Sprunger, John A. (1903) - Outline On Prophecy. Israel in The Past and in The Future, The Kingdom of Antichrist, The Coming of The Lord PDF

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JESUS TBE BREAD OF L
Outline ON Prophecy
ISRAEL IN THE PAST AND IN THE FUTURE.
THE KINGDOM OF ANTICHRIST. THE
COMING OF THE LORD. THE MIL¬
LENNIUM. THE NEW HEAV¬
EN AND NEW EARTH.
REV. J. A. SPRUNGER.
u
LIGHT AND HOPE! PUBLISHING COMPANY.

101 UNIVERSITY STREET,
CLEVELAND. O.
THE LIBRARY OF
CCNORESS,
Two Copies Received
MAR 25 1903
Copyright Entry \
CLASS XXc. No.
COPY b.
COPYRIGHT, 1 903.
BY LIGHT AND HOPE
PUB. COMPANY.
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CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
Progressive Revelation. 1
CHAPTER 11.
Fulfilled Prophecies Concerning the
Jews. 26
CHAPTER III.
Jews. (Continued.). 38
CHAPTER IV.
Jews. (Continued.). 54
CHAPTER V.
Destruction of Jerusalem. 62
CHAPTER VI.
Destruction of Jerusalem. (Con¬
tinued. ). 71
CHAPTER VII.
The Future of Israel and their Res¬
toration as a Nation. - 87
Contents.
CHAPTER VIII.
The Development of the Kingdom of
Antichrist. 99
CHAPTER IX.
Antichrist, his Reign and Character. Ill
CHAPTER X.
The Harlot or the Beast with two
Horns. 122
CHAPTER XI.
The Fall of Antichrist and his Doom. 132
CHAPTER XII.
The Doctrine of the Second Coming
OF Christ in the New Testament. 142
CHAPTER XIII.
Signs Preceding the Second Coming
OF THE Lord. 150
CHAPTER XIV.
The Hope of the Apostolic Church
FOR the Second Coming of Christ. 171
CHAPTER XV.
Preparation of the Bride for the
Bridegroom. 182
CHAPTER XVI.
The Rapture of the Saints. 194
CHAPTER XVII.
The Different Ranks of the Blessed. 205
Contents,
CHAPTER XVIII.
Daniel’s Prophetic Chronology. 215
CHAPTER XIX.
The Great Harvest for the Lord .... 225
CHAPTER XX.
The Millennium. 242
CHAPTER XXI.
The Judgment of the Nations and the
Final Judgment. 255
CHAPTER XXII.
The New Heaven and the New Earth. 264
Explanation of the Chart. 277

PREFACE.
In my missionary travels, a number of my

friends expressed a desire that I should write a
treatise on prophecy. For want of time I was
compelled to postpone it for a number of years.
Even now, while engaged in writing this book,
my time is too much occupied with other neces¬
sary duties to do the subject full justice. It is
not the intention to treat the subject in detail,
but simply give an outline to be a help to those
who study the Bible in its prophetic revelation.
On account of the limit of time to do the subject
justice, a few chapters of other authors are
taken up in the book. This book is printed in the
Industrial Department of the Orphans’ Home
Light and Hope. All money received for this
book, above the printing and selling expenses,
will be used for the benefit of the orphan chil¬
dren. This same book was printed in the Ger¬
man language two years ago and has found a
Preface,
ready sale. Some publishers sold hundreds

of them the first year. Our prayer is that this
book may be a blessing to many souls, and
through its speedy sale may be a help to sup¬
port orphan children.
Cleveland, Ohio, 1903.
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INTRODUCTORY.
Progressive Revelation
god’s revelation of himself to man has
BEEN A PROGRESSIVE ONE.—TRUTH IN GEN¬
ERAL HAS BEEN REVEALED PROGRESSIVELY.
—PROPHECY, THE DIVINE HISTORY OF THE
FUTURE, CONSISTS OF A SERIES OF PROGRES¬
SIVE REVELATIONS.—PRACTICAL RESULTS OF
THE COMPREHENSION AND APPLICATION OF
THIS PRINCIPLE.
God has been pleased to make three great

revelations of Himself to man: His work; His
Word; and His Son, and these revelations have
been progressive in character. Nature, the
Law, the Gospel; a silent mateiial universe, an
inspired Book, a living God-man; these are the
three great steps that have led from the death
and darkness of sin to that knowledge of the
true God which is eternal life.
A fourth revelation of God, fuller and more
perfect than any, is yet to come. The only be¬
gotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father,
who is the brightness of His glory and the ex-
2 Outline on Frophecy.
press image of His person, who “declared Him”

when He came the first time in grace and humil¬
iation, will declare Him yet more fully when He
comes a second time in righteousness and in
glory. Then the earth will be filled with the
knowledge of the Lord, as the wâters cover the
sea.
Each of these revelations is in itself progres¬
sive. The earth and all that is therein, attained
perfection by six distinct stages, during the six
days of creation. The angels followed with
adoring wonder the fresh unfoldings of divine
wisdom, goodness, and power, presented in the
gradual formation of this great globe, and in its
myriad mysteries of vegetable and animal life,
though to human eyes nature was presented per¬
fect and complete. But human eyes could see
at first the surface of things alone; every ad¬
vance in true science, enabling men to penetrate
more deeply into the hidden wisdom of the work
of God, has been a progressive revelation. And
we have only begun, even now, to ucderstand
the glory of God, manifested in the universe.
To us, more than to our ancestors, the heavens
declare the glory of God, and the earth showeth
his handiwork; and to our children they will do
so even more.
The Word of God is also a progressive revel¬
ation, and so has been the Providence recorded
ni that Word.
Progressive Revelation. S
The Bible is composed of sixty-three separate

books, written by forty various authors, during
a period of 1600 years. The sacred writings de¬
velop a revelation which was continually unfold¬
ing itself through all those years; and close with
a book bearing the divinely given title of ‘ ‘The
Revelation of Jesus Christ.’*
The third revelation of God, that afforded by
the person and work of our blessed Lord Jesus
Christ, was also progressive. The mere fact of
his birth and existence in the midst of a world
of sinners, was in itself an evidence cf God’s
love to a guilty race. Each word He spoke,
each act He performed, each day He lived, un¬
folded more and more of God. They who saw
Him saw the Father, for He was his express im¬
age; and not until He, the Maker and Judge of
all, was exposed on the cursed tree, not till from
his riven side flowed the water and the blood,^
not till He bowed his head and gave up the-,
ghost, never till then, was the heart of God fulr-
ly unveiled; “hereby perceive we the love ofc
God.”
And it will be the same in the future; for since-
finite man is destined through boundless mercy
to an eternal advance in the knowledge of the
infinite God, that knowledge must needs be
vouchsafed in progressive revelations, adapted
to man’s ability to receive them. And herein
will lie one of the joys of heaven, to be learning^
^ Outline on Prophecy.
more of Him, who is the truth, and from Him,

of all thing's.
No student of Scripture can fail to be struck
with the progressive character of its teachings.
On no one subject was full information given at
the beginning; all was revealed in germ only,
and in the lapse of ages unfolded by degrees.
Take, for instance, the doctrine of the Trinity:
in the beginning God taught the unity of his na¬
ture, and the other truth that in the one God
there are three persons, was only intimated;
suggested by certain forms of expression, as
the use of a plural noun with a singular verb,
which occurs several hundred times, as in Gen.
1: 1; Ps. 58: 11. There were besides expres¬
sions, the accurate harmony of which with this
truth, we who understand it can appreciate, but
which were not revelations to those who were
ignorant of it. Such for example is the divine
ly prescribed threefold form of benediction in
Numbers; and such the seraphs threefold as¬
cription of praise in Isaiah, followed by the
Lord Jehovah’s question, “Who will go for us?”
The later prophets assume the doctrine as true
(Is. 48: 16; 9: 6); but the New Testament alone
reveals it fully.
Or take again the law of love; man’s first duty
towards his brother man. To the antediluvian
world no law on the subject was given. To
Noah, murder, the worst expression of hatred,
Progressive Bevelation. 5
was forbidden; through Moses the doing of anjr
ill to the neighbor was prohibited, either in his
person, his property, his reputation or his do¬
mestic interests. By the Lord Jesus the feeling
of any enmity was forbidden; and not only so
but positive love, even to the laying down of
life itself for the brother, commanded. What
an advance is the conception of love embodied
in 1 Corinthians 13, on that derived from Sinai,,
or even from the sermon on the mount.
Our present object is to trace this progress in
connection with the prophecies of Scripture,,
and more especially with those of the New Tes¬
tament.
I. The prophetic teachings of Scripture con¬
sist of a series of progressive revelations.
Its earliest predictions of any future event,,
have the character of outlines, later ones fill in
the sketch, and the final ones present the fin¬
ished picture. It is the first bud, next the half
opened blossom, and lastly the flower in full
bloom.
There was progress in the amount of truth
revealed, as well as in the fullness of revelation
on each point. The little streamlet of prophecy
which sprang up in Eden and trickled down
through the antediluvian ages, swelled by con¬
tinual accessions, till it rushed a flowing Jordan
through Israel’s tribes, grew into a mighty Eu¬
phrates during the Babylonish captivity, and
opened out into a vast delta around Patmos,

whence its waters glide calmly into the ocean of
eternity.
Adam heard one brief enigmatical prediction
from the voice of God Himself. Noah sketched,
in three inspired sentences, the great features
of human history. In the curse on Canaan was
contained in embryo the iniquity of the seven
nations and their conquest by Joshua; the prior¬
ity of blessing granted to Shem, similarly con¬
tained the subsequent choice of his descendant
Abraham to be the heir of the world and father
of the faithful. In the promise of enlargement
given to Japheth, was contained the spiritual
enlargement which tooK place when the Gen¬
tiles were received into the new covenant, and
the physical enlargement accomplished in com¬
paratively recent days by the European coloni¬
zation of America, and conquest of India, both
“tents of Shem.” This prophecy spanned the
stream of time with a few gigantic arches; car¬
rying us over from the vineyard of Noah to the
Anglo-Saxon empires of our own day.
The patriarchs learned from God many addi¬
tional particulars as to the future: to Abraham
was revealed the history of the descendants of
his two sons, Ishmael and Isaac; the four hun¬
dred years’ affliction of his posterity; the bless¬
ing of all nations through his seed, etc, Abra¬
ham, Jacob, and Moses, all saw Christ’s day and
Frogressive Revelation. 7
were glad; Isaiah and Jeremiah revealed not

only the proximate judgments and deliverances
of Israel, but also incarnation and atonement.
The visions of Daniel present not only a com¬
prehensive but an orderly and consecutive pro¬
phetic narrative, of leading events, from his
own day to the end of all things, a miniature un¬
iversal history. The fall of Belshazzar; the rise
of Cyrus, his conquests, the greatness of his em¬
pire; his successors, Cambyses, Smerdis, and
Dairus; the character, power, and conduct of
Xerxes; the marvellous exploits of Alexander
the Great, his sudden death, and the division of
his empire; the reigns of the Ptolemies and Sel-
eucidse; the character and conquests of the Ro¬
man empire; the destruction of Jerusalem by
Titus; the decay and division of the Roman em¬
pire; the rise of the Papacy and its career; its
cruel persecutions of God’s saints: all this and
much more is foretold by the man greatly be¬
loved.
The “burdens” of the later prophets concern
Syria, Egypt, Edom, Tyre, Sidon, Moab, Phil-
istia, Kedar, Elam, Babylon, Gog and Magog,
besides Judah and Ephraim. Enoch’s prophecy
is comprised in one verse, and touches only one
theme. Isaiah’s has sixty-six chapters, and
touches on an immense variety of topics. Prom
our Lord and his apostles flowed additional rev¬
elations, which opened up subjects previously
Outline on Prophecy.
veiled in mystery, and cast a flood of light on

every important feature of the present and of
the future. Thus the volume of prophecy grew
in bulk and in scope, with the ever increasing
number of individuals and of nations, and with
the consequent complexity and importance of
the events to be announced by inspiration.
Further, the prophecies of any one event have
also a distinctly progressive character; they in¬
crease both in fullness and in clearness as the
period of fulfillment approaches. A guide, con¬
ducting a traveller to Chamounix, before start¬
ing from Geneva, points out the glittering white
mountain on the horizon as the goal of the day’s
journey, and adds a few general indications of
the route. When the city and its suburbs are
left behind the guide ceases perhaps to speak
much of Mont Blanc, tells rather the height of
the Saleve round which the road winds; from
some eminence he points out the town and vil¬
lages which dot the widespread plain beyond,
and which must presently be passed; traces the
windings of the Arve, speaks of Bonneville and
Sallenches as marking stages of the journey,
but allows the magnificent terminus of their
wanderings to occupy for a time a comparative¬
ly secondary place, minor but nearer objects
taking up his attention. At a later period of
the day, when the glorious vision of the ever
nearing mountain breaks afresh upon the trav-
eller at Sallenches. the guide pours forth clear

and copious descriptions of its various parts;
other things are forgotten now, they press on;
again the nearer hills shut out the mountain
summit, but the guide tells how each turn of
the last picturesque and winding valley will re¬
veal some new view of it. When it reappears
the traveller is startled by the nearer magnifi¬
cence of the monarch of the Alps, it rivets his
eye, it absorbs hi^ attention; the guide enters
into minute particulars, describes the different
“aiguilles” and summits of the mountain, so
that as he approaches them one by one, the
traveller recognizes them. And now Cha-
mounix and the glaciers come in sight, and the
traveller finds as might have been expected,
that what appeared, when fifty miles off, a sim¬
ple outline of uniform white, breaks up into a
series of jagged peaks, with awful shadows and
frozen seas lying in deep valleys between; that
the one mountain is in reaMty half a dozen, and
that yrhat appeared at a distance merely a feat¬
ure of the wide horizon, has developed into a
vast and intricate region, in which he may wan¬
der for weeks without exploring it all. Yet, as
he gazes up at the ’great summit, he realizes,
that it is the very same mountain he first be¬
held from Geneva.
Thus, from the fall onwards, the triumphs of
the cross have been the great theme of prophe-
cy. Even in Eden the main character and

grand result of human history were foretold.
Enmity was to subsist between Satan and men,
with all its fruits of conflict and suffering; ulti¬
mately, the serpent’s head was to be bruised,
the author of evil destroyed, but the victory
was to be dearly bought, for the woman’s seed
by whom it should be gained, should have his
heel bruised in the battle. Here is the Bible in
Embyro, the sum of all history and prophecy in
a germ. But what a mysterious enigma it was,
what a slight shadowy outline, what a vague
though blessed prospect! Still it was a light
shining in a dark place; its beams were feeble,
but to the eye of faith it was the one glimmer
that irradiated the intense gloom cf the future.
But what desires it must have left unsatisfied,
what questions unanswered! How long was
this sore conflict to last? By what means were
the vanquished to become the victors? Little
could Adam and Eve know on these points; the
one bright hope, like a glittering mountain top,
defined their horizon; its form was rendered in¬
distinct by the mists of ignorance; but it riveted
their gaze, for the rest of that horizon was
blank, and nought but travail and sorrow and
labor in an accursed earth, lay between them
and this hope.
To the view^ of Enoch, the seventh from Ad¬
am, this single future became dual. This first
Trogressive Bevelofion. 11
prophet, announced not only blessing, but judg¬

ment to come. He saw mankind divided into
two classes, the saints and the ungodly (Jude
14); and he foretold a coming of the Lord with
the former to execute judgment on the latter.
Here was an advance: the previously revealed
conflict reappears, and the previously revealed
victory; but there shine out the additional truths
that the conflict would not be between man and
Satan alone, but between men and God, and
that its termination would be effected only,
by a coming of the Lord Himself to earth. In
the sanctifying power of this truth Enoch
walked in holy separation from the ungodly,
and in holy fellowship with God, for three hun¬
dred years, and “before his translation he had
this testimony that he pleased God. ’ ’
To the patriarchs it was revealed that in their
line should arise the promised seed of the wom¬
an, in whom all the families of the earth should
be blessed. Jacobis dying prophecy designated
the very tribe in which He should appear, and
threw some light on his character and work.
To Moses it was made known that the promised
Deliverer should be a prophet, and David fore¬
told that He should be king and the manner of his
kingdom (Psalm 72). The promise of his com¬
ing grew continually brighter and clearer; but
as yet it appeared only one, a glorious event of
a royal and triumphant Deliverer. What the
12 Outline on Prophecy.
bruising of the heel should be, was still hidden

in obscurity: the double nature of Christ, his
true character and work, his rejection, suffering
and death, had not yet been predicted; they had
been shadowed forth, it is true, in typical ac¬
tions and ordinances; but these were not under¬
stood even by the actors in them.
In a wondrous historic prefiguration Abraham
and Isaac, all unconsciously to themselves, had
symbolized the great truth that the Father
would give the Son to be the sacrifice; not know¬
ing what he said, Isaac uttered the great ques¬
tion of all ages: “Behold the fire and the wood;
but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
and Abraham gave the prophetic reply: “My
son, God will provide Himself a Lamb.” But
types like this, and like that of Joseph’s rejec¬
tion by his brethren, and exaltation to Egypt’s
throne, were not revelations to the then exist¬
ing generations of men, although we in the light
of the antitype can see taem to have had a hid¬
den meaning. Nor was the paschal lamb in
Egypt, nor the complex system of sacrifices in¬
augurated by Moses, any revelation of the vic¬
tim character of Christ. David in the Psalms
wrote of his sufferings as well as his glories, but
so little were these passages understood, that
our Lord and his apostles had to expound them
even in their day.
But when David had fallen asleep, and Solo-^
men’s typical reign was over, when declension

and decay set in, and Israel’s kingdom was on
the wane, when a dark night of captivity and
dispersion was approaching, then revelations
multiplied. The star that had so long shone in
the prophetic heaven, and been regarded as one
round orb, was seen to be a binary star. The
objects and results of the first coming of Christ
were announced, in such a way as to distinguish
it from his second coming, yet not so clearly
but that difficulties still left room for misconcep¬
tion. Many particulars and details were also
added; He was to spring out of the stem of Jes¬
se, to be a virgin’s son, and to bear the name
Emmanuel; his name moreover was to be called
The Mighty God; the Everlasting Father, the
Prince of Peace; and there was to be no end of
the increase of his government. The character
of his kingdom was more fully described, and
the fact revealed, that Gentiles as well as Jews,
should share in its blessings. And strange new
strains began to mingle in the music of the
prophetic harp as Isaiah touched its strings,
mournful tones which told of suffering and re¬
jection, of oppression and bruises and wounds,
to be inflicted on the coming One. He was to
be a holy sinbearer, a silent sufferer, a slaught¬
ered lamb; He was to pour out his soul unto
death; He was to have a grave; He was to be a
substitute, a sin offering, an intercessor; and
IJf Outline on Prophecy.
only through experiences such as these to be

“satisfied” and exalted, “and divide the spoil
with the great. ” And Daniel, in full harmony,
announced that Messiah should be cut off but
not for Himself, and that his coming instead of
bringing rest and glory to Israel, would be fol¬
lowed by trouble, war, and desolation. By de¬
grees it thus became evident, that a long stretch
of previously concealed valley, lay between the
double summit of the mighty mountain, the hope
of the coming and kingdom of Christ. Micah
foretold that He shoula come out of Bethlehem,
Zechariah that his feet should stand on the
mount of Olives; but who suspected that at least
1800 years were to elapse between the two
events? The exact period when He should come
and be cut off was foretold, though in symbolic
style; and in the same style, a glimpse was giv¬
en of the interval to elapse, before He came
again to be “King over all the earth. Vast
progress had been made when Malachi, closing
the volume of Old Testament prophecy, spoke
of the Lord coming suddenly to his temple, and
the Sun of righteousness rising with healing in
his wings. How amazingly more full and cor¬
rect were the anticipations of Simeon and Anna
than those of Adam and Eve! The earlier
saints could only cast a wondering gaze abroad
over the earth, and up and down through un¬
known ages; the later—knew the country, the
city, the very building in which, and the very

date at which, the Consolation of Israel should
appear; and when at last the aged saint held in
his arms the long promised woman’s Seed, he
spoke of salvation, and of peace in believing,
and of a sword that must pierce the heart of the
virgin mother, proving that the mystery of the
bruised heel was no dark one to his heart. But
yet the consummation was not come, the ser¬
pent’s head was all unbruised, his power seemed
mightier than ever. The goal receded as it
was approached; t^-e kingdom of Christ was
come, but it was only in a mystery. Once more
the light of prophecy streams forth, the inter¬
val is filled in with copious details by our Lord
and his apostles. The King is to go into a far
country and to return; the mystery not made
knowm in other ages is revealed by the Spirit,
that the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs and par¬
takers in the promises; multitudinous features
of the future are delineated by the pen of in¬
spiration; but the one grand old hope, the com¬
ing of Jesus Christ to rule, and reign, and
judge, and destroy the devil and his works, still
rises paramount to all the rest. Finally, in the
Apocalyse the last stretch of country is laid to
view, each milestone of this closing stage of the
journey may be as it were distinguished and
counted, the mists have cleared away, the inter¬
vening hills and valleys have taken their prop-
er places, and as each rapid revolution of our

globe brings us almost consciously nearer to
‘‘that blessed hope,” we gaze with ever grow¬
ing admiration at its vastness, at its glories, at
its unutterable height, at its awful shadows; un¬
til as we see the old serpent, and death and
hades, cast forever into the lake of fire, and the
New Jerusalem descend out of heaven, that tho
tabernacle of God may be evermore with men,
we exclaim; “It is done; the woman’s seed hath
bruised the serpent’s head!”
Thus again, the prophecies respecting the
resurrection of the dead, and the future judg¬
ment, are few and dark in the Old Testament.
Job anticipated resurrection versonally, and
Daniel speaks of a resurrection of part of the
dead. But we have only to contrast these and
similar hints, with the clear and copious pre¬
dictions of 1 Cor. 15 and 1 Thess. 4., in order to
be convinced of the progressive character of
revelation on this subject. It is Christ who has
brought life and immortality to light through
the Gospel.
Thus again, the past and future restorations
of Israel, so often blended in one prophecy in
the Old Testament, are broadly distinguished in
the New, and the hidden mystery of the calling
of the Gentiles is interposed between them.
Compare for instance Jer. 30 and 31 with Rom.
11: “the mystery of Christ.... in other ages was
Progressive Revelation, 17
not made known unto the sons of men, as it is

now revealed unto his holy apostles and proph¬
ets by the Spirit, that the Gentiles should be
fellow-heirs, and of the same body, and partak¬
ers of his promise in Christ by the Gospel”
(Eph. 3: 3-6). These words are an emphatic as¬
sertion of the principle of progressive revelation
in prophecy.
II. The prophecies of the New Testament
have this progressive character, and divide
themselves into five series of predictions, each
series in the succession, being in advance of the
preceding one.
1. The prophecies annunciatory of Christ,
by the angels, by Zacharias, by Mary, by Eliza¬
beth, by Simeon, and by John the Baptist.
2. The earlier prophecies of Christ Himself
on earth.
3. The later prophecies of Christ: Matt,
chapters 22-25; Mark 13; Luke 21; John chap¬
ters 14-16.
4. The prophetic teachings of the Holy
Ghost through the apostles, contained in the
Acts and in the epistles.
5. The Apocalypse, or final revelation of
Christ from heaven: “the Revelation of Jesus
Christ, which God gave to Him, to show unto
his servants the things which must shortly come
to pass.”
The first series declared in general the char-
acter of Christ’s person and the grand objects

and results of his mission; but they are silent as
to all else.
The second series, or early prophecies of
Christ Himself, in Matthew 7 and 13, Mark 4
reveal the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven,
its foundation and gradual development, its
twofold character and its final issues. That
this was an advance on all previous revelations
may be gathered from the words of our Lord in
Matt. 13: “Blessed are your ears, for they hear;
for verily I say unto you that many prophets
and righteous men have desired to hear those
things which ye hear, and have not heard
them.”
The later prophecies of our Lord on earth,
consist almost entirely of new revelations.
These embrace, the rejection of the Jews on ac¬
count of their unbelief, the destruction of their
city and temple, their dispersion among all na¬
tions, the treading down of Jerusalem by the
Gentiles, the persecution of the Christian
church, the world wide preaching of the Gos¬
pel, and his own second coming, with the signs
and events attending it; also his own approach¬
ing sufferings and departure to the Father, and
his return to receive his people, to Himself, with
the coming and mission of the Holy Ghost dur¬
ing the interval of his .absence. Much as all
this was in advance lof thej'^Lord’s previous
prophecies, He added, after making these rev^

elations: “I have yet many things to say unto
you, but ye cannot bear them now; howbeit,
when He the Spirit of truth is come, He will
guide you into all truth; and He will show you
things to come. ” After all therefore that had
been revealed concerning the future, very much
still remained to be made known, and was to be
made known by the teaching of the Holy Ghost.
Here is another distinct announcement of the
principle of progressive revelation in prophecy.
With the expectations thus awakened we
glance next at
The prophetic teachings of the Holy
Ghost through the apostles. Examining
the epistles in their chronological order, we find
the two earliest, those to the church at Thessa-
lonica, filled with the subject of the Lord’s com^
ing and revealing much fresh truth in connection
with it. It is to be accompanied by the trans¬
formation of living saints, the resurrection of
dead saints, and their joint rapture to meet the*
Lord in the air; the manner of his return, and'
(negatively) the time of it, are announced. €Lq?-
pious and detailed descriptions of the apostasy
to be developed in the Christian church are giv*
en, as also the history of the man of sin, in
whose career that apostasy was to culminate; his
Satanic origin, his lying wonders and unright¬
eous deceptions, his consumption by the^ spirit.
W Outline on Prophecy.
of the Lord’s mouth, and his destruction by the

brightness of his coming, are all foretold for the
first time.
One or two years later, Paul wrote his first
letter to the Corinthian church, in which revel¬
ations are made fuller than any previous ones,
on the subject of resurrection; its principles, its
manner, the nature of the bodies in which the
saints will rise, the instantaneous transforma¬
tion of the living to be effected at the sounding
of the last trumpet, all these were newly re¬
vealed features. “Behold, I show you a mys¬
tery: we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be
changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an
eye, at the last trump. ”
But, more important still, the order of this
resurrection of the saints with respect to other
events is mentioned: “Christ the firstfruits,
afterwards they that are Christ’s at his coming
Then cometh the end. ’ ’ The resurrection of
saints was to be subsequent to Christ’s resurrec¬
tion, prior to the end; but how long subsequent
to the one, or how long prior to the other, is not
here revealed.
About a year after, in his epistle to the Ko-
mans, the apostle clears up the mystery of Is •
rael’s future, and answers the question whether
God had cast off his ancient people, whether
they had stumbled that they should fall. He
reveals that their judicial rejection was but for
Frogressive Revelation. 21
a time; that it should terminate when the full¬

