope
30
e Blessed Hope: Judgment Seat of Christ
31
146619
e Blessed Hope: Judgment
Seat of Christ
“We all,” says the apostle, “must appear before the
judgment seat of Christ” (2Cor. 5:10). He includes in this
statement, undoubtedly, both believers and unbelievers,
though, as will be seen later, there is a long intervening
period between the judgment of the two classes; for
there is not the least foundation in the word of God for
the common idea that saints and sinners will appear at
the same time before the judgment-seat. But it is with
believers that we are now concerned, and their appearance
before the tribunal of Christ will take place between His
coming and His appearing. Caught up, as we saw in our
last paper, to meet the Lord in the air, they are then like
Christ, will see Him as He is (1John 3:2), and will be with
e Blessed Hope
32
Him forever (1ess. 4:17). e place to which they are
translated, and in which they will be with the Lord, is the
Father’s house. is we know from the Lord’s own words,
“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 14:2, 3). ere the blessed Lord will conduct all
His own, and, if we may adapt the words, will present them
faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding
joy (Jude 24); and with what overowing joy will He and
the children God has given Him appear before His Father
and their Father, and His God and their God! And with
what joy will God Himself behold the fruit and perfection
of His own counsels, the redeemed all conformed to the
image of His Son, that He might be the rstborn among
many brethren! (Rom. 8:29).
e saints, then, will dwell in the Father’s house during
the interval that will elapse between the coming of Christ
for, and His return with, His saints; and, as before remarked,
it is during this time that they will be manifested before
the judgment seat of Christ. e proof of this is found in
Revelation 19. Just on the eve of returning with Christ (vss.
11-14), John tells us, “I heard as it were the voice of a great
multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice
of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia; for the Lord God
omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give
honor to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and
His wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted
that she should be arrayed in ne linen, clean and white:
for, the ne linen is the righteousness (δικαιώματά) of
saints” (vss. 6-8). Here then we nd the saints robed in
e Blessed Hope: Judgment Seat of Christ
33
their (not God’s) righteousness, the fruit of their practical
ways, produced and wrought out surely by the Holy Spirit,
but nevertheless counted as theirs in the wonderful grace
of God; and hence, since the judgment seat of Christ for
believers is concerning the things done in their body, this
can only be the results of declared judgment. e arraying
the Lamb’s wife in the ne linen, clean and white, will
therefore follow upon the manifestation of the saints before
Christ’s tribunal; and both take place, as it would seem
from this chapter, preparatory to, and immediately before,
the appearing of the Lord with His saints. Had we not this
instruction, we might have thought that the judgment seat
at least would have followed close upon the rapture. But
there is grace in its postponement. e saints are caught
up, and are with the Lord in the Father’s house, and they
are permitted to become familiar with, and, if we may use
the word, at home in, the glory into which they have been
introduced, before the question of the deeds done in the
body is brought up for settlement.
e character of the judgment must be distinctly
observed, and one or two preliminary remarks will greatly
conduce both to prevent mistake and to the understanding
of the subject.
e believer will never be judged for sins. It is in the
passage before us not sins, but deeds done in the body;
and indeed to suppose that the question of our guilt,
our sins, could be again raised is to overlook, not to say
falsify, the character of grace and the work of redemption.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word,
and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life,
and shall not come into judgment (κρισιν); but is passed
from death unto life” (John 5:24). Again we are told, “By
e Blessed Hope
34
one oering He hath perfected forever them that are
sanctied” (Heb. 10:14). e question of sin was settled,
and closed forever, at the cross; and every believer is before
God in all the abiding ecacy of the sacrice there oered,
yea, accepted in the Beloved. Even now, therefore, we are
without spot before God, and our sins and iniquities will
be remembered no more (Heb. 10:17).
is will be at once seen when it is remembered that we
shall have our gloried bodies — be like Christ — before
we are manifested before His judgment-seat; for, as already
pointed out, the resurrection of the saints who have fallen
asleep in Christ, and the change of the living, and the
rapture of both into the presence of the Lord, will precede
our appearing at the judgment seat. is is unspeakable
consolation; for being already like Christ, we shall have full
fellowship with Him in every judgment He passes upon
our works; and we shall therefore rejoice at the exposure
and rejection of all that owed, in our lives down here,
from the esh, and not from the Holy Spirit. is answers
the question sometimes put, Whether we shall not tremble
and be ashamed as all the deeds of our Christian life are
brought up and shown out in their real character? Indeed,
as another has said, “We are in the light by faith when the
conscience is in the presence of God. We shall be according
to the perfection of that light when we appear before the
tribunal of Christ. I have said that it is a solemn thing, and
so it is; for everything is judged according to that light; but
it is that which the heart loves, because, thanks to our God,
we are light in Christ!
“But there is more than this. When the Christian is
thus manifested, he is already gloried, and, perfectly
like Christ, has no remains of the evil nature in which he
e Blessed Hope: Judgment Seat of Christ
35
sinned; and he can now look back at all the way God has
led him in grace — helped, lifted up, kept from falling, not
withdrawn His eyes from the righteous. He knows as he
is known. What a tale of grace and mercy! If I look back
now, my sins do not rest on my conscience, though I have a
horror of them; they are put away behind God’s back. I am
the righteousness of God in Christ; but what a sense of love
and patience, and goodness and grace! How much more
perfect then, when all is before me! Surely there is great
gain as to light and love in giving an account of ourselves
to God, and not a trace remains of the evil in us. We are
like Christ. If a person fears to have all out thus before
God, I do not believe he is free in soul as to righteousness,
being the righteousness of God in Christ, not fully in the
light. And we have not to be judged for anything; Christ
has put it all away”
Bearing these things in mind, we may consider
more closely the nature of the judgment itself. It is not
we ourselves who have to be judged, nor, as has been
abundantly explained, will our sins reappear against us,
but, as the Scripture itself says, “we must all appear” (be
manifested) “before the judgment seat of Christ; that every
one may receive the things done in his body, according to
that he hath done, whether good or bad.” e body of the
believer is the Lord’s, a member of Christ, and the temple
of the Holy Spirit (1Cor. 6:15-19), and is therefore to be
used in His service for the display of Christ Himself (Rom.
12:1; 2Cor. 4:10). Hence the apostle’s earnest expectation
and hope was that Christ should be magnied in his
body, whether by life or by death (Phil. 1:20). It is on this
account that we are responsible for the deeds done in our
body, so that while we are perfected forever through the
e Blessed Hope
36
one oering of Christ, and there cannot be, therefore, any
further imputation of sin to us, every act of our lives, not
only as service, but every deed which we have done, will be
manifested, tested, and judged when before the judgment
seat of Christ. e good will be seen, and declared to be
such; and while these were surely produced, wrought out in,
and by us, through the grace of God, and the power of His
Spirit, they will be reckoned, in His innite compassion,
as ours, and as such we shall receive the recompense. e
bad, however fair they appeared here, will also be seen and
recognized in their true character, and belonging to none
but ourselves, the product of the esh, will receive their just
condemnation, we ourselves rejoicing to behold everything
that had dishonored our blessed Lord, though done by
ourselves, receiving its righteous meed and doom. e time
for concealments will then be gone; for that which maketh
everything manifest is light, and then everything will be
searched and tested by the full blaze of the light of the
holiness of that judgment seat.
It is a question worthy of consideration whether this
truth occupies its due place in our souls. Knowing grace and
the fullness of redemption, there is a danger of overlooking
or forgetting our responsibility. But this should never be
the case; and the prospect of the judgment seat of Christ,
while it has not a shade of apprehension for the believer,
is yet intended to exert a most practical inuence on our
souls. e very connection in which it is found shows this
to be the case. “We are condent,” says the apostle, “and
willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present
with the Lord. Wherefore we labor, that whether present
or absent, we may be accepted of Him [rather, acceptable
to Him εὐάρεστοι αὐτὠ]. For we must all appear” 2Cor.
e Blessed Hope: Judgment Seat of Christ
37
5:8-10). e prospect, therefore, braced up the soul of the
apostle, stimulating him with unwearied zeal in all that he
did to seek only the approbation of Christ. In fact, this
is precisely what it does for us, enabling us to bring all
our actions into the light of His presence now, and helping
us to do them for and unto Himself. Herein indeed lies
our strength. Satan is very subtle, and often tempts us to
be men-pleasers; but when we remember that all will be
manifested before the judgment seat, we are impervious to
his snares, knowing that if we commend ourselves to others,
it may be at the cost of displeasing Christ. And what the
prot of practicing deception, whether upon ourselves or
upon others, when the nature of all that we do is so soon
to be exposed? To be acceptable to Christ will be our aim
just in proportion as we have His tribunal before our souls.
It will likewise help us to be patient under misconception,
and in the presence of wrongdoing or evil. During the days
of the Reformation in Italy, a monk, who had received the
truth of the gospel, was subjected to close connement
under the custody of a brother monk. rough a long
period of years he bore without a murmur the harsh and
rigorous treatment of his jailor. Finally, he was ordered
forth to be executed. As he left the cell which had been his
prison-house, he turned to his custodian, and meekly said,
“Brother, we shall soon know which of us has been pleasing
to the Lord” We also, in like manner, can calmly leave every
disputed question, whether concerning ourselves or our
brethren, to be settled before the judgment-seat of Christ.
We shall thus be able to adopt the language of the apostle,
“With me it is a very small thing that I should be judged
of you, or of man’s judgment (man’s day): yea, I judge not
mine own self. For I know nothing of myself; yet am I
e Blessed Hope
38
not hereby justied: but He that judgeth me is the Lord.
erefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord
come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of
darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the heart:
and then shall every man have praise of God” (1Cor. 4:3-
5). e inuence of this truth, if held in the power of the
Holy Spirit, would be incalculable. It would produce in
us exercised consciences even in respect of our smallest
actions, as it would keep the holiness of the Lord, whom
we serve, continually before our souls; and at the same time
it would save us from being occupied with the failures of
our brethren, as we should be constantly reminded of the
words of the apostle, “Who art thou that judgest another
man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth”
(Rom. 14:4).
e Lord give us to live more continually under the
power of this truth, that all our words and acts may be
spoken and done in the light of that day.
e Blessed Hope: Marriage Supper of the Lamb
39
146620
e Blessed Hope: Marriage
Supper of the Lamb
Another event takes place in heaven, after the judgment-
seat of Christ, before His return with His saints; namely,
the marriage supper of the Lamb. e scripture that refers
to it may again be cited: “Let us be glad and rejoice, and
give honor to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come,
and His wife hath made herself ready. And to her was
granted that she should be arrayed in ne linen, clean
and white: for the ne linen is the righteousness of saints.
And He saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are
called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb” (Rev. 19:7-
9). In this heavenly scene we behold the consummation of
redemption, in respect of the church, in her presentation
e Blessed Hope
40
to, and everlasting union with, the Object of all her hopes
and aections.
A few preliminary words, however, may be necessary for
the apprehension of the true character of this scene. From
many passages of Scripture we gather that the church is not
only the body (Eph. 1:23, 5:30; Col. 1:18; 1Cor. 12:27),
but also the bride of Christ. Paul thus tells the Corinthians,
“I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present
you as a chaste virgin to Christ” (2 Cor. 11:2). Again,
when expounding the duties of husbands to their wives,
he enforces them on the distinct ground of marriage being
a type of the union of Christ with the church. “Husbands,
love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and
gave Himself for it; that He might sanctify and cleanse it
with the washing of water by the Word, that He might
present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot,
or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy
and without blemish” (Eph. 5:25-27). Once more: “For this
cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall
be joined unto his wife, and they too shall be one esh.
is is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and
the church” (vss. 31-32). Here the Spirit of God carries
us back to the formation of Eve out of Adam, and her
presentation to and union with him as his wife, as a type of
the presentation of the church to Christ, the last Adam. As
long as He was down here as a man, He abode alone; but
a deep sleep, even the sleep of death, fell also upon Him,
according to the purpose of God; and as the fruit of His
work, through the descent of the Holy Spirit, the church
was formed -formed and united to Him; so that, as Adam
said of Eve, “is is now bone of my bones, and esh of my
e Blessed Hope: Marriage Supper of the Lamb
41
esh” (Gen. 2:23), we (believers) can say, “We are members
of His body, of His esh, and of His bones” (Eph. 5:30).
