Part 2. The Numbered Notes

 
God Is Love
1.
אלהים ELOHIM
(ILLUSTRATED BY THE DEVICE AT THE TOP.)
BEFORE those ages and generations whose moral history is thus unfolded, God is here seen as existing of old from everlasting; amid that SABBATH OF REST which no sorrow can cloud, which sin cannot defile: and not only so, but there also taking counsel for the redemption and blessing of those who He well knew would give ear to the lie of the Serpent, and thus bring sorrow and death into that world which was about to come forth from His hand.
That such was His purpose, was seen of old in the Garden, when, setting the seventh day apart, He as it were looked down the Great Stream of time, through the generations of the world, to the end of His ways with His Elect; anticipating the joy of that day, when, all things being made new-all sprinkled with blood-all standing in grace, He Himself will be known as the sure rest of His people; and when Christ, now disowned and despised, will be a crown of rejoicing to all who have confessed Him amid the hatred and scorn of the world.
As agreeing therefore with this, in Lev. 23, which in THE FEASTS OF THE LORD displays THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF GOD, from the very beginning, THE SABBATH meets the eye at the outset; while the feast of Tabernacles or ingathering comes in at the end: the former expressing the LORD IN HIS OWN REST FROM EVERLASTING, looking on at the same time to the end; the latter foreshowing the joy of that day when the whole creation, over which the trail of the Serpent has passed, defiling all it has touched, will be redeemed from the curse, and brought into blessing far richer and larger than that which man lost by his first transgression in Eden,
2. the Purpose of God.
The history of the world, AS GOD'S WORLD, it has been truly observed, is given only in Scripture: and the moral to be drawn from it, on the one hand, is the defectibility and failure of man; and on the other, the grace and faithfulness of God.
The disobedience of Adam, though created in uprightness, proved the inability of the creature to stand in his own strength against, the subtlety of the serpent: while the failure of man since the fall, in every dispensation through which lie has successively passed, evinces his total depravity, and utter loss of the moral image of God. But WITH GOD there has been NO FAILURE: KNOWN UNTO HIM ARE ALL HIS WORKS FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE WORLD. (Acts 15:1818Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. (Acts 15:18).) And in the end it will be seen that all past dispensations, each the result of man's sin, and each failing in his hand, gathered up into one, shall be the materials out/of which the millennial kingdom of Christ shall he ultimately formed. (See note 38.). Then too it will be seen that ONE, and ONE ONLY, even GOD MANIFEST IN THE FLESH, is able to restore all that the first Adam had marred; and moreover that nothing less than living union with Christ, into which His whole Elect Church will be brought, or His personal presence, which His saints on earth will enjoy, will avail to secure man from the possibility of a second fall.
The MILLENNIUM however, though a state of great blessedness, will not be (as is often supposed) a state of perfection. It is termed in Scripture, "THE REGENERATION" (Matt. 19:2828And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (Matthew 19:28)), or'" TIMES of RESTITUTION OF ALL THINGS." (Acts 3:2121Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. (Acts 3:21).) Christ must reign till He hath put all things under His feet: and when He shall have finally prevailed (see Rev. 20:7-157And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. 9And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. 10And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. 11And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12And 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. 13And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:7‑15)), when the work of REDEMPTION shall be fully completed, then shall THE END come, when He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father— when the Son also Himself shall be subject unto Him that put all things under Him, that GOD MAY BE ALL IN ALL, (1 Cor. 15:24-2824Then 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. 25For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 26The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. 27For 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. 28And 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. (1 Corinthians 15:24‑28).)
3. the Mystery.—the Elect Church
(ILLUSTRATED BY THE STARLIKE DEVICE AT THE TOP.)
The Mystery (i.e. the Church chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world) is so called, because, though variously foreshown in the Old Testament (compare Gen. 2:18-2418And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. 19And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. 20And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. 21And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; 22And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. 23And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. 24Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. (Genesis 2:18‑24) with Eph. 5:23-3323For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. 24Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. 25Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27That 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. 28So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. 29For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: 30For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. 31For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. 32This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 33Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband. (Ephesians 5:23‑33)), it was a secret hid in God from the beginning, which was never revealed till Christ, having been rejected by His earthly people Israel, and exalted to heaven, called out from the earth by His Spirit into living union with Himself, A PEOPLE FOR HIS NAME-neither Jew nor Gentile, but taken out of each, and one body in Him (Gal. 3:2828There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28); Eph. 12-22), A PECULIAR PEOPLE, whose calling and hope are peculiar, whose dignity in the world to come will be surpassingly, preeminently blessed—EVEN FELLOWSHIP WITH THE SON IN THE GLORY GIVEN TO HIM BY THE FATHER. (John 17:2222And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: (John 17:22).)
Hence the Church is the great witness of grace, the chief vessel of mercy, God's dealings with her being the full expression of the love of the Father—of that love which took counsel of old, before the world began, to redeem and to bless, the unworthy. This love, it is true, was ever in action. The Lord had always a people who walked with Himself in secret communion, apart from the world: but not till the Church was called forth did love begin to display its mightiest energy. Grace surely, hereafter, will shine forth in the Lord's goodness to Israel; but the Church, the Lamb's wife, is the object of His deepest delight, His pearl of great price; as will fully appear when, crowned with glory and honor (as here shown at the close), she dwells in His love, she shares His dominion, and sits down without Shame in His presence forever.
4. Christ
(THIS AND THE TWO FOLLOWING NOTES ARE CONNECTED BY BRACKETS.)
"The Lord possessed ME in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. I WAS SET UP FROM EVERLASTING, from the beginning, or ever the earth was." (Prov. 8:22, 2322The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. 23I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. (Proverbs 8:22‑23): see the whole of the chapter.)
“In the beginning was THE WORD, and the Word was with God, and the Word WAS GOD: the same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men." (John 1:1-41In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2The same was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4In him was life; and the life was the light of men. (John 1:1‑4).)
“I am ALPHA and OMEGA, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, THE ALMIGHTY." (Rev. 1:88I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. (Revelation 1:8).)
5. Christ the Elect Head of the Church.
(ILLUSTRATED BY THE STARLIKE DEVICE.)
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ; according as he hath CHOSEN US IN HIM before the foundation of the world." (Eph. 1:3, 43Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: (Ephesians 1:3‑4).)
“This is the* GREAT MYSTERY: but I speak concerning CHRIST AND THE CHURCH." (Eph. 5: 32.)
*"The (τὸ) great mystery."—See the original Greek.
6. Christ the Creator of the World.
(ILLUSTRATED BY THE DEVICE OF THE EARTH.)
"IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH." (Gen. 1:11In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (Genesis 1:1).)
“The morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy." (Job 38:77When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job 38:7).)
7. the Ground Cursed.