ness of the Gentiles was brought in; and that
then all Israel should be saved, and the Deliver¬
er return to Zion. He thus ‘ ‘vindicates the ways
of God toman,” and shows that his gifts and
calling, are without repentance.
Peter wrote his first epistle about ten years
later; but though he speaks of the revelation of
Jesus Christ, and the appearing of the Chief
Shepherd, he added little to the sum of what
was already known on these topics. But in his
second epistle, written about the year 68, he
unfolds the final doom of the heavens and the
earth that are now; that they are to be burned
up, the elements to melt with fervent heat and
to be succeeded by a new heaven and a new
earth wherein righteousness should dwell. He
mentions also some particulars of the approach¬
ing apostasy, a subject on which Paul in his two
letters to Timothy dwells more fully. Both
apostles paint a dark picture of the “last days;”
foretell scoffers, apostates, hypocrites, false
teachers seduced by evil spirits to teach doc¬
trines of devils, a form of godliness without pow¬
er; and they speak also of their own departure.
Then finally, thirty years later than the writ¬
ings of the other apostles, and closing the inspired
volume commenced by Moses 1600 years before,
we find the revelation made by Christ in glory to
John. It is the latest gift of a glorified Savior
to his suffering church, and is entirely different

in manner, scope, and style from all that pre¬
cedes it. It is all but wholly devoted to pro¬
phetic truth; it contains a full and orderly proph¬
ecy of the events that were to transpire to the
end of time; it unveils new scenes, and its dark
.sayings are full of glorious light. It is evident
that the prophetic matter of this book, was un-
revealed previous to the death and crucifixion of
Christ; for it is represented as contained in a
seven-sealed book, written within and on the
back side. A strong angel cries with a loud
voice, ‘ ‘Who is worthy to open the book, and to
loose the seven seals thereof?” and none is found
worthy save the “Lamb as it had been slain,”
who is in the midst of the throne. He comes
and takes the book out of the right hand of Him
that sits on the throne, and He opens its seven
.seals.
The descriptions contained in this book of the
^sufferings of the faithful church under persecu¬
tion; of the sins of Babylon the great; of the
judgment to be poured upon it; of the advent of
Christ and of the first resurrection; of the mil¬
lennial reign of Christ (barely mentioned else¬
where in the New Testament); of the universal
revolt at its close; of the judgments which fol¬
low; of the New Jerusalem; of the new heavens
and the new earth; and of the eternal state—
have no parallel in the whole compass of Scrip¬
ture.
Progressive Revelation,
Being written subsequently to the destruction

of Jerusalem and the dispersion of the Jews, the
Apocalypse omits reference to these events
treated by earlier prophecies; and, being ad¬
dressed to the Christian church, it omits much
found elsewhere, that is exclusively Jewish.
But as regards all that was future to it, and of
importance to the church of God, it presents a
consecutive series of visions, combining and con¬
necting the separate revelations previously
made, and adding much never before revealed.
III. From these facts the following infer¬
ences may be deduced.
1. God does not reveal all the future at any
one time, but gradually, as the knowledge of it
may be needed and can be received.
2. We must not expect earlier prophecies to
be equally comprehensive with later ones, nor
endeavor to construct from the gospels and
epistles alone, the perfect map of coming events.
By its position as the last and fullest prophecy
of the Bible, the Apocalypse is in advance of all
other revelations, and a correct knowledge of
the future is impossible apart from the study of
it. No difficulties therefore, arising from its
symbolic style or apparent obscurity, should lead
us to dispense with its teachings. The testi¬
mony of later prophecies should never be in the
slightest degree distorted, nor anything sub¬
tracted from their fullness, in order to bring
2Jf Outline on Prophecy.
them into harmony with earlier ones; but, on the

contrary, their copious details and more com¬
prehensive teachings, must be added to all pre¬
vious revelations, and then allowed to modify
the impressions we have received from earlier
and more elementary predictions.
8. We must not therefore reject any particu¬
lar prophetic truth because it is found ‘ ‘only in
Revelation,” but receive the teachings of this
final prophecy on its inspired authority alone,
when they are unconfirmed by other Scripture.
4. The Apocalypse being written for the
church militant, for the dispensation to which
we belong, and the days in which we live, is in¬
dispensable to the man of God who would now
be thoroughly furnished to all good works. No
portion of it should be considered as unimpor¬
tant, or treated as superfluous. ‘ ‘Blessed is he
that readeth and they that hear the words of
this prophecy, and keep those things that are
written therein, for the time is at hand.” “If
any man shall add unto these things, God shall
add unto him the plagues that are written in
this book; and if any man shall take away from
the words of the book of this prophecy, God
shall take away his part out of the book of life,
and out of the holy city, and from the things that
are written in this book.”—Rev. 22: 18, 19.
5. The Apocalypse, as a precious and princi¬
pal light, shining in a dark place, until the day
dawn and the Day Star arise, should be allowed

to cast its rich and final rays back over all the
prophecies on the subjects of which it treats, in
the volume which it closes; and its consecutive
visions should be employed to bind together in
their proper order, the separate links of such
earlier predictions.—JT. Grattan Guinness.
6. The prophecy in the Old Testament speaks
mostly of the future of Israel, their victory over
the nations and how they shall reign in peace
and joy with their Messiah in their promised
land forever and ever. We have the seed of
prophesy about the Messiah’s coming and mak¬
ing reconciliation for sin and how He shall reign
in glory in the Old Testament. His second com¬
ing for his bride and the translation of the bride
are mostly found in the New Testament. Be¬
sides this prophecy there is a prophecy of
warning for Israel by nearly every prophet
what would happen with them if they were dis¬
obedient to God’s command. There is a full out¬
line of the woes, sorrows, and destruction, that
would befall them if they would not take heed
of the demands and the leading of the Spirit.
The history of the Jews shows us that God has
carried out everything in detail as He has pro¬
claimed through his prophets. We will give a
few chapters on fulfilled prophecy on Israel
which is very helpful to understand the future
prophecy.
CHAPTER II.
Fulfilled Prophecies Concerning the Jews.
While Moses, as a divine legislator, promised

to the Israelites that their prosperity, and hap¬
piness, and peace would all keep race with their
obedience, he threatened them with a gradation
of punishments, rising in proportion to their im¬
penitence and iniquity;—and neither in bless¬
ings nor in chastisements hath the Ruler among
the nations dealt in like manner with any peo¬
ple. But their wickedness and consequent ca •
lamities greatly preponderated, and are yet pro¬
longed. The retrospect of the history of the
Jews, since their dispersion, could not, at the
present day, be drawn in truer terms than in the
unpropitious auguries of their prophet above
three thousand two hundred years ago. In the
most ancient of all records, we read the lively
representation of the present condition of the
most singular people upon earth. Moses pro¬
fessed to look through the glass of ages; the
revolution of many centuries has brought the
object immediately before us—we may scrutin-
KING OF KINGS. LOUD OF I.ORDS
Fulfilled Prophecies. 27
ize the features of futurity as they then appeared

to his prophetic gaze,—and we may determine
between the probabilities whether they were
conjectures of a mortal, who “knows not what
a day may bring forth, ’ ’ or the revelation of
that Being, ‘ hn whose sight a thousand years
are but as yesterday. ’ ’
“I will scatter you among the heathen, and
draw out a sword after you: and your land
shall be desolate, and your cities waste. And
upon them that are left alive of you I will send
a faintness into their hearts in the land of their
enemies; and the sound of a shaken leaf shall
chase them; and they shall flee as fleeing from a
sword; and they shall fall when none pursueth:
and ye shall have no power to stand before
your enemies. And ye shall perish among the
heathen, and the land of your enemies shall eat
you up. And they that are left of you shall pine
away in their iniquity in your enemies’ lands;
and also in the iniquities of their fathers shall
they pine away with them. And yet for all
that, when they be in the land of their enemies,
I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor
them, to destroy them utterly.”—Lev. 26: 33,
36-39, 44.
‘ ‘And the Lord shall scatter you among the
nations, and ye shall be left few in number
among the heathen whither the Lord will lead
you.”—Deut. 4: 27.
“The Lord shall cause thee to be smitten be¬

fore thine enemies; thou shalt go out one way
against them, and flee seven ways before them:
and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of
the earth.”—Deut. 28: 25.
“The Lord shall smite thee with madness, and
blindness, and astonishment of heart: and thou
shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in
darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy
ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and
spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee.
Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto
another people,.there shall be no might in
thy hand. The fruit of thy land, and all thy
labor shall a nation which thou knowest not
eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and
crushed alway; so that thou shalt be mad for the
sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. The
Lord shall bring thee, and thy king which thou
shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither
thou nor thy fathers have known; and thou
shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a
byword, among all the nations whither the Lord
shall lead thee.”—Deut. 28: 28, 29, 32-34, 36, 37.
“Because thou servedst not the Lord thy God
with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for
the abundance of all things; therefore shalt thou
serve thine enemies which the Lord shall send
against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in
nakedness, and in want of all things: and he
shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he

have destroyed thee. Then the Lord will make
thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy
seed, even great plagues and of long continu¬
ance.”—Deut. 28: 47, 48, 59.
“All these curses shall come upon thee, and
shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, and they
shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder,
and upon thy seed forever. And it shall come
to pass, that as the Lord rejoiced over you to do
you good, and to multiply you; so the Lord will
rejoice over you to destroy and to bring you to
naught; and ye shall be plucked from off the land
whither thou goest to possess it. And the Lord
shall scatter thee among all people, from the one
end of the earth even unto the other. And
among these nations shalt thou find no ease, nei¬
ther shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the
Lord shall give thee there a trembling heart, and
failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind; and thy life
shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt
fear day and night, and shalt have none assur¬
ance of thy life: in the morning thou shalt say.
Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt
say. Would God it were morning! for the fear of
thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for
the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. ”
—Deut. 28: 45, 46, 63-67.
The writings of all the succeeding prophets
abound with similar predictions. “I will cause
so Outline on Prophecy.
them to be removed into all nations of the earth,

I will cast them out into a land that they know
not, where I will show them no favor. I will
feed them with wormwood, and give them water
of gall to drink. Jer. 9: 16. I will scatter them
also among the heathen—whom neither they nor
their fathers have known.”—Jer. 9: 16.
“I will deliver them to be removed into all
the kingdoms of the earth for their hurt, to be
a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse,
in all places whither I shall drive them. And
I will send the sword, the famine, and the pes¬
tilence, among them, till they be consumed from
off the land that I gave unto them and to their
fathers.”—Jer. 24: 9, 10.
“I will bereave them of children. I will de¬
liver them to be removed into all the kingdoms
of the earth, to be a curse, and an astonishment,
and a hissing, and a reproach, even among all
the nations whither I have driven them. ”—Jer.
29: 18. “I will execute judgments in thee, and
the whole remnant of thee will I scatter into all
the winds.”—Ezek. 5:10. “I will scatter them
among the nations, among the heathen, and dis¬
perse them in the countries.”—Ezek. 12: 15.
“They shall cast their silver in the streets,
and their gold shall be removed: their silver
and their gold shall not be able to deliver them
in the day of the wrath of the Lord: they shall
not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels:
Fulfilled Prophecies. SI
because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquh

ty.”—Ezek. 7: 19.
“I will sift the house of Israel among all na¬
tions, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet
shall not the least grain fall upon the earth.
Death shall be chosen rather than life by all the
residue of them that remain of this evil family,
which remain in all the places whither I have
driven them, saith the Lord of hosts. They
shall be wanderers among the nations.”—Amos
9: 9; Jer. 8: 3; Hos. 9: 17.
“Make the heart of this people fat, and make
their ears heavy, and shut their eyes, lest they
see with their eyes, and hear with their ears,
.and convert and be healed. Then said I,
Lord, how long? and he answered, Until the
cities be wasted without inhabitants, and the
houses without man, and the land be utterly des¬
olate, and the Lord have removed men far away,
and there be a great forsaking in the midst of
the land.”—Is. 6: 10-12.
• ‘Though they go into captivity before their
enemies, thence will I command the sword, and
it shall slay them, —and I will set mine eyes up¬
on tnem for evil, and not for good. But he that
scattereth Israel will gather him and keep him, ”
—Jer. 31: 10.
“But, fear not thou, O my servant Jacob, and
be not dismayed, O Israel: for, behold I will save
thee from afar off, and thy seed from the land of
their captivity;.I will make a full end of all

the nations whither I have driven thee: but I
will not make a full end of thee, but correct thee
in measure; yet will I not utterly cut thee off, or
leave thee wholly unpunished.”—Jer. 46: 27, 28.
“The children of Israel shall abide many days
without a king, and without a prince, and with¬
out a sacrifice, and without an image, and with¬
out an ephod, and without a teraphim: after¬
ward shall the children of Israel return; and
seek the Lord their God, and David their king,
and shall fear the Lord and his goodness, in the
latter days.'’—Hos. 3: 4, 5.
All these predictions respecting the Jews are
delivered with the clearness of history and the
confidence of truth. They represent the man¬
ner, the extent, the nature, and the continuance
of their dispersion—their persecutions—their
blindness—their sufferings—their feebleness—
their fearfulness—their pusillanimity—their
ceaseless wanderings—their hardened impeni¬
tence—their insatiable avarice—and the griev¬
ous oppression—the continued spoliation—the
marked distinction—the universal mockery—the
unextinguishable existence, and unlimited diffu¬
sion of their race. They were to be plucked
from off their own land—smitten before their
enemies—consumed from off their own land, and
left few in number. The Komans destroyed
their cities and ravaged their country, and the
Fulfilled Prophecies, SS
inhabitants who escaped from the famine, the

pestilence, the sword, and the captivity were
forcibly expelled from Judea, and fled as house¬
less wanderers into all the surrounding regions.
But they clung, for a time, around the land
which their fathers had possessed for so many
ages, and cn which they looked as an inheri¬
tance allotted by heaven to their race; and they
would not relinquish their claim to the posses¬
sion of it by any single overthrow, however
great. Unparalleled as were the miseries which
they had suffered in the slaughter of their kin¬
dred, the loss of their property and their homes,
the annihilation of their power, the destruction
of their capital city, and in the devastation of
their country by Titus—yet the fugitive and ex¬
iled Jews soon resorted again to their native
soil; and sixty years ha 1 scarcely elapsed, when,
deceived by an impostor, allured by the hope of
a triumphant Messiah, and excited to revolt by
intolerable oppression, they strove, by a vigor¬
ous and united, but frantic effort, to reconquer
Judea—to cast off the power of the Romans,
which had everywhere crushed them, and to
rescue themselves and their country from ruin.
A war, which their enthusiasm and desperation
alike protracted for two years, and in which,
exclusive of a vast number that perished by
famine, and sickness, and Are, five hundred and
eighty thousand Jews are said to have been
3J^ Outline on Pmphecy,
slain,—terminated in their entire discomfiture

and final banishment. They were so beset on
every side, and cut down in detached portions
by the Roman soldiers, that, in the words of a
heathen historian, very few of them escaped.
Fifty of their strongholds were razed to the
ground, and their cities sacked and consumed
by fire; Judea was laid waste and left as a des¬
ert. Though a similar fate never befell any
other people without proving the extirpation of
their race or the last of their miseries, that aw¬
ful prediction, in its reference to the Jews, met
its full completion—which yet they survived to
await, in every country, when exiles from their
own, an accumulation of almost unceasing ca¬
lamities, protracted throughout many succeed¬
ing ages. The cities shall be wasted without
inhabitant. ‘ ‘Every city shall be forsaken, and
not a man dwell therein. The Lord rooted them
out of their land in anger, aod in wrath, and in
great indignation.”—Is. 6: 11; Jer. 4: 29; Deut.
29: 28., A public edict of the emperor Adrian
rendered it a capital crime for a Jew to set a
foot in Jerusalem; and prohibited them from
viewing it even at a distance. Heathens, Chris¬
tians, and Mahometans have alternately pos¬
sessed Judea: it has been the prey of the Sara¬
cens:—the descendants of Ishmael have often
overrun it: the children of Israel have alone
been denied the possession of it, though thither
Fulfilled Prophecies, So
they ever wish to return—and though it forms

the only spot on earth where the ordinances of
their religion can be observed. And, amid all
the revolutions of states, and the extinction of
many nations, in so long a period, the Jews
alone have not only ever been aliens in the land
of their fathers, but whenever any of them have
been permitted, at any period since the time of
their dispersion, to sojourn tnere, they have ex¬
perienced even more contumelious treatment
than elsewhere. Benjamin of Tudela, who trav¬
elled in the twelfth ceutury through great part
of Europe and of Asia, found the Jews every¬
where oppressed, particularly in the Holy Land.
And to this day (while the Jews who reside in
Palestine, or who resort thither in old age that
their bones may not be laid in a foreign field,
are alike ill-treated and abused by Greeks, Ar¬
menians, and Europeans) the haughty deport¬
ment of the despotic Turkish soldier, and the
abject state of the poor and helpless Jews, are
painted to the life by the prophet. “The*
stranger that is within thee shall get up above*
thee very high, and thou shalt come down very-
. low.”—Deut. 28: 43.
But the extent is still more remarkable than
the manner of their dispersion. Many proph¬
ecies describe it, and foretold, thousands of
years ago, what we now behold. “They have
been scattered among the nations,—among, the.
36 Outline on Prophecy,
heathen,—among the people, even from one end

of the earth unto the other. They have been
removed into all the kingdoms of the earth; the
whole remnant of them hath been scattered into
all the winds; they have been dispersed through¬
out all countries, and sifted among the nations
like as corn is sifted in a sieve, and yet not the
least grain has fallen upon the earth”—though
dispersed throughout all nations, they have re¬
mained distinct from them all. And there is
not a country on the face of the earth where the
Jews are unknown. They are found alike in
Europe, Asia, America, and Africa. They are
citizens of the world, without a country. Nei¬
ther mountains, nor rivers, nor deserts, nor
oceans,—which are the boundaries of other na¬
tions,—have terminated their wanderings.
They abound in Poland, in Holland, in Russia,
and in Turkey. In Germany, Spain, Italy,
France, and Britain they are more thinly scat¬
tered. In Persia, China, and India—on the east
and on the west of the Ganges,—they are “few
in number among the heathen. ’ ’ They have
trod the snows of Siberia, and the sands of the
burning desert;—and the European traveller
hears of their existence in regions which he can¬
not reach,—even in the very interior of Africa,
south of Timbuctoo. From Moscow to Lisbon
—from Japan to Britain—from Borneo to Arch¬
angel—from Hindostan to Honduras, no inhabi-
Fulfilied Fj'ophecies. 37
tant of any nation upon the earth would be
known in all the intervening regions but a Jew
alone.
CHAPTER III.
Fulfilled Prophecies Concerning the Jews
{Continued.)
But the history of the Jews throughout the
whole world, and in every age since their dis¬
persion, verifies the most minute predictions con¬
cerning them,—and to a recital of facts too well
authenticated to admit of dispute, or too notori¬
ous for contradiction, may be added a descrip¬
tion of them all in the very terms of the proph¬
ecy. In the words of Basnage, the elaborate
historian of the Jews—“Kings have often em¬
ployed the severity of their edicts and the hands
of the executioner to destroy them—the sediti¬
ous multitude has performed massacres and ex¬
ecutions infinitely more tragical than the
princes. Both kings and people, heathens,
Christians, and Mahometans, who are opposite
in so many things, have united in the design of
ruining this nation, and have not been able to
effect it. The Bush of Moses, surrounded with
flames, has always burnt without consuming.
Fit Iflllecl Prophecies, 39
The Jews have been driven from all places of

the world, vrhich has only served to disperse
them in all parts of the universe. They have,
from age to age, run through misery and perse¬
cution, and torrents of their own blood. ” (Bas-
nage, b. 6. c. 1.) Their banishment from Judea
was only the prelude to their expulsion from
city to city, and from kingdom to kingdom.
Their dispersion over the globe is an irrefraga¬
ble evidence of this, and many records remain
that amply corroborate the fact. Not only did
the first and second centuries of the Christian
era see them twice rooted out of their own land,
but each succeeding century has teemed with
new calamities to that once chosen but now long-
rejected race. The history of their sufferings
is a continued tale of horror. Revolt is natural
to the oppressed; and their frequent seditions
were productive of renewed privations and dis¬
tresses. Emperors, kings, and califs all united
in subjecting them to the same “iron yoke.”
Constantine, after having suppressed a revolt
which they raised, and having commanded their
ears to be cut off, dispersed them as fugitives
and vagabonds into different countries, whither
they carried, in terror to their kindred, the
mark of their suffering and infamy. In the fifth
century they were expelled from Alexandria,
which had long been one of their safest places
of resort. Justinian, from whose principles of
JfO Outline on Prophecy.
legislation a wiser and more humane policy

ought to have emanated, yielded to none of his
predecessors in hostility and severity against
them. He abolished their synagogues—prohib¬
ited them even from entering into caves for the
exercise of their worship—rendered their testi¬
mony inadmissible, and deprived them of the
natural right of bequeathing their property; and
when such oppressive enactments led to insur¬
rectionary movements among the Jews, their
property was confiscated, many of them were
beheaded, and so bloody an execution of them
prevailed, that, as is expressly related, “all the
Jews of that country trembled:” (Basnage’s Hist,
b. 6. c. 21. sect. 9,) a trembling heart was given
them. In the reign of the tyrant Phocas, a gen¬
eral sedition broke out among the Jews in Syr¬
ia. They and their enemies fought with equal
desperation. They obtained the mastery in An¬
tioch; but a momentary victory only led to a
deeper humiliation, and to the infliction of more
aggravated cruelties than before. They were
soon subdued and taken captive; many of them
were maimed, others executed, and all the sur¬
vivors were banished from the city. Gregory
the Great afforded them a temporary respite
from oppression, which only rendered their
spoliation more complete, and their suffering
more acute, under the cruel persecutions of Her-
aclius. That emperor, unable to satiate his hat-
Fulfilled Prophecies.
red againt them by inflicting a variety of punish¬

ments on those who resided within his own do¬
minions, and by finally expelling them from the
empire, exerted so effectually against them his
influence in other countries, that they suffered
under a general and simultaneous persecution
from Asia to the farthest extremities of Europe.
(Ib. sect. 17.) In Spain, conversion, imprison¬
ment, or banishment were their only alterna¬
tives. In Prance, a similar fate awaited them.
They fled from country to country, seeking in
vain any rest for the sole of their foot. Even
the wide extended plains of Asia afforded them
no resting-place, but have often been spotted
with their blood, as well as the hills and valleys
of Europe. Mahomet, whose imposture has
been the law and the faith of such countless,
millions, has, from the precepts of the Koran,
infused into the minds of his followers a spirit
of rancour and enmity towards the despised and
misbelieving Jews. He set an early example
of persecution against them, which the Mahom¬
etans have not yet ceased to imitate. In the
third year of the Hegira, he beseiged the cas¬
tles 'which they possessed in the Hegiasa, com¬
pelled those who had fled to them for refuge and
defence to an unconditional surrender, banished
them from the country, and parted their property
among his Mussulmans. He dissipated a second
time their recombined strength, massacred many
4^ Ou tline on Prophecij,
of them, and imposed upon the remnant a per¬

manent tribute.—The church of Rome ever
ranked and treated them as heretics. The can¬
ons of different councils pronounced excommun¬
ication against those who should favor or up¬
hold the Jews against Christians—enjoined all
Christians neither to eat nor to hold any com¬
merce with them—prohibited them from bearing
public offices or having Christian slaves—ap¬
pointed them to be distinguished by a mark—
decreed that their children should be taken from
them, and brought up in monasteries; and, what
is equally descriptive of the low estimation in
which they were held, and of the miseries to
which they were subjected, there was often a
necessity, even for those who otherwise op¬
pressed them, to ordain that it was not lawful
to take the life of a Jew without any cause.—
Hallam’s account of the Jews during the middle
ages is short, but significant. “They were
everywhere the objects of popular insult and op¬
pression, frequently of a general massacre. A
time of festivity to others was often the season
of mockery and persecution to them. It was
the custom at Toulouse to smite them on the
face every Easter. At Beziers they were at¬
tacked with stones from Palm Sunday to Eas¬
ter, an anniversary of insult and cruelty gener¬
ally productive of bloodshed, and to which the
populace were regularly instigated by a sermon
Fulfilled Prophecies. ^-5
from the bishop. It was the policy of the kings

of France to employ them as a sponge to suck
their subjects’ money, which they might after¬
ward express with less odium than direct taxa¬
tion would incur. It is almost incredible to
what a length extortion of money from the Jews
was carried. A series of alternate persecution
and tolerance was borne by this extraordinary
people with an invincible perseverance, and a
talent of accumulating riches which kept pace
with the exactions of their plunderers. Philip
Augustus released all Christians in his domini¬
ons from their debts to the Jews, reserving a
fifth part to himself. He afterward expelled the
whole nation from France. St. Louis twice ban¬
ished, and twice recalled them; and Charles
VI. finally expelled them from France. From
that country, according to Mezeray, they were
seven times banished. They were expelled from
Spain; and, by the lowest computation, one
hundred and seventy thousand families departed
from that kingdom. At Verdun, Treves, Mentz,
Spires, Worms, many thousands of them were
pillaged and massacred. A remnant was saved
by a feigned and transient conversion; but the
greater part of them barricadoed their houses,
and precipitated themselves, their families, and
their wealth into the rivers or the fiames.
These massacres and depredations on the Jews
were renewed at each crusade. In England, al-
Jflf Oittline on Frophecy.
so, they suffered great cruelty and oppression at

the same period. During the crusades, the
whole nation united in the persecution of them.
In a single instance, at York, fifteen hundred
Jews, including women and children, were re¬
fused all quarter—could not purchase their lives
at any price—and, frantic with despair, perished
by a mutual slaughter. Each master was the
murderer of his family, when death became
their only deliverance. The scene of the castle
of Massada, which was their last fortress in
Palestine, and where nearly one thousand per¬
ished in’ a similar manner, was renewed in the
castle of York. So de.spised and hated were
they, that the barons when contending with
Henry III., to ingratiate themselves with the
populace, ordered seven hundred Jews, to be
slaughtered at once, their houses to be plun¬
dered, and their synagogue to be burned.
Richard, John, and Henry III. often extorted
money from them; and the last, by the most un¬
scrupulous and unsparing measures, usually de¬
frayed his extraordinary expenses with their
spoils, and impoverished some of the richest
among them. His extortions at last became so-
enormous, and his oppressions so grievous, that,,
in the words of the historian, he reduced the
miserable wretches to desire leave to depart the
kingdom; but even self-banishment was denied
tnem. Edward I. completed their misery, seized
on all their property, and banished them the

kingdom. Above fifteen thousand Jews were
rendered destitute of any residence, were de¬
spoiled to the utmost, and reduced to ruin.
Nearly four centuries elapsed before the return
to Britain of this abused race.
Note.—The persecutions to which the Jews
were subjected at that period are described with
strict truth in the historical romance of Ivanhoe.
They are characterized as “a race which, during
these dark ages, was alike detested by the cred¬
ulous and prejudiced vulgar, and persecuted by
the greedy and rapacious nobility. ”—(vol. 1. p.
83.)—“Except perhaps the flying-fish, there
was no race existing on the earth, in the air,
or the waters, who were the objects of such an
unremitting, general, and relentless persecution
as the Jews of this period. Upon the slightest
and most unreasonable pretences, as well as up¬
on accusations the most absurd and groundless,
their persons and property were exposed to
overy turn of popular fury; for Norman, Saxon,
Bane, and Briton, however adverse the races
were to each other, contended which would look
with greatest detestation upon a people whom
it was accounted a point of religion to hate, to
revile, to despise, to plunder, and to persecute.
The kings of the Norman race, and the inde¬
pendent nobles, who followed their example in
all acts of tyranny, maintained against this de-
JfC) Outline on Tvojjhecy.
voted people a persecution of a more regular^