But another thing is brought before us in the Ephesians.
It is said that Christ loved the church, and gave Himself
for it. His love, therefore, was the source of all-His motive,
in this aspect, for the gift of Himself. Finding the one
pearl of great price, valuing it according to the estimate
of His own aections, He went and sold all that He had,
and bought it (Matt. 13:46); He gave Himself (and giving
Himself, He gave “all that love could give”) for it. And He
gave Himself for it that He might sanctify and cleanse it
with the washing of water by the word; thus making the
church morally suitable to Himself, “that He might present
it to Himself a glorious church,” etc. We have thus three
steps-past, present, and future. He gave Himself for it in
His death upon the cross; He cleanses it (the process He
is carrying on now through His intercession at the right
hand of God, in answer to which there is the washing of
water by the word; and He presents it to Himself — which
takes place at the marriage supper of the Lamb.
And all, every step, be it remarked, is the fruit of His
love. If He still waits at the right hand of God, it is only that
every one who is to be a part of His bride shall be brought
in. “All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me” (John
6:37); and He has purchased, redeemed, all by the gift of
Himself. He will, therefore, keep His seat until the last
of these is brought out of darkness into God’s marvelous
light. en He will delay no longer; for the same love that
moved Him to give Himself will impel Him to fetch His
bride. Hence He presents Himself to the church, saying,
“Behold, I come quickly,” reminding her that His love never
wearies, that He is eagerly waiting for the moment when
e Blessed Hope
42
He can come to receive her unto Himself. Having fetched
His own, in the manner described previously, and brought
them into the Father’s house, and having manifested all
before His judgment-seat, the time for the marriage has
come, and it is this event which is celebrated in the passage
cited from the Revelation.
It is the marriage of the Lamb (Rev. 19:7); and, as
another has said, “‘the Lamb’ is a gure or description of
the Son of God, which tells us of the sorrows He endured
for us. e soul understands this, and therefore this title,
‘the Lamb’s wife,’ tells that it is by His suerings the Lord
has made her His own; that He so valued her as to give up
all for her.” Even now believers are united to Christ; but
the marriage speaks of another thing. It is the time when
all the believers of this dispensation — embracing all from
Pentecost until the Lord’s return — already gloried, and
looked at corporately, are fully and nally associated with
the risen and gloried Man, with the One who, in His own
matchless grace and peerless love, has chosen the church
to be His companion forever. He is, in the scene before
us, on the eve of His appearing; but before He returns to
the place of His rejection He will formally take into union
with Himself her who has shared in measure His sorrows
and suerings, that He may display her to the world as
sharing in the same glory with Himself. “And the glory
which ou gavest Me I have given them; that they may
be one, even as we are one: I in them, and ou in Me,
that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world
may know that ou hast sent Me, and hast loved them,
as ou hast loved Me” (John 17:22-23). is refers to the
time when He returns to take His power and reign, “And
earth His royal bride shall see Beside Him on the throne.”
e Blessed Hope: Marriage Supper of the Lamb
43
e marriage is preparatory to this public display, and
is the expression of His own heart in thus bringing the
church into participation with Himself of His own glory
and His own joy.
Combining the Scripture in Ephesians with that before
us, it may be seen that the wife will be robed in a twofold
beauty. Here we are told that “His wife hath made herself
ready, and to her was granted that she should be arrayed
in ne linen, clean and white” ere it is said that He will
“present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or
wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and
without blemish” (Eph. 5:27). is last beauty is the result
of what Christ has done for her. “He gave Himself for it,
that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing
of water by the Word” ereby, as already seen, He has
made her morally a suitable companion to Himself; and
as He has now brought her before Himself, she shines
resplendent with His own beauty, reecting His own glory.
It is His own likeness He sees before Him, reproduced in
His wife; and He has thus made her the meet companion
of His exaltation and glory.
But the ne linen indicates another kind of beauty. It
is the righteousness of saints (vs. 8) — the result, as before
pointed out, of the manifestation before the judgment-seat,
of Christ. is fact wonderfully enhances our conceptions
of the grace of our God. If we do a single thing which meets
His approval, it can only be through the power which He
Himself has given us; “for we are His workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before
ordained that we should walk in them”(Eph. 2:10). And yet
He will adorn us with all the fruit and beauty of that which
has been wrought out in and by us through His own grace
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and power. Every kind of beauty therefore — both divine
and human — will characterize the Lamb’s wife, according
to the perfection of God’s thoughts and counsels, and
according also to the mind and heart of the Lamb.
Several distinct things mark the celebration of the
marriage. First, there is the outburst of joy and praise, as
“the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many
waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying,
Alleluia; for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth” (vs. 6).
e marriage, indeed, as the chapter shows, is immediately
before the coming forth in judgment of the King of kings,
and the Lord of lords, and hence is on the eve of the
world — sovereignty of “our Lord and His Christ” (Rev.
11:15). en they cry, “Let us be glad and rejoice, and
give honor to Him: for the marriage of the Lord is come”
(vs. 7). e nuptials of the Lamb, therefore, excite the
wondering adoration of heaven, of all the servants of God,
and of them that fear Him, both small and great (vs. 5).
Last of all, John is commanded to write, “Blessed are they
which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.”
e portion of the wife is as unique as it is incomparable;
but even those who are invited to have fellowship with the
joy of that day are pronounced blessed. And no wonder; for
they are admitted to view the consummation of the desires
of Christ, His joy in presenting to Himself her for whom
He had died, and who, made meet for her association with
Himself, was now robed in the glory of God (John 17:22;
Rev. 21:10-11). It is, therefore, a day of unbroken joy — joy
to the heart of God, joy to the Lamb and His wife, and joy
to all who are permitted to behold this wondrous scene.
But it is the Lamb Himself who attracts our gaze as the
prominent gure of that day; and it is called, as one has
e Blessed Hope: Marriage Supper of the Lamb
45
said, “the marriage of the Lamb, not the marriage of the
Church or of the Lamb’s wife, but of the Lamb, as though
the Lamb was the one chiey interested in that joy. e
Church will have her joy in Christ, but Christ will have His
greater joy in the Church. e strongest pulse of gladness
that is to beat for eternity will be in the bosom of the Lord
over His ransomed bride. In all things He is to have the
preeminence; and as in all things, so in this — that His joy
in her will be greater than hers in Him.”
“For ee, His royal bride — for thee,
His brightest glories shine;
And, happier still, His changeless heart,
With all its love, is thine”
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e Blessed Hope: Restoration of the Jews
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e Blessed Hope:
Restoration of the Jews
ere is nothing more certain from the word of God
than that the Jews, who are now dispersed throughout
the world, will be restored to their own land; for “He that
scattered Israel will gather him” (Jer. 31:10). e time of
their restoration is not revealed; but inasmuch as they are
found in the land soon after the rapture of the saints, it
is evident that it will take place about that time, whether
before or after it would be impossible to say, but probably
afterward, because otherwise there would be a visible sign
of the Lord’s being at hand.
A brief reference to God’s ways in government on
the earth will very much simplify and facilitate our
understanding of this subject. We learn from the prophet
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Daniel that, on the utter failure of Israel as the depository of
God’s power in the earth, the dominion was transferred to
the Gentiles. us, in the interpretation of the great image
which Nebuchadnezzar had seen in his dream, Daniel says:
“ou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven
hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.
And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts
of the eld, and the fowls of the heaven, hath He given
into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all.
ou art this head of gold” (Dan. 2:37-38). ree empires
would follow — the Medo-Persian, the Grecian, and the
Roman; and the last of these, disappearing for a time,
would nally revive, but be divided into ten kingdoms,
as symbolized by the ten toes of the image, all of which
however would be united in a common federation under
one supreme head (Dan. 2:31-43; 7; Rev. 13 and 17). ese
empires reach down to the end, but the last is superseded,
and indeed destroyed, by the kingdom of Christ; for “in
the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a
kingdom which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom
shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces
and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever”
(Dan. 2:44; see also Rev. 19:11-21, and 20). Now the period
which embraces the whole of these monarchies is termed
“the times of the Gentiles,” during which, according to the
words of our Lord, Jerusalem is to be “trodden down of the
Gentiles” (Luke 21:24). e absence of the Jews, therefore,
from their own land will coincide, or nearly so, with this
period. But God’s purposes concerning His ancient people
will yet be accomplished, “for the gifts and calling of God
are without repentance” (Rom. 11:29). And hence, together
e Blessed Hope: Restoration of the Jews
49
with the completion and rapture of the church, God will
commence to deal again with that nation.
It is true that a small remnant, mainly composed of
the two tribes, Judah and Benjamin (Ezra 10:7-9), was
permitted to return to Jerusalem during the reign of Cyrus,
the account of which we have in Ezra and Nehemiah;
but this was in no way a national restoration, nor the full
accomplishment of God’s purposes, for Haggai, Zechariah,
and Malachi all prophesied after this period, and speak of
the time of the national blessing as yet future (Hag. 2:7-9;
Zech. 9-14; Mal. 3 and 4). Indeed from the time of this
return until the birth of our Lord, so far from being an
independent nation, they were always in subjection to the
Gentile power. In such a condition there was nothing to
answer to the glowing prediction of the prophet: “And the
sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings
shall minister unto thee: for in My wrath I smote thee,
but in My favor have I had mercy on thee. erefore thy
gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day
nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the
Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought. For the
nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish;
yea, those kingdoms shall be utterly wasted” (Isa. 60:10-12).
e object indeed of this partial return would seem to have
been that Christ might be born among them, according to
the predictions of the prophets, and be presented to them
as the Messiah. is took place; and the gospel of Matthew,
which especially deals with this subject, gives us in full
the results. He was utterly rejected. ey chose Barabbas
that they might compass the destruction of Christ. “e
governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the
twain will ye that I release unto you? ey said, Barabbas.
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Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus
which is called Christ? ey all say unto him, Let Him
be crucied. And the governor said, Why, what evil hath
He done? But they cry out the more, saying, Let Him be
crucied” (Matt. 27:21-23). In the gospel of John their
iniquity is, if possible, still more strikingly displayed. “Pilate
saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? e chief priests
answered, We have no king but Caesar” (John 19:15). ey
thus deliberately renounced the hope and glory of their
nation, rejected their Messiah in their wicked desire to
secure the crucixion of Jesus of Nazareth; and from that
day to this they have been suering the consequences of
their fearful crime, as outcasts and a bye-word, among the
nations of the earth.
But God, whatever the sin of His people, can not deny
Himself; and in the death of Him whom His ancient
people rejected (for He died for that nation — John 11:52),
He laid the foundation for their future restoration and
blessing. e evidence of this is so abundant that it is
dicult to know where to begin or end; but a few scriptures
may be selected, leaving our readers to trace out the details
at their own leisure. “And it shall come to pass in that day,
that the Lord shall set His hand again the second time
to recover the remnant of His people, which shall be left,
from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from
Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath,
and from the islands of the sea. And He shall set up an
ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts … of
Judah from the four corners of the earth” (Isa. 11:11-12,
et seq). Again we read, that “the Lord will have mercy on
Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own
land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they
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51
shall cleave to the house of Jacob. And the people shall take
them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel
shall possess them in the land of the Lord for servants
and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose
captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors”
(Isa. 14:1, 2. Read also Isa. 25:6-12; 26; 27:6; 30:18-26;
35:10; 49:7-26,54,60-61).e language of Jeremiah is no
less distinct: “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that
I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King
shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and
justice in the earth. In His days Judah shall be saved, and
Israel shall dwell safely; and this is His name whereby He
shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
erefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that
they shall no more say, e Lord liveth, which brought up
the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; but, e
Lord liveth which brought up and which led the seed of
the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all
countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell
in their own land” (Jer. 23:5-8. Read especially chapters
30, 31 and 33). ere is scarcely a prophet, indeed, that
does not touch upon the subject; and in such plain words
that, had not Zion been confounded with the Church, no
one could have doubted of God’s intentions towards His
ancient people. If, moreover, the testimony of the prophets
had been less precise, the argument of Paul in Romans 11
should have suced to teach us that He will never forego
His purposes of grace and blessing towards the seed of
Abraham; for, after showing that God hath not cast away
His people (Israel), he says: “I would not, brethren, that ye
should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise
in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to
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52
Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. And so
all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, ere shall come
out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness
from Jacob: for this is my covenant unto them, when I shall
take away their sins” (25-27). Two things, indeed, are clear
from this scripture; that blessing is reserved for Israel, and
that their Deliverer shall come out of Zion; showing that
they must be in their own land previous to the blessing
here described.
ere are, however, several stages in their restoration
before this full result spoken of by Paul is reached. A
portion will return to Palestine in unbelief. is is certain
from the fact that Zechariah describes their conversion in
the land by the appearing of the Lord (Zech. 22:9-14; 13:1.
