Jerusalem or Rome
Clarence E. Lunden
Table of Contents
Jerusalem or Rome?
Ominous shadows of things to come, spreading far and wide on this earth, portend great changes which will ultimately place Christ upon His earthly throne, with Israel again as the chief of the nations of the earth. Power and glory will then be where they belong, in the midst of peace and tranquility in Jerusalem.
One of the superpowers has already dedicated itself to the protection of Israel because of mutual benefits, while the other one of the two is intent upon her destruction; but Israel, after being humbled, will be blessed.
No prophecy will be fulfilled until after the church has left the earth to be with Christ. Following this event, there will be seven years of combined providential and preparatory judgments preceding the day of the Lord.
The Roman Prince
"Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.
Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem, unto the Mes-si'ah the Prince, shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
And after threescore and two weeks shall Mes-si'ah be cut off, but not for himself and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate" (Dan. 9:24-27).
At the start of these seven years a "prince" from among the Roman people will arise and make a covenant with the Jewish nation. In the midst of the seven years the covenant will be broken. There seems to be no other description of this prince than "the prince that shall come" (Dan. 9:26).
Today the Roman people are scattered among the several nations of Europe which were once under the dominion of Rome during the days of her great empire. This ancient empire had its borders as far distant as the Persian Gulf, the Euphrates, and a portion of the north coast of Africa. The peoples living in the extended part of the empire, the Middle East, were not properly Roman, but such nations as Canada and the United States, having migrated from Europe, are, for the most part, of Roman stock.
"And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.
And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.
And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and to a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.
And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth" (Rev. 6:1-8).
At the time of the providential judgments, which will be during the first three and one half years of the seven years of prophecy yet to be fulfilled, one rider will be seen consecutively on four symbolic horses. The first will be a white horse with a conqueror, appointed of God, seated upon it. The figure suggests that he will conquer from a distance, without bloodshed, perhaps by treaties. The horses succeeding the first symbolize civil war, famine, and death.
"And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled" (Rev. 6:9-11).
In Jerusalem, meanwhile, in the middle of the promised seven-year covenant, the prince shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease, thus the covenant will be broken (Dan. 9:27).
Jewish martyrs, under the altar, are comforted and told to rest for a season until their fellow servants and their brethren should be killed as they were (Rev. 6:10).
"And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" (Rev. 6:12-1;7).
Chaos will follow in the governments of the western earth as the effort of the prince leaves the social and the political earth in ruin. He is not heard of again as the prince.
The Roman Beast
"In the first year of Bel-shaz'zar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.
Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.
And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.
The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.
And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.
After this I beheld, and to another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.
After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.
I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things" (Dan. 7:1-8).
Each of these beasts is a figure of an empire, the last being Roman. The histories of the first three have been fulfilled, but the future revival of the fourth or Roman is before the prophet Daniel. The earth will be amazed at the future resurrection of the Roman Empire in its last diabolical form.
'And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
And the beast which I saw was like un- to a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.
And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given 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 If any man have an ear, let him hear" (Rev. 13:1-9).
"Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet; And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.
I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.
Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise" (Dan. 7:19-24).
This beast, (empire), will have the combined traits of wickedness and brutality of the four beasts. It will arise about the middle of the seven years of prophecy yet to be fulfilled. (This will be the beginning of the preparatory judgments.) It will be comprised of ten horns, or nations, not at first crowned as kings or having an emperor.
"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; With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet-colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns" (Rev. 17:1-3).
At this time Satan will be cast out of heaven. Being a spirit, he will need an agency to work for him directly to further his purposes of deceiving and apostatizing the earth. This will result in the Roman people being placed under a strange totalitarian control by the Roman Catholic Church, referred to as "the woman riding the beast." The ten horns will have become subservient to the woman. The Roman Catholic Church, in its new role, garbed in political attire, could not be more suitable, and under its leadership effort will be made to bring stability to the earth.
"And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth" (Rev. 17:7-9).
"And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.
And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise." (Rev. 8:10-12).
But, alas! the social order of the western earth will be left in chaos and wormwood, complete disappointment and bitterness, with hopes crushed both in public and private life. However, apostasy will flourish to bring in the man of sin, the antichrist.
The Little Horn
"And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.
And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
And the 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.
These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
And the ten horns which thou sawest and the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth" (Rev. 17:10-18).
In the latter part of the preparatory judgments a man, "the little horn," will take over the ten horns, having in the meantime become kings, "plucking up three by the roots." He will not be one of the ten but will come out from among them. The little horn will take upon himself power over the whole prophetic earth, which will be the last phase of the empire in its full character, as emperor or beast, and for "one hour" the ten kings will willingly give their power and authority to him.
The Scriptures do not reveal what part the little horn has in the devouring and the trampling of the nations over the whole earth under his feet, as this may have been in progress before he came into power as the little horn (Dan. 7:19). It is clear that at the end time he will carry all of the power, both in the western earth and the regions beyond it which will have been subdued.
"And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them" (Rev. 11:3-7).
He will destroy the two witnesses.
"The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is" (Rev. 17:8).
"And another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time" (Dan. 7:24,25).
"I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them" (Dan. 7:21).
"And of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows" (Dan. 7:20).
"The beast that was, and is not, and yet is" has few things said of him because his time is short, perhaps not much over a year.