calculated, and self-interested kind. It is a
well-known story of King John, that he confined
a wealthy Jew in one of the royal castles, and
daily caused one of his teeth to be torn out, un¬
til, -when the jaw of the unhappy Israelite was
half-disfurnished, he consented to pay a large
sum which it was the tyrant’s object to extort
from him. The little ready money that was in
the country was chiefly in the possession of this
persecuted people, and the nobility hesitated
not to follow the example of their sovereign in
wringing it from them by every species of op¬
pression, and even personal torture.” (p. 120,
121.)—The fictitious history of Isaac of York is
delineated in a manner equally descriptive of
the facts, and confirmatory of the prophecies
respecting the Jewish people; and there exists
not the history of any individual of any other
nation, whether drawn from fancy or fact,
which combines so many of the prophetic char¬
acteristics of the fate of a Jew, as that which
has thus been delineated, by a,master’s hand,
as a representation of their condition, at a peri¬
od about twenty-six centuries posterior to the
prediction, and in a country two thousand miles,
remote from the place where it was first uttered,
and from the only land possessed by the Jews.
Some remarkable circumstances attest, with¬
out a prolonged detail of their miseries, that
Fulfilled reophecies. Jf7
they have been a people everywhere peculiarly

oppressed. The first unequivocal attempt at
legislation in France was an ordinance against
the Jews. And towards them alone one of the
noblest charters of liberty on earth—Magna
Charta, the Briton’s boast—legalized an act of
injustice. For many ages after their dispersion,
they found no resting-place in Europe, Africa,
or Asia, but penetrated in search of one to the
extremities of the world. In Mahometan coun¬
tries they have ever been subject to persecution,
contempt, and every abuse. They are in gener¬
al confined to one particular quarter of every
city (as they formerly were to Old Jewry in
London); they are restricted to a peculiar dress;
and in many places shut up at stated hours. In
Hamadan, as in all parts of Persia, ‘ ‘they are an
abject race, and support themselves by driving
a peddling trade; they live in a state of great
misery—pay a monthly tax to the government—
and are not permitted to cultivate the ground,
or to have landed possessions.” They cannot
appear in public, much less perform their relig¬
ious ceremonies, without being treated with
scorn and contempt. The revenues of the Prince
of Bohara are derived from a tribute paid by
five hundred families of Jews, who are assessed
according to the means of each. In Zante they
exist in miserable indigence, and are exposed to
considerable oppression. At Tripoli, when any
criminal is condemned to death, the first Jew

who happens to be at hand is compelled to be¬
come the executioner,—a degradation to the
children of Israel to which no Moor is ever sub¬
jected. In Egypt they are despised and perse¬
cuted incessantly. In Arabia they are treated
with more contempt than in Turkey. The re¬
mark is common to the most recent travellers
both in Asia and Africa, that the Jews them¬
selves are astonished, and the natives indignant,
at any act of kindness, or even of justice, that
is performed towards any of this “despised na¬
tion” and persecuted people. In Southey’s Let¬
ters from Spain and Portugal, this remarkable
testimony is borne respecting them: “Till within
the last fifty years the burning of a Jew formed
the highest delight of the Portuguese; they
thronged to behold this triumph of the faith,
and the very women shouted with transport as
they saw the agonized martyr writhe at the
stake. Neither sex nor age could save this per¬
secuted race; and Antonio Joseph de Silvia, the
best of their dramatic writers, was burned alive
because he was a Jew. ’ ’ Few years have elapsed
since there was a severe persecution against
them in Prussia and in Germany, and in several
of the smaller states of the latter country they
were not permitted to sell any goods even in the
common markets. The pope has lately re-en¬
acted some severe edicts against them: and
Fulfilled Prophecies, 49
ukases have recently been issued in quick suc¬

cession, restraining the Jews from all traftic
throughout the interior government of Russia.
They are absolutely prohibited (on pain of im¬
mediate banishment) from “offering any article
to sale,whether in public or private, either
by themselves or by others. They are not al¬
lowed to reside, even for a limited period, in
any of the cities of Russia, without an express
permission from government, which is granted
only in cases where their services are necessary,
or directly beneficial to the state. A refusal to
depart when they become obnoxious to so rigid
a law subjects them to be treated as vagrants;
and none are suffered to protect or to shelter
them. Though the observance of such edicts
must, in numerous instances, leave them desti¬
tute of any means of support, yet their breach
or neglect exposes them to oppression under the
sanction of the law, and to every privation and
insult without remedy or appeal. And though
they may thus become the greatest objects of
pity, all laws of humanity are reversed, by im¬
perial decrees, towards them. For those who
harbor Jews that are condemned to banishment
for having done whaFall others may innocently
do, are, as the last Russian ukase respecting
them bears, “amenable to the laws as the abet¬
ters of vagrants,” and, as in numberless in¬
stances besides, no man shall save them.
Note—While the prophecies describe the

past and existing miseries of the Jews, they re¬
fer with no less precision to the time yet to
come, when the children of Israel shall have re¬
turned to the loved land of their fathers, and
their rebuke shall have ceased from off the face
of the earth, and when they shall prize their
blessings the more highly, as contrasted with
the former sufferings of their race. And the
Word of God, confirmed as its prophetic truth
is by the workings of the wrath of man, and by
the policy of earthly monarchs, will doubtless
triumph over the highest mandates of mortals,
and receive new illustrations of its truth when
these shall have passed away. And the elev¬
enth article of the ukase now in force merits, in
reference to a special prediction, particular no¬
tice, and may here be subjoined, together with
its corresponding text, promising merely that it
is to a specific district of dismembered Poland
that the Rabbis are sent away. “Rabbins, or
other religious functionaries, are to be sent
away by the police officer, immediately on the
discovery that they are such. ” “Thy teachers
shall not be removed into a corner any more,
but thine eyes shall see thy teachers.”—Is. 30:
20.
These facts, though they form but a brief and
most imperfect record, and therefore but a very
faint image of all their sufferings, show that the
Fulfilled Fvophecies. 51
Jews have been removed into all the kingdoms

for their hurt—that a sword has been drawn af¬
ter them—that they have found no rest for the
sole of their foot—that they have not been able
to stand before their enemies;—there has been
no might in their hands—their very avarice has
proved their misery—they have been spoiled
evermore—they have been oppressed and crush¬
ed alway—they have been mad for the sight of
their eyes that they did see, as the tragical
scenes at Mossada, and York, and many others
testify—they have often been left in hunger,
and thirst, and nakedness, and in want of all
things;—a trembling heart, and sorrow of mind
have been their portion;—they have often had
none assurance of the!r life;—their plagues have
been wonderful and great, and of long continu¬
ance,—and that they have been for a sign and for
a wonder durirg many generations.
But the predictions rest not even here. It
was distinctly prophesied that the Jews would
reject the Gospel, that, from the meanness of
his mortal appearance, and the hardness of
their hearts, they would not believe in a suffer¬
ing Messiah,—that they would be smitten with
blindness and astonishmen of heart—that they
would continue long, having their ears deaf,
their eyes closed, and their hearts hardened—
and that they would grope at noonday as the
blind gropeth in darkuess. (Deut. 28: 29.) And
the gfeat body ofjthe Jewish nation has contin¬

ued long to reject Christianity. They retain
the prophecies, but discover not their light,
having obscured them by their traditions.
Many of their received opinions are so absurd
and impious, their rites are so unmeaning and
frivolous, their ceremonies are so minute, friv¬
olous, and contemptible,—that the account of
them would surpass credulity, were it not a
transcript of their customs and of their man¬
ners, and drawn from their own authorities.
No words can more strikingly or justly repre¬
sent the contrast between their irrational tenets
—their degraded religion—their superstitious
observances, and the dictates of enlightened
reason, and of the Gospel which they vilify,
than the emphatic description, “They grope at
noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness,”
And, if any other instances be wanting of the
prediction of events infinitely exceeding human
foresight, the dispositions of all nations respect¬
ing them are revealed as explicitly as their own.
That the Jews have been a proverb, an astonish¬
ment, a by-word, a taunt, and a hissing among
all nations,—though one of the most Vvônderful
of facts, unparalleled in the whole history of
mankind, and as inconceivable in its prediction
as miraculous in its accomplishment,—is a truth
that stands not in need of any illustration or
proof—and of which witnesses could be found in
Fulfilled Pi'opliecies. 5S
every country under heaven. Many prophecies

concerning the Jews, of more propitious im¬
port, that yet remain to be accomplished, are
reserved for testimonies to future generations,
if not to the present. But it is worthy of re¬
mark, as prophesied concerning them, that they
have not been utterly destroyed, though a full
end has been made of their enemies,—that the
Egyptians, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the
Romans—^though some of the mightiest mon¬
archies that ever existed, have not a single rep¬
resentative on earth; while the Jews, oppressed
and vanquished, banished and enslaved, and
spoiled evermore, have survived them all—and
to this hour overspread the world. Of all the
nations around Judea, the Persians alone, who
restored them from the Babylonish captivity,
yet remain a kingdom.
CHAPTER IV.
Fulfilled Prophecies Concerning the Jews-
{Coiitinuecl.)
The Scriptures also declare that the covenant
with Abraham,—that God would give the land
of Canaan to his seed for an everlasting posses¬
sion,—would never be broken; but that the chil¬
dren of Israel shall be taken from among the
heathen,—gathered on every side, and brought
into their own land, to dwell forever where .heir
fathers dwelt. Three thousand seven hundred
years have elapsed since the promise was given
to Abraham. And is it less than a miracle, that,
if this promise has been made to the descend¬
ants of any but of Abraham alone, it could not
now possibly have been realized, as there exists
not on earth the known and acknowledged pos¬
terity of any other individual, or almost of any
nation, contemporary with him?
That the people of a single state (which was
of very limited extent and power in comparision
of some of the monarchies which surrounded it)
Fit Jfilled Prophecies. 55
should first have been rooted up out of their

own land in anger, wrath, and great indigna¬
tion, the like of which was never experienced
by the mightiest among the ancient empires,
which all fell imperceptibly away at a lighter
stroke, and that afterward, though scattered
among all nations, and finding no ease among
them all, they should have withstood eighteen
centuries of almost unremitted persecution, and
that after so many generations have elapsed,
they should still retain their distinctive form,
or, as it may be called, their individuality of
character, is assuredly the most marvellous event
that is recorded in the history of nations; and if
it be not acknowledged as a “sign, ” it is in re¬
ality as well as in appearance “a wonder,” the
most inexplicable within the province of the
philosophy of history. But that, after the en¬
durance of such manifold woes, such perpetual
spoliation, and so many ages of unmitigated
suffering, during w^hich their life was to hang in
doubt within them, they should stiU be, as act¬
ually they are, the possessors of great wealth;
and that this fact should so strictly accord with
the prophecy, which describes them, on their
final restoration to Judea, as taking their silver
and their gold with them, (Is. 60: 9;) and also
that, though captives or fugitives “fev7 in num¬
ber,” and the miserable remnant of an extin¬
guished kingdom at the time they were “scat-
tered abroad,”—they should be to this hour a

numerous people,—and that this should have
been expressly implied in the prophetic declara¬
tion descriptive of their condition on their res¬
toration to Judea, after all their wanderings,—
that the land shall be too narrow by reason of
the inhabitants,—and that place shall not be
found for them, are facts which as clearly show,
to those who consider them at all, the operation
of an overruling Providence, as the revelation
of such an inscrutable destiny is the manifest
dictate of inspiration. (Is. 69: 19; Zech. 10: 10.)
Such are the prophecies, and such are the
facts respecting the Jews;—and from premises
like these the feeblest logician may draw^ a mor¬
al demonstration. If they had been utterly de¬
stroyed—if they had mingled among the na¬
tions,—if, in the space of nearly eighteen cen¬
turies after their dispersion, they had become
extinct as a people, even if they had been se¬
cluded in a single region, and had remained uni¬
ted—if their history had been analogous to that
of any nation upon the earth, an attempt might,
with some plausibility or reason, have been
made, to show cause why the prediction of their
fate, however true to the fact, ought not in such
a case to be sustained as evidence of the truth
of inspiration. Or if the past history and pres¬
ent state of the Jews were not of a nature so
singular and peculiar, as to bear out to the very
Fulfilled Frofjhecies. 57
letter the truth of the prophecies concerning
them, with what trinmph would the infidel have
produced those very prophecies, as fatal to the
idea of the inspiration of the Scriptures? And
when the Jews have been scattered throughout
the whole earth—when they have remained
everywhere a distinct race—when they have
been despoiled evermore, and yet never de¬
stroyed—when the most wonderful and mazing
facts, such as never occurred among any peo¬
ple, form tiie ordinary narrative of their his¬
tory, and fulfil literally the prophecies concern¬
ing them,—may not the believer challenge his
adversary to the production of such credentials
of the faith that is in him? They present an
unbroken chain of evidence, each link a proph¬
ecy and a fact, extending throughout a multi¬
tude of generations, and not yet terminated.
Though the events, various and singular as
they are, have been brought about by the in¬
strumentality of human means and the agency
of secondary causes, yet they are equally pro¬
phetic and miraculous; for the means were as
impossible to be foreseen as the end and the
causes were as inscrutable as the event; and
they have been, and still in numberless in¬
stances are, accomplished by the instrumental¬
ity of the enemies of Christianity. Whoever
seeks a miracle, may here behold a sign and a
wonder, than which there cannot be a greater.
58 Outline on Fropiiecij.
And the Christian may bid defiance to all the

assaults of his enemies from this stronghold of
Christianity, impenetrable and impregnable on
every side.
These prophecies concerning the Jews are as
clear as a narrative of the events. They are
ancient as the oldest records in existence; and
it has never been denied that they were all de¬
livered before the accomplishment of one of
them. They were so unimaginable by human
wisdom, that the whole compass of nature has
never exhibited a parallel to the events. And
the facts are visible, and present, and applica¬
ble even to a hair’s breadth. Could Moses, as
an uninspired mortal, have described the hist¬
ory, the fate, the dispersion, the treatment, the
dispositions of the Israelites to the present day,
or for three thousand two hundred years, seeing
that he was astonished and amazed, on his de¬
scent from Sinai, at the change in their senti¬
ments and in their conduct in the space of forty
days? Could various persons have testified, in
different ages, of the selfsame and of similar
facts, as wonderful as they have proved to be
true? Could they have divulged so many sec¬
rets of futurity, when, of necessity, they were
utterly ignorant of them all? The probabilities
were infinite against them. For the mind of
man often fluctuates in uncertainty over the
nearest events, and the most probable results;
Fulfilled Frophecies. 59
but, in regard to remote ages, when thousands

of years shall have elapsed,—and to facts re¬
specting them, contrary to all previous knowl¬
edge, experience, analogy, or conception,—it
feels that they are dark as death to mortal ken.
And, viewing only the dispersion of the Jews,
and some of its attendant circumstances—how
their city was laid desolate—their temple, which
formed the constant place of their resort before,
levelled with the ground, and ploughed over
like a field—their country ravaged, and them¬
selves murdered in mass—falling before the
sword, the famine, and the pestilence—how a
r emnant was left, but despoiled, persecuted, en¬
slaved, and led into captivity—driven from their
own land, not to a mountainous retreat, where
they might subsist with safety, but dispersed
among all nations, and left to the mercy of a
world that everywhere hated and oppressed
them—shattered in pieces like the wreck of a
vessel in a mighty storm—scattered over the
earth, like fragments on the waters—and, in¬
stead of disappearing, or mingling with the na¬
tions, remaining a perfectly distinct people, in
every kingdom the same, retaining similar hab¬
its, and customs, and creed, and manners in
every part of the globe, though without ephod,
teraphim, or sacrifice—meeting everywhere the
same insult, and mockery, and oppression—find¬
ing no resting-place without an enemy soon to
60 Outline on Fropheey,
dispossess them—multiplying amid all their
miseries—surviving their enemies—beholding^
unchanged, the extinction of many nations, and
the convulsions of all—robbed of their silver and
of their gold though cleaving to the love of them
still, as the stumblingblock of their iniquity—
often bereaved of their very children—disjoined.
and disorganized, but uniform and unaltered—
ever bruised, but never broken—weak, fearful,,
sorrowful, and afflicted—often driven to mad¬
ness at the spectacle of their own misery—taken.
up in the lips of talkers—the taunt and hissing
and infamy of all people, and continuing ever,,
what they are to this day, the sole proverb
common to the whole world;—how did every
fact, from its very nature, defy all conjecture,
and how could mortal man, overlooking a hund¬
red successive generations, have foretold any
one of these wonders that are now conspicuous
in these latter times? Who but the Father of
Spirits, possessed of perfect prescience, even of
the knowledge of the will and of the actions of
free, intelligent, and moral agents, could have
revealed their unbounded and yet unceasing
wanderings—unveiled all their destiny—and
unmasked the minds of the Jews, and of their
enemies, in every age and in every clime? The
creation of a world might as well be the work of
chance as the revelation of these things. It is
a visible display of the power and of the pre-
Fulfilled Frophecies. 61
science of God,—an accumulation of many mir¬

acles. And, although it forms but a part of a
small portion of the Christian evidence, it lays
not only a stone of stumbling—such as infidels
would try to cast in a Christian’s path,—but it
fixes an insurmountable barrier at the very
thresh: Id of infidelity, immoveable by all hu¬
man device, and impervious to every attack.
CHAPTER V.
Prophecies Concerning the Destruction

of Jerusalem.
The commonv/ealth of Israel, from its estab¬

lishment to its dissolution, subsisted for more
than fifteen hundred years. In delivering their
law, Moses assumed more than the authority of
a human legislator, and asserted that he was in¬
vested with a divine commission; and in enjoin¬
ing obedience to it, after having conducted them
to the borders of Canaan, he promises many
blessings to accompany their compliance with
the law, and denounces grievous judgments that
would overtake them for the breach of it. The
history of the Jews in each succeeding age at¬
tests the truth of the last prophetic warning of
the first of their rulers; but too lengthened a de¬
tail would be requisite for its elucidation. Hap¬
pily, it contains predictions applicable to more
recent events which admit not of any ambiguous
interpretation, and refer to historical facts that
admit no cavil. He who founded their govern-
ment foretold, notwithstanding the intervention

of so many ages, the manner of its overthrow.
While they were wandering in the wilderness,
without a city and without a home, he threat¬
ened them with the destruction of their cities
and the devastation of their country. While
they viewed for the first time the land of Pales¬
tine, and when victorious and triumphant they
were about to possess it, he represented the
scene of desolation that it would exhibit to their
vanquished and enslaved posterity on their last
departure from it. Ere they themselves had
entered it as enemies, he describes those ene¬
mies by whom their descendants were to be sub¬
jugated and dispossesged, though they were to
arise from a very distant region, and although
they did not appear till after a millenary and a
half of years:—“The Lord shall bring a nation
against thee from far—from the end of the earth
—as swift as the eagle flieth—a nat on whose
tongue thou shalt not understand,—a nation of
fierce countenance, which shall not regard the
person of the old, nor show favor to the young.
And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle and the
fruit of thy land until thou be destroyed, which
also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or
oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy
sheep, until he have destroyed thee. And he
shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy
high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou
trustedst, throughout all thy land. ”—Deut. 28:

49-52. Each particular of this prophecy,
though it be only introductory to others, has
met its full completion. The remote situation
of the Romans, the rapidity of their march, the
very emblem of their arms, their unknown
language and warlike appearance, the indiscrim¬
inate cruelty and unsparing pillage which they
exercised towards the persons and the property
of the Jews, could scarcely have been represent¬
ed in more descriptive terms. Vespasian, Ad¬
rian, and Julius Severus removed with part of
their armies from Britain to Palestine,—the ex¬
treme points of the Roman world. The eagle
was the standard of their armies, and the ut¬
most activity and expedition were displayed in
the reduction of Judea. They were a nation of
fierce countenance,—a race distinct from the ef¬
feminate Asiatic troops. At Gadara and Gama-
la, throughout many parts of the Roman em¬
pire, and in repeated instances at Jerusalem it¬
self, the slaughter of the Jews was indiscrimin¬
ate, without distinction of sex or age. The in¬
habitants were enslaved and banished, all their
possessions confiscated, and the kingdom of Is¬
rael, humbled at first into a province of the Ro¬
man empire, became at last the private proper¬
ty of the emperor. Throughout all the land of
Judea every city was besieged and taken, and
their high and fenced walls were razed from the
foundation. But the prophet particularizes in¬

cidents the most shocking to humanity, which
mark the utmost possible extremity of want and
wretchedness, the last act to which famine could
prompt despair, and the last subject of a pre¬
diction that could have been uttered by man:—
“And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own
body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daugh¬
ters, .in the siege and in the straitness
wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee: so
that the man that is tender among you, and
very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his
brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and
toward the remnant of his children which he
shall leave; so that he will not give to any of
them of the flesh of his children whom he shall
eat: because he hath nothing left him in the
siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine
enemies shall distress thee in all thy gates.
The tender and delicate woman among you,
which would not adventure to set the sole of her
foot upon the ground for delicateness and ten¬
derness, her eye shall be evil toward the hus¬
band of her bosom, and toward her son, and
toward her daughter, and toward her young
one.... and toward her children which she shall
bear: for she shall eat them for want of all
things secretly in the siege and straitness
wherewith thine enemy shall -distress thee in
thy gates.”—Deut. 28: 53-57. Six hundred
years posterior to this prediction, when Samar¬

ia, then the capital of Israel, was besieged by
all the host of the king of Syria, the most loath¬
some substitute for food was of great price, and
an ass’s head was sold for eighty pieces of sil¬
ver. (2 Kings 6: 4.) When Nebuchadnezzar
besieged Jerusalem, the famine prevailed in the
city, and there was no bread for the people of
the land. And Josephus relates the direful ca¬
lamities of the Jews in their last siege, before
they ceased to have a city. The famine was
too powerful for all other passions; for what
was otherwise reverenced was in this case de¬
spised. Children snatched the food out of the
very mouths of their fathers; and even moth¬
ers, overcoming the tenderest feelings of na¬
ture, took from their perishing infants the last
morsels that could sustain their lives. In every
house where there was the least shadow of food
a contest arose; and the nearest relatives strug¬
gled with each other for the miserable means of
subsistence. He adds a most revolting detail.
While in all these cases the eye of man was
thus evil towards his brother in the siege and in
the straitness wherewith their enemies dis¬
tressed them,— the unparalleled inhuman com¬
pact between the two women of Samaria; the
bitter lamentation of Jeremiah over the miser¬
ies of the siege which he witnessed,—“The hands
of the pitiful women have sodden their own
children, they were their meat in the destruc¬

tion of the daughter of my people;” and the
harrowing recital by Josephus of the noble lady
killing with her own hands and eating secretly
her own suckling (the discovery of which struck
even the whole suffering city with horror),
which are all recorded as facts, without the
least allusion to the prediction,—too faithfully
realize to the very letter the dread denuncia¬
tions of the prophet. When any well-authenti¬
cated facts of so singular and appalling a na¬
ture were predicted for ages, they could not
possibly have been revealed but by inspiration
from that Omniscience which alone can foresee
the termination of the iniquities of nations.
Moses and the other prophets foretold also
that the Jews would be left few in number—^that
they would be slain before their enemies—that
the pride of their power would be broken—that
their cities would be laid waste—that they
would be destroyed and brought to naught—
plucked from off the land—sold for slaves—and
that none would buy them—that their high
places were to be desolate—and their bones to
be scattered around their altars—that Jerusalem
was to be encamped round about—to be besieged
with amount—to have forts raised against it—
to be ploughed over as a field, and to become
heaps;—that the end was to come upon it, and
that the Lord would judge them according ot
68 Outline on Piôphecy,
their ways, and recompense them for -all their

abominations; the sword without, and the pes¬
tilence and the famine within;—“he that is in
the field shall die with the sword; and he that
is in the city, famine and pestilence shall de¬
vour him.”—Ezek. 7: 7-15; Lev. 26: 30; Deut.
28: 62; Is. 29: 3; Ezek. 6: 5; Micah 3: 12; Jer, 26:
18.
These predictions relative to the siege and de¬
struction of Jerusalem, which are recorded in
the Pentateuch and in the subsequent prophecies,
accord with the minute prophetic narrative
which Jesus gave of the same sad event. Any
adequate delineation of it alone would far sur¬
pass the limits of this treatise. But the sub¬
ject has been fully and frequently illustrated,
and the prediction harmonizes so completely
with the unimpeachable testimony of impartial
historians, that it is merely necessary, for the
elucidation of its truth, to compare the pro¬
phetic description with the historical facts.
Besides frequent allusions in his discourses
and parables, the predictions of Christ concern¬
ing Jerusalem are recorded at length by three
of the evangelists. They are omitted by the
Apostle John, in whose writings alone, from
the age to which he lived, their insertion would
have been suspicious. They were delivered to
the disciples of Christ in answer to those direct
questions which they put, in their surprise and
Fulfilled Pjôphecies 69
alarm, at his declaration of the fate of the tem¬

ple, “When shall these things be? When shall
be the sign of them, and of the end of the
world?” (Matt. 21: 18-33; 22: 1-7; 25: 14-30;
Mark 11: 12-20; Luke 13: 6-9; 14: 17-24; 20: 9-19;
23: 27-31.) The reply embraces all the subjects
of the query, and is equally circumstantial and
distinct. The death of Christ happened thirty-
seven years previous to the destruction of Jer¬
usalem. By the unanimous testimony of antiq¬
uity, the three gospels were published, and at
least two of the evangelists were dead, several
years before that event. Copies of the gospels
were disseminated so extensively and rapidly,
that any deceit must have been instantaneously
detected by the powerful, and numerous, and
watchful enemies of the cross. And the evi¬
dence of the prior publicity of the gospels was
so strong, that it remained unchallenged by
Julian, by Porphyry, or by Celsus. The au¬
thenticity of the prophecy thus rests on sure
grounds, and the facts in which it received its
accomplishment are incontestable. Josephus
was one of the most distinguished generals in
the commencement of the Jewish war; he was
an eye-witness of the facts which he records;
he appeals to Vespasian and to Titus for the
truth of his history: it received the singular at¬
testation of the subscription of the latter to its
accuracy: it was published while the facts were
70 Outline oix Prophecy,
recent and notorious; and the extreme careful¬

ness with which he avoids the mention of the
name of Christ, in the history of the Jewish
war, is not less remarkable than the great pre¬
cision with which he describes the events that
verify his predictions. Not a few of the trans¬
actions are also related by Tacitus, Philostratus,
and Dion Cassius.
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CHAPTER VI.
Prophecies Concerning the De¬