See also Isa. 17:10-11; 28:14-15). While in their unbelief
they will build a temple, and seek to restore their sacricial
services; and thus will pave the way for the setting up by
the antichrist of the abomination of desolation in the
holy place, of which our Lord forewarned His disciples
(Matt. 24:15; see also Rev. 11:1, 2; Isa. 66:1-6). ere will
be, however, a remnant in the midst of their unbelieving
brethren who will stay themselves upon God, who, not
yet knowing their Messiah, will cry to the Lord in their
distress, and will be preserved from the abominations into
which the mass of the nation will fall. ese are the elect
remnant whose experiences are so largely developed in the
Psalms, and in some of the prophets.
e restoration of the ten tribes will be eected after
the Lord has taken His kingdom. Inasmuch as they had
no part in the rejection and crucixion of Christ, although
they will be judged for their own sins, they will be spared
the fearful and peculiar trials through which their brethren
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53
will have to pass, in consequence of their acceptance of,
and connection with, the antichrist. It is therefore not
until after the return of Christ that He will bring to light
and restore this long-lost portion of His people. Ezekiel
describes the method of their restoration: “As I live, saith
the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand, and with a
stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule
over you; and I will bring you out from the people, and will
gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered,
with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with
fury poured out. And I will bring you into the wilderness
of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face.
Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of
the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord
God. And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will
bring you into the bond of the covenant: and I will purge
out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress
against Me: and I will bring them forth out of the country
where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land
of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the Lord” e rest
are brought, and the prophet proceeds: “And ye shall know
that I am the Lord, when I shall bring you into the land of
Israel, into the country for the which I lifted up mine hand
to give it to your fathers” (Eze. 20:33-44; also 34). Jeremiah
goes farther, and describes their coming into the land in
language of singular beauty and pathos: “For there shall
be a day, that the watchmen upon the mount Ephraim
shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the Lord
our God. For thus saith the Lord, Sing with gladness for
Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations: publish
ye, praise ye, and say, O Lord, save y people, the remnant
of Israel. Behold, I will bring them from the north country,
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and gather them from the coasts of the earth, and with
them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and
her that travaileth with child together: a great company
shall return thither. ey shall come with weeping, and
with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to
walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they
shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim
is my rstborn” en he proceeds to declare still further
the purpose of the Lord concerning His people, and their
consequent heritage of joy: “Hear the word of the Lord,
O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar o, and say,
He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as
a shepherd doth his ock. For the Lord hath redeemed
Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was
stronger than he. erefore they shall come and sing in the
height of Zion, and shall ow together to the goodness of
the LORD, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the
young of the ock and of the herd: and their soul shall be
as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at
all. en shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young
men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into
joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from
their sorrow. And I will satiate the soul of the priests with
fatness, and My people shall be satised with My goodness,
saith the Lord” (Jer. 31:6-14).
e ten tribes thus brought back, we are told, moreover,
that they will be united together with Judah under the
happy and glorious sway of their Messiah; that “they shall
be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into
two kingdoms any more,” and that God’s servant “David
[the true David, Christ] shall be their Prince forever” (Eze.
37:21-28).
e Blessed Hope: Restoration of the Jews
55
We thus see that God has not forgotten His covenant
with Abraham (Gen. 17:4-8); for while Israel failed in
responsibility, and forfeited all claim upon God, He yet in
faithfulness to His own word, in the wonders of His grace,
will perform all that He has spoken. And the time draws
near when Israel, once again restored to their own land,
“shall blossom and bud, and ll the face of the world with
fruit” (Isa. 27:6). For “thus saith the Lord: If My covenant
be not with day and night, and if I have not appointed the
ordinances of heaven and earth; then will I cast away the
seed of Jacob, and David My servant, so that I will not take
any of his seed to be rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob: for I will cause their captivity to return, and
have mercy on them” (Jer. 33:25-26).
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e Blessed Hope: the Apostasy and the Antichrist
57
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e Blessed Hope: the
Apostasy and the
Antichrist
In the interval between the rapture of the saints and
the appearing of Christ, the earth will be the scene of
some of the most awful events which the world has ever
witnessed. Among these will be the apostasy — the open
abandonment of all profession of Christianity, yea, the
denial both of the Father and the Son (1John 2:22), and
the appearance of the man of sin, the son of perdition, or
the antichrist. Paul has given us most distinct and precise
instruction upon these subjects. False teachers had sought
to disturb the minds of the essalonian believers by
alleging that the day of the Lord was already come. It was
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to meet this error that he wrote, “Now we beseech you,
brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and
by our gathering together unto Him, that ye be not soon
shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by
letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand (the
day of the Lord is present). Let no man deceive you by any
means: for that day shall not come, except there come a
falling away rst, and that man of sin be revealed, the son
of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all
that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he himself
(the words “as God” should be omitted) sitteth in the
temple of God, showing himself that he is God” (2ess.
2:1-4). We are, therefore, plainly warned that “the falling
away” (the apostasy), and the man of sin, will be seen in the
interval between the rapture of the saints and the day of
the Lord. For the apostle grounds his exhortation to these
believers on the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our
gathering together unto Him. As another has explained
this scripture: “eir gathering together unto Christ in the
air was a demonstration of the impossibility of the day of
the Lord being already come. Moreover with regard to this
last he presents two considerations: rst, the day could not
be already come, since Christians were not yet gathered
to the Lord, and they were to come with Him; second,
the wicked one who was then to be judged had not yet
appeared, so that the judgment could not be executed.”
ereon the apostle proceeds to show that until
the Church is caught away this consummation and
embodiment of wickedness cannot be reached. “And now
ye know what withholdeth” (that which restrains) “that he
might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity
doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until
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59
he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked
be revealed (vss. 6-8). In the light, then, of this and other
scriptures, we may trace a little both the “falling away,” and
the man of sin.
1. e Apostasy. is was foreseen and predicted from
the earliest days of Christianity. Our Lord Himself
plainly points to it in some of His parables, and never
speaks of the gradual diusion of the truth until the
whole world should be brought to confess Him as
Lord. On the other hand He compares the kingdom
of heaven, as seen in the world, “unto leaven” (and
leaven in the Scriptures has generally the signicance
of corruption) “which a woman took, and hid in three
measures of meal, till the whole was leavened” (Matt.
13:33; see also the parable of the tares, and of the
mustard seed, in the same chapter). Paul, moreover,
tells the elders of the Church at Ephesus, “I know
this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves
enter in among you, not sparing the ock. Also of your
own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things,
to draw away disciples after them” (Acts 20:29-30).
And passing by his allusions to the subject, we nd
in his two epistles to Timothy (1Tim. 4; 2Tim. 3)
express descriptions of the evils of the “latter times,”
and of “the perilous times” of “the last days.” What
can be, indeed, more direct and emphatic than the
scripture cited from 2essalonians? For he there
warns the saints to whom he writes that the mystery
of iniquity was already working, and though for the
time restrained, would at last, when the restraint was
removed, rise so rapidly and mightily that, passing over
all bounds, it would nally reach its consummation
in that fearful being who would oppose and exalt
himself above all that is called God, and demand
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and receive the homage which is due to God alone.
Peter also speaks of the evil of the last days, and Jude
too, and especially in its form of apostasy; and in
the Revelation we are permitted to behold its nal
form in “Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and
abominations of the earth” (Rev. 17:5).
To understand this aright it must be borne in mind,
that when the saints are caught away, the Church in its
outward form, that is the profession of Christianity, will
still remain. Only real Christians will be caught up in the
clouds to meet the Lord in the air. ere will, therefore, be
thousands (not to say millions) of mere nominal believers
left behind. And doubtless this profession will at the
outset be maintained; and many churches and chapels,
and other places where professing Christians meet, will
carry on as before their religious services. But now that
He that restrained the development of the mystery of
iniquity — the Spirit of God in the Church — now that
He is gone, evil will be unbridled and hearts that shrunk
before from receiving teachings, indel in their character,
which undermined the authority of the word of God,
and the fundamental doctrines of Christianity, will soon
fall completely under their sway. Yea, in the solemn and
awful language of Scripture, “God shall send them strong
delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might
be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure
in unrighteousness” (2ess. 2:11-12). us they will be
gradually prepared to fall under the inuence and power
of antichrist, and therewith utterly to abandon even the
form of Christianity. And it is not a little remarkable, as
one has said, “that the apostasy will develop itself under
the three forms in which man has been in relationship
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61
with God: Nature — it is the man of sin unrestrained, who
exalts himself; Judaism — he sits as God in the temple of
God; Christianity — it is to this that the term apostasy
is directly applied in the passage before us” (2ess. 2).
How fearful the prospect! And how sad it is to notice this
mystery of iniquity so plainly working in the present day,
boldly rearing its head in the pulpits of Christendom, and
proclaiming, without let or hindrance, doctrines which
subvert the very foundations of revealed truth, and thereby
preparing the way, as soon as the Church is gone, for the
advent of the man of sin.
2. e Antichrist. If we now consider a little more closely
the character of this personage we shall have a
clearer understanding of the whole subject. He is
mentioned as the man of sin, as we have already seen
in connection with the apostasy; but we may nd
traces of him both in the Old and New Testaments.
He is termed “the king” in Daniel (11:36), the “idol
shepherd” in Zechariah (11:17); but it is in the
epistles of John that he is specied as the antichrist
(1John 2:18-22John 1:7). In Revelation he is termed
a “beast.”
Now it must be distinctly understood that antichrist is not
a gurative term for some evil principle or system, but that
it indicates an actual person. Whoever will take the trouble
to read the various scriptures in which he is mentioned will
at once perceive this. ere is reason, moreover, to conclude
that he will be not a Gentile, but a Jew. us our Lord,
doubtless in allusion to this incarnation of evil, says, “If
another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive”
(John 5:43); and this is inconceivable, excepting he were
of their own nation. Indeed he will present himself as the
Messiah in his antagonism to Christ, and thus he is termed
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“the king” in Daniel, who, speaking of him, says that he will
not “regard the God of his fathers,” plainly pointing out his
Jewish lineage as well as his apostate character. Indeed he
tells us that he will “exalt himself … above every god, and
shall speak marvelous things against the God of gods, and
shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that
that is determined shall be done” (Dan. 11:36 et seq).
If we now turn to the book of Revelation, we shall nd
both his rise and the character of his actings described.
Before, however, entering upon this, it will be necessary to
recall the reader’s attention to the Gentile monarchies; three
of which will precede, and the last be contemporaneous
with the antichrist. As revealed to Daniel, and by him
announced to Nebuchadnezzar, four monarchies were to
reach down to the end. ose of Babylon, Medo-Persia,
and Greece have appeared, and passed away. e fourth,
symbolized by the legs of iron, and the “feet part of iron and
of clay,” is the last; for in the vision which Nebuchadnezzar
saw, “a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the
image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake
them to pieces … and the stone that smote the image
became a great mountain, and lled the whole earth” (Dan.
2:34-35).
is last is the Roman empire — rst in its pristine
energy and resistless strength, as set forth under the
emblem of iron, and then in its nal form of ten kingdoms,
foreshadowed by the ten toes, welded together in one
confederation under a supreme head. Now in Revelation
13 we have described rst of all the rise of the imperial
power, of the Roman empire in its nal form. John says,
“And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise
up from the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and
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upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name
of blasphemy” (Rev. 13:1). To cite the words of another,
“e sea sets forth the unformed mass of the people under
a troubled state of the world — people in great agitation,
like the restless waves of the deep. And it is out of that
mass of anarchy and confusion that an imperial power
rises” e “beast” that thus appears is characterized by
having seven heads and ten horns, which prepares us for
the statement that “the dragon gave him his power, and his
seat, and great authority” (vs. 2), inasmuch as we nd the
dragon himself so distinguished in the previous chapter
(12:3); and this transfer of characteristics, as marking the
source of the “beast’s” power, is subsequent, it should be
remarked, to Satan’s expulsion from heaven (12:9). is is
indicated moreover in another way. “e crowns were upon
the heads of the dragon, but upon the horns of the beast;
that is, in the Roman empire you have the exercise of the
power represented as a matter of fact, but in Satan’s case
merely as a matter of principle, or the root of the thing. It
is a question of source and character, not history.”