God, on the disobedience of Adam, cursed THE GROUND for his sake, but NOT ADAM HIMSELF, the way of deliverance and blessing having been already opened through Christ, the promised seed of the woman. That Adam believed in the promise we gather from the fact of his giving the name of "EVE," that is, "LIVING," to his wife; and that too just after God had declared that being dust he should return to the dust from whence he was taken. Thus speaking of life in the midst of a world which his own sin had defiled, where death was reigning around him: thus viewing her who had been first in the transgression, as "THE MOTHER OF ALL LIVING," he showed his hope in resurrection, and that he knew that the seed of the woman would be the Head of a new race drawing their life from His death.
Cain, on the other hand, was cursed from the earth and cast out from God's presence; and the reason is evident: unlike Abel his brother, who brought the firstlings of his flock as an offering to the Lord, and so was accepted; he brought of the fruit of the ground on which the curse had alighted, and also slew Abel; thereby showing that he slighted and hated the grace offered through Christ; and so was the father of all who, coming to God in their own way and not through the blood of the Lamb, are of necessity aliens from God and accursed of Him,
8. Satan
(ILLUSTRATED BY THE DEVICE OF THE SERPENT.)
From Adam to Christ, Satan's power over the earth was disputed by God: but when man in the flesh, through his rejection of the grace offered through Him, proved himself to be utterly apostate, Satan manifestly became both the god and the prince of this world (John 14:3030Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me. (John 14:30); 2 Cor. 4:44In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. (2 Corinthians 4:4)); which, however it may assume to itself the profession of Christ, lies still "in the wicked one" (1 John 5:1919And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. (1 John 5:19)), and is in principle the same world which at the close of the present age will "wonder after the beast" (i.e., the Antichrist or lawless one-ανομον), and worship the dragon which shall give his power to the beast. (Rev. 13:22And the beast which I saw was like unto 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. (Revelation 13:2).) But in the world to come, when the true Heir of all things will be on the throne, the serpent shall be punished (Isa. 27:11In that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea. (Isaiah 27:1)), and lie chained for a thousand years (Rev. 20:1,21And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, (Revelation 20:1‑2)); at the end of which time he will come forth again, make a violent effort to recover his power (Rev. 20:7-97And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. 9And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. (Revelation 20:7‑9)), and be finally cast into the lake of fire, in fulfillment of the first prophecy in scripture, which foretells his destruction through THE BLESSED SEED OF THE WOMAN. (Gen. 3:1515And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. (Genesis 3:15).)
9. Cain's and Seth's Seed
(SEE THE DESCENDANTS OF ADAM ON EITHER SIDE OF THE DIAGRAM.)
The distinction between the children of the world and the children of God is in principle shown in the descendants of CAIN and of SETH; the pursuits of the former being altogether worldly (see 1 John 2:1515Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (1 John 2:15)), while no record is left of the latter but what connects them with heaven. At the birth of ENOS men began to call upon the name of the Lord: ENOCH walked with God, and was not, for God took him: while NOAH was known from his birth as the channel of blessing to the accursed earth.
10. Enoch and Noah
ENOCH translated to heaven before the flood, and NOAH preserved safely through it, seem respectively to typify the CHURCH and the JEWISH REMNANT in the latter day (see note 28); the former of which will be gathered to the Lord before the judgments on the earth; the latter carried safely through them, and, like Noah (under Christ), invested with dominion and blessing in the millennial earth. Lamech's prophecy respecting Noah; "This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed" (Gen. 5:2929And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed. (Genesis 5:29)); the name given to him, signifying "rest or comfort;" together with God's covenant with him and with all flesh after the flood; evidently connects him with THE EARTH.
While the years of Enoch on earth, on the other hand, namely three hundred and sixty-five— comparatively few in a day when some reached to nearly a thousand—evidently mark him as one who, as his name seems to indicate, WAS DEDICATED wholly to God, and whose place, like that of the Church, was IN HEAVEN.
11. the Flood
(ILLUSTRATED BY THE DEVICE OF THE WATERS OVERSPREADING THE EARTH, AND THE ARK.)
In the days of Noah all flesh had corrupted his way: the Lord therefore, plucking His hand out of His bosom, sent the flood to rid the earth of its evil. In the midst of it all, however, there was one object on which His eye could rest with complacency—namely THE ARK, bearing His people in safety above those waters which had drowned the rest of the world. So, when the last judgments are sweeping over the earth, One who to the full has "FOUND GRACE IN THE EYES OF THE LORD"—One in whom He is "well pleased" indeed—CHRIST, THE TRUE NOAH, will prove the deliverer of all who, having cast in their lot with Him, look to Him as their hope in that day.
Before then THE CHURCH, it is true, will be caught up to the Lord, and so will look down from above on the judgments: but the JEWISH REMNANT, while the vials are spending themselves on the wicked, like Noah and his house in the ark, will be safe, knowing the comfort and, power of those gracious words of the Lord in that day of confusion and terror: "Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast." (Isa. 26:2020Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. (Isaiah 26:20).)
12. God's Covenant With Noah
(ILLUSTRATED BOTH BY THE DEVICE OF NOAH OFFERING SACRIFICE, AND THE SWORD.)
God's covenant with Noah (of, which the BOW IN THE CLOUD was the token) shows that the earth will be preserved to the end; and that it now waits for the time when, after the judgments, here expressed by the flood, have passed over, Christ, the true Noah, will appear and claim it all as His inheritance; and when at the name of Jesus, once despised and rejected, every knee in creation shall bow, and every tongue shall confess that He only is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
13. the Building of Babel
(ILLUSTRATED BY THE DEVICE OF THE TOWER OF BABEL.)
THE BUILDING OF BABEL exhibits in the early history of the earth the working of the same principles of evil which have ever characterized the world, and will be fully developed in the closing scenes of its apostasy, when man, conscious of his own powers, and deceived and energized by Satan, shall cast off every restraint and assume independence of God: then the NIMROD OF THE LATTER DAY, THE ANTICHRIST or willful king (Dan. 11:3636And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. (Daniel 11:36)), will appear; and having established his throne in Jerusalem the city of God, and receiving the homage of the confederate powers of the earth (Rev. 17:13, 14), the language of his heart will be, "I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High." (Isa. 14:1414I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. (Isaiah 14:14).) But he shall come to his end, and none shall help him; for the Lord coming forth out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity, Antichrist and every enemy shall fall before Him; and the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of man shall be made low; and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. (Isa. 2:1717And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. (Isaiah 2:17); Jer. 50., 51.; Rev. 17;18)
14. the Earth Nationally Divided
As to the division of the earth after the building of Babel, it is written, "When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people ACCORDING TO THE NUMBER OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. For the Lord's portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance" (Dent. xxxii. 8, 9); showing that the whole order of the earth at that time, under the hand of the Lord, fell in With his purpose as to His own elect people; not only before Israel was called out as a nation, but even before Abram their first father was born.
And in further proof of this principle, in Gen. 9 we read of the curse upon Canaan, of the blessing of Shem, and of the enlargement of Japheth; while in chapter x., which shows the generations of Noah, by which the nations after the flood were divided, we see the three great powers connected in after times with His people; namely, Magog or Gog—Asshur or the Assyrian—and Babel or Babylon.