struction of Jerusalem,
The different prophecies of Christ respecting

Jerusalem may be condensed into a single view:
“And Jesus went out and departed from the
temple: and his disciples came to him for to show
him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus
said unto them, See ye not all these things? ver¬
ily I say unto you, There shall not be left here
one stone upon another that shall not be thrown
down. And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives,
the disciples came unto him privately, saying,
Tell us, when shall these things be? and what
shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end
of the world? And Jesus answered and said
unto them. Take heed that no man deceive you.
For many shall come in my name saying, I am
Christ; and shall deceive many. And the time
draws near; and ye shall hear of wars, and ru¬
mours of wars,—or commotions; these things
must first come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7^ Outline on Prophecy.
Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom

against kingdom: and great earthquakes shall
be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences,
and fearful sights, and great signs shall there
be from heaven. All these things are the be¬
ginning of sorrows. But, before all these
things, shall they lay their hands upon you, and
persecute you, delivering you up to the syna¬
gogues and in prisons, being brought before
kings and rulers for my name’s sake. And
many shall be offended. Ye shall be betrayed
both by parents and brethren, and kinsfolk and
friends; and some of you shall they cause to be
put to death, and ye shall be hated of all men
for my name’s sake. But there shall not a hair
of your head perish. And many false prophets
will arise and will deceive many; and, because
iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall
wax cold. And the Gospel must first be pub¬
lished among all nations, and then shall the end
come. When ye, therefore, shall see Jerusalem
encompassed with armies, and the abomination
of desolation stand in the holy place, and where
it ought not, then let them which are in Judea
flee to the mountains, and let him which is in
the midst of it depart out. Let him which is on
the housetop not go down into the house, nei¬
ther enter therein to take anything out of his
house. Neither let him that is in the field turn
back again for to take up his garment, for these
Fulfilled Fropliecies. 7S
are the days of vengeance. But woe unto them

that are with child, and to them that give suc.i
in those days; for there will be great distress in
the land, and wrath upon this people—and they
shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be
led captive into all nations. There shall be
great tribulation, such as was not from the be¬
ginning of the world to this time—no, nor ever
shall be,—and Jerusalem shall be trodden down
of the Gentiles, until the time of the Gentiles be
fulfilled. This generation shall not pass away
till all these things be done.
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees—fill ye
up the measure of your fathers. Behold I send
unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes:
.and some of them ye will scourge in your
synagogues, and persecute from city to city.
(All these things shall be done in this genera¬
tion.) O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest
the prophets, and stonest them that are sent
unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy
children together, even as a hen gathereth her
chickens under her wings, and ye would not.
Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.
For I say unto you. Ye shall not see me hence¬
forth till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh
in the name of the Lord.”—Matt. 23: 34-39.
“When he came near, he beheld the city, and
wept over it, saying. If thou hadst known, even
thou, at least in this thy day, the things which
HJf Outline on Prophecy.
belong to thy peace! but now they are hid from

thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee,
that thine enemies shall cast a trench about
thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in
on every side, and shall lay thee even with the
ground, and thy children within thee; and they
shall not leave in thee one stone upon another,
because thou knowest not the time of thy visita¬
tion.”—Luke 19: 41-44.
These prophecies from the Old Testament and
from the New repel the charge of ambiguity.
They are equally copious and clear. History
attests the truth of each and all of them; and a
recapitulation of them forms an enumeration of
the facts. False Christs appeared. Simon Ma¬
gus boasted that he was some great one; Do-
sitheus, the Samaritan, pretended that he was
the lawgiver prophesied of by Moses; Theudas,
promising the performance of a miracle, per¬
suaded a great multitude to follow him to Jor¬
dan, and deceived many. (Joseph. Ant. 20: 5,
1; Jos. 20: 7, 5.) The country was filled with
impostors and deceivers, who induced the peo¬
ple to follow them into the wilderness;—their
credulity became the punishment of their pre¬
vious skepticism, and, in one instance, the tu¬
mult was so great that the soldiers took two hun¬
dred prisoners, and slew twice that number.
“There were wars and rumors of wars; nation
rose against nation, and kingdom against king-
dom.” The Jews resisted the erection of the

statue of Caligula in the temple; and such was
the dread of Roman resentment, that the fields
remained uncultivated. (Joseph, de Bell. 1. 2:
18, 1, 2.) At Caesarea, the Jews and the Syri¬
ans contended for the mastery of the city.
Twenty thousand of the former were put to
death, and the rest were expelled. Every city
in Syria was then divided into two armies and
multitudes were slaughtered. Alexandria and
Damascus presented a similar scene of blood¬
shed. About fifty thousand of the Jews fell in
the former, and ten thousand in the latter.
(Joseph, lib. 2. c. 13; c. 18, 1, 2, 7, 8.) The Jew¬
ish nation rebelled against the Romans; Italy
was convulsed with contentions for the empire;
and, as a proof of the troublous and warlike
character of the period, within the brief space
of two years, four emperors, Nero, Galba, Otho,
and Vitellius, suffered death.
“There were famines, pestilences, and earth¬
quakes in divers places.” In the reign of Clau¬
dius Caesar there were different famines. They
continued to be severe for several years through¬
out the land of Judea. Pestilence succeeded
them. In the same reign there were earth¬
quakes at Rome, at Apamea, and at Crete. In
that of Nero there was an earthquake in Camp¬
ania, and another in which Laodicea, Hierapolis
and Colosse were overthrown, and others are
recorded to have happened in various places be¬

fore the destruction of the city of Jerusalem.
(Suet. Vit. Clau. 18. Tac. Ann. 1. 12, c. 43, 1.
14, c. 27. Jos. 4; 6. Tac. 1. 14. 27; 12. 43, 58.)
“The constitution of nature,” says the Jewish
historian, “was confounded for the destruction
of men, and one might easily conjecture that no
common calamities were portended.” (Jos. 4:
4.) “And there were fearful sights and signs
from heaven.” Tacitus and Jcsephus agree in
relating and in describing events so surprising
and supernatural, that their narrative perfectly
accords with the previous prediction. And the
fact cannot be disputed, that, w^hatever these
sights were, the minds of men -were impressed
with the idea that they were indeed signs from
heaven: and even this could never have been
foreseen by man. There is surely something at
least unaccountable in their prediction and in
their relation by historians unprejudiced and
unfriendly to the cause which their testimony
supports.
The disciples of Jesus were persecuted, im¬
prisoned, afflicted, and hated of all nations, for
his name’s sake, and many of them were put to
death. Peter, Simeon, and Jude were cruci¬
fied. Paul was beheaded; Matthew, Thomas,
James, Matthias, Mark, and Luke were put to
death in different countries, and in various man¬
ners. There was a war against the very name.
Fulfilled Frophecies, 77
They were accused of hatred to the human race.

The prejudices and the interest of the support¬
ers of paganism were everywhere against them;
and, in one memorable instance, Nero, to screen
himself from the guilt of being the incendiary
of his capital, accused the innocent but hated
Christians of that atrocious deed, and inflictad
upon them the most excruciating tortures.
(Tac. Ann. 1. 15. c. 44.) He made their suffer¬
ings a spectacle and a sport to the Romans. To
compensate for his disappointment in not tram¬
pling on the ashes of Rome, as well as to cloak
his iniquity, the monster (for the man and the
monarch were both laid aside) gratified his sav¬
age lust of cruelty by the substitution of one
feast for another; he selected the Christians for
his victims, from the general odium under which
they lay—and their very name became the war¬
rant for that selection, and sufficed to sanction
the infliction of unheard of barbarities. ‘ ‘Many
shall be offended, and shall betray one another;
and the love of many shall wax cold.” The
Apostle of the Gentiles often complained of
false brethren, that many turned away from
him, and that he stood alone, forsaken by all,
when he first appeared before Nero. And Tac¬
itus testifies that very many were convicted, on
evidence of others who had previously been ac¬
cused. ‘‘But the Gospel was published through¬
out the world,” in defiance of all peril and pro¬
secution.
In the age of the apostles, esistles were ad¬

dressed to Christians at Rome, Corinth, Ephes¬
us, Philippi, Colosse, Thessalonica, and in Pon-
tus, Galaiia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.
After Christ delivered this prophecy, he was in
a little time forsaken by all his disciples, and
put to death as a criminal. At their first assem¬
bly, they were a little flock, the number of the
names together were about a hundred and twen¬
ty. And, unpromising as the prospect was, a
few fishermen of Galilee, aided afterward by a
tent-maker of Tarsus, circumscribed not their
labors, in the preaching of the Gospel, by the
boundaries of the Roman empire. Could the re¬
ception or the fate of Christ himself have war¬
ranted such a conclusion? Did ever any cause
triumph by such means? or was ever any cause
opposed like this? And could any thing be
more unlikely to have been clearly forseen, and
positively affirmed? All these events preceded
the destruction of Jerusalem, and then the end
of that city was at hand. The signs of its ap¬
proaching ruin are given as a wârning to depart
from it. ‘ ‘Jerusalem was encompassed with ar¬
mies.” The Roman armies, with their idola¬
trous ensigns, which were an abomination to
the Jews, surrounded it—but, instead of being a
signal for flight, this would naturally have im¬
plied the impossibility of escape, and the warn¬
ing would have been in vain. Yet the words of
Jesus did not deceive his disciples. Cestius

Gallus, the Roman general, besieged Jerusalem;
but immediately after, contrary to all human
probability, an interval was given for escape.
He suddenly and causelessly retreated, though
some of the chief men of the city had offered
to open to him the gates. Josephus acknowl¬
edges that the utmost consternation prevâiled
among the besieged—and that the city would in¬
fallibly have been taken. (Joseph. 1. 2. c. 19,
20.) And he attributes it to the just vengeance
of God, that the city and the sanctuary were not
then taken, and the war terminated at once. He
relates also how many of the most illustrious in¬
habitants departed from the city, as from a sink¬
ing vessel; and how, upon the approach of Ves¬
pasian afterward, multitudes fled from Jericho
into the mountainous country. Thither, and to
the city of Pella, fled all the disciples of Jesus,
as credible historians assert. And amid all the
succeeding calamites, “not a hair of their heads
did perish. ”
“There shall be great tribulation, such as was
not from the beginning of the world to this time
—no, nor ever shall be. There shall be great
distress in the land, and wrath upon this peo¬
ple. These are the days of vengeance. ” Such
are some of the words of Jesus, relative to the
destruction of Jerusalem; and all the previous
prophecies regarding it were of the same sad
import. The particulars of the siege are all re¬

lated by Josephus, and form a detail of miseries
that admit not of exaggeration; and which he
repeatedly declares, in terms that entirely ac¬
cord with the language of prophecy, are alto¬
gether unequalled in the history of the world. —
No general description can give a just idea of
calamities the most terrible that ever nation suf¬
fered. The Jews had assembled in their city
from all the surrounding country, to keep the
feast of unleavened bread. It was crowded with
inhabitants, when they were all imprisoned
within its walls. The passover, which was com¬
memorative of their first great deliverance, had
collected them for their last signal destruction.
Before any external enemy appeared, the fierc¬
est dissensions prevailed—the blood of thou¬
sands was shed by their brethren; they de¬
stroyed and burned in their phrensy their com¬
mon provisions for the siege; they were desti¬
tute of any regular government, and divided in¬
to three factions. On the extirpation of one of
these, each of the others contended for the mas¬
tery. The most ferocious and frantic—the rob¬
bers or zealots, as they are indiscriminately
called, prevailed at last. They entered the tem¬
ple, under the pretence of offering sacrifices,
and carried concealed weapons for the purpose
of assassination. They slew the priests at the
very altar; and their blood, instead of that of the
victims for sacrifice, flowed around it. They

afterward rejected all terms of peace with the
enemy: none were suffered to escape from the
city—every house was entered—every article of
subsistence was pillaged—and the most wanton
barbarities were committed. Nothing could re¬
strain their fury: wherever there was the ap¬
pearance or scent of food, the human blood¬
hounds tracked it out; and, though a general
famine raged around; though they were ever
trampling on the dead; and though the habi-
tations for the living were converted into char¬
nel-houses, nothing could intimidate, or appal,
or satisfy, or shock them, till Mary, the daugh¬
ter of Eleazar, a lady once rich and noble, dis¬
played to them and offered them all her remain¬
ing food, the scent of which had attracted them
in their search—the bitterest morsel that ever
mother or mortal tasted—the remnant of her
half-eaten suckling.
Sixty thousand Roman soldiers unremittingly
besieged them; they encompassed Jerusalem
with a wall, and hemmed them in on every side;
they brought down their high and fenced walls
to the ground; they slaughtered the slaughter¬
ers, they spared not the people; they burned
the temple in defiance of the commands, the
threats, and the resistance of their general.
With it the last hope of all the Jews was extin¬
guished. They raised at the sight a universal
but an expiring cry of sorrow and despair. Ten

thousand were there slain, and six thousand
victims were enveloped in its blaze. The whole
city, full of the famished dying and of the mur¬
dered dead, presented no picture but that of de¬
spair—no scene but of horror. The aqueducts,
and the city-sewers were crowded as the last
refuge of the hopeless. Two thousand were
found dead there, and many were dragged from
thence and slain. The Roman soldiers put all
indiscriminately to death, and ceased not till
they became faint and weary and overpowered
with the work of destruction. But they only
sheathed the sword to light the torch. They
set fire to the city in various places. The fiames
spread every where, and were checked but for
a moment by the red streamlets in every street.
Jerusalem became heaps, and the Mountain of
the house as the high places of the forest.
Within the circuit of eight miles, in the space
of five months—foes and famine, pillage and
pestilence, within—a triple wall around, and be¬
sieged every moment from without—eleven hun¬
dred thousand persons perished—though the tale
of each of them was a tragedy. Was there ever
so concentrated a mass of misery? Could any
prophecy be more faithfully and awfully ful¬
filled? The prospect of his own crucifixion,
when Jesus was on the way to Calvary, was not
more clearly before him, and seemed to affect
Fulfilled Fropliecies, 83
him less, than the fate of Jerusalem. How full

of tenderness, and fraught with truth, was the
sympathetic response of the condoling sufferer
to the wailings and lamentations of the women
who followed him, when he turned unto them,
and beheld the city, which some of them might
yet see wrapped in flames and drenched in
blood, and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, weep
not for me, but weep for yourselves and for your
children. For behold, the days are coming, in
the which they will say. Blessed are the barren,
and the womb that never bare, and the paps
which never gave suck. Then shall they begin
to say to the mountains. Fall on us, and to the
hills. Cover us. For if they do these things in
the green tree, what shall be done in the dry?’'
No impostor ever betrayed such feelings as a.
man, nor predicted events so unlikely, astonish¬
ing, and true, as an attestation of a divine com¬
mission. Jesus revealed the very judgments,
of God; for such the instrument by whom it was;
accomplished interpreted the capture and de¬
struction of Jerusalem, acknowledging that, bis;
own power would otherwise have been ineffect¬
ual. When eulogized for the victory, Titus dis¬
claimed the praise, affirming, that he was only
the instrument of executing the sentence of the
divine justice. And their own historian asserts,
in conformity with every declaration of Scrip¬
ture upon the subject, that the iniquities, of the.
SJf Outline on Prophecy.
Jews Were as unparalleled as their punishment.

All these prophecies, of which we have been
reviewing the accomplishment, were delivered
in a time of perfect peace, when the Jews re¬
tained their own laws, and enjoyed the protec¬
tion, as they were subject to the authority, of
the Roman empire, then in the zenith of its
power. The wonder excited in the minds of his
disciples at the strength and stabiltiy of the tem¬
ple drew forth from Jesus the announcement of
its speedy and utter ruin. He foretold the ap¬
pearance of false Christs and pretended proph¬
ets; the wars and rumors of wars; the famines,
and pestilences, and earthquakes, and fearful
sights that were to ensue; the persecution of his
disciples; the apostasy of many; the propagation
of the Gospel; the sign that should warn his dis¬
ciples to fly from approaching ruin; the encom¬
passing and enclosing of Jerusalem; the griev¬
ous affliction of the tender sex; the unequalled
miseries of all; the entire destruction of the city;
the shortening of their sufferings, that still
some might be saved; and that all this dread
crowd of events, which might well have occu¬
pied the progress of ages, was to pass away
within the limits of a single generation. None
but He who discerns futurity could have fore¬
told and described all these things: and their
complete and literal fulflllment shows them to
be indubitably the revelation of God.
But the prophecies also mark minuter facts,

if possible more unlikely to have happened,
Jerusalem was to be ploughed over as a field;
to be laid even with the ground; of the temple
one stone was not to be left upon another; the
Jews were to be few in number; to be led cap¬
tive into all nations: to be sold for slaves and
none would buy them. And each of these pre¬
dictions was strictly verified. Titus command¬
ed the whole city and the temple to be razed
from the foundation. The soldiers were not
then disobedient to their general. Avarice com¬
bined with duty and with resentment; the altar,
the temple, the walls, and the city were over¬
thrown from the base, in search of the treasures;
which the Jews, beset on every hand by plun¬
derers, had concealed and buried during the
siege. Three towers and the remnant of a wall
alone stood, the monument and memorial of Jer¬
usalem; and ^the city was afterward ploughed
over by Terentius Rufus. In the siege, and in
the previous and subsequent destruction of the
cities and villages of Judea, according to the
specified enumeration of Josephus, about one
million three hundred thousand suffered death;
ninety-seven thousand were led into captivity.
They were sold for slaves, and were so despised
and disesteemed, that many remained unpur¬
chased. And their conquerors were so prodigal
of their lives, that, in honor of the birthday of
Domitian, two thousand five hundred of them

were placed, in savage sport, to contend with
wild beasts, and otherwise to be put to death.
But the miseries of their race were not then
at a close. There was a curse on the land, that
hath scathed it, a judgment on the people that
hath scattered them throughout the world.
Many prophecies respecting them yet remain to
be considered, and much of their history is yet
untold. The prophecies are as clear as the facts
are visible.
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CHAPTER VII.
The Future of Israel, and their

Restoration as a Nation.
(Rom. 11: 25-29 )
25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignor¬
ant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own
conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel,
until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.
26 And 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:
27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall
take away their sins.
28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your
sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for
the fathers’ sakes.
29 For the gifts and calling of God are without re¬
pentance.
In the prophetic Scriptures of the Old and
New Testament there are revealed to us three
principal truths which are to become historical
facts in the near future, but are to-day fulfilled
only by a few characteristic signs. We have in
view here, first of all, the future of Israel, that
they shall return to their calling to which they
are called by God, namely, to be messengers of

the tidings of salvation. Secondly, we have
reference to the reign of Antichrist to take
place at the conclusion of the church-dispensa¬
tion; and finally, we look for the glorious com¬
ing of our Savior, to take into His heavenly
kingdom those that wait for Him.
It is not our intention to treat these subjects
in the details of their development, but we would
with the help of the Lord give in a few para¬
graphs an outline of these important truths.
If we wish to obtain an understanding of
Scriptural prophecy, it means for us to enter in¬
to the secret closet and shut the door, in other
words, turn our eyes from the conditions and
circumstances as we see them to-day, and have
childlike faith in the Word of God as it reveals
to us hidden things which the natural man is
not able to discern.
What the result will be of looking at conditions
round about us and not believing the word of
prophecy, is pointed out to us in 2 Kings 7; 17
where the captain would not believe the prophet
Elisha who predicted a time of plenty, because
from all appearance that was an impossibility.
The subject which we have before us is the
restoration of Israel as a nation. The expecta¬
tion of such a restoration of the Jewish people
found expression omong the disciples of Jesus.
In their hearts they fostered the hope of a glori-
The Future of Israel. 89
ous future for their people, and even after the

resurrection of Jesus when the Christian church
was to be established, this hope again found a
lively expression in the question they asked
their Master whether he would at that time
again restore the kingdom of Israel (Acts 1: 6,
7). The answer of the Lord was that it was not
then necessary for them to know the times or
the seasons when this was to become a fact. At
any rate the answer implies clearly that there
shall be a time when the Lord shall restore that
kingdom.
Our text closes with the words that the gifts
and calling of God are not repented of. It is
true, Israel has not heeded the voice of the
Lord, and until this day they are far from that
to which the Lord has called and foreordained
them. If the Israel of to-day should represent
the final development of the ancient nation of
the covenant, we could not avert a certain feel¬
ing of grief, coupled with the impression that it
was not possible with God to make out of his
own “people of the covenant” what He had pur¬
posed that they should finally be.
If, on the other hand, we look only for a few
moments into the prophetic Scriptures and let
our attention be directed to the promises which
are yet in the future for Israel, we can well
comprehend what the apostle Paul says in the
eleventh chapter of Romans in regard to the
Jews. We are glad for Israel when we see

what God has yet in store for them as a people;
the greatest joy, hoTvever, is to know that what¬
ever our God takes into his hand, will be glori¬
ously performed, in spite of Satan who opposes
it and seeks to frustrate the purpose of God.
We first take into consideration a few leading
thoughts regarding the restoration of Israel, as
they are revealed in the prophets. Hosea 3: 4
we read that the children of Israel shall for
many days be without a king and without a
prince and without a sacrifice and without a
sanctuary. This has even for many centuries
been fulfilled. Israel has lost all this, and it
could indeed not be otherwise. God could not
any longer permit them to continue in their
typical worship after He had in Christ given
them the true Gospel. In consequence of re¬
jecting the redemption in Christ, they have lost
their former worship. In the fifth verse, how¬
ever, we read: “Afterward shall the children of
Israel return and seek the Lord their God, and
David (Jesus) their king and shall fear the Lord
and his goodness in the latter days. ” Verse 4
has been literally fulfilled on Israel, of which
fact we are daily eye-witnesses; would it not be
rash on our part to doubt the fulfillment of the
fifth verse in which we are told that the conver¬
sion of Israel shall take place in the latter days?
Israel in Hosea’s time refused to believe that
it could become a fact that they should be scat¬

tered and loose all they had. The nation at that
time enjoyed a high measure of prosperity and
all indications were that the highest point was
not yet reached. The Holy Spirit, however,
looked deeper and revealed to them their com¬
ing ruin hundreds of years before it came.
When we see to-day how hardened the Jew
generally is toward the truth, it is natural for
us to become discouraged and to ask ourselves
whether indeed there is yet hope for this peo¬
ple. If, however, we inquire into the Word of
God, we have the assurance that what He has
purposed to do. He will also perform in spite of
all opposing forces.
Hosea 5: 15 to 6: 3 gives us further revelation
regarding the future of Israel, and in a few
words presents a survey of the extent of the
time in which the passage Hosea 3: 5, shall be¬
gin to be fulfilled. Chapter 5: 15 we hear as it
were Jesus Himself saying: ‘tl will go and re¬
turn to my place, till they acknowledge their of¬
fence and seek my face.” Jesus, when He was
upon the earth, revealed Himself to his people
as a king, but they rejected Him and He has re¬
turned to his heavenly place. In the beginning
of the sixth chapter the Holy Ghost lays the fol¬
lowing words in the mouth of the people: “Come
and let us return unto the Lord, for He hath torn
and He will heal us. He hath smitten and He
92 Outline on FropTiecy'.
will bind us up. After two days He will receive

us: in the third day He shall raise us up and we
shall live in his sight. ” In the third verse he
describes further how they then will give ear to
the Lord, and that He will be to them as a bless¬
ed rain.
We have previously called attention to the
fact that prophetic days are not days of twenty-
four hours, but are periods. Such days some¬
times comprise a year, sometimes, three hun¬
dred anrl sixty years, in other passages even one
thousand years. The Scriptures here have ref¬
erence to days comprising a thousand years;
even the Rabbis of old give this interpretation
to the above quoted prophecy; and although the
passage is not altogether clear to them, they in¬
terpret it to mean that after two thousand years
of contempt and scorn under the chastening rod
of the Lord, He will have mercy on them and
restore them again as a nation. According to
Ezek. 36 and many other passages, the gather¬
ing into their country will take place before
their conversion, as we shall see later.
Acts 15 we find the apostles assembled in an
earnest consultation. They were, it would ap¬
pear at a loss to know what measures to take,
since more and more enmity against the Gospel
was manifested by the Jews, and they, as a peo¬
ple, rejected the truth. The Gentiles, on the
other hand, became gradually more eager to re-
'Ceive it, multitudes joining the ranks of the be¬

lievers. After a long counsel James arose with
a message from the Lord; his words found the
consent of the whole assembly. He said that
the declaration of Simon that God had accepted
into his covenant a people from the Gentiles,
was in accordance with the words of the proph¬
ets, as it is written, “After this will I return
and will build again the tabernacle of David,
which is fallen down; and I will build again the
ruins thereof, and I will set it up.” This prom¬
ise we find almost literally in Amos 9: 9-11. At
all events, it was at that time not clear to the
apostles how long would be the interval of time
until the fullness of the Gentiles should have
entered in; one thing, however, was clear to
them, that after this there will yet come a par¬
ticular season of grace, when the tabernacle
which has fallen down will be built again and
the natural branches again be grafted into the
olive tree.
Romans 11, verses 11 and 12 the apostle gives
us a glimpse of the future of Israel; he states in
verse 11 that in their run they did not fall but
that they stumbled. God in his grace has laid
in their way tiie stone of offence, the rock Christ
Jesus, that they should not walk farther with¬
out accepting this rock as their corner stone.
Israel, however, was so wrapped up in their
own righteousness, and their eye was directed
9 If Outline on Prophecy,
to themselves in such measure, that they did

not even see the rock, and therefore they stum¬
bled and are in fact since then stumbling; but
this shall cease in due time.
Paul looks still deeper and sees the blessing
which has come to the nations through the fact
t»~at Israel stumbled and the Gentiles were
placed in Israel’s office to be messengers of the
Gospel of Christ. He sees that if even this is
so great a blessing, what a blessing indeed it
will be for the nations when Israel is brought'
back to their God, to occupy their office as a
sanctified priesthood. (Ex. 19).
Ezek. 37: 1-8, we find the prophet in the midst
of a large field full of dry bones which were
scattered everywhere and were very dry. Isra¬
el is spiritually so dry that they appear wholly
insusceptible for higher things of a divine or¬
der; and if the Lord should ask us whether we
believe that there shall yet come life into these
dry bones, we should be obliged to answer with
the prophet, “O Lord God, thou knowest. ”
Nevertheless when the Lord commanded him
to prophesy, he obeyed, and there was a won¬
derful noise among the dry bones, and they
came together again and were even again cov¬
ered with sinews and fiesh.
How clearly have we here the picture of a
restoration of Israel as a nation. We may
even say that we already have arrived at the
The Fatitre of Israel, 95
time when this promise is slowly beginning to

be fulfilled. In almost every country where Is¬
rael is represented, the sounding noise from
among the dry bones is heard. Israel’s eye is
directed to Palestine, they make provisions to
occupy that country again and inhabit it; their
plans and constitutions for its government even
are said to be already prepared. We believe the
prophecies of the Holy Scriptures, and there¬
fore watch with the highest interest the commo¬
tions of Israel.
A remarkable and frequently repeated pre¬
diction concerning the gathering together of
Israel is this that they shall come out of the
north country. The prophet Jeremiah alone
expresses this thought at least five times. ^
Jeremiah 23: 7, 8 it is said that they shall
come out of the north country and from all the
countries whither they' had been driven. Chap.
31: 8, 9 he says again that they shall come from
the north country, even the blind and the lame,
the woman with child and they that travail with
child together, a great company. This passage
points out a progress of immigration into the
promised land; not only do the young go for the
sake of temporal gain, but the whole nation is
in commotion and is influenced by the Holy
Ghost to such an extent that even bodily ail¬
ment and the like will not prevent their joining
the procession. Chap. 16: 14-16 he again sees
the people move from the north country to Pal¬

estine. In this paragraph it is shown how the
Lord by a severe persecution causes the people
to move from the strange country into their
own land.
A clear picture we have also in the prophet
Jonah, and Jesus himself says that no other
sign shall be given to this generation than the
sign of that prophet, because they were indeed
hardened and not in a condition to accept the
light at the time when Jesus was upon the earth.
Jonah was prejudiced against the Gentiles and
was unwilling to obey the commandment of God.
For two days God cast him into the depth of the
sea and on the third day the fish threw him out
again on the shore. He is a type of Israel who
were disobedient to God. They were filled with
hatred toward the Gentiles and not willing to
bring them the message of peace, which they
themselves failed to accept. The Lord allowed
them to be cast into the sea of the nations, and
after two prophetic days shall the nations cast
them out, then they will be restored into their
promised country.
Both the house of Judah and of Israel shall
together return to their country. The house of
Israel was led into captivity over two hundred
years before Judah, and even to-day we have no
definite knowledge of what has become of the
ten tribes; only this we know that very many
The Future of Israel, 97
were unmercifully slain in captivity. Jeremiah