We have, then, here set before us the nal form of the
Gentile power, animated and energized by Satan, and
possessing in itself all the features that marked each of its
predecessors (vs. 2; see Dan. 7:4-6). e seven heads signify
the successive forms of power that have existed, but now
concentrated in the “beast”; the ten horns are kings, and
these ten will nally unite under one supreme head. “e
ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have
received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one
hour with the beast. ese have one mind, and shall give
their power and strength unto the beast” (Rev. 17:9-13).
ere will be such a display of power as the world has never
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seen; and since both its source and energy are alike Satanic,
it will all be directed against God and His people. “And he
(the beast) opened his mouth in blasphemy against God,
to blaspheme His name, and His tabernacle, and them
that dwelt in heaven. And it was given unto him to make
war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was
given unto him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose
names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain
from the foundation of the world” (Rev. 13:6-8). It will be
a time of open antagonism against God, and therefore of
fearful tribulation for the saints.
In connection with all this there arises another “beast,”
not out of the sea, as was the case with his predecessor, but
out of the earth, at a time therefore when there is settled
government, under the order and sway indeed of the rst
beast. is is the antichrist. He has “two horns like a lamb,
and spake like a dragon” (vs. 11). He is thus an imitator of,
while in direct antagonism to, Christ; but his voice reveals
his true character. He acts, as will be seen, as a kind of
deputy of the rst “beast;” exercising his power, and causing
“the earth and them that dwell therein to worship the
rst beast, whose deadly wound was healed” (vs. 12). He,
moreover, works miracles, or seeming miracles, and thereby
deceiving the dwellers upon the earth, he causes that they
should make an image to the rst beast, and worship it.
And the more eectually to accomplish his purposes he
has “power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the
image of the beast should both speak, and cause as many as
would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor,
free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in
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their foreheads: and that no man might buy or sell, save he
that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number
of his name” (vss. 15-17).
ere will be thus a kind of mock trinity, composed of
Satan, the rst beast, and the false prophet (Rev. 19:20);
and the object of all their strivings will be to exclude God
from the earth, and to usurp His place in the minds of men.
e rst beast, it will be seen, is the supreme secular power;
the second, or the antichrist, acting under the rst, has his
domain in the religious sphere; while Satan is the inspirer
and energy of both. We cannot here go into further details,
as we shall see something more of the actings of antichrist
in connection with the great tribulation. But it is well to
remind ourselves that all the workings of error, and all the
activities of men’s minds, apart from Christ, have but one
goal; for they all look towards, and will nally be embodied
in this hateful antagonist of God and His Christ. John
warns the believers of his day that the spirit of antichrist was
already abroad (1John 4:3); and it is necessary therefore,
especially at a time when indelity is ever waxing bolder,
to be on the watch, and to ponder well these delineations
of the coming man of sin, so that we may be preserved,
in the grace of our God, from all association with that
which, as it is the ospring of Satan, is also the mark of
hostility to Christ. At the present moment it is especially
necessary to be vigilant, for there are many indications
abroad that Satan is busily employed in marshalling and
training his forces for the coming conict. But, as ever, his
movements are most subtle. Not yet does he dare to avow
open antagonism to Christ; but he can, and does, inuence
the minds of men against the fundamental doctrines of
Christianity, and he uses for this purpose those who are its
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avowed teachers. Our foes are they of our own household.
But as long as we adhere to the word of God — refusing
human wisdom and human reasonings — and look to be
guided alone by the Holy Spirit, we shall escape the snare,
and be kept true to Christ.
e Blessed Hope: the Great Tribulation
67
146623
e Blessed Hope: the Great
Tribulation
ere will be also, in connection with the sway of the
antichrist, another event of transcendent importance.
Notices of it are found scattered throughout the prophets,
as well as parts of the New Testament scriptures. It is
generally designated as the great tribulation; but if the
subject is closely examined, it will be seen that this is but
one feature of this fearful time of trial through which those
upon the earth at that period will have to pass. In fact there
will be a time of unexampled trouble, both for the Jews
and the Gentiles; and we propose in this paper to collect
some of the information which Scripture aords upon this
subject, as well as to show who are the saints that will have
to pass through this burning ery furnace.
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1. e time of trouble for the Jews. Jeremiah distinctly
speaks of this, and to understand it clearly we will
cite the passage with its context: “us speaketh the
Lord God of Israel, saying, Write thee all the words
that I have spoken unto thee in a book. For, lo, the
days come, saith the Lord, that I will bring again the
captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the
Lord: and I will cause them to return to the land that
I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it. And
these are the words that the Lord spake concerning
Israel and concerning Judah. For thus saith the Lord;
We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not
of peace. Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth
travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with
his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all
faces are turned into paleness? Alas! for that day is
great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of
Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it. For it
shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts,
that I will break his yoke from o thy neck, and will
burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve
themselves of him: but they shall serve the Lord their
God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto
them” (Jer. 30:2-9). ree things are evident from
this scripture. First, that Israel (as we have seen) will
yet be restored to their own land; that after this — or
after the restoration of many — there will be a time
of unparalleled trouble; and thirdly, that then will be
their nal deliverance and blessing. e connection of
these three things xes the period of their tribulation,
and shows that it will be after their return to their
own land, and before the appearing of the Lord.
If we now turn to the prophet Daniel, we shall nd
similar testimony. After speaking of the actings of the
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69
antichrist (Dan. 11:36-45), he says: “At that time shall
Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the
children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble,
such as never was since there was a nation even to that
same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered,
every one that shall be found written in the book” (Dan.
12:1). Again, we nd that, when in their own land, and in
connection with the doings of the antichrist, and hence
after the Lord has returned for His people, and before His
appearing, the Jews will pass through a time of trouble
such as there never was before.
Our Lord speaks of the same thing. Forewarning His
disciples, in answer to their question, “When shall these
things be? and what shall be the sign of y coming, and
of the end of the world?” He says, “When ye therefore shall
see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the
prophet, stand in the holy place (whoso readeth, let him
understand,) then let them which be in Judaea ee into
the mountains: let him which is on the housetop not come
down to take anything out of his house.” “But pray ye that
your ight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath
day: for then shall be great tribulation, such as was not
since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever
shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there
should no esh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days
shall be shortened” (Matt. 24:15-22; also Mark 13:14-20).
is scripture is extremely important on many accounts. It
connects the tribulation spoken of with an event foretold
by Daniel, and hence with the antichrist, and also reveals
the cause as well as the period of this unexampled trouble
(See Dan. 12:11 with 9:27).
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Now connecting the several scriptures given, we learn
that after the restoration of the Jews, exposed again, as in
the days of Antiochus Epiphanes (see Dan. 11:21-31), to
the hostility of the king of the north (Syria), the Jews for
protection enter into a covenant with the rst “beast” — the
head of the revived Roman empire. It is to this Daniel refers
when he says, “And he” (that is the Roman prince) “shall
conrm a” (not the, but a) “covenant with many” (or rather
the many) “for one week,” that is for a week of years — seven
years. But we are further told that “in the midst of the week
he shall cause the sacrice and oblation to cease” (Dan.
9:27). By the covenant which this prince had entered into
with the Jews, it is evident that he had engaged to protect
them in their religious observances; but now, in association
with the antichrist, he is false to his treaty — orders the
daily sacrice to be taken away, and the abomination that
maketh desolate to be set up (Dan. 12:11) in the holy place.
at is, an idol is set up in the temple (Read 2ess. 2:4;
and compare Rev. 13:11-17). It is to this our Lord refers
in the passage we have cited; and He gives the setting up
of this “abomination of desolation” as the signal of ight
for the godly remnant who will be found at that time in
Jerusalem. ereon a decree will be issued to the eect
that all are to worship the image that has thus usurped the
place of God, and together with this the time of tribulation
will commence — raging with unheard — of fury against
all who refuse to obey this decree, and indeed against the
Jews as such, and extending, as we may see further on,
throughout the whole world.
In the mercy of God this ery trial is limited to the half
week, and will, therefore, only last three years and a half.
is is the forty and two months, or the twelve hundred
e Blessed Hope: the Great Tribulation
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and sixty days, so constantly mentioned in the book of
Revelation. is coincides with the testimony of the
two witnesses (Rev. 11) and the divine judgments — the
woes — therewith connected; and during this period also
the devil, cast down to earth, vomits out his great wrath
against the remnant of the woman’s seed, which keep the
commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus
(Rev. 12:9-17). And it is he, the dragon, that gives power
unto the “beast,” that inspires all the actings of the head of
the Roman empire, and of the antichrist against the people
of God. Combining these things together some idea may
be formed of the unequaled character of this tribulation. It
is satanic both in its source and energy, containing every
element of suering which Satan’s malignant hate can
invent and compound; but it is used by God to chasten the
Jewish nation for their crowning sin in the rejection of their
Messiah. If we add, that even the godly subjects of it will
have no sense of God’s favor, though His Spirit is working
in their hearts, we shall in some degree understand the
words of our Lord: “en shall be great tribulation, such as
was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no,
nor ever shall be”
is tribulation, as already said, specially aects the
Jews. e passages cited from Jeremiah and Daniel
confessedly apply to them, and the express reference of our
Lord to the latter prophet, besides other indications in His
discourse, leaves no room for doubt that He also had the
same people in view. e past history of the nation, and the
awful guilt they incurred in crucifying their Messiah, will
help us to understand both its reason and object, while at
the same time it is a consolation to remember that in every
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case where it is spoken of, it is speedily followed by the
deliverance and blessing of God’s elect remnant.
2. Besides “Jacob’s trouble,” we read also of the great
tribulation. is is mentioned in Revelation 7. In the
rst part of the chapter four angels are seen “standing
on the four corners of the earth, holding the four
winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on
the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw
another angel ascending from the east, having the
seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice
to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the
earth and the sea, saying, Hint not the earth, neither
the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants
of our God in their foreheads” (vss. 1-3). Accordingly
one hundred and forty-four thousand are sealed out
of the twelve tribes, God’s spared remnant of Israel.
ereon we read, “After this I beheld, and, lo, a
great multitude, which no man could number, of all
nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood
before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with
white robes, and palms in their hands; and cried with
a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which
sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb” (vss.
9-10). It is concerning this innumerable multitude
that one of the twenty-four elders asked John, “Who
are these arrayed in white robes? and whence came
they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And
he said to me, ese are they which come out of great
tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made
them white in the blood of the Lamb” (vss. 13-14).
Now we are only stating what every one acquainted
with the original readily admits, when we say that
it should be read, “out of the great tribulation.” is
immense multitude, therefore, have been brought
through it, and are in the scene before us a saved and
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73
rejoicing host. We have consequently a plain proof
that there will be not only unparalled trouble for the
Jewish nation, but also, and probably about the same
time (it may be a little before) a similar period of
tribulation for the Gentiles — “all nations, kindreds,
and people, and tongues.” is would seem to be the
same event as that of which our Lord speaks as “the
hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the
world, to try them that dwell upon the earth” (Rev.
3:10). As to its source and character, little if anything
is revealed; but it is suciently accounted for by the
fearful state into which the world will be plunged
after the removal of the Church, and by the fact that
the “beast,” who will open “his mouth in blasphemy
against God, to blaspheme His name, and His
tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven,” will have
power “over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him,
whose names are not written in the book of life of
the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world”
(Rev. 13:5-8).