15. the Call of Abraham
(HERE THE STREAM OF THE WORLD'S HISTORY IS DIVIDED INTO TWO PARTS.)
From this state of things—namely, the earth divided through the sin of Babel, and sunk in idolatry— the Lord, overruling the rebellion of the world, both for His own glory and man's blessing, calls out HIS OWN ELECT PEOPLE in the person of 'Abram their father; to whom He gives the promise of the land for an everlasting possession. This people therefore from this time becomes the great object in scripture; while Babylon, the work of man, is lost sight of, as that which, however glorious and great in the eyes of the world, was disowned by the Lord. The seed of Abraham however in the end proving unfaithful; lapsing like the nations around into idolatry; and also in the person of Hezekiah accepting the friendship and at the same time seeking the praise of the king of Babylon of that day (2 Kings 20:12-1912At that time Berodach-baladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present unto Hezekiah: for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick. 13And Hezekiah hearkened unto them, and showed them all the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armor, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah showed them not. 14Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country, even from Babylon. 15And he said, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All the things that are in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not showed them. 16And Isaiah said unto Hezekiah, Hear the word of the Lord. 17Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day, shall be carried into Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the Lord. 18And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. 19Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken. And he said, Is it not good, if peace and truth be in my days? (2 Kings 20:12‑19)); are threatened with judgment, and finally punished. Babylon is exalted, Jerusalem abased; while Abraham's seed are led captive into Chaldea, the very land from whence Abraham himself had been originally called out.
16. Idolatry of the Earth
(ILLUSTRATED BY THE DEVICE OF AN IDOL-WORSHIPPER OFFERING SACRIFICE.)
Though scripture does not declare when man first fell into idolatry, we learn from Josh. 24:2,32And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods. 3And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac. (Joshua 24:2‑3), that when the God of glory, appearing to Abram in Mesopotamia, called him out from his home and his kindred, it found him like others serving the gods of the nations: the Lord's object in calling him, therefore, was to assert His own title, as opposed to the false claims of these idols, to the allegiance and worship of man; to show that that people is happy, and that only, whose God is the Lord.
17. Melchizedek
(ILLUSTRATED BY THE DEVICES OF THE TWO SWORDS, THE CUP, AND THE CROWN.)
Abram's victory over the kings and his rescue of Lot express the future triumphs of Christ and the deliverance of His saints out of the hand of their enemies. While Melchizedek king of Salem, who afterward meets him and blesses him, shows Christ in another way, namely, the Lord, after the great closing conflict between the powers of darkness and light is decided, coming forth as the royal Priest, with the bread and wine of the kingdom to gladden the hearts of His saints. Thus Christ is throughout the great object in scripture; thus do all_ these types point to Him as their antitype: whether it be Abram in conflict or Melchizedek after the battle is won, still Christ in all is presented; the same whom at one moment we see leading forth the armies in heaven to conquest (Rev. 19:11-2111And 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. 12His 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. 13And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15And 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. 16And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. 17And 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; 18That 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. 19And 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. 20And 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. 21And 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. (Revelation 19:11‑21)), the next sitting down with his saints in the peaceful joy of the kingdom. (Rev. 20:44And 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 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. (Revelation 20:4).)
-Both Melchizedek and Aaron show Christ in His priesthood. Their action however is distinct; inasmuch as that of the one was INTERCESSION, while that of the other was BLESSING. Christ now, like Aaron on the great Day of Atonement in Israel, within the veil, is interceding for His people: hereafter, when all need for His intercession has ceased, He will come forth in His Melchizedek glory, to crown the day with His presence and lead His saints, after their conflicts are over, into the joy of the kingdom.
18. Joseph and Moses
The histories of Joseph and Moses have much the same typical character—each showing Christ in connection both with His Church and with Israel.
As to THE CHURCH, cast out by their brethren and dwelling for years among strangers, to whom they are made to minister blessing—one providing food in the time of famine for Egypt and the countries around, the other opening the way to the well (the symbol of grace) for the daughters of Reuel; they thus show the Lord in His present actings in grace as to the world. Then each being married to a Gentile, and becoming the father of children born in Egypt and Midian, shows the oneness of Christ and His Church during this age of His estrangement from Israel.
Then as to ISRAEL, raised up as the deliverers of their brethren, they both show the Lord as the Redeemer of His remnant hereafter—feeding them in secret first, and then in the end breaking off the yoke from their neck, and giving them to know the rest of that land which was given of old as an everlasting possession to Abraham their father.
19. the Sinai Covenant
(ILLUSTRATED BY TWO DEVICES; NAMELY, MOSES WITH 'THE TABLES OF THE LAW, AND AARON OFFERING SACRIFICE.)
Israel, heedless of THE GRACE OF GOD in their deliverance from Egypt, and murmuring against Him, are offered the terms of the SINAI COVENANT, and PRESUMPTUOUSLY accept them (see Gal. 3:1010For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. (Galatians 3:10)); thus willingly abandoning the covenant of promise before established with Abraham, and trusting to their own obedience for acceptance with God. (Ex. 19:5-8:24. 3-7.)
The Lord's object in suffering them to do so is evident; namely, to show man what he is; to let him see how unable he is to stand by any strength of his own. And this surely has been shown in the history of Israel; first by their worship of the golden calf, and then by their rejection of Christ; and in the latter day will be yet more signally proved by their reception of Antichrist. Observe, on the other hand, the goodness of God, shown in the ministry of the priests in the sanctuary; as also in the blood of those victims continually offered in Israel, all pointing to Christ the true offering for sin; and not less so in THE SABBATH, the great sign between Jehovah and His people, the pledge of redemption and rest in the end.
20. Balak and Balaam
(ILLUSTRATED BY THE DEVICE OF THE STAR.)
The confederacy of Balak and Balaam-like that of the BEAST AND THE FALSE, PROPHET hereafter (Rev. 13)—being the consummation of the world's apostasy at that time, the Lord thenceforth hid His face from the Gentiles; while on the other hand He opened a way for His elect through the river Jordan into their promised inheritance; they being from that time the one nation on earth which was, or at least should have been, a light in. the dark world around them. THE STAR-here foreseen by the prophet, pointing to Christ as the light of the Gentiles, was the same which at His birth led the wise men to Jerusalem. "Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him." Such was the desire of these strangers, like that of the queen of Sheba in the days of king Solomon; showing that the earth only waited for Israel, to' own the babe of Bethlehem as their King in order at once to fall at His feet and to worship Him also. This shows that the Jews, in rejecting His love to themselves, are guilty at the same time of hindering the outflow of blessing to others.
21. Ruth
(ILLUSTRATED BY THE DEVICE OF RUTH GLEANING.)