3: 18, we read that both shall come from the
north country, which would appear to have ref¬
erence to no other country than Russia. Nearly
one-half of all the Jews live in that country, and
the immigration to Palestine also is the most
numerous from Russia.
It is supposed by some that the ten tribes are
to be found in England, yet the above passage
together with some others are not reconcilable
to that view. In this passage it is stated that
the house of Judah shall go to the house of Is¬
rael and that both shall together go into their
country; this alone is sufficient evidence to show
that the ten tribes can not be the Anglo-Saxons.
Some will tell us that all the glorious promises
found in the prophets concerning the future of
Israel have already been fulfilled in the return
from Babvlon; this assertion, however, will nei¬
ther stand the test. Ezra 2: 1 it is clearly stated
that only some of those returned who had been
taken captive to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar.
Since Nebuchadnezzar had only taken the house
of Judah captive to Babylon, and Israel had at
this time already been in captivity for two hun¬
dred years, and we read that both houses to¬
gether shall come, it is quite clear that this has
reference to another gathering which is to come
later. The prophet Isaiah takes up the subject
of the restoration of Israel and their glorious
98 Outline on PeopJiecij,
future at least twenty-five times. We will here

quote only the passage in Chap. 11: 12, 13: “And
He shall set up an ensign for the nations and
shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather
together the dispersed of Judah from the four
corners of the earth. The envy also of Ephraim
shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall
be cut off; Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and
Judah shall not vex Ephraim.” This passage
also tells us that there shall be a union of both
houses which are to be gathered from the four
corners of the earth. In the thirty-seventh
chapter of Ezekiel we have indeed a detailed
prophecy how the Lord shall reunite the two
houses and that they shall never again be di¬
vided, but shall for all future be under the one
shepherd whom they shall serve faithfully.
(Ezek. 37: 18-24.)
• •
. V
CHAPTER VIII.
The Development of the Kingdom

of Antichrist.
(Daniel 11: 36-45.)
36 And 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 accom¬
plished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor
the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall
magnify himself above all.
38 But in his estate shall he honor the God of forces;
and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honor
with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and'
pleasant things.
39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with w
strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase-
with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many,,
and shall divide the land for gain.
40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the-
south push at him: and the king of the north shall come-
against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with
horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into*
the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and
many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall
L.cfG.
escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the
chief of the children of Ammon.
42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the coun¬
tries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold
and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt:
and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his
steps.
44 But tidings out of the east and out of the north
shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great
fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.
45 And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace
between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he
shall come to his end, and none shall help him.
In the previous chapter we have left the chil¬
dren of Israel in their own country where they
have again become a nation. Endeavoring, as
we do, to take the three important subjects,
namely, the Future of Israel, the Kingdom of
Antichrist and the Second Coming of the Lord,
in the order in which they shall occur, we are
compelled to leave the subject of the Future of
Israel for a time and take up the second topic,
the Kingdom of Antichrist, which shall take its
beginning at the time of the restoration of Isra¬
el. We would say right here that it is not our
intention to engage in speculation or give much
time to'historical details; we shall keep close to
the Word ascertaining what it has revealed to
us. We also must not forget to distinguish be¬
tween the spirit of Antichrist’s kingdom and
that kingdom itself. The spirit of Antichrist
Development of Antichrist. 101
was manifested in every period of Bible history;

the actual kingdom, however, in which a king
shall reign who in the Holy Scriptures is spoken
of as Antichrist, will be manifested in the last
times and shall be of only a short duration. The
word Antichrist denotes a being in utmost en¬
mity toward Christ and his believers. To get
to the bottom of this matter we should first of
all understand the meaning of standing for or
against Christ.
This may perhaps at once become clear to us
through the two types, which we find even
in the garden of Eden: the one the tree of life
(Christ), the other the tree of knowledge of
good and evil (Antichrist).
Man, created out of dust and filled with tue
breath of God, was placed in this garden to de¬
velop, and, feeding upon the tree of life, to be
filled more and more with the divine life; the
tree of knowledge was to be left untouched by
him. In this manner man was by obedience to
be made free indeed from that which is natural
and earthly, and was to pass over into the di¬
vine. There was, however, no compulsion. The
tree of knowledge was not surrounded by a
boundary, as the mount of Sinai when the
law was given—God gave only the command,
“Touch it not.” At any event it was possible
for man to become disobedient and take of that
tree, which in fact happened in course of time.
102 Outline on Frophecy,
Now the import of this was to develop the nat¬

ural and lose the heavenly, or in other words
let the flesh have the upperhand to the suppres¬
sion of that which is spiritual.
Here we have in few words the character of
Christ and Antichrist. In Christ that which is
natural in us shall die, and that which is godly
shall be imparted unto us; as Adam’s life was
maintained by his partaking of the tree of life,
so for us all life is from Christ.
Antichrist stands for the most complete devel¬
opment of sinful human nature, by the power of
darkness, utterly excluding the divine life which
is manifested to us in Christ.
Our first mother, Eve, having heard that the
tree “maketh wise,” striving for self-develop¬
ment to such a degree as to give her independ¬
ence from God, fell into the trap. Here we
have the fundamental character of Antichrist:
a development and reformation of man to a de¬
gree where he supposes to have no longer any
need of God. Since Satan succeeded to over¬
come our first parents with this delusion, he
will use this as his principal weapon until he
shall be cast into the abyss.
We shall notice later that all kinds of sin shall
abound in the kingdom of Antichrist; all these
sins, however, are the consequences of the one
sin of being lifted up against God through the
attempt to place self on the throne instead of
Development of Antichrist, 103
surrendering to Him who alone is able to make

free from sin.
Observing farther the development of Anti¬
christ, we find it taking place in every instance
by the side of the chosen people of the Lord,
even as in Eden the two trees stood by each oth¬
er’s side. As different in every respect as were
the two trees in Eden, even so great is the differ¬
ence in the way and manner in which these two
powers are endeavoring to win mankind. In
order to win men for his kingdom, the Lord will
lead them away from sin, offering to them some¬
thing better. Antichrist’s plan is to use force
in order to bring men under his dominion, and
all those who refuse to do homage to him he will
destroy.
We have the manifestation of this spirit even
in the first children of Adam and Eve. Abel is
the representative of Christ, Cain the repre¬
sentative of Antichrist. Cain, despising the
idea of a bloody sacrifice, brought his offer¬
ing in his own righteousness. When he be¬
came aware that he was not acceptable in this,
the next thought was to exterminate the divine
seed. Concerning the development of both these
seeds until the time of the flood, we see that the
sinful seed had the victory; it became necessary
til at the Lord should send judgment. Having
destroyed the wicked, he made a new covenant
with Noah.
104 Outline on Pi'ophecy.
Yet Satan also was not inactive. No sooner

was everything put in order w'hen, under the
new condition of things, he began his work of
destruction through the seed of Ham. Not
many years after the flood we see the spirit of
Antichrist so far advanced that Babel could be
built by the seed of Ham, in the land of Shinar,
their principal place of abode. According to
the prophet Zechariah, chap. 5: 11, it seems that
that land shall be the principal stronghold of
Antichrist even in the future. Zechariah sees
two women with the ephah of wickedness fleeing
to the country of Shinar where a house shall be
built to this wickedness. These passages seem
to have reference partly to the spiritual Babel,
yet it is necessary to be cautious not to spirit¬
ualize the Holy Scriptures too much, otherwise
there is danger of losing sobriety and that the
Bible will not be used for the purpose for which
it is given by God.
In this land of Shinar, the work of the power
of darkness was continued and the tower of Ba¬
bel built. At all events we have here a type of
Antichrist. By means of the tovrer of Babel
men endeavored to become again entirely inde¬
pendent, to make themselves a name, to defy
the power of God, and to find a way of escape
where punishment could not reach them. Again
the Lord was obliged to interfere and to frus¬
trate their work by the confusion of tongues.
Development of Antichrist. 105
By this, men, it is true, were not made better,

but their plan to cause all mankind to rise in a
revolt against God and establish the kingdom
of Antichrist, was frustrated.
God chose another messenger of the tidings
of salvation in Abraham, in order that the
knowledge of God might not be lost to the world,
and a divine seed might be preserved in it until
God Himself, having taken upon Him the form
of a servant, could be made manifest upon the
earth.
Again, in the second generation of this chosen
one of God, we find Satan already successful in
winning Esau for his plans. Esau, the brother
of Jacob, became his deadly enemy.
When Jacob returned to the promised land,
Esau was obliged to leave and yield it to him;
he went to mount Seir and became the father of
the Edomites (Gen. 36: 1-10). The Edomites
were the bitterest enemies of the people of God,
endeavoring at all times to cause their downfalL
Particular complaints against the Edomites are
found in Psalm 187 and in the prophet Obadiah.
Romulus, the founder of Rome, was according
to the Talmud an Edomite, for that reason Rome
is called by the Jews “the cruel kingdom of
Edom.” If this should prove to be correct, the
kingdom of Antichrist would descend from
Edom, for as we shall see later, Antichrist shall
be born out of the Romish kingdom.
Oftentimes in the history of Israel, we find
Edomites endeavoring to meddle with the des¬
tiny of the people of God; and we even find them
to occupy influential j>ositions in Israel.
Under king Saul we find a Doeg. When Saul
gave command to slay the priests innocently, no
Israelite was found willing to perform so dia¬
bolic a deed, but Doeg the Edomite, murdered
the priests in cold blood. At the time of the
birth of Christ, was even the holy land in the
hands of the Edomites, since the house of Herod
descended from that people. Even so it shall
be at the second coming of the Lord—the king¬
dom shall be in the hands of Antichrist. At
that time, however, they shall not obtain their
purpose to put to death the Son of God, but he
shall destroy his enemy by the spirit of his
mouth.
If we have in Ham and Esau and their seed
seen two factors by which Antichrist’s kingdom
shall be developed, we know further that the
third factor of that kingdom shall be an apos¬
tate Christendom (1 John 2; 18-23). The apos¬
tle says that the adherents of Antichrist went
out from them, adding however that they were
not of them, had never been born of God. Those
who are nominally Christians counting them¬
selves to the Christian church, but are not born
again of the Holy Ghost, shall in the last days
unite with Antichrist’s kingdom.
As Ishmael, who was born after the flesh, be-

»came the enemy of Isaac, and through his de¬
scendants, the Mohammedans, has caused more
bloodshedding among those that constitute the
ohurch of God than any other people, so all the
nominal Christians who are born only after na¬
ture shall finally turn out to be the bitterest en¬
emies of the people of God, and the kingdom of
Antichrist shall through the so-called Christians
reach its complete development. Having seen
•at the outset that the tree of knowledge of
good and evil was a type of Autichrist and in
fact contained the seed for his development, and
having seen further that the tower of Babel is
another type, indicating, as it does, a progress
of development, we have a particularly clear
type of Antichrist in Mohammed who was a de¬
scendant of Ishmael. For nearly one thousand
years this terrible Mohammedan power of des¬
truction. was flourishing, and Satan succeeded
in ruining millions of souls by means of it, and
from all appearance it shall also play an impor¬
tant part in the kingdom of Antichrist.
Another type we have in Antiochus IV. This
tyrant, however, is even more than a type, he
was the Antichrist of the Jewish church. Daniel,
in chapter 11, gives, in a prophetic sense, a full
description of the deeds of atrocity of Antiochus
IV. Daniel 11; 1-20 treats cf the kings of the
south and of the north, i. e., Egypt and Syria.
108 Outline on Fropkecij,
Between these two kingdoms there was a prO'

tracted war; sometimes the one had victory,,
sometimes the other. In verses 21 to 35 we
have a detailed description of the deeds of An-
tiochus IV who was nothing more than a usur¬
per. He had been sent to Rome with other no¬
bles as a hostage to guarantee the payment of
the large debt which the Romans had exacted
from his country. His brother Vv^ho was king-
died early and Antiochus by means of money
and flattery, succeeded to usurp the throne. He’
was a worthless fellow; nevertheless, by his au^
dacity he gained a number of great victories.
Having not been able to subjugate Egypt wnich
was in league with Rome, he on his leturn home
vented his wrath upon the Jews, shedding
streams of innocent blood. For a diabolic mock -
ery of the Jewish religion, he offered sacrifices
of swine upon their altar and murdered in the
most horrible manner the Jews who refused te
eat swine’s flesh. The pious Jews recognized
in him the tyrant of the eleventh chapiter of
Daniel. Even Dan. 11: 36-45 has reference prin-
cipally to Antiochus, yet the Holy Spirit look -
ing deeper, sees in him rather a type, since the'
true Antichrist shall in the last days be eve n.
more cruel toward the believers.
Paul also in 2 Thess, 2: 4 sees that the fulfill¬
ment of this type will take place in the future;
and as Antiochus intruded into the temple pro^
faned divine worship, so the time will come
when the real Antichrist will declare himself to
be God, and in the temple of God demand for
himself divine honor.
Nations are preparing for the final battle of
this world in which Antichrist will be the head.
The following news was received at Washington
which shows the great increase of naval power
in the different nations:
Washington, July 28.—News comes to the Navy Depart¬
ment that the powers of the world are feverishly active
in naval construction, and that they are augmenting their
fighting strength at a rate surpassing all previous records.
The reports show Great Britain to be easily first in
her naval progress, with France a poor second, and Ger¬
many and Russia about even with the United States.
Great Britain is much stronger according to expert
opinion, than France and Russia combined. The position
of the United States, according to foreign estimates,
should be as near France now as either Germany or
Russia. The following shows what each power of the old
world is doing in the way of increasing its naval force:
Great Britain’s stupendous plan of naval increase
makes that of other nations look small in comparison.
The British Government, in order to maintain a force
equal to that of any two other powers, is forced to ex¬
pend millions of pounds annually on warships Three
battleships of 16,500 tons, two of 15,000 tons, six of
14,000 tons, and three more recent ships of 15,000 tons,
comprise its fleet of battleships now under construction.
Of the armored cruiser class Great Britain is building
the enormous number of twenty-four, ranging from
14,100 tons’ displacement down to 9,800 tons. Of the pro¬
tected cruiser class she is building only six, and of the
gunboat class a score or more, while her torpedo boats’
increase is limited to half a dozen, and her submarine
boats to about the same number Of the latter class, the
British service is yet in the experimental stage, and cares
little for them.
The French programme contemplates that thirty-seven
vessels will be laid down during the present year;
These are to be four battleships of 14,865 tons, two ar¬
mored cruisers of 12,550 tons, two destroyers each of
303 tons, sixteen first-class torpedo boats, and thirteen
submarine boats. At the end of the present year there-
will be under construction in all for the French navy
119 vessels.
Germany is following a programme of increase agreed,
upon some years ago and designed to place her ahead
of Russia and the United States in amount of tonnage
completed. Her fighting ships building now compose
four 13,000-ton battleships, five 15,000-ton vessels of the
same class, and two of 11,130 tons. Four armored
cruisers of heavy displacement and a dozen protected
cruisers are also a part of her increase plan. Germany
is also building a number of gunboats and torpedo boats»
After many years of inactivity in naval matters Italy
has begun her naval efficiency on the seas, and is now
building seven first-class battleships of modern design
and carrying heavy batteries. She is also building a
large armored pruiser and a number of other classes of'
war vessels.
Japan’s naval strength is growing rapidly, and in¬
cludes now under construction a first-class battleship and
a large number of cruisers and torpedo boat craft. A
new programme of naval expansion recently agreed to
provides for four battleships of 15,000 tons each and
two armored cruisers of 9,000 each and a number o*f
smaller cruisers
Russia is building five 12,000-ton battleships, five of
13,516 tons,and seven varying from 12 ,000 to 5,000 tons.
In addition there are thirty cruisers of miscellaneous
vessels, including a large fleet of torpedo boats.
Spain is beginning to show signs of some naval activ¬
ity, and may soon begin to revive some of her naval glory.
It has been recommended by a special board appointed
by the Queen Regent tha*i provision should be made for
laying the keels of twelve battleships, four a mored
cruisers, and a number of other ships. Some of her
ships now building have been on the ways over tea years
and are yet far from completion.
THE DR\fi:)N AND THE WOMAN
CHAPTER IX.
Antichrist, his Reign and Character,
In the previous chapter we have been per¬

mitted to gather out of the Holy Scriptures some
fundamental ideas concerning the development
of the kingdom of Antichrist. We shall by the
help of the Eord in this chapter treat more fully
of his reign and character.
The first question regarding Antichrist will
be concerning his origin. This must be two¬
fold, as Christ also is of twofold origin. Ac¬
cording to the flesh, Christ was a Jew; accord-
to the spirit, He obtained his power from the
throne of God. According to the flesh. Anti¬
christ must in accordance with divine prophecy
come from the Romish kingdom, as we shall see
later from Daniel chapters 1 and 7. As for his
invisible power, he has it directly from Satan.
Rev. 13: 2, we are told that the dragon gives
him his power and his seat. It is this which
the Devil offered to the Savior in his temptation,
asking him at the same time to acknowledge him
as his superior. Since Satan failed to overcome
112 Outline on FrojyJiecy,
Christ, he is seeking for another person to do

him homage, and to whom he can give this
power.
When the fullness of the time was come, God
sent his Son, and when the fullness of time for
it will be at hand, and the kingdom of Anti¬
christ fully manifested, the Lord will no longer
hinder Satan from pretending to be the Mes¬
siah.
We find everywhere that it is Satan’s purpose
to imitate the deeds of God, he produces coun¬
terfeits with which he deceives his followers.
It is even so in matters of religion; the need of
it is deeply realized by man, and the Devil does
not dispute this, but rather makes use of it to
practice deceit.
Since the Lord knows that mankind is satis¬
fied only with a celestial leader, and it is the
Father’s plan to give the kingdom to his anoint¬
ed one, Satan imitating God gives the world a
leader after his own fashion. And as God de¬
livered up the kingdom to his Son, so Satan
gives the power and dominion to his son, the
Antichrist. That this dominion can be only of
short duration, is evident, because the Son of
God has by his death again purchased the
world. The kingdom of Antichrist can continue
only until God Almighty shall interfere and
command it to halt.
Why it is that the Lord permits such a king-
Antichrists Reign. IIS
dom to exist, is clear from 2 Thess. 2: 3-12;

viz., because men have not believed the truth,
God shall send them strong delusion that the
persistent wickedness of their heart may become
ripe for eternal destruction.
We will yet give our attention to a few
thoughts in the divine prophecy of Daniel, chap¬
ters two and seven, which treat of the same sub¬
ject; namely, the destiny of the world until the
kingdoms of it shall become the kingdoms of
the Son of God who shall rule them as their
King. The four worldly kingdoms are repre¬
sented to us in types, and in these types the
prophet shows that the fourth kingdom shall
exist until the second coming of the Lord. We
also see from these types that the fourth king¬
dom shall develop into the kingdom of Anti¬
christ.
Although the pictures in the above two men¬
tioned chapters represent the same thing and
give the same revelation, yet there is much dif¬
ference in their appearance. We may notice
from this that the Lord is to some extent depend¬
ent on man in revealing himself through human
instrumentality.
In the second chapter of Daniel, the Lord re¬
veals the future through a heathen king who
saw in a dream the great shining image of a
man. In the seventh chapter of Daniel the Lord
reveals himself through his saintly servant
Daniel who sees the governments of the future

as ravenous beasts. The golden head in chapter
two is represented in chapter seven as a devour¬
ing lion. Daniel himself gives the interpretation
of this picture as representing the Chaldaic
kingdom, which had its origin about 625 B. C.
and fell in 536 B. C.
In following the picture, Nebuchadnezzar sees
on the man a breast of silver. For this breast of
silver, Daniel sees, in chapter seven, a ravenous
bear having bones of a man in his mouth. This
represented the Medo-Persian kingdom which,
in 536 B. C., under Cyrus, subdued the Chal¬
deans and became the great world power until
the year 330 B. C.
Nebuchadnezzar further sees a man with bra¬
zen thighs, while Daniel sees a leopard having
four heads, representing the Grecian kingdom
-which was later divided into four parts. The
wings of the beast are without doubt indicative of
the rapidity of the development of this kingdom.
Alexander the Great subjugated the Medo-
Persian kingdom in 330 B. C. Later the king¬
dom was divided among four of his generals,
and continued to exist until 60 B. C.
Finally, Nebuchadnezzar sees in his picture
the legs and feet of this man to be partly of iron
and partly of clay, the kingdom only seemingly
strong, but lacking the necessary coherence.
Clay and iron can not be mixed together. This,
.'/Jifi(-lilieion. 115
at all events, has reference to the social con¬

ditions of our day. The world powers no
longer feel secure. Instead of these legs, Dan¬
iel sees in his picture so terrible a beast that
the Bible has no name for it. Daniel says that
this fourth beast was exceedingly dreadful and
indeed powerful, having teeth of iron and crush¬
ing with its feet what it could not devour—he
sees the beast with seven heads and three horns.
The interpretation of Daniel shows clearly that
the Roman empire is represented by this terri¬
ble picture. That empire became a world power
about 60 B. C. It ruled over all the world as
no kingdom before it. The seven heads, with¬
out doubt, have reference to the seven different
administrations of this kingdom. The ten horns
indicate the same as the ten toes of the two feet,
having reference to the form of the government
in the kingdom of Antichrist. Ten kings shall
reign under the sovereignty of Antichrist.
After this, Daniel in both pictures sees the
end approaching. The Roman empire which
later was divided into an eastern and western
kingdom, is at the present time represented by
twenty three states; namely, seven of the east¬
ern and sixteen of the western kingdom. Bax¬
ter, who is well versed in general history, is of
the opinion that through a general European
war which is now impending, the old Roman em¬
pire shall be divided into ten states or kingdoms.
116 Outline on Prophecy-
He further brings historical proof to show

that the house of Napoleon descended from the
royal family of ancient Macedonia, and conse¬
quently believes that Antichrist will be a de¬
scendant of the house of Napoleon. We will
keep close to the Scriptures in which it is re¬
vealed to us that Antichrist will be a statesman
from what was once the Roman Empire; of what
house that person shall be is of less conse¬
quence.
In the second chapter, Daniel sees a stone
rolling from a mountain, dashing against the
feet of the image and breaking it to pieces.
The stone then became a mountain which filled
the whole earth. This indicates to us, first, that
the Son of God, of whom the stone is a type,
shall be the ruler of a kingdom which shall
cover the whole world; second, that this shall
take place at the time of the down-fall of the
states which formerly constituted the Roman
Empire, because the stone dashes against the
feet of the image.
In chapter seven, he sees a more advanced stage
of development, beholding a horn which is a
type of false religion, usurping even worldly
power. Of this we shall treat more fully in the
next chapter (Rev. 13).
Even here, however, Daniel sees the whole
matter coming to a conclusion. He beholds the
Ancient of days sitting on a throne which was
Antichrist’s Beilin, 117
flaming with fire. He sees the books opened
and Antichrist judged; also, thousand thousands
ministering unto him, and one like the Son of
man coming with the clouds of heaven, and ob¬
taining dominion over all the kingdoms of this
world. He concludes this glorious prophecy
with these words: “And the kingdom and do¬
minion and the greatness of the kingdom under
the whole heaven shall be given to the people
of the saints of the Most High. ”
We will now give our attention to a few other
revelations found in the New Testament con¬
cerning the kingdom of Antichrist. In Revela¬
tion six, we have four horsemen on their differ¬
ent horses. First, we have the horseman on the
white horse—a symbol of victorious truth.
This must refer to a period shortly before the
development of the kingdom of Antichrist. At
any event, we have many reasons forUthankful¬
ness toward God that we live yet in this period
which extends from the time of the re formation
to the beginning of Antichrist’s kin gdom. This
horseman on the white horse is foil owed by the
second one on a red horse, which can signify
only war and shedding of blood. It is obvious
that the kingdom of Antichrist can not obtain
dominion over all the worldly powers, and he
can nob maintain himself on his throne except
by much blood-shedding. The beast also on
which the harlot comes is described as a scar
let-colored beast, because throughout the reign

of Antichrist, blood shall be shed in streams:
first, indeed, the blood of those who will refuse
to do homage to Antichrist; and second, the
blood of those who do not accept the sign of the
beast. Again, but now for the last time, the
blood of martyrs shall flow as never before. As
in the French Revolution, the attempt was made
to exterminate everything divine, and the guil¬
lotine was engaged day and night, so and much
more terrible shall be the rule of Antichrist.
In the book of Esther, already, wê have a type
of this diabolic person in Haman, who was the
highest in rank in the kingdom of Ahasuerus.
He demanded divine adoration, and when Mor-
decai refused to do him reverence, Haman would
not be contented with less than the extermin¬
ation of all the Jews. To exterminate the people
of the Lord is the aim of Antichrist. He shall
sit in the temple of God claiming divine author¬
ity (2 Thess. 2: 4), and all who refuse to ac¬
knowledge him as God, shall be destroyed.
What the consequence of so bloody a reign shall
be, is indicated by the third horse following
hard after the second. It is black, and the
horseman holds a pair of scales in his hand—a
picture of famine which is sure to follow when
almost the whole world is under arms, a few
only remaining to till the ground, and the little
that may be at hand is destroyed by war. This
AnticlKvisfs Ilei^n- 119
is followed by the fourth horse, pale in appear¬