3. e question now occurs, whether the church will be
found in the tribulation? If not, who are the saints
that are seen in it? As the subject is important, it may
be advisable to recall the Scripture teaching on this
point. In the rst place it is abundantly clear, if our
interpretation of the Scripture is correct, that the
church will be caught away before this period. us
we nd in Revelation 19 that the beast and the false
prophet (the antichrist) are taken and destroyed at
the Lord’s appearing (vss. 11-21). In 2essalonians
we also learn that the Lord will consume that wicked
one (the antichrist) “with the brightness of His
coming” But we are taught in Colossians that “when
Christ, our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear
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74
with Him in glory” (ch. 3:4). In the Scripture already
referred to (Rev. 19) it is also said that “the armies
which were in heaven followed Him” (the Word
of God) “upon white horses, clothed in ne linen,
white and clean” (vs. 14). From verse 8 we gather
that the ne linen is the righteousness of saints. e
saints (the church) in both of these Scriptures are
represented as coming with Christ, and hence it is
undeniable that they must have been caught up to
be with Him previously. e structure of the book of
Revelation shows the same thing. “Write,” said the
Lord to John, “the things which thou hast seen, and
the things which are, and the things which shall be
hereafter” — after these (Rev. 1:19). e rst chapter
contains what he saw; the second and third, “the
things which are” — the church dispensation; and the
rest of the book deals with the things after the church
period has closed. Hence, immediately after the third
chapter, the twenty-four elders are seen in heaven
sitting upon thrones, clothed in white raiment, and
with crowns of gold on their head (Rev. 4:4). Who
are these? eir crowns bespeak their kingly, as their
dress reveals their priestly character, and hence points
back plainly to Revelation 1:6. ey are, therefore,
the saints, and thus are found translated to heaven
before the commencement of the tribulation.
But it may be inquired, Who then are the great
multitude which no man could number of Revelation 7,
who are distinctly said to come out of the great tribulation?
Now if the elders symbolize the church — not excluding
the saints of past dispensations — it is clear that this
multitude cannot point to the same class. e elders are in
heaven, and this redeemed multitude are upon the earth;
and this distinction helps us to understand who they are.
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75
ey are, as described, a vast number of Gentiles brought
through the tribulation into blessing, and will, therefore,
enter with Christ upon the glories and blessings of His
millennial kingdom; nay, they are to have a special place
under His sway. “erefore are they before the throne of
God, and serve Him day and night in His temple: and He
that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. ey
shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall
the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which
is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead
them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe
away all tears from their eyes” (vss. 15-17).
e other branch of the question remains, Who are
the saints seen in the tribulation? ey are God’s elect
remnant from among the Jews. is may be seen from
Matthew 24. It is of those in Judaea our Lord speaks (vs.
16). ey are to pray that their ight might not be on
the Sabbath (the seventh) day (vs. 20) — a direction that
would have no signicance except for a godly Jew under
law; they are warned against false Christs (vss. 23-24) — a
warning which would scarcely be understood by Christians
who know that Christ is at the right hand of God; and
nally, the elect are not gathered until after the tribulation,
and the appearing, whereas, as we have seen, the church
will appear with Christ. Indications of the same character
could be collected if needful from the Revelation; but we
have already shown that the elders in heaven prove that the
church could not be on the earth during the tribulation.
ere is therefore abundant evidence to show that they are
godly Jews, like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who
will be cast into this burning ery furnace, which is to be
heated “seven times more than it was wont to be heated”
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eir sorrows and cries during this time of unequaled
anguish are traced and expressed in many of the Psalm
Believers of this dispensation are “turned to God from
idols to serve the living and true God; and to wait for His
Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even
Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come” (1ess.
1:9-10). For it is to them that our Lord addresses these
words, “Because thou hast kept the word of My patience,
I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which
shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon
the earth” (Rev. 3:10).
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77
146624
e Blessed Hope: the
Appearing of Christ
e dierence between the Lord’s coming and His
appearing is, that in the former case He comes for His
saints, and in the latter with His saints. e kingdom
therefore is always connected with His appearing, as it is
then that He will assume His power, and “have dominion
also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the
earth” (Psalm 72:8). is event will be totally unexpected.
Buried in profound slumber, and deaf to all warning, the
world, under the strong delusion which has been sent upon
it, will have believed a lie, Satan’s falsehood, and trusted
his masterpiece, the antichrist. Men will have at length
found their happiness in forgetting God; and hence “as
in the days that were before the ood they were eating
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and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the
day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until
the ood came, and took them all away; so shall also the
coming of the Son of man be” (Matt. 24:38, 39). Yes, so
sudden will it be, bursting with horror upon an astonished
and careless world, that “as the lightning, that lighteneth
out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other
part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in His
day” (Luke 17:24).
But for the more intelligent conception of this wonderful
event, it is advisable to obtain a general idea of the state of
things then existing. Towards the close of the tribulation,
there will be a coalition of hostile powers against the Jews.
It is thus spoken of in one of the Psalms: “ey have taken
crafty counsel against y people, and consulted against
y hidden ones. ey have said, Come, and let us cut them
o from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no
more in remembrance” (Psalm 83:3-4). e chief actors in
this confederacy would seem to be the Assyrian, so often
spoken of by Isaiah (see Isa. 10:24; Isa. 14:25), otherwise
the king of the north, or the little horn of Daniel 8, the
rst “beast,” that is the head of the revived Roman empire,
and the false prophet — the antichrist (Rev. 13). Zechariah
refers to this when he cries in the name of the Lord,
“Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto
all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege
both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day
will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people:
all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces,
though all the people of the earth be gathered together
against it” (Zech. 12:2-3). It is Satan, as ever, who inspires
the hearts of these enemies of Israel, but the Lord uses
e Blessed Hope: the Appearing of Christ
79
them to chastise the apostate nation, and hence Zechariah
also says, “Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and
thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will
gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle” (14:1-2). In
Revelation we nd other chief actors in the scene, though
their hostility is there described as against the Lamb and
against His saints, and presumably, therefore, we have there
a later development of their schemes, occasioned by the
appearing of Christ. John says, “And I saw the beast, and
the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together
to make war against Him that sat on the horse, and against
His army” (Rev. 19:19).
Combining these accounts, together with the additional
details to be found in Zechariah, the order of events may
be indicated. All nations are gathered to battle against
Jerusalem, and “the city shall be taken, and the houses
ried, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go
forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not
be cut o from the city” (Zech. 14:2). But at this juncture,
when they are wreaking their vengeance upon this unhappy
people, when the malignant purposes of Satan are near
their accomplishment, “then shall the LORD go forth, and
ght against those nations, as when He fought in the day
of battle” (Zech. 14:3). But Satan’s instruments are not to
be baulked of their prey, and goaded on to the crowning
act of their impious course, led by the “beast” and the false
prophet, who have long been seeking to wipe out the name
of God and His Christ from the earth, and to erase their
memory from the hearts of men, they dare now “to make
war against Him that sat on the horse, and against His army”
ey thus rush to their doom; for “the beast was taken, and
with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before
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him, with which he deceived them that had received the
mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image.
ese both were cast alive into a lake of re burning with
brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword
of Him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded
out of His mouth: and all the fowls were lled with their
esh” (Rev. 19:20-21). Isaiah speaks of this when he says,
“He shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth, and
with the breath of His lips shall He slay the Wicked” (one)
(Isa. 11:4); and Paul, “And then shall that wicked (one) be
revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of
His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His
coming” (2ess. 2:8). us God arises, and His enemies
are scattered.
If we turn now to another scripture, we shall nd other
details connected with the appearing. After describing
the tribulation, our Lord proceeds: “Immediately after the
tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the
moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from
heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: and
then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and
then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall
see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with
power and great glory,” etc (Matt. 24:29-30). e prophet
Joel spoke in like manner: “And I will show wonders in
the heavens and in the earth, blood, and re, and pillars
of smoke. e sun shall be turned into darkness, and the
moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of
the LORD come” (Joel 2:30-31). ere will be thus signs
above and below to herald the appearing of Christ, when
He comes with ten thousands of His saints, when “every
eye shall see Him, and they [also] which pierced Him: and
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81
all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him” (Rev.
1:7).
It will, therefore, be a scene of awful and impressive
grandeur; for it will be the “appearing of the glory of
the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus
2:13) — God’s public display in His own glory of the One
who was once rejected and crucied, but who now returns
as the Son of man to take up the sovereignty of the whole
world. And them that sleep in Jesus will God bring with
Him (1ess. 4:14), associated in glory with their Lord, as
they were once associated with Him in His rejection; for
He comes to be gloried in His saints, and to be admired
in all them that have believed (2ess. 1:10).
Having touched upon the fact and manner of His
appearing, we may indicate some of its accompanying events.
One of these has already been noted — the destruction of
His foes. ereon follows the conversion of Israel: “And it
shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy
all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will
pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants
of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and
they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they
shall mourn for Him, as one mourneth for his only son,
and shall be in bitterness for Him,
as one that is in bitterness for his rstborn. In that
day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the
mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.
And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of
the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family
of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart … In
that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of
David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for
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uncleanness” (Zech. 12:13, 9-14:1). As soon as the church
is removed, God will begin to act by His Spirit in the hearts
of some of His ancient people — the remnant so constantly
mentioned in the Psalm and the prophets; and these, as
may be gathered from the Psalm and portions of Isaiah,
will be bowed to the dust, under the sense of God’s holy
indignation against His people Israel on account of their
apostasy; and it is this feeling, combined with their fearful
trouble, that gives character to their cries as there recorded.
It is at this moment, when the furnace into which they have
been cast burns most ercely, and when they are hanging as
it were over the abyss of utter destruction, that the
Lord appears for them, and they instantly recognize and
look upon Him whom they have pierced. e true Joseph
discovers Himself to His brethren, and they are at once
plunged into bitter sorrow and humiliation on account of
their, and their nation’s sin. But provision is made for this
also in the fountain opened for sin and uncleanness, and
they can now cry, “Lo, this is our God; we have waited
for Him, and He will save us: this is the LORD: we have
waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation”
(Isa. 25:9).
It is not only the remnant in Jerusalem that will be
aected; for we nd that in connection with His appearing
“He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet,
and they shall gather together His elect from the four
winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (Matt. 24:31).
Wherever they are found not one will escape the notice of
His eye, but all will be brought to share in the blessings
of the kingdom which He comes to establish. As we read
in Isaiah, “He shall set up an ensign for the nations, and
shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together
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the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth”
(Isa. 11:12). It may be that this will not be completely
accomplished until after the commencement of His reign;
for after the display of His power and glory, after the Lord
has come “with re, and with His chariots like a whirlwind,
to render His anger with fury, and His rebuke with ames
of re,” some of the saved are sent forth to declare His
glory among the Gentiles; and it is said that “they (the
Gentiles) shall bring all your brethren for an oering unto
the LORD out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots,
and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to My
holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the LORD, as the children
of Israel bring an oering in a clean vessel into the house
of the LORD” (Isa. 66:15-20).
ere is another event of great importance to be
noted in connection with, and probably preparatory to,
the establishment of the kingdom. After describing the
destruction of the “beast” and the false prophet, and the
slaughter of their followers, John says: “And I saw an angel
come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless
pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the
dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan,
and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the
bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon
him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the
thousand years should be fullled” (Rev. 20:1-3). us the
Lord asserts His power in judgment upon the whole trinity
of evil — Satan, the “beast,” and the false prophet — which
had impiously risen up against Him, and blasphemously
usurped His authority; and at the same time He delivers
His people — the elect of Israel — and thereby clears the
way for, and lays the foundations of, His millennial sway.