The story of Ruth has the following typical character: Naomi, her mother-in-law, who under the pressure of famine had gone forth with her husband and children to dwell in the land of Moab, returning a widow and childless, shows the destitute state of the Jewish remnant hereafter. She was in the land, it is true; but sustained as yet only by the gleaning of Ruth in the cornfields of Boaz; just as the elect in the latter clay will be kept and fed by the Lord in the time of Jacob's last trouble.
While, Boaz, the kinsman of her husband Elimelech, who redeems the inheritance and takes Ruth at the same time to wife, expresses Christ the true kinsman Redeemer; who, having paid the full price in His own blood, will lay claim to that land and that people hereafter, who, though "Lo-ammi" at present, are His nevertheless in the counsels of God. Thus Ruth, though a Gentile, having linked herself with Elimelech's house and cast in her lot with Naomi, shows, like Naomi herself, the remnant hereafter, and as such is likened to Leah and Rachel; besides being herself one of those mothers in Israel from whom Christ in due time, the hope of the nation, descended.
22. Solomon's Reign
(ILLUSTRATED BY THE DEVICE OF THE QUEEN OF SHEBA'S VISIT TO
SOLOMON.)
Solomon's reign, when, there being neither evil nor enemy occurrent, Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his own vine and under his fig tree; when the queen of Sheba came from afar to see the wisdom of Solomon and the house that he had built; all show him forth as the type of Him who will yet be known upon earth as the true Prince of peace, whose glory will fill the temple of God in Jerusalem, and who there will receive the worship and homage of all the nations on earth.
That which distinguished the seed royal of David was this, that they were not merely ORDAINED but likewise ANOINTED OF GOD, deputed to reign under Him over TILE ONLY NATION ON EARTH EVER CALLED BY HIS NAME. The value and object of this will hereafter be seen, when the scepter of Judah shall pass into the hands of the only One of this line who has proved Himself worthy or able to wield it.
23. Ephrata' and Judah Led Captive
(ILLUSTRATED BY THE DEVICE OF THE SWORD, EXPRESSIVE OF THE JUDGMENT OF GOD.)
Ephraim, as here shown, was twice led captive by Assyria (2 Kings 15, 17), while Judah became afterward subject to Babylon, the first of the four Gentile empires. Now this is closely connected with the state of things in the end; because Judah, when restored to their own land hereafter, will be found under the power of Rome, the last of the four beasts seen in vision by Daniel (chap. 7.); while Ephraim, or the ten tribes, on the other hand, will then be dispersed among the nations, where they were scattered at first by Assyria. All which, it is evident, is according to the transgression of each; inasmuch as the sin of Judah was pride, in the first place especially shown
in the desire of Hezekiah to exalt himself in the eyes of the king of Babylon (2 Kings 20:12-1912At that time Berodach-baladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present unto Hezekiah: for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick. 13And Hezekiah hearkened unto them, and showed them all the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armor, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah showed them not. 14Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country, even from Babylon. 15And he said, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All the things that are in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not showed them. 16And Isaiah said unto Hezekiah, Hear the word of the Lord. 17Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day, shall be carried into Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the Lord. 18And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. 19Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken. And he said, Is it not good, if peace and truth be in my days? (2 Kings 20:12‑19)); while their last act was the rejection of Christ, their promised Deliverer from under the yoke of the Gentiles: whereas Ephraim's sin was idolatry (Hos. 8:4, 5;13:1, 24They have set up kings, but not by me: they have made princes, and I knew it not: of their silver and their gold have they made them idols, that they may be cut off. 5Thy calf, O Samaria, hath cast thee off; mine anger is kindled against them: how long will it be ere they attain to innocency? (Hosea 8:4‑5)
1When Ephraim spake trembling, he exalted himself in Israel; but when he offended in Baal, he died. 2And now they sin more and more, and have made them molten images of their silver, and idols according to their own understanding, all of it the work of the craftsmen: they say of them, Let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves. (Hosea 13:1‑2)), together with making a covenant with Assyria (Hosea 30:1); but still more their revolt from the house of David the anointed of God, under their first king Jeroboam-this being in effect their rejection of Christ, who, they had been told, was to spring from this line. (1 Kings 12) In the end therefore, when Christ comes again, He will save the remnant of Judah from the power of "the beast," the last Gentile king as well as the head of Jewish apostasy, the false Christ of the latter day; while Ephraim will be redeemed in another way; that is, after Judah within the land have been delivered from Antichrist, they will be brought home by the hand of the Lord out of those countries where they are scattered at present. (Isa. 11:1111And 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. (Isaiah 11:11); Zech. 10:7-127And they of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man, and their heart shall rejoice as through wine: yea, their children shall see it, and be glad; their heart shall rejoice in the Lord. 8I will hiss for them, and gather them; for I have redeemed them: and they shall increase as they have increased. 9And I will sow them among the people: and they shall remember me in far countries; and they shall live with their children, and turn again. 10I will bring them again also out of the land of Egypt, and gather them out of Assyria; and I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon; and place shall not be found for them. 11And he shall pass through the sea with affliction, and shall smite the waves in the sea, and all the deeps of the river shall dry up: and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the sceptre of Egypt shall depart away. 12And I will strengthen them in the Lord; and they shall walk up and down in his name, saith the Lord. (Zechariah 10:7‑12).)
24. the Times of the Gentiles
(ILLUSTRATED BY THE DEVICE OF NEBUCHADNEZZAR'S IMAGE (SEE DAN. II.), AND ALSO BY THE FOUR BEASTS OF Dan. 7)
The times of the Gentiles commenced when the throne of Judah was cast down to the ground, and royal dominion, given originally by God to His earthly people Israel, was taken from them and transferred to the Gentiles. NEBUCHADNEZZAR king of Babylon was the first to possess it; and from him it has descended through the FOUR GENTILE EMPIRES which have since in succession arisen and borne rule over all the earth—the BABYLONISH', MEDO-PERSIAN, GRECIAN, and ROMAN. (Dan. 2-7) Three of these empires have passed away. The last of them, though divided at present, is still in existence; but it only remains for Gentile apostasy to reach its maturity for the true Heir of all things, the Lord Jesus, to come forth, establish Himself on the throne of Judah, and lay claim to the earth as King of it all.
As to the moral character of the times of the Gentiles, the two following facts are worthy of notice:—
FIRST, When Nebuchadnezzar was set up as the head and representative of Gentile dominion, royal power alone, without any code of laws for the administration of that power as in the case of the Jewish kings, was given to him by God.