ance, and the name of him who sat on it was
Death, and Hell followed with him. The Devil
begins to reap the harvest from the rule of him
whom he has sent into the world—so great a
harvest as he never had before.
The last two horsemen make their appearance
toward the close of Antichrist’s reign, which as
we may assume from prophecies and types,
shall not continue over seven years. The king¬
dom of Antichrist rises from conditions in which
humanity according to the flesh is brought to
its highest development, and no thought is
taken of the necessity of divine life in the soul.
It is obvious that in this kingdom the flesh shall
see the fulfillment of all its desires.
The horseman on the black horse had instruc*
tion not to hurt the oil and wine. Even if fam¬
ine will reign on all the earth, there will be
no want of strong drink; the liquor business
will flourish, and drunkenness and ruin will be
found everywhere.
Among the well-to-do classes gluttony and
drunkenness shall abound as never before, and
lewdness shall take the upper hand in such a
measure that matrimonial life shall be made
light of. And when we notice in our day the
manner of living among all classes of society,
and the prevailing immoderate longing after
enjoyments, we must come to the conclusion
IW Outline on Prophecy.
that the spirit of Antichrist’s kingdom is al¬

ready manifested. Hundreds of thousands of
men sink down yearly into the grave from the
effects of alcohol. From a reliable source we
learn that in New York and Chicago, one hun¬
dred and fifty girls sink into an unknown grave
every month, having ruined themselves through
unchastity, and taking an end which is generally
followed by a secret burial. In Philadelphia
and Denver there are said to be seventy-five
every month. How many hundreds who in the
flower of youth change time for eternity every
year in such manner! There are said to be forty
thousand in Chicago alone who lead a life of
shame, and hundreds live together like mar¬
ried people who have not formed any other union
than one of the flesh. And who could describe
the misery which is caused along this line in
the great stores and factories. We refer to this
only to give an idea of the condition of things
under Antichrist’s reign, and what in truth the
masses of those who are carnally minded are
looking for. When we look into the condition
of things as they are to-day, and notice how al¬
ready the red horse is following the white one,
the conviction will necessarily intrude upon us
that the evening is at hand, and we pray ear¬
nestly, “Come quickly, Lord Jesus. ”
In 2 Thess. 2: 6, the apostle says that they
know for what cause Antichrist can not yet
Antichrisfs Reign. 121
establish his kingdom. Rev. 7: 1-3 gives us a

more detailed statement of what it is that pre¬
vents the enemy from establishing his reign.
The apostle sees the angels standing on the four
corners of the earth and hears the conmiand to
them to hold the four winds that they should
not blow on the earth until the servants of God
may be sealed. It is the Holy Ghost who keeps
him back, in order that the bride of Christ may
be more fully prepared to meet the Bridegroom.
Before the actual reign of Antichrist can be¬
gin, the believers shall be caught up to meet
the Lord in the clouds of heaven; as soon as this
“salt of the earth” shall be taken away. Anti¬
christ shall be able to enter upon his reign in
full sway. When we look upon the signs which
the Lord has given us as indicating his coming
to be at hand, we must believe that the time is
here, the prophecies are fulfilled and we are now
in the period referred to in Matt. 25: 5. Sud¬
denly, indeed, the cry shall be heard and the
Bridegroom shall come.
CHAPTER X.
The Harlot, or the Beast With

two Horns.
(Revelation 13: 11-18; 17: 1-6.)
11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the
earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake
as a dragon,
12 And he exerclseth all the power of the first beast
before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell
therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound
was healed.
13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire
come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the
means of those miracles which be had power to do in the
sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth,
that they should make an imnge to the beast, which had
the wound by a sword, and did live.
15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the
beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and
cause that as many as would not worship the image of
the beast should be killed.
16 And he caused all, both small and great, rich and
poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right
hand, or in their foreheads:
The Havlof or the Beast. 123
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had
the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his
nqme.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding
count the number of the beast: f.)r it is the number of a
man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
1 And there came one of the seven angels which had
the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me,
Come hither; I will show unto thee the judgment of the
great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
, 2 With whom the kings of the f-arth have committed
fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been
made drunk with the wine of her fornication,
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilder¬
ness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured
beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads
and ten horns.
4 And the woman was arrajed in purple and scarlet
• colour, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and
pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abomina¬
tions and filthiness of her fornication:
5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYS¬
TERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OP
HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the
saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and
when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
Continuing the development of Antichrist and
his kingdom,!we notice that he accomplishes his
purpose with the assistance of certain accom¬
plices. Antichrist himself according to proph-
►ecy will be a statesman who will care little for
religion; his principal accomplices, however, are
„the representatives of large religious bodies.
12Jf Outline on Frophecij.
At all times religion, may it be ever so far from

the truth, has exercised the greatest power over
mankind. It seems indeed impossible to find a
nation which ignores religion entirely. In An¬
tichrist’s kingdom a counterfeit religion shall,
through the influence of its representatives, be
the principal means of establishing his author¬
ity. This religion is in the above Scripture
passages represented by two types; viz., that of
the beast and that of the harlot. We believe
that particularly by the two horns of the beast,
two religious strongholds are typified. The two
beasts of Rev. 13 are the representatives of two
religious bodies.
The first beast is described as having received
a deadly wound and yet having been healed. It
is believed by Baxter and other interpreters
that this has reference to the house of Napoleon,,
since this house lost its prestige and does no
longer play a part in the history of the world.
These interpreters believe that in the last days
a Napoleon shall again come into power and
that through him the kingdom of Antichrist
shall be established.
We have in the second beast an associate of
the first one, which uses its power to make peo¬
ple bow down and worship the latter. The ap¬
pearance of both beasts is very different: the*
first one has seven heads and ten horns; the
second, only one head and two horns. The first
The Harlot or the Beast 125
beast came out of the sea; the second, out of the

earth. Daniel, chapter seven, gives explanation
concerning the beasts—four in number—which
came up from the sea. The sea is a type of the
nations of the earth, from which these great
princes shall come. The second beast comes
out of the earth; i. e., out of an earthly minded
worldly religion and has its power from the in¬
fernal world. The horns are symbols of power,
and we believe to have every reason to take
them as types of the Mohammedan religion and
the popish power.
We wish at all events to be rightly under¬
stood. We mean by the popish power not
only Catholicism, but believe it to include
Protestants who fail to put their hope in the
blood of Christ alone. Nothing is found in the
Bible to lead to the conclusion that the Lord
divides people according to their religious opin¬
ions. Mere membership in some sect does not
count for anything before him but the blood of
his Son alone. Those only, who put their trust
alone in the redemption through Jesus Christ,
regardless of the church connection they may
hold, shall not belong to the second horn. All
those in nominal Christendom who make light
of the power of the blood of Christ are typically
represented by one of these horns.
We readily believe that the papacy shall
be the predominant factor of apostate Christen-
126 Outline on Pnoplieey.
dom. The Scriptures, however, do not give us

particulars concerning this. Both papacy and
Islam do no longer represent the political
power which they once exercised; both, however,
put forth all possible effort to regain their form¬
er strength, and even if they individually should
not again be successful in the attempt to de¬
stroy their antagonists with the sword, they will
at any rate play an important part in Anti¬
christ’s kingdom. Rev. 13: 12, it is said that
the second beast shall exercise all the power of
the first beast and shall accomplish its purpose
to make all those which dwell upon the earth
worship the first beast. Verse 14 shows us
clearly by what means the second beast shall
cause mankind to do homage to the first beast.
This verse also indicates that the second beast
shall erect an image to the first one. We are
here reminded of the times when kings erected
their own images and made their worship com¬
pulsory by law. This sort of thing shall again
be found in the kiugdom of Antichrist. Satan
shall display a power as never before in his¬
tory, and even his representatives shall do signs
and wonders. By these miracles even such
shall be deceived who have been lovers of the
truth and have endeavored to do right. The
Scriptures say that if possible even God’s elect
shall be deceived and God shall be compelled
to shorten the days for their sake.
The Harlot or the Beast. 127
The power of working miracles shall reach
such a degree that even the image which has
been set up for the beast shall begin to speak in
intelligible language and do signs and wonders.
Only those who are filled with the Holy Ghost
shall find themselves able to shake off the im¬
pression caused by those miracles. Almost as
one man shall the nations do homage to the im¬
age. The Jews only shall as a nation hold back.
Verses 16 and 17 tell of a new development of
the power of Antichrist’s kingdom, being accom¬
plished by the aid of the second beast. We read
here of a mark which every one belonging to
this kingdom shall receive, either on the fore¬
head or on the hand. No one who does not bear
this mark shall be permitted to buy or sell.
This has reference not only to the farmer and
the products of the soil, but the expression con-
Y&ys the idea that no one can carry on commerce
or engage in any trade outside the union of
those who bear this mark. The business men
may bear the mark on the forehead, the trades¬
man on the hand. We believe that the many
organizations of the working classes of our day
are indicative of the nearness of that period;
only one step more from the present state of
things is necessary for the full development of
what is here portrayed to us. How many a man
who is the head of a family, would be glad to
work but this is made impossible to him by the
m Outline on Prophecy.
order of the union to which he belongs. He who,

notwithstanding, will work without belonging to
the union, is in danger of death. In the world of
commerce also such unions become very prom¬
inent and there are many instances where only
he can buy or sell who accepts the conditions of
the union, may these conditions be ever so con¬
trary to the spirit of Christ. The only alterna¬
tive left to those who will not accept the mark,
is to quit the business. The question is often
asked what is yet left of the much boasted of
liberty of our country. There is a coercion pre¬
vailing which can hardly be found in one of the
monarchies of the old world, even a day laborer
can no longer exercise his free will to work
when he may choose.
This shall be the condition of things in Anti¬
christ’s kingdom. Liberty will be preached and
professed and all divine order shall be cast over
board; in truth, however, mankind shall be in
fetters as never before. At the end of this
chapter (Rev. 13), we have the mystical number
or mark of Antichrist himself; it is the well
known number 666. Many interpreters of
prophecy have tried in vain to ascertain the
meaning of this number. We shall not make an
attempt to interpret the same, but will give one
idea concerning it which the reader may com¬
pare with other Scripture passages on this sub¬
ject. The Revelation is that book of the Bible
The Harlot or the Beast> 129
in which numbers are often used with a spirit¬

ual signification; without doubt these three sixes
also have an important spiritual significance.
Three is the divine number, four the human
number, both taken together make the holy
seven; i. e., the divine and the human united into
holy perfection. Six is the number of human per¬
fection, lacking one to make the number seven.
It is the number of the highest human develop¬
ment without God. That this number is used
three times may indicate three aspects of human
development.
If we first of all give attention to the develop¬
ment in the line of science and education, wo
find an unprecedented stage of development
from the common public school up to the high¬
est institutions of human learning. All the
world is longing for education; only little atten¬
tion, however, is given to the “wisdom from
above.” The second six may have reference to
the world of commerce. Never before had com¬
mercial intercourse at large reached the devel¬
opment to which it has attained to-day. Busi¬
ness is transacted on so large a scale that our
fathers would not have dreamed of its possibil¬
ity. The reason generally given why so few
men who have passed the prime of life are in
business, is because they find themselves no
longer able to cope with the most recent busi¬
ness methods. The third six would appear to
ISO Outline on PiôpJiecy-
have reference to manufactural enterprises.

When we see the progress made in the last cen¬
tury in this field, we are astonished and ask our¬
selves whether it can be that such a development
could be accomplished in so short a time. In
this field particularly, the last hundred years
show greater progress than the five thousand
years preceding them.
These developments indicate truly that the
end is near and show us that with accelerated
steps we hasten on toward the goal. Observ¬
ing the tender green corn lately sprung up, we
see that it grows by little and little and for a
long time keeps its green color. As soon, how¬
ever, as the stage of ripening begins, only a few
days longer will see the golden grain waving,
and the farmer can use his sickle for the gather¬
ing of the harvest. Even so it will be in the
harvest of this world. It has developed slowly
since the time of creation, but now in the time
of the ripening of the grain the development
has entered upon its last short stage.
As already said in the beginning of this chap¬
ter, the beast with the two horns and the harlot
are typical of the same person. Chapter 17 has
reference principally to the spiritual fornication
of a false religion, while in chapter 13 the
power of the same is typified by horns. In
chapter 17: 1, it is said that the harlot “sitteth
upon many waters”; i. e., she will draw many
The Harlot or the Beast, 131
nations into her nets. Verse 2 shows us that

kings of the earth also had been made drunk
with the wine of her unchastity, even as the
common people. In verse 3, the seer beholds
the harlot sitting on the beast. In chapter 13,
we have seen that the harlot makes it her busi¬
ness to induce people to do homage to and wor¬
ship the first beast. Antichrist. We see here
selfishness manifested, the leaders in the cause
of a counterfit religion endeavoring even to * ‘sit
on” or take all possible advantage of the govern¬
ment of Antichrist. At all times the Roman
hierarchy laid claim to an authority which
placed it above the governments of the different
nations; and on the whole, we see priesthood
trying to rule in all countries, which certainly
would do no harm if the right spirit would gov¬
ern the priesthood.
Verse four contains a wonderful revelation.
In the first place we notice the attire of the
woman, which is said to have been of purple and
scarlet color. Purple, the royal color, indicates
royalty, which this woman has usurped, endeav¬
oring to array herself in it. The other color,
scarlet, represents, without doubt, the bloody
character of the work of this woman. Verse
six states that she is drunken with the blood of
the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs,
the prophets and wfitnesses of the Lord. Even
if Antichrist, represented as the bloody beast,
shall principally do the satanic work of slaying

the saints, nevertheless the woman bears the
responsibility for it, being the instigator of the
same.
This prophecy has not only reference to a
period which is yet in the future and is to come
to pass in the last time. As among the self-
righteous Pharisees, the blood of the holy proph¬
ets was found, so in most of the persecutions of
the disciples of Jesus Christ, it was a worldly
church which caused them. We read further in
this verse that the harlot is adorned with gold
and precious stones and holds a golden cup in
her hand; the cup, however, is not filled with
pure wine but with the poison of fornication.
The golden cup is the Word of God which she
uses and abuses as the authority for her religion.
Instead of making use of its truth an I power,
she uses it only as a cloak for the covering of
the most abominable sins.
Yet we see, in the course of this chapter, that
the end will come even to this woman. The
beast, upon which she sat, succeeded in getting
her under its feet; in this manner the harlot
meets a horrible end. This is the reward of her
sins which she shall receive; and, according to
Rev. 19, she is the false prophet who shall be
cast into eternal punishment.
Antichrist, in order to win the people, shall
at first tolerate a false religion. According to
The Harlot or the Beast, 133
1 John 2, he shall at first only deny the Son; but

having attained to his full power, he shall also
deny the Father, and shall trample under his
feet everything that is called religious, so that
there may be no longer any kind of a restraint
left. Men shall live to fulfill their own lusts
without being ever reproved by the voice of con¬
science. Even if the harlot represents a false
religion, she upholds certain bounds within
which men are to keep themselves, although she
conceals within her all sins and abominations.
The final object of the kingdom of Antichrist,
however, is to have men break loose from all
moral order which may yet be left of the old time
religion.
CHAPTER XL
The Fail of Antichrist and his Doom.

(Rev. 19: 11-21; Ezek. 39: 17-20.)
11 And I saw heaven opened, and beheld a white
horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and
True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head
were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no
man knew, but he himself.
13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood,
and his name is called The Word of God.
14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him:
upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
12 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that
with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule
them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress
of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name
written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he
cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly
in the midst of heaven. Come and gather yourselves
together unto the supper of the great God;
18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of
captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of
The Fall of Aiitichi'isf. 185
horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all
men, both free and bond, both small and great.
19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and
their armies, gathered together to make war against him
that sat on the horse, and against his army.
20 And the beast was taken, and with him the falsa
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.
21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him
that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of
his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
17 And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord God;
Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of
the field. Assemble yourselves, and come; gather your¬
selves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice
for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of
Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood.
18 Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the
blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and
of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan.
19 And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood
till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacri¬
ficed for you.
20 Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses and
chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war,
saith tbe Lord God.
We have in the preceding chapters touched
upon a few points in regard to the kingdom of
Antichrist. The frightfulness of that reign is
not d-scribable; it will be the development and
consummation of all evil.
But to this time of terror also the Lord will
1S6 Outline on Prophecy.
command a halt. When the measure is full and

those who have remained hardened towar i the
truth have become ripe for judgment then the
divine Victor will again take the reins into his
own hands.
The apostle Paul says, 2 Thess. 2: 8, that the
Lord shall destroy him with the spirit of his
mouth. Before Antichrist shall fully enter upon
his reign, the saints, who are waiting for the
coming of the Lord, shall meet Him in the clouds,
and having been changed, shall be invested with
their divine offices, while the church, which has
become more and more worldly, shall make com¬
mon cause with the kingdom of Antichrist. Two
classes shall remain who shall refuse to ac¬
knowledge the lordship of Antichrist. In the
first place there will be those who, although hav¬
ing made a profession of Christianity, have no
oil in their lamps when the Bridegroom comes.
They will, however, by unmistakable manifesta¬
tions of the hand of God, be thoroughly awak¬
ened and shall in that time of tribulation be
converted to God, and having stood through all
persecution as witnesses to the truth, shall die
as martyrs. This may be the time when the
prophecy of Rev. 12 shall be fulfilled. We be¬
lieve that this picture of the woman in travail,
giving birth to a son, has a tvrofold signification.
The meaning is first that Israel was the woman
and Jesus the Son, who was caught up unto
SATAN BOUND AND CAST INTO THE ABYSS
I
LI
k.
• * «
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4
i
4
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The Fall of Ajitichrist, 1S7
God after his death and resurrection; Israel fled

from the Holy Land into the wilderness where
to this day they are persecuted by Satan, and it
is indeed a miracle that they have not been fully
swallowed up, but the earth opened her mouth
and swallowed up the flood and so helped the
woman. The principal signification, however,
of this picture refers to an occurence which is
yet in the future. The woman, representing
the church, shall be delivered of a son who is
described as the bride of Christ. As soon as the
birth and preparation cf this bride of Christ
shall have become a fact she shall be caught up
unto God. This is generally called the trans¬
lation of the believers. Thereafter the woman
or the church which shall yet hold fast to
the truth, shall be most cruelly persecuted by
the dragon, and only such who succeed to hide
themselves in the crevices of the rocks shall
escape. Ahab’s wicked reign is a type of the
reign of Antichrist; Elijah’s translation a type
of the translation of believers; and the men of
God who had been hidden a type of the per¬
secuted church.
The other class which shall refuse to ac¬
knowledge the lordship of Antichrist are the
Jews who at the time of his reign shall as a
nation dwell in their own country—Palestine. As
long, however, as Antichrist will deny Christ
only, they shall be among his followers; yes,
1S8 Outline on Pjôpkecy.
shall even acknowledge him as the Messiah.

Jesus himself says, John 5: 43, “I am come in my
Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if
another shall come in his own name, him ye will
receive.” To this day the Jews wait for the
Messiah and they shall live in that expectation
until they shall be made ashamed by a deceiver.
When Napoleon I. had the whole world at his
feet, the Jews manifested much inclination
toward him. Even prominent Jews believed to
have found the Messiah in Napoleon. Prom
Daniel, chapter seven, it is evident, although the
thought may not be noticed on the surface, that
the Jewish nation shall be allied with Anti¬
christ. As soon, however, as he shall declare
himself to be God and shall reject all divine
power beside himself, the Jews shall see that
they have been deceived, and shall rebel against
his dominion. In consequence of this the whole
army of Antichrist shall move upon Jerusalem
to punish the Jewish nation and bring them
again under his dominion. A battle shall then
ensue more fierce and bloody than the world has
yet seen. Jerusalem is called the City of God,
and at all times have all the enemies of God
attempted to conquer and destroy it. No place
on earth has witnessed so much bloodshedding
as the vicinity of Jerusalem. If the destruction
of Jerusalem under Titus was the most terrible
judgment which ever came over the Jewish
The Fall of Antichrist, 1S9
nation, the carnage of this last decisive battle
shall be far more horrible. It will be such a
slaughter of nations that numbers do not seem
to be sufficient to convey a correct idea concern¬
ing it. It is the great day of battle of the Lord
in which he will bring judgment on those who
have rebelled against him. The formidableness
of it is intimated by the stream of blood which
the seer beholds. The blood shall flow that it
will in valleys reach the bridles of the horses.
This terrible stream shall, according to Rev. 14:
18-20, have a length of one hundred fifty miles
and shall extend over the borders of the land.
Considering the length of this stream of blood,
we can conceive why it is that the mass of those
fallen in this battle is not indicated by numbers.
The question may be raised how it is possible
that a few millions of Jews could destroy mill¬
ions upon millions, and the short answer is this:
The Lord will be with them because the time of
the Gentiles has been fulfilled. Zechariah 12:
3, it is said that Jerusalem shall at that time be
a burdensome stone for all people; they shall
perish in the attempt to lift the same, being
never able to remove it. It is often the case that
stones which are partly under the surface of
the ground are heavier than one would suppose
and many have suffered loss from the attempt
to lift them.
It is further evident that a confusion in the
army of Antichrist itself shall do much toward

making this slaughter so frightful. (Zech. 12:
4; 14: 15; Ezek. 38: 21.) At different instances
the Lord came to the rescue of his people by
confounding their enemies. In the valley of
Berachah, where under Jehoshaphat the enemies
fell upon destroying themselves, Israel did not
even lay hands on them.
In this last decisive battle Israel will fight as
never before; the princes of Israel shall be like
a fire brand among the nations. He that is fee¬
ble among Israel at that day shall be as David,
and the house of David shall be as God. (Zech.
12: 6-9.) Notwithstanding this, we shall see later
that the Jews shall suffer great loss in this battle
and shall win the victory only when God comes
to their rescue.
To this terrible slaughter there shall more¬
over come a pestilence (Ezek. 38: 22; Zech. 14:
12-15), and such a pestilence as has never been
known before. Their flesh shall begin to cor¬
rupt while they are yet on their feet, and their
eyes shall be destroyed by an awful disease.
This pestilence shall rage among beasts as well
as men. Some description of the frightful
plagues which shall come upon Antichrist are
contained in Revelation, chapters 8, 9 and 16.
We readily believe that parts of the prophecies
of these chapters have already been fulfilled,
The Fall of Antichrist- IJfl
while those parts referring to the most terrible

plagues do yet wait for their fulfillment.
Ezek. 39: 1-16, we have a description of the
great victory over Antichrist. According to the
words of the prophet, the citizens of Jerusalem
shall gather enough wood from the camps of the
enemy on the battle ground to supply them with
fuel for seven years. The burying of the fallen
shall require seven months; yea, the great mass
of them shall never be buried. The Lord him¬
self shall call the fowls under heaven to come
and devour the carcasses which may remain on
the field, and closes with the stern sentence that
the false prophet or the harlot and those who
accepted the mark of the beast and Antichrist
himself shall be cast into the lake of fire burn¬
ing with brimstone. (Rev. 19: 20.)
This is the awful judgment which shall con¬
tinue through eternity for the enemies of God.
It shows us how frightful shall be the end of
those who make themselves believe that it is in
their power to dethrone the Almighty God.
CHAPTER XII.
The Doctrine of the Second Coming of