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Leaving, however, the consideration of the kingdom
itself to a future paper, we shall now ask the reader’s
attention to those whom Christ will associate with Himself
in His reign. ere are several distinct classes that will
have this honor. Everyone understands that believers of
this dispensation will reign with Christ. is is too plainly
asserted to admit of a single doubt. “If we suer, we shall
also reign with Him” (2Tim. 2:12). But it is not so generally
apprehended that there are others to be singled out for
this special exaltation; and yet this is as distinctly stated in
the Scriptures. John says: “And I saw thrones, and they sat
upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw
the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of
Jesus, and for the word of God, and which [those who] had
not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had
received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands;
and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand
years were nished. is is the rst resurrection. Blessed
and holy is he that hath part in the rst resurrection: on
such the second death hath no power, but they shall be
priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a
thousand years” (Rev. 20:4-6). e class sitting on thrones
to whom judgment is given is composed of the armies that
followed Christ out of heaven (Rev. 19:14) — the saints
who had been caught up previously to meet the Lord in
the air (1ess. 4), in a word, the Church, and perhaps the
saints of previous dispensations. But there are two other
classes; rst, those who were martyred during the power of
the antichrist — those who were beheaded for the witness
of Jesus, and for the word of God; and secondly, those who
stood aloof from his seductions, and, unmoved by his threats,
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refused to receive his distinguishing sign. As a special
mark of the Lord’s favor and approbation, in recompense
for their delity amid the general unfaithfulness, they are
made partakers of the rst resurrection, and consequently
of association with Christ in His kingdom. ey share
both in the priestly and kingly dignity — the wondrous
honor they inherit through the grace of Him who had
marked their suerings, and rejoiced in their constancy to
His name and testimony. It is not forgotten that the force
of this passage is often explained away by the contention
that the resurrection here spoken of is gurative. If so, the
resurrection and judgment described in the latter part of
the chapter will also be gurative, and thus the whole truth
of a nal judgment will be frittered away. No; words so plain
cannot be robbed of their signicance, to say nothing of
their perfect agreement with other portions of the word of
God. Blessed prospect for the saints of God! And how will
they rejoice, not so much in their association with Christ in
the splendors of His kingdom, unspeakable as will be the
honor, but in the fact of His receiving the place belonging to
Him both by title and purchase! ere are even great voices
in heaven to celebrate the event, saying, “e kingdoms
of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and
of His Christ; and He shall reign forever and ever. And
the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their
seats (thrones), fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,
saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which
art, and wart, and art to come; because ou hast taken to
ee y great power, and hast reigned” (Rev. 11:15-18).
But with what terror will this poor world be lled, when
they behold the One whom they refused and rejected
coming in power and great glory, to judge everything now
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according to the standard of His immutable righteousness!
And He will come “as a thief in the night. For when they
shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh
upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they
shall not escape” (1ess. 5:2, 3).
“Can this be He, once wont to stray
A pilgrim on the world’s highway;
Opprest by power, and mocked by pride,
e Nazarene — the Crucied?”
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146625
e Blessed Hope: the
Kingdom of Christ
In the present dispensation grace reigns through
righteousness (Rom. 5:21), in the eternal state
righteousness will dwell (2Pet. 3:13); but in the millennial
kingdom righteousness will reign. is indeed will be
its characteristic according to that word of the prophet,
“Behold, a King shall reign in righteousness” (Isa. 32:1), or
to another of the psalmist, “y throne, O God, is forever
and ever: the scepter of y kingdom is a right scepter”
(Psalm 45:6). ere are, indeed, two types in Scripture of
Christ as King — David and Solomon. David portrays
Him in gure as King of righteousness, and Solomon as
Prince of peace. ese two are combined in Melchizedek,
king of Salem “rst being by interpretation King of
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righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which
is, King of peace” (Heb. 7:2). ese two things, it will be
seen, are the distinguishing features of the sway of Christ,
the one preceding, and indeed producing the other; for
“the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the eect
of righteousness, quietness, and assurance forever” (Isa.
32:17).
It will be therefore evident to the reader that Christ
can be in no sense said to be King of the Church. To it
He stands in a closer relationship, even that of Head; for
believers now are united to Him by the Spirit of God, and
are consequently members of His body. True, He is a King
as to title, though at present He is a rejected King; and it
is as true that the believer owns no authority but His; but
it is a confusion of dispensations to to assert that Christ
is now reigning as King. He will do so; but it will not be
until He comes forth in the manner described in the last
paper. At the present moment He is sitting at the right
hand of God, and there He will continue to sit until His
enemies are made His footstool. en He will appear, and
proceed to put down all rule and all authority and power.
For He must reign till He hath put all enemies under His
feet (1Cor. 15:24-25). is is the kingdom — the kingdom
as so explained — that falls to be considered in the present
paper. e kingdom of heaven exists now (Matt. 13), so
also the kingdom of God (John 3), and believers are said
to be translated into the kingdom of God’s dear Son (Col.
1:13), but the reign of Christ as King is conned to the
millennium. us Mary was told concerning Him, that
“the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His
father David” (Luke 1:32). It is obvious that this promise
has never yet been fullled; for when He was presented to
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the Jews as their Messiah they would not receive Him, and
nally cried, “We have no king but Caesar” (John 19:15).
But every word of God must stand, and thus He will yet
be the King of Israel, and not only of Israel, for as Son
of man He inherits still wider glories, “and all dominions
shall serve and obey Him” (Dan. 7:27). Israel will be the
center of this universal dominion, and it will be through
them that He will govern the nations upon the earth.
First, then, on the assumption of His throne, which
the reader will now understand is consequent upon His
appearing, He will act in judgment after the pattern of
David; that is, He will judge everything He nds according
to righteousness. Hence the psalmist says, “Give the king
thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the
king’s son. He shall judge y people with righteousness,
and y poor with judgment” (Psalm 72:1-2). He will
therefore gather out of His kingdom all things that oend,
and them which do iniquity, and “the Lord shall be King
overall the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and
His name one” (Zech. 14:9).
We have a remarkable scene of this character in Matthew
25. Having established His throne in righteousness, all
nations are gathered before Him for judgment. is is
expressly connected with His kingdom: “When the Son
of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels
with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory:
and before Him shall be gathered all nations” (vss. 31-
32). It is the only time that our Lord applies the title of
King to Himself: “en shall the King say unto them,”
etc (vss. 34-40). is shows that the kingdom has been
founded — marking, indeed, the commencement of His
millennial sway. If now we examine the features of this
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session of judgment, it will be manifest that there is no
pretext whatever for confounding it with that of the great
white throne (Rev. 20), or for deducing from it the popular
idea of a general judgment — of believers and unbelievers
together. It is, in fact, a judgment of living nations; for there
is no scriptural precedent for terming the dead “the nations”
ere are three classes here apparent — the sheep, the goats,
and the “brethren” of the King. It will be observed that the
way in which the nations had treated the King’s “brethren”
becomes the ground of their classication, whether among
the sheep or among the goats. is fact is therefore the key
to the whole scene. Who then are the King’s “brethren”?
Very clearly they must be Jews — His kinsmen according to
the esh, but also His true servants. We may thus probably
nd a clue to them in Isaiah 66, in a passage already cited.
ere we nd that after the Lord has come in judgment
some of the saved are sent to declare His glory among the
Gentiles. So in the scene before us, the King’s “brethren”
have evidently gone forth as His messengers among the
nations, and they are therefore invested with a special place
and authority, even as the ambassadors of a sovereign now
are clothed with all the honor and dignity of the one they
represent. e principle on which they are sent forth is that
on which the Lord sent out the twelve: “He that receiveth
you receiveth Me” (Matt. 10:40). Hence the King says to
those on His right hand, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto
one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto
Me,” and they are made to inherit the kingdom prepared
for them from the foundation of the world. In like manner
He says to those on His left hand, “Inasmuch as ye did it
not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to Me. And
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these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the
righteous into life eternal” (Matt. 25:34-46).
us Christ as the King, by the display of His power
in righteous judgment, obtains universal dominion; for
“the kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents:
the kings of Sheba and Seba shall oer gifts. Yea, all kings
shall fall down before Him: all nations shall serve Him”
(Psalm 72:10-11). ereon, having put down all rule and
all authority and power, He reigns as Prince of peace. “His
name shall endure forever: His name shall be continued
as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in Him: all
nations shall call Him blessed” (Psalm 72:17).
Leaving the reader to study for himself in the psalms
and prophets the details of His millennial kingdom, we
may point out a few of its leading features.
Jerusalem will recover its former glory; nay, its future
condition will as far surpass its former, as the glory
of Christ as King will outshine that of David and
Solomon. “e sons of strangers shall build up thy
walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for
in My wrath I smote thee, but in My favor have I
had mercy on thee. erefore thy gates shall be
open continually; they shall not be shut day nor
night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of
the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought”
Again: “e glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee,
the r tree, the pine tree, and the box together, to
beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will make
the place of my feet glorious. e sons also of them
that aicted thee shall come bending unto thee;
and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves
down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee,
e city of the Lord, e Zion of the Holy One of
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Israel. Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated,
so that no man went through thee, I will make thee
an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations” (Isa.
60:10-15). We likewise read: “ou shalt also be a
crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal
diadem in the hand of thy God” (Isa. 62:3; see many
other passages of the same character); and surely it is
only tting that the metropolis of Messiah’s kingdom
should be suited to the worthiness, dignity, and glory
of the King!
e temple and its services will be revived in surpassing
splendor (Eze. 40-46). Some have felt a diculty as
to sacrices being restored; but the diculty vanishes
when it is remembered that these sacrices will be
connected with an earthly people, and an earthly
temple, and will be commemorative in their character.
In the old dispensation they had no ecacy whatever
apart from their reference to Christ; for it was not
possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should
take away sins (Heb. 10:4); and in the millennium
they will look back to that one sacrice for sin which
was oered upon the cross, as those under the Mosaic
economy foreshadowed it. ey will, therefore, but
recall to the grateful, worshipping hearts of God’s
people, the blood of Jesus Christ His Son which
cleanseth from all sin.
All nations will come up to Jerusalem to worship. We thus
read in the prophet: “And it shall come to pass in the
last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall
be established in the top of the mountains, and shall
be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall ow
unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye,
and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the
house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of
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His ways, and we will walk in His paths: for out of
Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord
from Jerusalem” (Isa. 2:2-3). Zechariah also speaks of
a similar thing. He says: “And it shall come to pass,
that every one that is left of all the nations which
came against Jerusalem, shall even go up from year to
year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to
keep the feast of tabernacles” (Zech. 14:16).
e animal creation will share in the peace and blessing of
that day. “e wolf and the lamb shall feed together,
and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock” (Isa. 65:25;
see also Isa. 11:6-9). It is added to the above scripture,
“And dust shall be the serpent’s meat,” showing, we
suppose, that the serpent will be excluded from the
deliverance from thralldom under which even the
brute creation has hitherto groaned. But as we know,
“e creature itself also shall be delivered from the
bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the
children of God” (Rom. 8:21).
e curse will be [almost entirely] removed from the
earth. When Adam fell, the ground was cursed on
his account. Whatever the alleviation of this sentence
under Noah, it is not completely abrogated until the
reign of Messiah. e psalmist accordingly sings,
“Let the people praise ee, O God; let all the people
praise ee. en shall the earth yield her increase;
and God, even our own God, shall bless us” (Psalm
67:5-6). Amos in like manner prophesies, “Behold,
the days come, saith the Lord, that the plowman
shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes
him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop
sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt” (Amos 9:13).
For it is at this time that “the desert shall rejoice,
and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly,
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and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of
Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of
Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the
Lord, and the excellency of our God” (Isa. 35:1-2).
ere will be no death, excepting in the way of judgment,
throughout the whole of the thousand years. “ere
shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an
old man that hath not lled his days: for the child
shall die a hundred years old; but the sinner being an
hundred years old shall be accursed” (Isa. 65:20). e
meaning of this scripture would seem to be, that death
will be entirely exceptional, and then only in the way
of righteous judgment. e age of Methuselah may
therefore not only be equaled, but surpassed, in this
blessed period of Messiah’s reign.
All injustice will be instantly redressed. is is connected
of necessity with the Messiah’s righteous rule. Hence
we read, “He shall deliver the needy when he crieth;
the poor also, and him that hath no helper. He shall
spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of
the needy. He shall redeem their soul from deceit and
violence: and precious shall their blood be in His sight”
(Psalm 72:12-14). Men fondly dream that this is the
goal of human enlightenment and progress; but they
are ignorant of, or forget, the incurable corruption of
human nature, and hence do not consider that even
though the whole world were to obtain just and equal
laws, they would fail either in their administration or
application. No; Christ is the only hope for the earth,
as for the saint; for “He cometh to judge the earth:
with righteousness shall He judge the world, and the
people with equity” (Psalm 98:9).
But, notwithstanding all these blessed features, there will
be rebellions even under the reign of Christ. In Psalm
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66 we read, “rough the greatness of y power
shall ine enemies submit themselves unto ee;”
or, as it is in the margin, “yield feigned obedience”
e same expression is found in another psalm. “As
soon as they hear of Me, they shall obey Me: the
strangers shall submit themselves unto Me,” or “yield
feigned obedience” (Psalm 18:44). It would appear
from these statements that the display of Christ’s
power in judgment will be so overwhelming, as
it surely will be in the judgment upon the nations
assembled against Jerusalem, that many, not bowed
in heart, will yet be terried into the acceptance of
His rule. ey will profess subjection while their
hearts are alienated from Him; hence they will be
as easily tempted to renounce as to submit to His
sway. Accordingly we nd that after — perhaps not
long after — the establishment of His throne, Gog,
with a multitude of followers, “a great company, and
a mighty army,” comes up against His people Israel,
“as a cloud to cover the land” But he comes to meet
with immediate and utter destruction, so great and
overwhelming that “seven months shall the house of
Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the
land” (Eze. 38-39).