SECONDLY, That though earthly dominion was given to the Gentiles, the sanction, of God's presence was not given with it (Isa. 63:17-1917O Lord, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants' sake, the tribes of thine inheritance. 18The people of thy holiness have possessed it but a little while: our adversaries have trodden down thy sanctuary. 19We are thine: thou never barest rule over them; they were not called by thy name. (Isaiah 63:17‑19)), for THE GLORY OF THE LORD, which had dwelt over the mercy-seat in His sanctuary at Jerusalem, passed away from the earth when 'Judah was led captive. (Ezek. 11:22-2422Then did the cherubims lift up their wings, and the wheels beside them; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above. 23And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city. 24Afterwards the spirit took me up, and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to them of the captivity. So the vision that I had seen went up from me. (Ezekiel 11:22‑24); see note 25.) This, definitely marking the unhallowed character of Gentile supremacy, unchanged as it is in principle since the days of Nebuchadnezzar, and opposed as it was to Christ when He came into the world, shows that the rulers of the earth have no authority from heaven to legislate for the Church of God, of which CHRIST is the sole Head, and in which by the HOLY GHOST in His absence all rule is to be maintained. (Acts 13:2-4; 20:282As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. 3And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. 4So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus. (Acts 13:2‑4)
28Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. (Acts 20:28).) The powers that be however are ordained of God; therefore, when not interfering with their allegiance to Christ, have a divine claim on the obedience of the saints.
The expressions, "THE Fullness OF THE GENTILES," and "THE TIMES OF THE GENTILES," have a distinct meaning altogether: one relates to the world, the other to the Church. "Blindness in part has happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in: and so all Israel shall be saved" (Rom. 11:25,2625For 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 Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: (Romans 11:25‑26)): i.e., when the body of Christ, the whole elect Church, shall have been fully made up, and taken to heaven, then Israel shall repent and acknowledge their offense.
Before the Jews were dispersed, and while as yet they held something of a national existence on earth, the Roman Empire was not, as it is now, broken up into separate kingdoms, as though it had ceased to exist as an empire; but all was in one under the power of César. And so, after the Jews have gained possession of their own country again, the Roman Empire will be fully developed, and united once more under one, namely, the little horn of Daniel, to whom the ten kings of that day will all become subject. (Dan. 7; Rev. 17:12-1412And 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. 13These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. 14These 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. (Revelation 17:12‑14).)
The fact is„ as showing how the Lord's providential dealings on earth all hear on the destinies of Israel, whenever during. these times of the Gentiles the Jews appear on the scene as an organized people, it is decreed that the power which has been raised up by, the Lord to oppress them, should collect all its strength for that purpose; whereas, as long as they are dispersed, it is enough for His object that the power should be divided, and thus act in a more individual way on the scattered children of Judah.
N.B.-These four empires are doubly presented in Daniel. 1st, By the image seen in a dream by king Nebuchadnezzar, made of gold, of silver, of brass, of iron, and lastly of iron and clay; these metals expressing the four powers above named; the iron and clay, the union of monarchical and democratically power at the close. (Dan. 2) 2ndly, By the four beasts seen by Daniel himself; the lion, the bear, the leopard, and the great beast with ten horns. (Dan. 7) Besides which, the ram and the he goat in Dan. 8 show forth two of the empires apart from the others, namely, the Medo Persian and Grecian.
25. the Glory of the Lord Leaves the Earth
(SHOWN BY THE REO LINE, WHICH EXPRESSES THE GLORY, BREAKING OFF AT THIS POINT.)
When royal dominion was transferred to the Gentiles (see note 24), the glory of God, whose sole dwelling place on earth was in His sanctuary at Jerusalem, left the earth altogether and retreated to heaven; from whence an opening was made for its return in the person of Jesus, when He offered Himself as King to the daughter of Zion. But the daughter of Zion, instead of welcoming her Deliverer from under the power of the Gentiles, made use of that power to crucify her King. The glory of the Lord therefore is still absent from the earth, and will not return till the repentance of Israel shall make way for the Son of man to come in the clouds of heaven, take to Himself His great power, and reign in the character of Son of David and King over all the earth. (Ezek. 43:1-91Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east: 2And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory. 3And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city: and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face. 4And the glory of the Lord came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east. 5So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house. 6And I heard him speaking unto me out of the house; and the man stood by me. 7And he said unto me, Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoredom, nor by the carcases of their kings in their high places. 8In their setting of their threshold by my thresholds, and their post by my posts, and the wall between me and them, they have even defiled my holy name by their abominations that they have committed: wherefore I have consumed them in mine anger. 9Now let them put away their whoredom, and the carcases of their kings, far from me, and I will dwell in the midst of them for ever. (Ezekiel 43:1‑9).)
“Return for thy servants' sake, the tribes of thine inheritance. The people of thy holiness have possessed it but a little while; our adversaries have trodden down thy sanctuary. We are thine: thou never barest rule over them; they were not called by thy name." (Isa. 63:17-1917O Lord, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants' sake, the tribes of thine inheritance. 18The people of thy holiness have possessed it but a little while: our adversaries have trodden down thy sanctuary. 19We are thine: thou never barest rule over them; they were not called by thy name. (Isaiah 63:17‑19).)
The above scriptures are cited in order to show where the Lord's throne is on earth, namely, in Jerusalem only, and not with the Gentiles; who, though used by Him as His rod, are nevertheless, as being the oppressors of Israel, counted by Him as His adversaries.
26. the Land Keeping Sabbath
During the Babylonish captivity, the Jews having been disowned by the Lord, His Sabbaths, the appointed sign between Him and His people, but which they had despised and polluted, were "forgotten in Zion" (Lam. 2:66And he hath violently taken away his tabernacle, as if it were of a garden: he hath destroyed his places of the assembly: the Lord hath caused the solemn feasts and sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion, and hath despised in the indignation of his anger the king and the priest. (Lamentations 2:6); Hos. 2:1111I will also cause all her mirth to cease, her feast days, her new moons, and her sabbaths, and all her solemn feasts. (Hosea 2:11)), or mocked at by their adversaries (Lam. 1:77Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and of her miseries all her pleasant things that she had in the days of old, when her people fell into the hand of the enemy, and none did help her: the adversaries saw her, and did mock at her sabbaths. (Lamentations 1:7)); while the land, which through the sin of its inhabitants had never enjoyed her Sabbaths, was now doomed to keep Sabbath; that is, to be desolate and untitled for seventy years. (Lev. 25:1-71And the Lord spake unto Moses in mount Sinai, saying, 2Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the Lord. 3Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof; 4But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the Lord: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard. 5That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land. 6And the sabbath of the land shall be meat for you; for thee, and for thy servant, and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant, and for thy stranger that sojourneth with thee, 7And for thy cattle, and for the beast that are in thy land, shall all the increase thereof be meat. (Leviticus 25:1‑7); 2 Chron. 36:20,2120And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia: 21To fulfil the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years. (2 Chronicles 36:20‑21); Jer. 25:22The which Jeremiah the prophet spake unto all the people of Judah, and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, (Jeremiah 25:2); Dan. 9 I., 2.)