Because of the impossible conditions existing throughout the western earth, Satan will energize this man, to whom he has given his own power and authority, to take over every facet of the prophetic earth. Because of urgency he will exact obedience and worship, using religion to subdue all to himself. The ten horns together with the beast (man) will overthrow and confiscate all that belongs to the woman and finally destroy her (Rev. 17:16).
"And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name" (Rev. 14:9-11).
In the western part all of his subjects will be forced to worship his image and to carry his mark. (The Scriptures such as Rev. 13:14 identify the personal beast or little horn as the beast which had the wound by a sword, and did live.)
"I beheld till the thrones were set, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.
A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
I beheld then, because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame" (Dan. 7:9-11).
"But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to con- sume and to destroy it unto the end.
And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.
Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart" (Dan. 7:26-28).
"But the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever" (Dan. 7:18).
Besides what has just been quoted from Revelation, a quotation from Dan. 7 completes what is said of the personal beast, "the little horn." His end will come when he and the false prophet make war with the Lamb as He comes out of heaven to deliver His earthly people, to put down all evil, and to set up His throne. This introduces the day of the Lord.
The Antichrist
"And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them" (Rev. 9:1-6).
Shortly following the rise of the little horn, a king will stand up in Palestine. He will be of the nation of Israel, (perhaps of the tribe of Dan), and he will be known a little later as the antichrist. His activities will center in Jerusalem.
"And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify 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.
Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.
But in his estate shall he honor the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honor with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
Thus shall he do in the most strongholds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain" (Dan. 11:36-39).
There is a spirit of antichrist at present in the world, but at the time here referred to there will be a literal king who finally will be worshipped as the returning Messiah and as God. As king he will sell his land for gain to the first beast (little horn) whom he will worship and cause the earth to worship.
"Thus saith the Lord God of hosts, Go, get thee unto this treasurer, even unto Sheb'na, which is over the house, and say, What hast thou here, and whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out a sepulcher here, as he that heweth him out a sepulcher on high, and that graveth a habitation for himself in a rock?
Behold, the Lord will carry thee away with a mighty captivity, and will surely cover thee.
He will surely violently turn and toss thee like a ball into a large country: there shalt thou die, and there the chariots of thy glory shall be the shame of thy lord's house.
And I will drive thee from thy station, and from thy state shall he pull thee down" (Isa. 22:15-19).
The False Prophet
In the end the antichrist will be spoken of, and will be destroyed as, the false prophet.
"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, 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 as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness" (2 Thess. 2:3-12).
As the false prophet he will try to imitate the miracles of Christ but will use deceitful methods, not having the power of life. He will use lying wonders, deceiving the masses into idolatry and the worship of the first beast or little horn.
"And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
And he had power to give breath unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that 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 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.
Here is wisdom. Let him that path understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six" (Rev. 13:11-18).
The close of the seven years will be the time of harvest. The Son of Man Himself will have to do with the world that has rejected Him, the world which will be personified in the dual apostasy of the beast and the false prophet. Thus will be the end of Christendom and the apostates of Israel.
"And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.
And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
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.
And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire 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 filled with their flesh" (Rev. 19:11-21).
"And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Ar'ma-ged'don" (Rev. 16:16).
At this closing point in the history of the Roman Empire the Lamb will come forth out of heaven with the church in His train. She was gathered and nurtured in the midst of the Roman territories. The beast and his people together with the false prophet and the apostate Jews will form one great apostasy. The time of mercy will be over, and all who have heard and rejected the everlasting gospel will be destroyed.
"The triumph of the wicked will be short," and as he goes into the temple to be formally worshipped, he, together with the beast (man), will be taken by the Lord as He comes out of heaven, and they will be cast alive into the lake of fire.
"Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible.
This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.
Thou sawest till that 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.
Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth" (Dan. 2:31-35).
The Roman Empire will be the last of the four Gentile empires which have replaced Israel as the ruling powers of the whole earth.
"Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake" (Matt. 24:9).
Besides ignoring the claims of God over all nations and making the world "man's world," the Roman Empire was guilty of crucifying the Son of God and persecuting the church.
At the end time they will turn to be an enemy of Israel and destroy all of the true Jews that they can find. Rome will well earn its terrible destiny.
As the Roman Empire falls, so the great image of Dan. 2:31-35, seen in the dream of Nebuchadnezzar. The iron which represents the Roman Empire will fall first "and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them."
Israel, under Christ their Redeemer, will become the great mountain that fills the whole earth. Israel will be the head again as before the four Gentile monarchies were given the power and glory that Israel had forfeited because of idolatry. Christ will reign on the earth in the midst of His people.
"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 condemnation; but is passed from death unto life" (John 5:24).
"And the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanesth us from all sin" (1 John 1:7).
"And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead" (Acts 17:30,31).
The reader of this pamphlet, whether he be a Jew or a Gentile, is to be reminded that he will be held accountable for the present gospel of the grace of God which brings eternal salvation through the blood of Christ.
Soon the present church, or company of true believers, will be translated into heaven.
Following this the gospel of the kingdom will be preached by the Jews, first in Jerusalem and then to all of the nations of the prophetic earth.
If those who at present live where the gospel of the grace of God is preached and reject the love of the truth, they will not have another opportunity after the present body of believers are taken to heaven.
Judgment, sure and swift, will overtake those who neglect the gospel or who refuse to believe.
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house" (Acts 16:31).
Courtesy of BibleTruthPublishers.com. Most likely this text has not been proofread. Any suggestions for spelling or punctuation corrections would be warmly received. Please email them to: [email protected].