Christ in the New Testament.
(Matthew 25: 1-13.)
1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto
ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to
meet the bridegroom.
2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no.
oil with them:
4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their
lamps.
5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered
and slept.
6 And at midnight there was a cry made. Behold, the
bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their
lamps.
8 And the foolish said unto the wise. Give us of your
oil; for our lamps are gone out.
9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be
not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that
sell, and buy for yourselves.
10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came;
and they that were ready went in with him to the mar¬
riage: and the door was shut.
Second Coining of Christ. I4S
11 Afterward also came the other virgins, saying,
Lord, Lord, open to us.
12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you,
I know you not.
13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor
the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
The Holy Scriptures of the Old as well as the
New Testament make frequent mention of the
second coming of the Lord to the believers. We
will in this chapter present only a few ideas
which are revealed to us concerning the second
coming of the Lord. In Matt. 24, Luke 21 and
Mark 13, we have a threefold aspect of the
future. The disciples called Jesus’ attention to
the greatness of the temple after the Lord had
predicted that the house of Israel should be left
desolate. Thereupon he told them that the time
should come when not a stone should be left
upon another. This declaration is followed by
the threefold question of the disciples. When
shall this be fulfilled, when shall the second
coming of the Lord take place, and, when the
end of the world. This question, or, more cor¬
rectly, the reply to it, treats of three different
periods and touches upon three great subjects;
viz., the judgment over the Jewish nation cul¬
minating in the destruction of Jerusalem which
should take place in the near future; secondly,
the return or second coming of Christ, the time
of which was indefinite to them; and finally, the
end of the world. As the question was a three-
1^4 Outline on Prophecy.
fold one, the answer covers the three points of

the question. Matt. 24 has reference for the
most part to the destruction of Jerusalem; other
parts refer to the time preceding the second
coming of the Lord, and some portions to the
end of the world or the last judgment.
Since the destruction of Jerusalem and the
judgment over the Jewish nation was not only
the fulfillment of prophecy but also a type of
what was yet in the future, some verses have
reference both to judgment over the Jewish
nation and the condition of the nations before
his coming, for the Lord did not deem it neces¬
sary to keep these two subjects distinctively
apart. His object was principally to enjoin upon
us the importance of being prepared at any time.
We will turn to other Scripture passages
which will give more explanation on this sub¬
ject. In 1 Cor. 15: 22-26, we have a detailed
statement of the events at the coming of the
Lord and the end of the world. Paul begins
with the words that as they all died in Adam,
they shall all be made alive in Christ; i. e., as
the first Adam has by disobedience brought
death for all, so the second Adam by his obedi¬
ence has brought life for all.
In this bringing of life, however, there is a
divine order, as we find in the following verses.
In accordance with the counsel of God, the first
who could rise from the dead is Christ. Paul
Second Coming of Christ. Ijf5
here passes those which came out of their graves

at the time of the resurrection of the Lord, and
immediately mentions those that are Christ’s at
his coming, saying that they shall arise when he
shall come again. He then states further that
all the dead shall rise at the end of the world,
and that previous to this Christ must reign till
he has put all his enemies under his feet. Even
the last enemy, death, shall at last be abolished.
He further shows us clearly that the end shall
come at the time when Christ shall deliver up
the kingdom to the Father. In different parts
of the Holy Scriptures, particularly in Rev. 20,
we find that the point of time when he shall
deliver up the kingdom to the Father will be
after the millennium and after the short period
in which Satan shall again be loose, concerning
which the Scriptures contain but very little rev¬
elation. From the clear and detailed statement
of the above Scripture passage alone, it is evi¬
dent that the coming of the Lord and the end
are two different subjects and do not belong
together.
In the words of prophecy of Zacharias at the
time of the birth of John (Luke 1: 67-75), there
are found promises concerning Jesus and his
work, which have not yet been fulfilled. In
verse 71, Zacharias says that this horn of salva¬
tion in the house of David shall save them from
all their enemies; yet, until to-day, we have seen
the contrary; Israel has rather been bound than

made free. In verse 74, he says of this
Redeemer that the promise given to Abraham
shall be fulfilled by him and that they shall serve
him. What the Holy Ghost has spoken through
his servant shall certainly be carried out, and
shall when the time has come, be fulfilled in a
glory which shall surpass all expectation.
In John 14: 3, the Lord speaks to his disci¬
ples concerning his departure, and he promises
that the separation shall not be permanent, but
that he will go before to make preparation for
them, and that he shall come again and take his
own unto himself. If he had said that they
should follow him soon, he would have spoken
of the natural death of the believers; since he,
however, says that he himself shall come again,
this must have reference to his second coming to
the believers.
Acts 3: 20, 21, we find the conclusion of the
first sermon held after Pentecost. In verse 19,
Peter admonishes the Jews to repent that their
sins may be blotted out; then forthwith he
declares to them that a time of restitution shall
come when the Father shall again send Jesus
whom he had preached to them. Verse 31,
Peter says that the heavens must receive this
Son of God until the time when all shall be ful¬
filled that has been spoken through the mouth
of the prophets. These passages also are so
Second Coining of Christ. IJfl
clear that they can not be spiritualized and can
not be interpreted as having reference to a bless¬
ing for a few only, for the subject of the apostle
is the great general blessing for the people of
God through the second coming of Christ.
Hebrews 9: 28, the apostle says that Christ was
offered once to take away the sins of many, but
that he shall for the second time appear with¬
out sin for them who wait for him. This then
is not his coming for the general judgment, but
a coming for his own and more particularly for
such of his own who love his appearing and
wait for him.
Romans 8: 18-23, we read of a longing man¬
ifesting itself not only in the children of God
but even in the whole creation. The creature
was against its will subjected to the service of
sin. The fall of Adam has brought them also
under that yoke. For nearly 6,000 years, cre¬
ation has been languishing under this wretched
service of sin and is longing for deliverance..
Not among mankind only is enmity and even
murdering prevalent, but harmony and peace is;
disturbed in the animal world also, and rapa-
ciousness has taken their place, the stronger
dilacerating and destroying that which is.
weaker. Since this is not the original and
divinely intended condition of things, there is
even in the irrational creature an unconscious
longing for the rest and peace of their first
Ijf8 Outline on Frophecy.
estate. This longing shall in the millennial

reign be fully assuaged.
If we give this subject some consideration and
notice how the creature is misused and tor¬
mented by man who ought to be its protector,
and how dumb creatures injure and devour
each other and how man and beast consume one
another, we are constrained to say with the
apostle that we are, with creation, longing for
the liberty of the sons of God in the millennium.
How glorious it must be when the creature shall
be fully delivered from the bondage, and shall
with the children of God enjoy the blessing of
Calvary.
Luke 21: 34-36, we have the words of the
Son of God himself, as he concludes his reply
to their threefold question with an earnest ad¬
monition to his own to be ready for the import¬
ant hour when he, their Lord and Master, will
appear in the clouds of heaven. To be in read¬
iness was considered by the Lord to be of the
utmost importance, and this must be the most
important thing to me also. If he has, concern¬
ing his return, given a mere survey, he gives
here minute instruction as to what is necessary
on their part that they might be of those w^ho
wait for their Lord. Verse 34, he exhorts them
to take heed lest their hearts be overcharged
with surfeiting and drunkenness.
When we see from the parable of the ten vir-
Second Coining of Christ. 149
gins that they all slumbered and slept, and

experience also teaches how great the danger is
of our minds being occupied with that which is
earthly, we would pray the Holy Spirit to write
in each heart the words, “Watch, and again I
say unto you, watch.”
It is as sad as it is true that among believers
only few are found who continue in earnest
prayer that Jesus may soon come again; yes,
only a few who do really desire it. The great
majority of Christians, if they speak candidly,
must confess that they would rather have him
delay longer. In the parable it is stated that
the bridegroom tarried, he did not come at the
hour when he was expected to come. Luke 21:
35, w’e read that that day shall come as a snare.
A snare is generally cast after the victim has
passed him who casts it, and does not believe
that there is any danger. So it shall be at the
coming of the Son of man. According to pro¬
phetic calculation, one could say the time is at
hand; but since Christendom is not active
enough, the Lord tarries and we know not how
long the tarrying shall continue. We have no
other advice but this which the Lord himself
gives when he says in verse 36, that we shall
watch and pray always that we may be
accounted worthy to escape all the fearful
things which shall come and to stand before the
Son of man.
CHAPTER XIII.
Signs Preceding the Second Coming

of the Lord.
In Matt. 24, Jesus, in speaking of the end of

the world, gives as one of the signs of its ap¬
proach, that “there shall arise false christs.”
Though there have arisen impostors in other
ages who have taken to themselves divine hon¬
ors, yet in no age was the world so cursed with
this sort of profanity as at present, when we do
not have to leave the shores of our own enlight¬
ened nation to-day to encounter three blasphem¬
ous impostors, all of whom style themselves
“the Christ of God.” This is no unimportant
fact to students of “the signs of the times.”
EARTHQUAKES.
As one of the material signs of the end of this

age, Jesus said: “There shall be earthquakes in
divers places.” The omniscient Jesus was well
aware of the fact that there had been earth¬
quakes in the past, and that there should be
I
«
Signs Preceding His Com ing. 151
earthquakes in the middle ages; in fact, that

there always had and always would be earth¬
quakes. Yet he, who never made a mistake or
uttered an idle word, gave as one of the cor¬
poreal signs of his second advent that there
should be ‘ ‘earthquakes in divers places. ’ ’ Read
the large dailies of the land and you will be sur¬
prised to find there is hardly a week that passes
that there is not an account of an earthquake in
some section of the globe. The late born seis¬
mologist with his wonderful seismograph, or
instrument for ascertaining the exact time at
which earthquakes occur, and the comparative
violence of each shock, has developed some
interesting facts in the past twenty-five years
in reference to the strange agitations called
earthquakes. But though much has been dis¬
covered, our knowledge but reveals to us our
real ignorance as to any definite idea of the
cause of this strange visitant. Among other
facts discovered by the seismograph is the fact
that there is no period of time when there are
not earthquakes occurring at some part of the
globe, and shocks capable of notice without an
instrument, have been lately revealed to the
number of fifty in one day. Of course our^
learned men try to settle the public agitation,
that a knowledge of this fact would arouse, by
the statement that it was doubtless always so,
only in other ages we had no way of finding out
152 Outline on Fropliecy.
this fact. These wiseacres evidently believe

this to be true, which gives us another example
of how the ‘ wisdom of man is foolishness with
God. ’ That “the wise might be taken in their
own craftiness.” As it is written: “The wis¬
dom of God is wiser than men, and the weak¬
ness of God is stronger than men. ”
We insert a few facts and figures here, how¬
ever, to offset the pernicious influence of this
falsely so-called science. The total number of
earthquakes mentioned by all the writers of
the earth before the Christian era, is given at
fifty-eight. Never until the past two centuries
has Europe been harassed by these mundane
convulsions.
Again, the great increase in the number of
these convulsions can be seen if we state the
number which occurred in the t ifferent centu¬
ries. There were ten in the seventh century,
eleven in the eighth, thirty-six in the ninth,
seventeen in the tenth, fifty-seven in the
eleventh, sixty-eight in the twelfth, fifty-five in
the thirteenth, one liundred and ten in the six¬
teenth, one hundred in the seventeenth, six hun¬
dred and eighty in the eighteenth, nine hundred
and twenty-four in the first half of the nine¬
teenth. There has hardly been a week lately
that the large dailies have not recorded accounts
of an earthquake at some part of the globe, and
the seismologist declares that there is one tak-
Signs Preceding His Coining. 153
ing place some where every minute. Professor

Milne declares that from the year 1843 to 1868
there were over 17,000 earthquakes. No tongue
or pen can fully describe the terror caused by
these awful visitations and their accompanying
phenomena, such as volcanic eruptions, inky
ocean waves, thunderous roaring sounds, mon¬
ster tidal waves, and air waves. Volcanic erup¬
tions increase just in proportion with earth¬
quakes, as it is evident that the same cause pro¬
duces both. This old crippled earth which God
said should “wax old as doth a garment,” needs
the reconstructing hand of the Great Physician
to heal her bowel troubles. The fearfulness of
these scourges can be seen in the fact that the
Lisbon earthquake shock, which commenced on
the papist idolatrous festival of All-Saints day,
Nov. 1, 1755, and lasted for over two years,
destroyed 200,000 lives. It is also stated that in
Peru and other lands in 1868, 100,000 persons
perished, and in Java and its neighboring
islands there were said to have perished 100,000
more. In the absence of any reliable scientific
definition of the cause of earthquakes, I feel like
attributing them to the stamp of God’s indig¬
nant foot upon the earth that has rebelled
against him. In the light of the foregoing facts,
who dare assert that this earth is not drawing
to her end?
154 Outline on Froplieey.
FAMINES.
In connection with the assertion that the prev¬

alence of earthquakes would be a sign of the
nearness of his second coming, Jesus added
these words as an additional sign: “There shall
be famines and pestilences.” Few, indeed, are
the nations of the earth which have not suffered
more or less, in some respects, from famines or
pestilences in late years.
Like the earthquake, the plague, which is
especially called in the Bible a judgment from
God, is seen to become more baneful as the earth
nears her end. We state a few facts concerning
the later ones. In 1352, 900,000 persons died of
starvation during a famine in China, and 60,000
persons are said to have perished from like
cause in Milan in 1427 and 1450. Nearly all
Europe had famine from 1600 to 1603, and in Mus¬
covy 500,000 are said to have died, and one-tenth
of the inhabitants of Finland also perished. In
1740 and 1741 nearly 100,000 are said to have
died of starvation and disease. In India in 1764,
30,000,000 died. This is too awful to contem¬
plate. The dry breasts of mother earth refused
nourishment to 85,000,000 of her children in
India till 30,000,000 perished. Gaunt, hungry,
famine sucking the very life blood from their
veins with none to answer their impassioned
appeals for bread. How much more awful is
this than when the sharp steel blade severs the
Signs Preceding His Coining. 155
silver cord of life or the hissing bullet sings the

soldier’s sudden requiem. But awful though
this is, we fear that many now living will have
a closer acquaintance with such terrors than
contemplation bestows, unless there is a mighty
turning from sin on the part of the nations gen¬
erally. Sixteen thousand died of starvation
in Cape De Verde islands in 1775. One hundred
thousand more died in India in 1788, when a uni¬
versal famine raged which threw China and
Europe into awful distress. At different periods
between 1814 and 1846 famines occurred in Ire¬
land which reduced her population 2,000,000.
Again in 1866, nearly a million died in India
from the effects of famine. In 1871, 3,000,000
died from like cause in Persia. A fearful fam¬
ine prevailed in Bengal in 1873, of which we
have no statistics. In 1877, though the East
Indian government paid out $75,000,000 to feed
her starving citizens, yet 6,000,000 died of star¬
vation. In 1877, Brazil lost nearly a million by
a dreaded plague. Morocco and Corea suffered
greatly from a like cause the same year, and
North China lost 10,000,000 the next year, 1878.
Have some of my readers deemed me pessimis¬
tic in my views, then let optimists disprove
these figures and do away with the divine pre¬
dictions which they demonstrate. God says: ‘‘I
have sent among you the pestilence,” Amos 4:
10, and, ‘ ‘In the last days there shall be famines
in divers places.” Read the account of the

“Black Death” in the fourteenth century, as it
is described as bursting from the earth, a horri¬
ble vapor, deadly and offensive, and consuming
all before it. Egypt, Syria, Turkey, Greece,
Italy, Spain, France, Germany, England, Ire¬
land, Scotland, etc., all felt its dreadful ravages,
winter and summer alike, for years. Dr. Noah
Webster says it destroyed two-thirds of the
human race in eight years. One author declares
that a hundred million persons perished by It.
From that time to the present, new and unheard
of diseases and pestilences are constantly attack¬
ing and destroying thousands, both of man and
beast.
THE SUN.
As a sign of his speedy coming, Christ said:
‘ ‘And there shall be signs in the sun and in the
moon and in the stars and upon the earth dis¬
tress of nations with perplexity; the sea with
the waves thereof roaring. ”—Luke 21: 25. This
prophecy is being literally fulfilled before our
eyes. Let us consider some of the solar, lunar
and stellar phenomena that are greatly perplex¬
ing our most advanced astronomers to-day. We
mention first the “Dark Day,” as it ras been
termed by eminent writers, when over an area
of 320,000 square miles, and witnessed by 700,000
people, a gloomy, supernatural darkness pre¬
vailed in Europe and New England on May 19,
Signs Preceding His Coming. 157
1780. This gloom lasted during the entire day

and was followed by a night of as dense dark¬
ness as that which plagued Egypt. Of this
supernatural darkness, which terrified thou¬
sands, and as one has said: “Crowded the
churches of Europe with alarmed multitudes,
supplicating the mercy of heaven.” Herschel,
the astronomer, says: “The Dark Day in North¬
ern America was one of those wonderful phe¬
nomena in nature which will always be read
with interest, but which philosophy is at a loss
to explain.” Judge R. N. Davis says: “It was
a wonderful dark day, standing almost, if not
altogether alone, as the most mysterious and as
yet unexplained phenomenon of its kind in
Nature’s diversified events during the last cen¬
tury.” Noah Webster wrote of it: “I stood and
viewed the phenomenon. No satisfactory cause
has been asigned.” God has said, however,
“The sun shall be darkened before the great
and terrible day of the Lord come,” and, though
this may not be the exact event referred to, yet
it shows how easily God can “darken the sun.”
This day was so dark and ominous that the leg¬
islature of Connecticut, then in session, ad¬
journed, being unable to transact business.
The Connecticut Journal, May 22, 1780, said:
“The greatest darkness was equal to what is
common ly called candle lighting in the evening.
The appearance was indeed uncommon and the
cause unknown.” The reader will notice that it

is nowhere said in God’s Word that the sun or
moon will be destroyed or become extinct, but
rather, it is said, they “withhold their light,
and “are darkened,’' “appear as blood,” etc.
The night following the dark day referred to,
the moon, which had reached its full on the
previous day, was as if extinct, and a darkness
more intense than was ever before known set¬
tled over the land.
The sun is scientifically stated as being a
globe of tumultuous fiames 852,584 miles in diam¬
eter, its bulk being 1,253,000 times greater than
the earth, and to effect the earth with a force
316,000 times greater than the earth’s own force.
It is also said to turn upon its own axis once in
twenty-five days and to be composed of flaming
gases and burning metals. By the aid of the
spectroscope, astronomers discover red flames
or tongues of fire protruding from the .solar
orb, hundreds of thousands of miles into the
gaseous atmosphere that surrounds him. If
spots upon the face of this mighty ball had an
existence, they surely had no history until the
seventeenth century; but since then, they have
been gazed at in dismay by thousands, and are
made the careful study of the thoughtful. In
1779, Sir William Herschel saw one 50,000 miles
in diameter; nevertheless writes Mr. D. T. Tay¬
lor in “The Great Consummation,” “In all the
Signs Frececling His Coin ing. 159
eighteenth century no scientist expressed alarm

for the sun’s fixity or safety. Not so to-day,
* * * * It was from the year 1859 and on¬
ward that the spots commenced to attract won¬
dering attention, and astronomers began to
behold the sun with awe and to express fears
of its stability. ’ ’ In 1839, Capt. Davis saw one
spot 187,000 miles in length, which was at that
time the largest ever seen.
“On September 1, 1859, two astronomers in
England, at different stations, while watching
sun spots, were startled to behold the facula on
the spot edge instantly fiash into an unprec¬
edented and intense brilliancy, and in five min¬
utes to move over the sun’s disc, a distance of
34,000 miles. Presto! Then a magnetic storm
began on earth. The needle became powerfully
excited, the Northern and Southern Auroras
flashed with rare splendor, the telegraph wires
were burdened with electricity, and the entire
globe thrilled and throbbed under the influence
of the strange energy. The sun was in commo-
tion. Telegraph machinery was set on fire and
burned out, and the pen of the instrument was
followed by a flame, and its characters traced in
fire. Men were astonished in all the realms of
science. The instant motion, the explosion, the
varying lights, the tumult in the sun, all sug¬
gested change! It was days before the mysteri¬
ous solar storm subsided; then the earth, which
hung so immediately in the sun’s grasp, lay

quiet again. But the solar eruption was a new
thing and a mystery to all.
“In 1869 and 1870, the minimum period of
spots having passed, the sun was again in ebul¬
lition and strewn with thick, dark spots. Hug¬
gins, of England, saw one spot move quickly
over its face, a distance of 100,000 miles, in one
second. A single spot was seen in May, 1870,
having an area of 320,000,000 square miles. In
October, one group of 200,000,000 square miles
was observed to stretch across the solar disc,
one-fourth of its diameter. In February, a
group of spots seen by English observers had
an area of 1,458,000,000 miles, and in September,
Prof. Langley, in this country, witnessed at one
time hundreds of spots, the area of but one of
them being computed to be 2,000,000,000 square
miles. In November, 1870, the Evening Post,
of New York City, reported three contiguous
spots, whose area was 8,649,000,000 square
miles. The sun passed through remarkable
changes: there were seen cyclones and black
cavities upon it, all declared to be of unusual
magnitude, with one spot a hundred times larger
than the entire surface of our globe. The sun
is changing and nature quivering in witness¬
ing for God. Prof. E. Colbert in The Western
Monthly, August, 1870, in tones of alarm, wrote:
‘The present year, though previously indicated
as one of maximum, is marked by the appear¬

ance of an extraordinary number of spots, which
have no parallel in number and magnitude
within the space of a hundred years. ’ It is well
known that the following year, 1871, was styled
by Victor Hugo and others, ‘The black and ter¬
rible year. ’ ”
It was a terrible year for our earth. The
mighty fires of that year, fed by electric influ¬
ences, consumed the city of Chicago, at a loss
of $180,000,000; took an $80,000,000 slice off
Boston, and the great Western States had forest
and prairie fires, hundreds of miles in extent, in
which 2,500 persons are said to have perished
and $100,000,000 worth of property to have been
destroyed. Again, on February 4, 1872, a mar¬
velous Aurora was apparent, and electric influ¬
ences pervaded the atmosphere until all the tel¬
egraph lines of the earth were affected and the
ocean cable could not be worked by battery. The
needle in the compass became wild and useless,
and to quote D. T. Taylor: “The mystic fires,
which were all colors, shapes and hues, were now
seen by men living in all parts of the earth.”
Harper said: “Not only was this Aurora one of
the most remarkable of recent years because of
the wide extent of its visibility, but it seems to
have been attended with electrical disturbances
that are as yet unparalleled in the annals of
c\ence for their intensity, if not for their dura-
tion and geological extent.”—Magazine, June,

1873. In June of the same year, the Italian
astronomer, Tachini, beheld the entire face of
the sun overspread with burning vapors of mag¬
nesium, a thing which had never been seen be¬
fore. Astronomers were startled in the years
1869 and 1870 to behold a column of electric fire
shooting out of the sun’s heated equatorial
regions toward our earth, which advanced, re¬
ceded and advanced again in a threatening man¬
ner, as if it would lick up our globe. This enor¬
mous tongue reached farther and farther across
the gulf of 92,000,000 miles which separated us
from its fiery source. It seemed to impart a new
and glowing light to every planet in the solar
system.
Astronomers Enis and Langley stated that
this mysterious column extended ten to fourteen
millions, and the latter thinks at times, in thin¬
ner form, thirty to forty millions of miles
toward our earth. This column of supposed
magnetic fire and the boiling coruscations of the
solar orb, together with the increased number
of monster sun spots and the apparent changes
in its form, luster and extent, prove our sun to
be but a perishable, variable star. The New
York Sun, May 23, 1870, said: “The sun is be¬
ginning to be an object of great anxiety to many
scientific men, the spots assuming of late an
appearance which astonishes astronomers, and
Signs Freceding His Coining, 163
is calculated to alarm that class which fancies

that it can detect portents of the future in the
he:vvens. ” Can the people of God, with the
prophecies of Christ and the apostles thus being
turned into history before their eyes, remain
unmoved by the sight? But there are infinite
numbers of such phenomena lately. Prof. C. A.
Young, at Hanover, N. H., witnessed the most
astounding solar explosion ever recorded, Oct.
7, 1880. He saw a burst of flaming hydrogen
shoot up from the sun’s face to the height of
60,000 miles at the speed of 300 miles per second,
and at a little past noon it rose to an altitude of
350,000 miles, when suddenly it disappeared.
Immediately after, the earth was visibly affected
by subtle magnetic influences. Langley saw on
November 16, 1882 an enormous sun spot that
covered 2,200,000,000 square miles, and the same
awful sight was seen at Greenwich, England,
and there calculated to cover 2,600,000,000 miles.
But time and space would fail me to tell of the
marvelous signs in the sun which lately be¬
wilder our leading scientists. But ere leaving
this subject, let me state that it is beginning to
be apparent that the ever-increasing number of
earthquakes, cyclones, whirlwinds, water¬
spouts, hot winds, tidal waves, etc., have these
solar disturbances for a main, if not the only
cause of their existence.
MOON.
An officer in the United States army, writing

to the Philadelphia Enquirer from Leaven¬
worth, March 20, 1893, said: “On the 14th of
February we had the most remarkable phenom¬
enon I ever heard of. At 3, a. m. , the moon,
which had been obscured by a cloud, burst forth
a deep blood-red color with a black cross of
equal proportions over its face.” Though Eng¬
lish scientists declare that “No law of refrac¬
tion can in any way explain this extraordinary
phenomenon,” and Dr. Foster pronounces it
“Wholly inexplicable by any law of natural phi¬
losophy,” yet, in the present century alone, the
moon’s total eclipses, by her passages through
the earth’s shadow, impart to her strange lurid
colors which astonish the beholder. That of
March 19, 1848, is described by Mr. Walker as
resembling “the glowing, red heat of a furnace,
or a deep red”; that of February 27, 1848, is
described by astronomers as being of “a reddish
brown”; that of June 1, 1863, is said by Mr.
Olaisher, of Greenwich, to look “like fire
smoldering into ashes.” We concur fully in the
assertion of the commentators, Fausett and
Brown, in their comments on Joel 2; 31, “Such
shall probably occur in a more appalling degree
before the final destruction of an ungodly
world.”
Signs Preceding His Coming, 165
STARS.
But in looking further for the ominous fore¬

runners of Christ’s coming, the stars give us
much food for hope. He speaks of the stars of
heaven falling on the earth “like as a fig
tree casteth her untimely figs.” As one has
said: “A single star heralded Christ’s first ap¬
pearing, millions will announce his second ad¬
vent.” The first meteoric display, called a “star
shower,” occurred November 12, 1799, over an
area of 11,000,000 square miles of earth. A
French scientist wrote: “There was not a space
of the firmament equal to three diameters of
the moon that was not filled at every instant
with bolides and falling stars.” The showers
of 1832 and 1833 were equal in extent, and can
be attested to by many living witnesses, while
the historic records of them are abundant. The
earth, it is said, seemed to be plowing her way
through a vast stream of little worlds. In 1832,
the showers seemed to be entirely European.
It reached our shores in all its fascinating
grandeur November 12, 1833. The inhabitants
of all North America witnessed the display of
celestial fire-works which burst unexpectedly
upon them, and was as mysterious to our sav¬
ants as to our peasants. Again, the star show¬
ers of 1866 and 1868 appeared as their predeces¬
sors, unheralded and awful, equaling the former
in their terrific grandeur. Europeans and
Asiatics largely beheld this display as the

globe’s eastern hemisphere was turned at night
that year toward the belt of flashing stars, which
fell in millions at the Mediterranean, North
Africa, Turkey, the Holy Land and Europe.
Queen Victoria, it is said, was awakened from
her sleep and gazed for hours on these harbin¬
gers of a mightier monarch than ever sat in her
royal chair. From Chili, in South America,
6,000 miles northward, this awful sight was wit¬
nessed by thousands. Maine, Mexico, and the
Sandwich Islands, also witnessed it.
It is very apparent that the earth accom¬
plishes a mighty revolution that brings her to
this meteoric belt at stated intervals of thirty-
three or thirty-four years. From 1799, the first
appearance, to 1833, and again in 1866 and 1868,
is seen to be an interval of thirty-three years
each time. Science has as yet given no sat¬
isfactory explanation of these portentous ap¬
pearances, and even should she find a natural
cause for all of them, it would make them none
the less significant; for what is nature, but
God’s own law? And if he choose to display
his supernatural omens through natural law,
does that disannul their miraculous character?
SEA.
We now ask the sea to witness for our coming
Lord. In close connection with the solar dis¬
turbances is seen the earthquake, and in as close
Signs Preceding His Coining, 167
connection with the earthquake is heard the

thunderous roar of the ocean tidal wave. Pro¬
fessor M. Ponton, F. R. S. E., writes: “One of
of the most interesting of earthquake phenom¬
ena is the great sea waves which roll in upon
the land with such destructive force. * *
The sea first retires a long way from the beach,
and then returns in a mighty wave of great
height, which rises up far beyond the highest
tide mark, sweeping everything before it. The
greatest sea waves are produced when the cen¬
ter of disturbance is near the shore. ” These
tidal waves are said to be caused by submarine
earthquakes. The unnatural earth movement
swells the sea and propels huge crested waves
at a fearful speed thousands of miles across the
face of the deep, with an ominous roaring sound.
These devastating, roaring, tidal waves, which
are possibly but the fruit of the earthquake, if
not produced by the same solar eruptions as it¬
self, as they are always co-existent with it, are
becoming more frequent in proportion to the
frequency of earthquakes. At the destruction
of Port-au-Prince in 1770, “The great sea waves
swept over the country to a distance of a league
and a half from the shore. ” On the coast of
Peru the sea has risen through submarine agita¬
tions to the height of eighty feet, and at Java
over a hundred feet. And these mighty waves
swept the shore for thousands of miles. “At
Africa, in August, 1868, two ships, the Peru¬

vian corvette, America, and the United States
double-ende, Wateree, were carried on a wave
fifty feet high, nearly half a mile beyond a rail¬
road and there left stranded high and dry.”—
The Great Consummation, p. 288. In the volcanic
convulsions at Java, 1883, the sea rose to a per¬
pendicular height of 135 feet, submerging all the
adjacent lands. On contemplating these enor¬
mous waves it is no marvel that the sea “roars.”
At the time that the earthquake destroyed the
city of Semoda, Japan, in 1854, the sea was
greatly disturbed, and a mighty wave started
that dashed on the shores of California in twelve
and a half hours, the distance being 4,500 miles.
This mighty wave traveled 360 miles per hour,
and the crest was still eighteen feet high on
reaching its destination, and as wave followed
wave, the distance from crest to crest was 150
miles. Again, in the convulsions of Chili and
Peru, in August, 1868, a mighty wave was
started that in fourteen hours reached Califor¬
nia, 4,000 miles distant, and rolled on to the
coast of Alaska at a speed of 300 miles per hour.
The waves when starting were between sixty
and eighty feet high, and reached the Sandwich
Islands, a distance of 6,300 miles, in twelve
hours, their crests being still thirty-six feet
high. This gave them a rate of speed of 525
miles per hour.—D. T. Taylor. Again, on
May 10, 1877, unfortunate Peru was visited by