27. Israel Resists the Holy Ghost
So reluctantly does the Lord hide His face from His people, that even after His rejection and ascension to the right hand of God, He is, by the mouth of the apostle Peter, again offered to Israel if they will but repent and acknowledge their offense. (Acts 2:14-36; 3:12-2614But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: 15For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. 16But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; 17And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: 18And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: 19And I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke: 20The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: 21And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. 22Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: 23Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: 24Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. 25For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: 26Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: 27Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. 28Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. 29Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. 30Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; 31He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. 32This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. 33Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. 34For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, 35Until I make thy foes thy footstool. 36Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. (Acts 2:14‑36)
12And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk? 13The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go. 14But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; 15And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses. 16And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. 17And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers. 18But those things, which God before had showed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled. 19Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; 20And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: 21Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. 22For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. 23And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people. 24Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days. 25Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. 26Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities. (Acts 3:12‑26).) But as before they had spoken against and crucified the Son of man, so now THEY RESIST THE HOLY GHOST (Matt. 12:31, 3231Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. 32And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. (Matthew 12:31‑32)) in the martyrdom of Stephen, rejecting the testimony of the Spirit of God in the Church to the glorified Jesus. (Acts 7:5151Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. (Acts 7:51).) Israel therefore is henceforth for a season rejected, and in the Elect Church another witness is called out, standing (as is here represented) in the interval between Israel's rejection and their restoration in the latter day. Thus the apostasy of God's earthly people, interrupting for a season His dealings with the earth, makes way for the Lord to call out into heavenly fellowship with Himself HIS ELECT CHURCH, that distinguished branch of His redeemed family which in the coming kingdom will be associated with Christ in His dominion over the earth, and in the ages to come be the chief witness of the exceeding riches of His grace and glory. Of this (namely the heavenly calling of the Church of God) the apostle Paul is the especial witness.
28. the Church of God Upon Earth
(ILLUSTRATED BY THE SECOND STARLIKE DEVICE FROM THE TOP, WITH THE CROSS AND THE EYE; THE FORMER EXPRESSIVE OF THE SORROWS, THE LATTER OF THE FAITH, OF THE SAINTS.)
close at "the first resurrection" (Rev. 20:55But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. (Revelation 20:5)), foretold in the following scripture: "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 first: 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." (1 Thess. 4:16, 1716For 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 first: 17Then 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. (1 Thessalonians 4:16‑17).)
The Lord's coming in this way is distinct from "THE DAY or THE LORD," from His coming to ISRAEL. In the one case He comes to take His Church, His elect bride, to Himself; in the other He comes WITH HER. What space of time may elapse between His descent into "the air" and His return to THE EARTH is unknown: but the rapture of Enoch, before the flood came, foreshadows the Church caught up as above to meet the Lord at His coming; while his prophecy, referred to in Jude (verse 14), marks him as the witness of the subsequent return of Christ with His saints to the earth.
29. the Jewish People Rejected
At the time of the Babylonian captivity, the name of "Lo-Ammi" (not my people) was written on Judah (Hos. 1:99Then said God, Call his name Lo-ammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God. (Hosea 1:9)); and though restored after seventy years, it is true, the Jews never regained either their power or their glory, which had marked them -before as the elect people of God.
But when Christ was rejected, then they had to suffer more deeply: about seventy years after His birth, the Lord (ever tardy in inflicting, judgment on man) sent the armies of Rome under Titus, to destroy their city and sanctuary, and to scatter the people. From that day to this, therefore, the word of the prophet (referring not to Judah alone, but including Ephraim also) is fulfilling: "The children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim." (Hos. 3:44For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim: (Hosea 3:4).)
30. the Jews Return in Unbelief
The return of the Jews to their land previous to the second coming of Christ is distinct from their restoration to the favor of God. In the one case, going back in their own strength and rebuilding their city and temple, they will establish in presumption and pride a semblance of their ancient Levitical worship: (Dan. 9:2727And 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. (Daniel 9:27); Isa. 66:3,4,173He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog's neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine's blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations. 4I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not. (Isaiah 66:3‑4)
17They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the Lord. (Isaiah 66:17):) while in the other, an elect remnant from amongst them will be brought to look on Him whom they have pierced, and to mourn. (Zech. 12:10-1410And 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 firstborn. 11In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. 12And 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; 13The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart; 14All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart. (Zechariah 12:10‑14).)
That the Jews will be IN JERUSALEM when the Lord comes to deliver, His saints out of the hand of their enemies, is seen in Zech. 12 and 14.; though the time and mode of their return is not told us in scripture.
31. the Antichrist—the Head of Jewish Apostasy
The Jews having returned to their own land, "THE PRINCE" spoken of in Daniel, the false Christ so often referred to in scripture, will come; and, entering into a covenant with them for a certain fixed time-namely, the "ONE WEEK" at the close of the well known period the SEVENTY WEEKS OF DANIEL,-will deceive them at first, and then departing in the midst of the week from his covenant will become at length their oppressor. (Dan. 9:26, 2726And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah 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. 27And 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. (Daniel 9:26‑27).) The forty-two months, or half week of Antichrist's power (see Dan. 7:25; 12:725And 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. (Daniel 7:25)
7And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished. (Daniel 12:7); Rev. 11:2; 12:14; 13:52But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. (Revelation 11:2)
14And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. (Revelation 12:14)
5And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. (Revelation 13:5)), is referred to by Christ RS "THE DAYS OF VENGEANCE" (Luke 21:2222For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. (Luke 21:22)); "THE GREAT TRIBULATION" (Matt. 24:2121For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. (Matthew 24:21)); seeing that God at that time, through this false one who thus comes in his own name, will avenge the wrong done to His Son, the Heir of the vineyard; who, though God over all, came not in His own name but in the name of the Father; and who for the same space of time (the three years and a half of His ministry) was despised by His people, and at the end of that time led as a lamb to the slaughter.
32. the Antichrist-the Head of Gentile Apostasy
(ILLUSTRATED BY THE DEVICE OF THE LITTLE HORN OF DANIEL.)
Antichrist, presenting a blasphemous counterfeit of the glory of Christ, the true King of Israel as well as Lord of the earth, will not only gain the throne of Judah by flatteries, but will also be the head of the fourth kingdom of Daniel. For the ten horns or kings out of this kingdom, becoming subject to him (the little horn of Daniel), will all own him in this way as "King of kings and Lord of lords," the very names by which Christ will be known to the world in the end. (Dan. 7:20-2120And 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. 21I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; (Daniel 7:20‑21); Rev. 17:12-1412And 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. 13These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. 14These 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. (Revelation 17:12‑14).) "THE BEAST" (Rev. 13:22And the beast which I saw was like unto 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. (Revelation 13:2)), as this fearful being is termed, because he will center in himself all the power and glory of the last bestial empire (Dan. 7:7,87After 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. 8I 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. (Daniel 7:7‑8)), will show forth in his day the full evil of man under the guidance of him who at first in the garden, under the guise of a serpent, drew man from his allegiance to God; and now comes forth again as a serpent, the great dragon who as god of the earth gives his power to the beast in the end. (Rev. 13:44And 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? (Revelation 13:4).)