Again, at the close of the millennium there is a still
larger rebellion, directly attributed to the action of Satan.
“And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be
loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the
nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and
Magog [not to be confounded with the Gog of Ezekiel], to
gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as
the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the
earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the
beloved city” (Rev. 20:7-9). us every dispensation closes
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with failure as a striking testimony to the character and
nature of man. Tried in every way, without law and under
law, under grace, and at last under the personal reign of
the Messiah, he shows that he cannot be improved, that
the esh remains the same, that it is not subject to the law
of God, neither indeed can be, that the carnal mind is at
enmity with God. e Jews chose a Caesar, yea, a Barabbas,
in preference to Christ; and nally man accepts Satan
himself, and under his leadership goes to attack and destroy
“the camp of the saints … and the beloved city” that are
under the special protection of the gloried Messiah. e
issue, could be but one. ere remains nothing for God but
to vindicate the righteousness of the throne of Christ; and
accordingly we read that “re came down from God out of
heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived
them was cast into the lake of re and brimstone, where the
beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day
and night forever” (Rev. 20:9-10). us closes the period of
the thousand years. It was introduced in judgment, and it
is closed by judgment; but it will yet be the time of earth’s
blessing and joy. For it must be remembered that Satan
is bound until the close of the period, and hence while
the esh remains the same, the power of evil being thus
absent, all the inuences to which man is subject will be on
the side of Christ. It will be a total reversal of the present
state of things; so that the psalmist may well cry, “Let the
heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar,
and the fullness thereof. Let the eld be joyful, and all that
is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice before
the Lord: for He cometh to judge the earth: He shall judge
the world with righteousness, and the people with His
truth” (Psalm 96:11-13).
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But we must leave the reader to enter for himself into
a closer study of the subject. Abundant materials for the
purpose will be found throughout the Scriptures; and if
he but read in dependence upon the Spirit for guidance
and teaching, and with his eye upon Christ, it will not be
without prot and blessing.
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e Blessed Hope: the New Jerusalem
99
146626
e Blessed Hope: the New
Jerusalem
So far we have treated only of the earthly characteristics
of the millennium. It will be necessary, therefore, to
consider also its heavenly aspect, as presented to us in the
new Jerusalem. If the reader will turn to Revelation 19, he
will observe that from the eleventh verse of that chapter
down to the eighth verse of chapter 21, we have a series
of consecutive events. It begins with the coming forth of
the Lord Jesus, followed by the armies that were in heaven,
to judgment; and then we have the destruction, as already
seen, of the “beast,” the false prophet, and their hosts, the
binding of Satan, the thousand years, the loosing of Satan,
the great white throne, and the eternal state (which will be
considered later). Immediately upon this we are led back,
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in the ninth verse, to a description of the new Jerusalem,
which reaches onward to chapter 22; and in this scripture
we have the character of the city during the millennium,
and its relation, indeed, to the millennial earth.
John says: “And there came unto me one of the seven
angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last
plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will
show thee the Bride, the Lamb’s wife. 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, having the glory of God” (21:9-11). e
rst thing that strikes the reader is the designed contrast
between this scripture and that in chapter 17: “And there
came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and
talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will show
unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth
upon many waters” (vs. 1). In this chapter we have Babylon
depicted, in chapter 21 the new Jerusalem. e former is
man’s city, and the latter God’s; the one the expression of
what man is, the other the perfection of God’s thoughts,
robed in the glory of God. Let the reader carefully ponder
the contrast, and learn its divine lessons. Another thing
must be remarked: the city is “the Bride, the Lamb’s wife”
is determines its character. It is the Church which
Christ has now presented “to Himself a glorious Church,
not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing … holy and
without blemish” (Eph. 5:27), beautied with His own
beauty, and having the glory of God. Its position is also to
be noted. Both in the second and tenth verses it is seen to
come down from God out of heaven; but a comparison of
the two scriptures will show us the place the city occupies
throughout the thousand years. In the tenth verse it is seen
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descending out of heaven from God; but after the similar
statement in the second verse, John hears the proclamation,
“Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men,” showing
that the city now had come down to, and rested upon, the
new earth. e inference, therefore, is — and one which is
abundantly substantiated from other scriptures — that in
the tenth verse the city descends towards the millennial
earth, but rests above it, over the earthly Jerusalem. Poised
thus, as it were, above the earthly city, it will be a visible
object of light and glory; and this perhaps may explain the
language which the prophet addressed to Jerusalem, “e
sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness
shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall
be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory”
(Isa. 60:19).
We may now examine some of its characteristics. (1)
It is divine in its origin, and heavenly in its character. It
comes down from God out of heaven. (2) It has “the glory
of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious,
even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal” Her light, therefore,
is the outshining of the glory in which she is set; for jasper
is a symbol of the glory of God (Rev. 4:3). e Church is
gloried together with Christ in the glory of God, and as
such is here displayed. In Revelation 21:18-19, it is stated
that the building of the wall, and the rst foundation, are
both alike of jasper. e glory of God is thus the stability
and security, as well as the light and beauty, of the heavenly
city. But the wall excluded everything unsuitable to that
glory, as well as guarded everything according to it. (3)
e next feature is, that it “had twelve gates, and at the
gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are
the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
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on the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the
south three gates; and on the west three gates. And the
wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the
names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb” (vss. 12-14). It
must be carefully observed that all this concerns the wall of
the city, and its distinguishing characteristic is the number
twelve — twelve angels, twelve tribes, and twelve apostles.
As one has said, “It has twelve gates. Angels are become the
willing doorkeepers of the great city, the fruit of Christ’s
redemption work in glory. is marked the possession too,
by man thus brought in the assembly to glory, of the highest
place in the creation, and providential order of God, of
which angels had previously been the administrators. e
twelve gates are full human perfectness of governmental
administrative power. e gate was the place of judgment.
Twelve, we have often seen, notes perfection and
governmental power. e character of it is noted by the
names of the twelve tribes. God had so governed these.
ey were not the foundation; but this character of power
was found there. ere were twelve foundations; but these
were the twelve apostles of the Lamb. ey were, in their
work, the foundation of the heavenly city. us the creative
and providential display of power, the governmental
(Jehovah), and the assembly once founded at Jerusalem,
are all brought together in the heavenly city, the organized
seat of heavenly power. It is not presented as the bride,
though it be “the Bride, the Lamb’s wife” It is not in the
Pauline character of nearness of blessing to Christ. It is
the assembly as founded at Jerusalem under the twelve, the
organized seat of heavenly power, the new and now heavenly
capital of God’s government. (4) en it is measured (vss.
15-17), indicating that it is owned and appropriated
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by God. e measurements are, it need hardly be said,
symbolical — symbolical of a divinely — given perfectness.
us the city is a cube — equal on every side — nite
perfection. (5) en we have the materials of which the
city and the foundations were formed. Again we borrow
the language of another: e city was formed, in its nature,
in divine righteousness and holiness — gold transparent as
glass. at which was now by the Word wrought in and
applied to men below was the very nature of the whole place
(comp. Eph. 4:24). e precious stones, or varied display of
God’s nature, Who is light, in connection with the creature
(seen in creation, Ezekiel 28; in grace in the high priest’s
breastplate), now shown in permanent glory, adorned the
foundations of the city. e gates had the moral beauty
(every several gate was of one pearl) which attracted Christ
in the assembly, and in a glorious way. at on which men
walked, instead of bringing danger of delement, was itself
righteous and holy; the streets, all that men came in contact
with, were righteousness and holiness — gold transparent
as glass. (6) It has no temple. “And I saw no temple therein:
for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple
of it” (vs. 22). A temple would speak of concealment, or of a
special place where God manifested Himself to those who
drew nigh to worship. But all this is past. Even now, while
here, we have liberty of access into the holiest of all (Heb.
10); yea, our place is in the light as God is in the light. In
the heavenly city, therefore, God is fully displayed.
“e Lamb is there, my soul —
ere God Himself doth rest,
In love divine diused through all,
With Him supremely blest.
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God and the Lamb — ’tis well,
I know that source divine
Of joy and love no tongue can tell,
Yet know that all is mine”
ere is no need of created light. “And the city hath
no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for
the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light
thereof” (vs. 23). When He stands disclosed, His glory
lightens the city, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
“But who that glorious blaze
Of living light shall tell?
ere all His brightness God displays,
And the Lamb’s glories dwell.
God and the Lamb shall there
e light and temple be;
And radiant hosts forever share
e unveiled mystery”
Having directed attention to the characteristics of the
city, we may now pass to consider what is next indicated;
namely, the relation of the city to the millennial earth.
First we are told that “the nations of them which are saved
shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do
bring their glory and honor into it” (vs. 24). Two slight
alterations will make this scripture far more intelligible. e
words “of them that are saved” are omitted in all the best
editions of the New Testament, as being an unwarranted
addition; and the word translated “into” should be given
as “to” or “unto,” or otherwise it would seem as if the kings
of the earth had access into the heavenly city! What we
are taught then is, rst, that the new Jerusalem will shine
with such surpassing luster that the nations will walk in its
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light — the light of the glory in which it is set, and by which
it is illumined. It will be thus suspended above the earthly
Jerusalem, and from thence will transmit the rays of the
glory of God by which it is encompassed and transfused.
Moreover, the kings of the earth will render their homage
by bringing their glory and honor, as oerings, unto it; thus
recognizing it as the object of God’s delight, and the scene
of the display of His presence and glory, because the throne
of God and the Lamb are there.
It is then added that “the gates of it shall not be shut
at all by day: for there shall be no night there. And they
shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into (unto)
it. And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that
deleth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or
maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book
of life” (vss. 25-27). One cannot fail to be struck with the
correspondency between this language and that addressed
to the earthly Jerusalem by the prophet: “erefore thy
gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day
nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the
Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought” (Isa. 60:11).
And undoubtedly there will be an intimate relation between
the two cities, similar to that between the holy place and
the holy of holies in the tabernacle; though the distinction
must ever be remembered, that the one city is heavenly,
and the other earthly in its character. e open gates are an
emblem of the perfect security which the city enjoys, there
being “no adversary or evil occurrent,” while the absence
of night tells that evil has passed away, and hence there is
perpetual day. It is not merely the absence of evil, but the
impossibility of its entrance, which characterized the holy
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city; for none “but they which are written in the Lamb’s
book of life” are found within.
Next we have the river of water of life and the tree of
life. “And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear
as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the
Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side
of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve
[manner of ] fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and
the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations”
(Rev. 22:1-2). All this again speaks of the relation of the city
to the millennial earth, and reveals the source of millennial
life and blessedness. e throne of God and the Lamb are
the fount, as ever, of grace and life; and the leaves of the
tree of life are for the healing of the nations. e gloried
only will feed upon the twelve fruits of the tree. Hence it
is added, “ere shall be no more curse: but the throne of
God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall
serve Him: and they shall see His face; and His name shall
be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there:
and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the
Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign forever
and ever” (vss. 3-5). Adam after his fall was shut out of
the garden, and God “placed at the east of the garden of
Eden cherubim, and a aming sword which turned every
way, to keep the way of the tree of life” (Gen. 3:24). Now
the tree of life is on either side of the street of the golden
city, and the gloried saints nd in its fruit sustenance and
joy. e curse therefore is forever abolished; for the throne
of God and the Lamb are there, and His servants serve
Him perfectly, see His face, and have His name in their
foreheads. Wondrous expressions of the full and perfect
bliss of the redeemed! It is now repeated that there shall be
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no night there, and that they have no need of created light;
for God Himself is the source of their light, as of their
blessing, and His glory illuminates the whole scene. In this
condition they will reign forever and ever, associated with
Christ in all the glories of His royalty and kingdom.