33. the Names of Antichrist As Given in Scripture
The Antichrist, whose actings are described in notes 31 and 32, is often noticed in scripture, and under various titles, each, as will be seen, bearing reference to the especial connection in which we find him presented. For instance, in Dan. 7:88I 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. (Daniel 7:8), where he is spoken of as centering in himself all the power and strength of the Roman earth in that day, he is symbolized by a horn, "the little horn" at first, but waxing great in the end. Then, when viewed in contrast with Him whom this earth (though the work of His own blessed hands) has rejected, he is called "the man of the earth." (Psa. 10:1818To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress. (Psalm 10:18).) And lastly, when seen as the blasphemous counterfeit of this same blessed One, who hereafter will be known as "the Light of the world," he is called "Lucifer, son of the morning." The following are the different names by which he is described in the word.
Ανομος)
34. the Glorified Church
(ILLUSTRATED BY THE SECOND STARLIKE DEVICE FROM THE TOP, WITH THE CROWN.)
Here THE CHURCH OF GOD, having been gathered out from the world during the time of Israel's dispersion, and caught up to the Lord at the first resurrection, is presented as crowned with glory and honor, as REIGNING WITH CHRIST over the earth in His millennial kingdom hereafter. Thus this elect body, which was chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, but which, as here shown (see note' 18), was dispensation-ally brought forth 'on the failure and rejection of Israel, appears in the end as the chief witness, of that grace which has abounded over the folly and evil of man. (See 2 Tim. 2:1212If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: (2 Timothy 2:12); Rev. 20:66Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first 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. (Revelation 20:6).)
35. Israel Restored
(THE RED LINE IN THE STREAM AT THE BOTTOM SHOWS THE RETURN OF THE GLORY TO ISRAEL.)
Here THE WHOLE HOUSE OF ISRAEL (i.e. EPHRAIM AND JUDAH UNITED, Ezek. 37), redeemed by the blood of the Lamb and restored to the favor of God, are seen dwelling in peace in the land promised to Abraham their father, under the dominion of Him whom surely the Spirit of God had in view in the last words of David: "He that ruleth over the children of men must be just, ruling in the fear of God, And lie shall be as the light of the morning when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing Out 'of the earth by clear shining after rain." (2 Sam. 23:3, 43The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. 4And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain. (2 Samuel 23:3‑4).)
36. the Gentiles in the Millennial Earth
(THE STAR AT THE END OF THE STREAM SHOWS CHRIST REVEALED AS A LIGHT TO LIGHTEN THE GENTILES.)
Christ, having taken His seat on the throne both as Head of the Church and as King of the Jews, is revealed in the next place as "a light to lighten THE GENTILES," as King over all the earth. Hence Jerusalem, no longer polluting His name as of old in the sight of the heathen, no longer trodden down by the Gentiles, becomes a praise in the earth. The holy city being the center of worship to the rest of the world, thither the nations go up from year to year to worship the King the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles, in fulfillment of God's ancient promise to Abraham: "In thy seed shall all-the nations of the earth be blessed.”
37. the Assyrian and Gog
Christ, having destroyed the beast with all his confederates, and established Himself on the throne of David His father, His fire being kindled in Zion, His furnace in Jerusalem (Isa. 31:99And he shall pass over to his strong hold for fear, and his princes shall be afraid of the ensign, saith the Lord, whose fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem. (Isaiah 31:9)), next smites the ASSYRIAN, the same power which (as shown in note 23) led Ephraim captive at first, long before Judah became subject to Babylon. (See Isa. 10:5-34; 14:24, 25; 31:8, 95O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation. 6I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. 7Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few. 8For he saith, Are not my princes altogether kings? 9Is not Calno as Carchemish? is not Hamath as Arpad? is not Samaria as Damascus? 10As my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols, and whose graven images did excel them of Jerusalem and of Samaria; 11Shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols? 12Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks. 13For he saith, By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I am prudent: and I have removed the bounds of the people, and have robbed their treasures, and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man: 14And my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people: and as one gathereth eggs that are left, have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped. 15Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? as if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood. 16Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire. 17And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day; 18And shall consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body: and they shall be as when a standardbearer fainteth. 19And the rest of the trees of his forest shall be few, that a child may write them. 20And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. 21The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God. 22For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return: the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness. 23For the Lord God of hosts shall make a consumption, even determined, in the midst of all the land. 24Therefore thus saith the Lord God of hosts, O my people that dwellest in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian: he shall smite thee with a rod, and shall lift up his staff against thee, after the manner of Egypt. 25For yet a very little while, and the indignation shall cease, and mine anger in their destruction. 26And the Lord of hosts shall stir up a scourge for him according to the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb: and as his rod was upon the sea, so shall he lift it up after the manner of Egypt. 27And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing. 28He is come to Aiath, he is passed to Migron; at Michmash he hath laid up his carriages: 29They are gone over the passage: they have taken up their lodging at Geba; Ramah is afraid; Gibeah of Saul is fled. 30Lift up thy voice, O daughter of Gallim: cause it to be heard unto Laish, O poor Anathoth. 31Madmenah is removed; the inhabitants of Gebim gather themselves to flee. 32As yet shall he remain at Nob that day: he shall shake his hand against the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem. 33Behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, shall lop the bough with terror: and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall be humbled. 34And he shall cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one. (Isaiah 10:5‑34)
24The Lord of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand: 25That I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders. (Isaiah 14:24‑25)
8Then shall the Assyrian fall with the sword, not of a mighty man; and the sword, not of a mean man, shall devour him: but he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall be discomfited. 9And he shall pass over to his strong hold for fear, and his princes shall be afraid of the ensign, saith the Lord, whose fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem. (Isaiah 31:8‑9); Ezek. 31:3-173Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud, and of an high stature; and his top was among the thick boughs. 4The waters made him great, the deep set him up on high with her rivers running round about his plants, and sent out her little rivers unto all the trees of the field. 5Therefore his height was exalted above all the trees of the field, and his boughs were multiplied, and his branches became long because of the multitude of waters, when he shot forth. 6All the fowls of heaven made their nests in his boughs, and under his branches did all the beasts of the field bring forth their young, and under his shadow dwelt all great nations. 7Thus was he fair in his greatness, in the length of his branches: for his root was by great waters. 8The cedars in the garden of God could not hide him: the fir trees were not like his boughs, and the chesnut trees were not like his branches; nor any tree in the garden of God was like unto him in his beauty. 9I have made him fair by the multitude of his branches: so that all the trees of Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied him. 10Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because thou hast lifted up thyself in height, and he hath shot up his top among the thick boughs, and his heart is lifted up in his height; 11I have therefore delivered him into the hand of the mighty one of the heathen; he shall surely deal with him: I have driven him out for his wickedness. 12And strangers, the terrible of the nations, have cut him off, and have left him: upon the mountains and in all the valleys his branches are fallen, and his boughs are broken by all the rivers of the land; and all the people of the earth are gone down from his shadow, and have left him. 13Upon his ruin shall all the fowls of the heaven remain, and all the beasts of the field shall be upon his branches: 14To the end that none of all the trees by the waters exalt themselves for their height, neither shoot up their top among the thick boughs, neither their trees stand up in their height, all that drink water: for they are all delivered unto death, to the nether parts of the earth, in the midst of the children of men, with them that go down to the pit. 15Thus saith the Lord God; In the day when he went down to the grave I caused a mourning: I covered the deep for him, and I restrained the floods thereof, and the great waters were stayed: and I caused Lebanon to mourn for him, and all the trees of the field fainted for him. 16I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to hell with them that descend into the pit: and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, shall be comforted in the nether parts of the earth. 17They also went down into hell with him unto them that be slain with the sword; and they that were his arm, that dwelt under his shadow in the midst of the heathen. (Ezekiel 31:3‑17); Mic. 5:55And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men. (Micah 5:5); Zeph. 2:13-1513And he will stretch out his hand against the north, and destroy Assyria; and will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry like a wilderness. 14And flocks shall lie down in the midst of her, all the beasts of the nations: both the cormorant and the bittern shall lodge in the upper lintels of it; their voice shall sing in the windows; desolation shall be in the thresholds: for he shall uncover the cedar work. 15This is the rejoicing city that dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart, I am, and there is none beside me: how is she become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down in! every one that passeth by her shall hiss, and wag his hand. (Zephaniah 2:13‑15); Zech. 10:10, 1110I will bring them again also out of the land of Egypt, and gather them out of Assyria; and I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon; and place shall not be found for them. 11And he shall pass through the sea with affliction, and shall smite the waves in the sea, and all the deeps of the river shall dry up: and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the sceptre of Egypt shall depart away. (Zechariah 10:10‑11).)
GOG; chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, who comes after the nation has been fully restored and is dwelling safely again in their land, falls also before Him on the mountains of Israel. (See Ezek. 38., 39)
38. Summary of the Whole Scheme
Known unto God are all Ids works from the beginning of the world.
THE failure of man, making way for the development of God's counsels, has in every case resulted in some new provision or arrangement of things on His part, both for the present correction of evil as well as with a view to the future; when all past dispensations collected together and uniting at last in one blessed result—even the glory of Christ in His coming kingdom—shall be fixed and established in Him. And through all these unfoldings of the counsels of God, mercy is seen rejoicing against judgment, grace rising triumphant over the evil of man; but more especially so on the rejection of Christ, which, while it sealed the condemnation of the world (.John 12:3131Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. (John 12:31)), proving man in the flesh to be utterly apostate, made way for the Lord to reveal THE GREAT MYSTERY hid from ages and generations, to gather out from the earth a people for His name, a people not of the world, but one in spirit with Him whom the world has rejected, namely, His ELECT CHURCH, the great vessel of mercy, THE CHIEF WITNESS of His grace in His future kingdom.
But the apostasy of the earth is as yet only partially developed: it has rejected Christ, it is true; but it has yet to receive and worship the beast, the great rival of Christ, the man of sin, or the Antichrist: and then it is that the Lord, coming forth in wrath on the apostate earth, will draw good out of evil, and bring out into light all the manifold counsels of His marvelous grace: FIRST, in the manifestation of His glory in His Elect CHURCH: SECONDLY, in the restoration of ISRAEL:
THIRDLY, in the introduction of THE GENTILES into fellowship of blessing with them. The following seem to be some of the exhibitions of MAN'S SIN and God's NEW PROVISION, as marked in this scheme; together with God's ULTIMATE PURPOSE in the kingdom.
MAN'S SIN.
GOD'S NEW PROVISION.
GOD'S ULTIMATE OBJECT.
The confusion of tongues, and national division of the earth.
God's elect nation called out in the person of Abraham to witness for God in the idolatrous earth— See note 15.
Israel rejects God and asks for a king.—1 Sam. 8.
The throne of David set up.
Christ established on the throne of David.—Psalm 89.
Royal power taken from Israel and transferred to the Gentiles in the person of Nebuchadnezzar. —Jer. 25:1-111The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, that was the first year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; 2The which Jeremiah the prophet spake unto all the people of Judah, and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, 3From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, even unto this day, that is the three and twentieth year, the word of the Lord hath come unto me, and I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye have not hearkened. 4And the Lord hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets, rising early and sending them; but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear. 5They said, Turn ye again now every one from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that the Lord hath given unto you and to your fathers for ever and ever: 6And go not after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, and provoke me not to anger with the works of your hands; and I will do you no hurt. 7Yet ye have not hearkened unto me, saith the Lord; that ye might provoke me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt. 8Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Because ye have not heard my words, 9Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the Lord, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations. 10Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the candle. 11And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. (Jeremiah 25:1‑11); John 19:1111Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin. (John 19:11).
The third column of the above table presents most of the leading features
of the millennial kingdom.
39. the Millennial Heavens and Earth
[The following passages in connection with the millennial scene show the order of things in the kingdom.]
N.B.-Solomon's temple presents a beautiful type of these glories: First, the holy of holies expressing the heaven of heavens; secondly, the holy place showing the heavenlies, the place of the Church; while, thirdly, the court of the Priests, the, court of the Jews, and the court of the Gentiles, foreshadowed Jerusalem, the land, and lastly the nations outside.
Thirdly, the transfiguration is a sample of the glorious manifestation of Christ and His Church in the kingdom. (Matt. 17)
“The mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Conte, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will 'teach us of, his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." (Mic. 4:1, 21But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. 2And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. (Micah 4:1‑2).)
THE GENTILES GOING UP TO JERUSALEM. "In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice." (Gen. 22:1818And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. (Genesis 22:18).)
“The sons of the stranger, that join themselves to' the Lord, to serve him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar, for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people." (Isaiah 56:6, 76Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the Lord, to serve him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; 7Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people. (Isaiah 56:6‑7).)
“-The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord, and to seek the Lord of hosts. I will go also, yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord." (Zech. 8:21, 2221And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord, and to seek the Lord of hosts: I will go also. 22Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord. (Zechariah 8:21‑22).)
The Threefold Glory of Christ Both in Heaven and in Earth in the Ages to Come
THE GLORIFIED CHURCH.
RESTORED ISRAEL.
"I will raise into 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." (Jer. 23:5, 65Behold, 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. 6In 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. (Jeremiah 23:5‑6))
THE WHOLE EARTH.
"The Lord shall be king over all the earth; in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one." (Zech. 14:99And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one. (Zechariah 14:9).)
THE SON'S KINGDOM, on the other hand, will be the earth, subject to the righteous government of the Son of man. (Matt. 13:4141The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; (Matthew 13:41).)
"His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father (or THE FATHER OF THE EVERLASTING AGE), the 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. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this." (Isa. 9:6, 76For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7Of 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 for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. (Isaiah 9:6‑7).)