It is therefore not only the earthly blessing we are
admitted to view, but God has also brought before us the
varied perfections and glories of this heavenly city, which
will form such a prominent feature of the millennial
period. We have not permitted ourselves to touch upon
the question of communication between the heavenly
and the earthly spheres. at such communication will
exist is beyond a doubt; but upon its modes, or the exact
way in which Christ will carry on the government of the
earth as King, Scripture is silent. But we are told that “the
government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name
shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, e mighty God, the
Everlasting Father, e Prince of Peace. Of the increase
of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon
the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it,
and to establish it with judgment and with justice from
henceforth even forever” (Isa. 9:6-7).
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146627
e Blessed Hope: Great
White rone and
Eternal State
e millennium closes the long series of earthly
dispensations. God’s dealings with the earth, whether in
grace, mercy, or judgment, are now concluded; and hence
the earth and the heaven disappear before the face of Him
who has taken His seat on the great white throne (Rev.
20:11). e nal judgment comes between the end of the
millennium and the commencement of the eternal state;
but before this, an event takes place of great magnitude
and importance. It is the destruction of the earth and the
heavens by re. Peter thus speaks of it: “e day of the Lord
will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens
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shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall
melt with fervent heat, the earth also, and the works that
are therein shall be burned up” And again: “Looking for
and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein”
(rather, on account of which) “the heavens, being on re,
shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent
heat” (2Pet. 3:10-12). e day of the Lord, it should be
remarked, covers the whole period of the thousand years.
It comes as a thief, introduced as it will be by the Lord’s
appearing; and at its close, the consumption of the earth
and heavens by re takes place. Hence. Peter says, “In the
which,” because it is included in, though at the end of,
the day of the Lord. It is the same event indicated in the
Revelation by the words, “From whose face the heaven and
the earth ed away,” stating the fact only without giving
the means of their disappearance; but, as we see from Peter,
re is God’s chosen instrumentality for the destruction of
this present scene. en follows the great white throne; the
nal judgment, therefore, takes place after the passing away
of the earth and the heaven. e character of this judgment
will demand a closer examination.
First, then, as to the Judge: it is made to appear from the
authorized version that God Himself is the Judge: “I saw
the dead, small and great, stand before God” (Rev. 20:12). It
is, however, well known that “throne” should be substituted
for “God,” and it is very clear from other scriptures that
the Lord Jesus is the occupant of, the One that will sit
upon, the great white throne. He Himself said, “e Father
judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the
Son: that all men should honor the Son, even as they honor
the Father” Again: “As the Father hath life in Himself; so
bath He given to the Son to have life in Himself; and hath
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given Him authority to execute judgment also, because
He is the Son of man” (John 5:22-27). With this agree
also the words of Paul when he says that every knee shall
bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father (Phil. 2:10-11). e One,
therefore, who was once upon this earth, but rejected and
crucied, is He who will sit in judgment upon those who
refused Him as Saviour and Lord; for the Father wills that
all men should honor the Son, even as they honor Himself.
In His occupancy, therefore, of this throne of judgment,
God publicly vindicates Christ in the presence of men
and angels, and holds Him forth as the object of universal
honor and homage; so that now every knee that had refused
to own Him in the day of grace must at last bow before
Him in acknowledgment of His Lordship and supremacy.
As seated on the great white throne, He has become the
Arbiter of the eternal destinies of all His enemies.
e throne on which He sits is described as “great,”
and as “white” It is great as suited to the dignity of its
occupant; and it is white as a symbol of the character of
the judgments that will be pronounced, every one of which
will be according to the holiness of the nature of God.
is judgment is upon persons, not things, and upon
unbelievers only. John says, “And I saw the dead, small
and great, stand before God; and the books were opened:
and another book was opened, which is the book of life:
and the dead were judged out of those things which were
written in the books, according to their works. And the
sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell
[hades] delivered up the dead which were in them: and
they were judged every man according to their works. And
death and hell [hades] were cast into the lake of re. is
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is the second death. And whosoever was not found written
in the book of life was cast into the lake of re” (vss. 12-
15). If the exact statements of this Scripture are examined,
it will be apparent that there is no trace of any believer
in this vast and unnumbered throng. Indeed, as already
shown, all believers are caught up in the clouds to meet
the Lord in the air at His second coming. ere remain
therefore, besides those who are left in their graves at His
return, only two classes — millennial saints, and millennial
unbelievers or rebels. But millennial saints will not die; and
hence, since this scene includes only the dead (vs. 12), those
who stand before His throne for judgment are composed
entirely of the wicked or unbelievers. is conclusion is
established in another way. We have two kinds of books
opened as the basis of judgment. ere are the books of
works, and there is the book of life; and it is said that “the
dead were judged out of those things which were written
in the books, according to their works” (vs. 12). ey are
judged, in fact, upon two grounds — positive and negative.
eir works are produced in evidence against them; and
the absence of their names from the book of life shows
that they have no title to mercy or favor; for “whosoever
was not found written in the book of life was cast into
the lake of re” ere is no trace of a single one having his
name there, and their works, therefore, become the ground
of their sentence; and we know that by the works of the law
shall no esh be justied (Rom. 3:20). As another has said,
“Another element was brought into view. Sovereign grace
alone had saved according to the purpose of God. ere
was a book of life. Whosoever was not written there was
cast into the lake of re. But it was the nally closing and
separating scene for the whole race of men and this world.
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And though they were judged every man according to his
works, yet sovereign grace only had delivered any; and
whoever was not found in grace’s book was cast into the
lake of re. e sea gave up the dead in it; death and hades
the dead in them. And death and hades were put an end
to forever by the divine judgment. e heaven and earth
passed away, but they were to be revived; but death and
hades never. ere was for them only divine destruction and
judgment. ey are looked at as the power of Satan. He has
the power of death, and the gates of hades; and hence these
are forever destroyed judicially” e last enemy, death, is
now destroyed; for Christ “must reign, till He hath put all
enemies under His feet.”
Before we pass on to the eternal state, another scripture
must be considered. We read in Corinthians, “As in Adam
all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every
man in his own order; Christ the rstfruits; afterward they
that are Christ’s at His coming. en [cometh] the end,
when He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God,
even the Father; when He shall have put down all rule, and
all authority and power. For He must reign, till He hath
put all enemies under His feet. e last enemy that shall be
destroyed is death. For He hath put all things under His
feet. But when He saith, All things are put under Him, it
is manifest that He is excepted, which did put all things
under Him. And when all things shall be subdued unto
Him, then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him
that put all things under Him, that God may be all in all”
(1Cor. 15:22-28). is in many ways, is a most remarkable
passage, comprehending as it does all dispensations, or at
least covering them in its scope. e immediate subject
of the apostle is that of the resurrection. After therefore
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stating the fact that all die in Adam, and the corresponding
truth that all shall be made alive in Christ — that is the “all”
connected with Christ, as the “all” in the former case include
all connected with Adam — he gives us the order in which
the latter shall be accomplished. e resurrection of Christ
was the rstfruits of this wondrous harvest, they that are
Christ’s, which should be gathered in at His coming. “en
cometh the end” But between this “then” and the foregoing
“afterward” the millennium is included, so that “the end”
brings us down to its close; and indeed, farther still, down
to the close of the judgment of the great white throne.
It is this point which needs to be observed; for it is the
termination, as such, of the mediatorial kingdom. Hence
we nd that He delivers up the kingdom to God the Father.
All things having been subdued under Him, He yields up
the kingdom to Him that put all things under Him, and
He Himself takes a subject place, that henceforward God
may be all in all. It is the close and the surrender of His
earthly kingdom, and thenceforward as the gloried man
He is Himself subject. But it must be carefully remembered
that His essential Deity forever abides; indeed, the term
“God,” used thus absolutely, includes Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit. It is a wondrous revelation; for thereby we learn that
throughout eternity He will retain His gloried humanity,
moving among the ranks of the redeemed, all of whom
are conformed to His image, as the FIRSTBORN among
many brethren. If therefore we have, on the one hand, in
this scripture, the surrender of the earthly kingdom, we
have also, on the other, the introduction to the eternal state,
wherein God is all in all.
But it is in the Revelation that we nd the fullest
description of the eternal state: “And I saw a new heaven
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and a new earth: for the rst heaven and the rst earth
were passed away; and there was no more sea” (Rev. 21:1).
Isaiah had spoken of new heavens and a new earth (chap.
65:17), but only in a moral sense as connected with the
millennium. Peter takes up his language, and under the
guidance of the Holy Spirit gives to it a deeper meaning.
“Nevertheless,” he says, “we, according to His promise,
look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth
righteousness” (2Pet. 3:13). But it is in the Revelation that
we see in the vision the actual fulllment of the promise.
We are moreover told that “there was no more sea,” for
the time of separation was over and gone, and every part
of the new scene was brought into ordered beauty before
God; everything would be according to His own mind.
ereon the holy city comes into view. “And I John saw
the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out
of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold,
the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with
them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall
be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away
all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death,
neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more
pain: for the former things are passed away” ere are
several points to be noticed in this wondrous description
of the perfection of the eternal state. First, the holy city is
seen coming down from God out of heaven. As we have
before remarked, during the millennium it is set above the
earthly Jerusalem; but now, though John goes back both
to its origin and character, it descends lower still, until it
rests upon the new earth which has now been formed. e
millennial earth could not have received it because, great
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as was its blessedness, it could not, being still imperfect,
have been the home of the eternal tabernacle of God. is
is reserved for the new earth wherein righteousness would
dwell — have its abiding home. And mark how the city is
depicted — “prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”
e thousand years have passed, and the city is still robed
in her bridal beauty. Age cannot dim her youth, and
hence she is still “a glorious Church, not having spot, or
wrinkle, or any such thing” e proclamation is now made,
“Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men.” We gather,
therefore, that the gloried Church is the dwellingplace of
God; and just as in the wilderness encampment the tribes
were arranged round about the tabernacle, so here we nd
men — the saints of other dispensations — grouped about
God’s tabernacle in the eternal state. e Lord had said to
His people Israel in the wilderness, “I will set My tabernacle
among you: and My soul shall not abhor you. And I will
walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be My
people” (Lev. 26:11-12; see also Eze. 37:26-27). And now
in the unfoldings of His grace, according to the purposes
of His love, His word is accomplished after the perfection
of His own thoughts. His tabernacle is now with men, and
He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and
God Himself shall be with them, their God.
Next we have the blessedness of the inhabitants of
the scene. But how is it described? In the very way that
appeals the most powerfully to hearts that have known
the sorrows and tribulations of the wilderness. ere will
be the absence of everything that had caused us grief or
anguish here. First, “God shall wipe away all tears from
their eyes”; not a trace of former sorrow shall remain, and
God Himself will remove it. What innite tenderness in
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the expression that God Himself shall do this! Even as a
mother will tenderly wipe away the tears of her child, so
God Himself will delight to wipe away all tears from the
eyes of His saints. And once wiped away they can never
return; for “there shall be no more death” (how many
tears has death wrung from bereaved ones in this scene!),
“neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more
pain” All these, the former things, will have forever passed
away — these dark clouds — before the perpetual sunlight
and joy of the eternal presence of God.
“And He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make
all things new. And He said unto me, Write; for these
words are true and faithful. And He said unto me, It is
done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.
I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the
water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all
things” (rather, these things); “and I will be his God, and
he shall be My son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and
the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and
sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in
the lake which burneth with re and brimstone: which is
the second death” (Rev. 21:5-8). us all is made new; the
new creation has reached its consummation. Everything
within and without is very good; perfect, as measured by
the holiness of God. It is therefore, a scene in which He
can dwell with complacency and delight. All has owed
from Himself, and all redounds to His glory; for He is both
Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.
e scene is then closed by the announcement of grace,
promise and judgment. Every one that is athirst may receive
of the fountain of the water of life freely. e overcomer
shall inherit all these things. To borrow another’s language,
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“e world for the Christian is now a great Rephidim.
is is the twofold portion of his nal blessedness: he
shall have God for His God, and be His son. ose who
feared this path — did not overcome the world and Satan,
but have walked in iniquity — would have their part in the
lake of re. is closes the history of God’s ways” It will be
remarked that there is no mention of the Lamb. e reason
is, as has been pointed out, that the Son also Himself is
now subject unto Him that put all things under Him, that
God may be all in all.
“FOR OF HIM, AND THROUGH HIM, AND TO
HIM, ARE ALL THINGS: TO WHOM BE GLORY
Forever. AMEN”
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