an earthquake, and a mighty wall of water was
started that deluged her shores and made itself
felt across the Pacific ocean. It reached the
Sandwich Islands in thirteen and a half hours,
rolling at the enormous speed of 466 miles per
hour. Surely the seas’ waves are roaring and
calling rebel man to repentance, and if he will
not quake before his Creator, inanimate creation
will.—The Midnight Cry-
Another sign of the approaching return of
Cnrist we have in the people of Israel. Jesus
himself refers to this as the principal sign of
his appearing (Luke 21: 29-32). The Lord says,
When the fig tree begins to put forth leaves, ye
know that the summer is near. We have in the
chapter on the Restoration of Israel called atten¬
tion to the fact that the time is now at hand
that this fig tree, namely, Israel, is putting forth
leaves and shoots. The Jews have their eye
again on the promised land and begin to be re¬
stored as a nation. If we look at the nations,
and become aware of their restlessness, their
dissatisfaction and inordinate desire for earthly
things, we see that all trees, that is, all nations,
bear those signs.
It is not only the earth in which we perceive
the signs of the approaching end, but there is a
feeling among mankind in general that the near
future will bring something which will be of
momentous consequence to the existing condi¬

tion of things. Many statesman can not think
of the future without more or less of a feeling
of apprehension. We are convinced that the
Bible gives us light as to the future, and we de¬
sire, at all events, to be classed with those who
with joy lift up their eyes knowing that our re¬
demption is nigh.
The Gospel is to be preached in all the world
(Matt. 24: 14). Many look at the millions who
as yet live in heathenism and are inclined to
think that the coming of the Lord can not be
near at hand, for they suppose that every
heathen must before that event accept the Gos¬
pel. We believe that the command of the Lord
has been almost fully carried out. It is not said
that every individual should hear the Gospel,
but all nations. Thibet is the last country
which was yet closed to the Gospel message,
but for more than four years the door has been
opened even for that dark country. Mission¬
aries have found it possible to preach the Gos¬
pel in the interior of that land. It is, therefore,
evident, that the message of peace is to-day pro¬
claimed among all nations.
CHAPTER XIV.
The Hope of the Apostolic Church for

the Second Coming of Christ.
(Titus 2: 11-13.)
11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath

appeared to all men,
12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly
lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly,
in this present world;
13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious
appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus
Christ.
The first Christian churches were animated
by a lively hope for the speedy return of their
Redeemer and Savior. Acts 1: 9-11, we have
the departure of Jesus. The last clause of the
eighth verse is a command to preach the Gospel
in all the world. When he was taken up to
heaven in a cloud, the disciples followed him
with their eyes as long as he had not passed
out of the sphere of their vision. When he had
disappeared, two men in white apparel stood by
17^ Outline on Fropliecy,
them, comforting them with the assurance that

this same Jesus whom their gazing eyes had
seen ascending into heaven, should in like man¬
ner come again from heaven. The disciples re¬
turned to Jerusalem with the joyous hope soon
to meet again him who had now departed from
them. In a previous chapter we have seen that
Peter in his first sermon gives expression to his
expectation of the second comming of Christ,
and looking into this subject further, we find
that the apostles in all places where they
labored for the Master, did not neglect to make
mention of this blessed hope.
The question is often raised why in our day
the second coming of Christ is so seldom dwelled
upon in sermons. It is evidently because this
blessed hope is not clearly enough realized. If
we were so full of this subject as the apostles
and the first apostolic churches, and had the
same ardent longing for the return of the Lord,
this glorious subject would often be the topic in
meetings of believers.
In the different apostolic epistles we find
throughout expressions of the hope for the
speedy return of the Lord. Paul wrote the first
epistle to the Thessalonians in the year 52, and
in it touches upon this subject three times.
Chapter 2: 19, he tells them that they were his
hope, his joy, his crown of rejoicing at the com¬
ing of Christ. Apparently, the coming of the
The Hope of the Chureh. 17S
liOrd was the subject which occupied his mind

to such a degree that the day of the Son of man
would often appear before his spiritual vision;
and, at any event, it gave him untold joy to
think of all the believers whom the Lord had
committed to his charge, and who through his
labor had been led to accept Christ, preparing
themselves for the coming of the Bridegroom
and having part in the first resurrection.
Through faith he sees them assembled with him
before the Son of God at his glorious appearing.
A wonderfully blessed thought penetrates his
mind: he is filled with the lively hope to see a
large band of believers equipped through his
labor to be among those whom the Lord will
own as his bride. It is even a great joy to see
that the Lord blesses the preaching of his Word
a)id multitudes begin a new life; yet greater is
the joy to find those who have believed and ac¬
cepted Christ proving faithful and becoming
more and more grounded in a life of faith. The
greatest measure of joy, however, we shall have
when we shall meet again before his face, when
after all the storms of life, after we on our pil¬
grimage, often under tears and earnest prayer,
have sown the seed of the Word of God, we
shall be counted worthy unitedly to glorify God
in singing his praises. What divine joy shall
illuminate our faces when we shall see the bless¬
ing with which God has crowned the humble
work we were permitted to do on earth. The
apostle Paul is aware that the faithful believers
will be for him a crown of rejoicing for life eter¬
nal, for they are the witnesses of his faithful¬
ness as a servant of the Lord. 1 Thess. 3: 13,
he prays that their hearts may be established
that they may be found unblameable in holiness
at the coming of Jesus Christ. Chapter 5: 23,
he offers prayer in their behalf that their whole
spirit and soul and body should be found blame¬
less at the coming of the Lord. He commits
the Thessalonian brethren to his God that he
may sanctify them wholly that they may be
able to stand at the appearing of Christ.
We often find Christians who say that they
have the assurance of their readiness for the
coming of Christ. Some are offended by such
expressions, and many are of the opinion
that it is presumptuous to make such a profes¬
sion. The passage from Titus heading this
chapter admonishes us that we should be ready
and wait for him. At all events, if we are in an
attitude of waiting and have a longing for his
coming, we must have a blessed consciousness
that there is nothing whatever standing between
him and us, and that we are able to stand when
he appears in his majesty. We confide in our
High Priest that he will make and keep us
ready for the hour of his appearing, surrender-
The Hope of the Church, 175
ing all to him and imploring him to prepare us

that we may meet him in a condition worthy of
him. And since he has effected in us the ardent
longing for his speedy coming, we may take
this as a witness of the Holy Ghost that he has
succeeded in preparing us and that, if the
King of heaven would appear this moment, we
should with joy enter into our home above.
In the year 57, Paul wrote to the Corinthians
(1 Cor. 1: 7, 8) exhorting them to keep them¬
selves in readiness and wait for the coming of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Again he expressed his
desire that they may be confirmed in order to
be found blameless at his appearing. This idea
of confirming we have in Romans 5, and only
after the refining fire shall have done its work,
as we shall see later in Peter, we shall have the
needful stability to stand in those days. Truly,
to stand before him, a mere hope born from ex¬
citement will not suffice; no other hope shall
stand in those days than that which rests on the
foundation of love toward him.
The next mention of the coming of the Lord
we find in the epistle of James which was writ¬
ten in the year 61. At that time already a de¬
cline of practical holiness manifested itself in
the churches to which this letter is addressed.
The poor were oppressed by the rich to whom
were given the preference before others in the
church, for they had already come to judge men
more by their station in life than the inner life

which is hid with Christ in God. James (chap.
5: 7, 8) addresses himself to these poor ones
who were under oppression, and exhorts them
to wait patiently, comforting them with the
words that the coming of the Lord is drawing
nigh. Paul, in writing to the Colossians in the
year 62, admonishes them to be free from that
which is of the earth and seek the things above,
since Christ had become their life. He explains
to them that their life now is hid, but when
Christ, their life, shall appear, they shall also
appear with him in his glory. (Col. 3: 4.)
In the same year Paul wrote to the Philip-
pians and frequently makes mention of the
coming of Christ. Chapter 1: 6, he expresses
the hope that he who had begun in them a good
work, would perform it until the day of Jesus
Christ. Verses 9 and 10, he speaks of his
prayers in their behalf which he sends up to
God that their love and knowledge may be in¬
creased, and they may prove things that are
right or wrong, that they might be sincere and
without offence to the day of Christ. We see in
the case of the foolish virgins that there is a
possibility to go and meet the bridegroom and
yet not be ready; that one may have lamps and
yet no oil. From verse 10 of this chapter, it is
evident that there may be such who talk much
about the second coming of Christ and have a
The Hove of the Church. 177
hope in regard to it, but it is not a hope that

will stand in the hour of trial.
Chapter 3: 10, 11, the apostle tells us what
condition of mind is required to be in readiness
for the first resurrection. In the heart of Paul
there was a deep longing to know Jesus better.
In the resurrection of Christ he saw a power of
which he desired to have more for his own life.
In order that he could attain to this, the Spirit
created within him a desire to experience a fel¬
lowship of his suffering, that he might become
conformed unto his death. He then asks long¬
ingly whether he may have a part in the first
resurrection from the dead. He has in his
mind, without doubt, the first resurrection, for
in the general resurrection all shall arise.
When we see with what holy reverence the
apostle makes mention of these things, and how
unworthy he counts himself to have part in
that resurrection, we are again reminded that
it behooves all of us to implore the Lord in all
reverence that he may keep us in readiness.
The token of readiness is a willingness to suffer
with Christ or for his cause, and with joy to
lay down one’s life for him and share his death
of a martyr.
We will now turn to the epistle to the He¬
brews, which was written in the year 63. Those
to whom this letter is addressed were in a con¬
dition of coldness and lacked spirituality. In-
stead of growing in grace, a loss of spiritual

life manifested itself among them since their
conversion. The apostle endeavors, by interpre¬
tation of some Old Testament types and proph¬
ecy, to impress on their minds the greatness of
Christ and the glory of his salvation. He con¬
cludes with the admonition not to cast away
their confidence, which, he says, hath great rec¬
ompense of reward, for in only a little while he
that promised to come will come and will not
tarry. He endeavors to revive that earthly-
minded church and to hold up to them as an in¬
centive to a holy life, the hope of the coming of
Christ.
Peter wrote his first letter in the year 64 to
the believers and in it frequently makes mention
of the second coming of the Lord.
Chapter 1: 7, he comforts the believers who
were then under great tribulation that their
faith should through the heat of this trial be
purified that it might be found pure gold, hav¬
ing been tried by fire, and that they might be
presented unto praise and honor and glory at
the appearing of Jesus Christ.
Chapter 4: 13, he points out to them some¬
thing of the joy in suffering and gives them the
assurance that as they are partakers of Christ
through suffering for his sake, to which they
submit willingly, so will they at his coming be
glad with exceeding joy.
live Hope of the Church, 179
Chapter 5, he admonishes the ministers and

bishops to feed the flock of Christ without self¬
interestedness but out of love to their Lord that,
when the chief Shepherd shall appear, they will
receive an imperishable crown of glory.
Paul writes in the same year to Timothy and
concludes his first epistle with the inj unction to
keep the commandments of God without spot,
unrebukable until the appearing of [our Lord
Jesus Christ. (1 Tim. 6: 14.)
In the year 67, he writes his second letter to
Timothy. The veteran servant of the]|;Lord is
fully aware that the close of his career is ap¬
proaching; the hope which he had expressed to
the Thessalonians in the year 52, that he wôuld
live until Jesus would return, has given place
to the conviction that he must lay off his taber¬
nacle. Chapter 4: 8, he says, ‘ ‘Henceforth there
is laid up for me a crown of righteousness,
which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give
me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all
them also that love his appearing.” He knowa
fully well that the day of the appearing of
Christ will be a crowning day for all such whO)
are ready for his coming.
The last testimony of the apostles regarding
this blessed hope for the coming of the Lord is
given by the aged apostle John in his first epis¬
tle which was written about the year 95 on the
isle of Patmos. Addressing the believers- in his
loving manner, he says, “Little children, abide

in him.” It appears that He had some appre¬
hension that the believers were not walking in
intimate communion with God. He gives them
the assurance that, if they abide in him, they
shall have joyous confidence at his appearing,
but that, on the other hand, they shall be
ashamed before him if they do not abide in
him. (1 John 2: 28.)
A fitting conclusion of this paragraph we find
in 1 John 3; 2, where he says that we are now
the children of God and it has not yet appeared
what we shall be, but when he shall appear, we
shall be like him. In the following verse he
says that every one who has this hope will pu¬
rify himself, even as he is pure.
At his first appearing he had become like us,
he was a man as we: hunger, thirst and tired¬
ness were experienced by him; his form and
manner -were as that of other men; he was like
us in all things, yet without sin. At his second
coming we shall become like him: we shall re¬
ceive an immortal body as he; we shall be pen¬
etrated with everlasting joy, reign with him,
and constitute with him the glorious churcn of
the redeemed. In office, however, and dignity,
he will in all eternity by far surpass us. When
we consider that all apostles and their churches
have lived in this blessed hope, we feel inclined
to ask how it may have come that this hope
The Hope of the Chxireli, 181
has been lost to the church. If we look into the

history of the church, we shall find that up to
the fourth and fifth centuries the people of God
were animated by this hope. During the dark
ages which followed, true spiritual life was for
the most part lost. Yet, even in the darkest
times, we may notice rays of light radiating
from men of God who were longingly waiting
for the second coming of Christ; and we are
thankful to the Lord that since the time of the
reformation this hope has been revived in the
Christian church. We hope earnestly that the
time will soon come when in all evangelical
churches there will be found those who in ar¬
dent longing wait for their Lord, and that soon
everywhere where the Gospel is preached this
star of hope may be more faithfully held up to
the church.
CHAPTER XV.
The Preparation of the Bride for

the Bridegroom.
(Ps. 45: 11-16; 2 Cor. 11: 1-3.)
11 So shall the king- greatly desire thy beauty: for he

is thy Lord; and worship thou him.
12 And the daughter of Tyre shall be there with a
gift; even the rich among the people shall entreat thy
favor.
13 The king’s daughter is all glorious within: her
clothing is of wrought gold.
14 She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of
needlework: the virgins her companions that follow her
shall be brought unto thee.
15 With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought:
they shall enter into the king’s palace.
16 Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom
thou mayest make princes in all the earth.
1 Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my
folly: and indeed bear with me.
2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for
I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present
you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent b e-
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Prepavi^tioih of the Bride. 183
guiled Eve through his subtil ty, so your minds should
be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
The threefold division of prophetic events
which constitute the subject of this book, is im¬
portant in each particular part, as far, however,
as practical personal matters are concerned, the
idea .of the preparation of the bride for the
Bridegroom is of the most momentous conse¬
quence to us. It is a blissful privilege to search
the prophetic Scriptures and learn more about
the fruits of the glorious victory of Calvary.
Hence, we read also in the prophetic book of the
New Testament, in the first verses. Blessed is
he who heareth and keepeth what is written in
this book of prophecy.
When we approach this subject of the prep¬
aration of the bride, we feel as in no other in¬
stance that we stand on holy ground; and we
are made to think of the words of Paul: “I keep
under my body, and bring it into subjection, lest
that by any means, when I have preached to
others, I myself should be a castaway. ” It is
our only desire to be fully made loose from all
things earthly and by the refining fire of the
Holy Ghost to be thoroughly tried, that we may
be counted worthy to stand before him when he
shall come again and be partakers of his glory.
Our previous chapter treating of the hope of
the apostolic churches should serve as an incen¬
tive to the preparation of the bride of Christ for
1S4 Outline on Fropliecy,
the appearing of the Lord; hence, we shall fur¬

ther, as briefly as possible, call attention to a few
thoughts designed to set this truth in a clearer
light and to point out to the reader the import¬
ance of true earnestness and zeal in the work
of preparation.
In the words preceding our text (Ps. 45), we
have a beautiful picture of the Bridegroom as a
victor over the nations and of all his dignity and
majesty. In the words of the text we find in¬
structions for the bride, showing how she may
win the good pleasure and the heart of the
Bridegroom, and what a glorious endowment she
will obtain by conforming to his divine will.
First of all, she is earnestly exhorted to forget
her father’s house and her kindred, and if she
is willing to make this sacrifice for the sake of
the King, she shall indeed find his good pleas¬
ure. It is even so in natural relations. If a
bride is wedded to the bridegroom, he will not
be contended with anything less than her whole
heart. If the bride in her thoughts would live
yet in her former home, and he would feel that
she is more there than in his company, he could
not truly take delight in her, even if she be of
lovely figure.
If this is true in the case of an earthly bride¬
groom, how much more of the Bridegroom who
is Lord of all. It is impossible that he will
truly find pleasure in a bride whose heart is yet
Preparation of the Bride- 185
divided. He desires that the love of the bride

should be bestowed on him alone, and that she
should place her whole being at his disposal.
The whole book of the Song of Solomon treats
of this communion between bridegroom and
bride, and pictures the beauty of this relation
in such glowing colors that it is at once felt that
this is written for those who have through the
faith of the Son of God put fleshly enticement
to the cross and whose understanding is opened
for spiritual things. Chapter 1, the bride com¬
plains that she is black, having been tanned by
the sun, and that she, rather against her will,
has been the keeper of a stranger’s vineyard
while her own vineyard was neglected.
Chapter 2, we have the meeting of bride and
bridegroom. Even if there is yet an iron lattice
between them, the bridegroom notwithstanding
calls to the bride w’ho has hid in the clefts of a
rock, saying that the winter is passed and the
time of the singing of birds is come; he ex¬
presses his longing to hear her voice. Her re¬
ply is, “My beloved is mine and I am his.”
Chapter 3, we have a description of how the
bride finds the bridegroom and leads him into
her mother’s house. From there on, the book
describes the pleasure which they find in each
other’s company.
We read frequently in the Holy Scriptures of
the body of Christ, of the temple of God, and
of the bride of Christ. Many who do not take

the time to investigate the Scriptures, are at a
loss in dealing with these different expressions
knowing not how to make use of them. Look¬
ing more closely into this matter we find that
these expressions have reference to the same
subject. The different expressions are used with
reference to the three persons of the Godhead.
In regard to their relation toward God the
Father, the sanctified church is called the tem¬
ple, or the city of God. Searching the Script¬
ures while giving attention to this subject, we
find the sanctified church of God typically rep¬
resented in the Old Testament by the taberna¬
cle; namely, by the boards which, being covered
with gold, were joined together according to the
instruction given by God, and which together
constituted the holy and the holy of holies.
In the holy of holies the Father dwelt in his
law, the two tables of stone being kept there,
the Son dwelt in the mercy-seat and the Holy
Ghost in the pillar of clouds. Even in the Old
Dispensation, the holy church was represented
by the tabernacle of God in which he dwelt,
the different boards serving as types of the
individual believers. These boards were of
cedar w’ood, which is not subject to putrefac¬
tion, representing a pure and immortal life.
They were covered with gold, a type of im¬
parted holiness which we receive from the Son
Preparcition of the Bride, 187
of God if we consecrate ourselves fully to him.

So it is necessary for every believer, in order
to be a fit subject for the indwelling of God, to
experience entire sanctification.
The temple again was a type of the church of
the believers, and is in the New Testament often
referred to as such. The temple was the place
where the Godhead dwelt and the service in the
temple is a picture of the readiness for his ser¬
vice requisite for believers. Every stone used
for the erection of the temple building was
chiseled out and prepared to fit the place for
whi ch it was intended, and this work of prep¬
aration had been completed before the founda-
t ion of the building was laid, so that while its
erection was in progress, not a sound of ham¬
mer was heard. It must be even so concerning
the preparation for the coming of the Lord.
When he comes as lightning in the clouds of
heaven, we must be fully prepared to occupy
our place in the building of God.
Th e last picture of the believers, as the city
of God, we have, in Rev. 21: 9-11, where John
sees the city, the new Jerusalem, coming down
out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for
her husband. The apostle is told by the angel
who is to show him the city, to come and see
the bride of the lamb. In this picture we see
the church of God as a place of dwelling of the
Father in the consummate light of eternity.
In the same chapter we see further the glory

of this city of God, indicating the high station
for which the believers, who are willing to be
prepared by his grace for this tabernacle of
God, are chosen.
These are briefly the expressions used in the
Scriptures for the sanctified church of the New
Testament to indicate its relation to the Father.
Passing on to the subject of the relation of
the church to the Son we find this relation to be,
as it were, a con3ugal one. The church is the
bride of Christ, both have, as it were, become
one spirit.
The Holy Scriptures refer to this relation in
many instances; endeavoring, however, to avoid
all verbosity, we shall take into consideration
only a few points.
Taking the first Adam as a type, we have a
picture of the high dignity of the office of the
bride, pointing out also the way by which we
may attain to the same.
Adam was created before the woman; he was
alone, finding his equal not in creation. In
creating a lielpmate for him, God followed a
method which must attract the attention of
every Bible reader. It would be well-nigh
proper to say that Eve was not a new creation,
but there was, as it were, a division of Adam in -
to two beings. We do not read that God made
use of the dust of the ground or of the com -
Treparation of the Bride. 189
mand, “Let there be” — the Lord simply took

from Adam a part from the proximity of the
heart and formed out of it the woman. Being
bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh, a fact
which was at once recognized by Adam, the
woman must be of equal rank and of like mind
with him.
In accordance with this plan of God, the
bride of the second Adam shall be brought
forth. What there may be found now of the
first Adam, shall and must die by the power of
the Holy Ghost; and by the sacrificial death of
Jesus Christ we are through faith made par¬
takers of his own nature, so that, as Paul testi¬
fies in Eph. 5: 30, we are flesh of his flesh and
bone of his bone. As close as was the relation¬
ship, according to the flesh, between Adam and
his helpmate, even so close must be the rela¬
tionship according to the spirit between Christ
and his bride.
In the marriage of Isaac we have again a pic¬
ture of the way and manner of the preparation
of the bride for this high station. Isaac indeed
is the great type of the second person of the
Godhead. Having typically been offered, the
time came when a bride should be chosen for
him. So Christ had to be offered as a sacrifice,
before the bride could be united with him; for
his sacrificial death was the fundamental basis
for the development of the bride. Faithful
Eliezer was, as a type of the Holy Ghost, com¬

missioned to bring the bride to Isaac. The
bride must be brought to the promised land
where Isaac at that time had his abode; there¬
fore it was necessary that she in the first place
be a bride who is willing to give up her
friends, her home and in fact everything: and,
secondly, that she is one of his nearest kin¬
dred. This brings to our attention two impor¬
tant points concerning the bride of Christ. His
bride must be of his nearest kin according to
the spirit, i. e., the same Holy Spirit by whom
he was begotten must beget her. Further it is
necessary for the bride to give up all her kin¬
dred who may not be willing to accompany her to
the land of the bridegroom. The basis for the
decision of Rebekah was faith. She must have
all confidence in Eliezer, and believe that he had
told her the full truth about Isaac, for her eye
had as yet not beheld him. For the bride of
Christ, also, it is necessary that she will accept
the message from the Bridegroom with uncon¬
ditional faith, if she would obtain the full bless¬
ing.
In the further course of the transactions
(Gen. 24), we see that efforts were made by the
relations of the bride to detain her. Truly,
these relatives are a picture of the dead church
whose adherents are related to the true people
of God, and yet according to their nature they
Piêparation of the Bride, 191
dwell in another country. The nominal Chris¬

tians who have good intentions and are devout,
as far as their outward appearance is concerned,
but have not come far enough to verify the sav¬
ing truth of the Gospel by their own experience,
are always standing in the way of those who
would break fully from things earthly. Eliezer
then interposed with friendly entreaties. If
the sanctified are in earnest, there will always
be a way in which they can move onward. The
final decision wâs to be made by Rebekah her¬
self. How joyous is her word, ‘ T will go with this
man. ” Oh! that, in spite of all efforts of the
world,yea even of relations and so-called friends,
this were the determination of every child of
God, “I will go with this man.”
2 Cor. 11, Paul may have appeared to the Co¬
rinthians overzealous in his endeavor to im¬
press them with the importance of belonging to
the bride of Christ. He asks them, therefore,
to bear with what may seem folly to them, add¬
ing in a way of explanation that he does this in
order that he may present them as a chaste vir¬
gin to Christ. Apparently, the faithful servant
of God had the impression that the church was
not ready to meet the Lord and be acknowl¬
edged as a pure virgin for him. In the book of
Esther, also, we have in the preparation of the
virgins for the reception of the king, a type of
the bride of Christ.
We now turn to the relation which the sancti¬

fied church holds toward the third person of
the Godhead, the Holy Ghost. In this relation
the bride is denominated as the body of Christ,
as is evident from the following passages: Rom.
12: 5; 1 Cor. 12: 27: Eph. 1: 22, 23; Col. 1: 24.
It would hardly be correct to say that this
expression indicates a still closer union than
those considered previously, and yet it may in¬
dicate a particular relation within the circle of
those who constitute the bride of Christ, and
may have application for a smaller circle in the
millennium. In the bride of Christ, we have a
twofold picture. Firstly, there are those who
making a full surrender, are entirely sanctified
and are represented in Revelation as taking
part with Christ in the priestly office and in
government.
If we, however, take into consideration Hos.
3, the first part of the chapter and other pas¬
sages, it will be evident that the Lord has
espoused himself to Israel and that they shall
with others be the bride. In the above passage
he entreats the bride to keep herself pure,
promising that he shall then accept her as his
wife. When we consider the prophetic promises
of the glory to which Israel shall be exalted in
time to come, and what privileges they shall en
joy, we shall readily see that they belong to the
bride of Christ, after they have been fully sane-
Freparation of the Bride, 193
tified. Before, however, this can be fulfilled,

the members of the body of Christ shall be
united with the head, an event which shall take
place at the time of the rapture of the saints.
This then will be what might be termed a
preceding festival of the great marriage with
Israel, the chosen bride, and will be a union in
which he forms with his members a heavenly
body, who shall, as the bridegroom, be united
with converted Israel at the time of the great
marriage supper in the millennium, in which we
shall be partakers of all his joy.
Greater joy and a greater victory for the
kingdom of God will never be experienced than
by the conversion of all Israel.
If we think of the embodying in Christ by
which head and members shall be joined to¬
gether into a heavenly body, in which the same
life-blood shall circulate, we are again made to
understand something of the importance of our
preparation for that place. Not a weakly, sick¬
ly or in some other respect faulty member can
be united to the head. The body must be as
perfect as is the head, and only then can they
be fitted together in one body. What a dignity
that we shall constitute one body with Christ!
CHAPTER XVI.
The Rapture of the Saints.

(1 Thess. 4: 14-18; Dan. 7: 9, 10, 13, 14, 26, 27.)
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again,

even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring'
with him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord,
that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of
the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven
with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with
the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise
lirst:
17 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.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the
Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as
snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his
throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burn¬
ing fire.
10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before
him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten
THE RAPTURE OF THE BELIEVERS.
%
I •
n
llapture of the Saints. 193
thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the
judgment was set, and the books were opened.
13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like
the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and
came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near
before him.
14 And there was given him dominion, and glory,and
a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages,
should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting domin¬
ion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that
which shall not be destroyed.
26 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take
away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto
the end.
27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness
of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given
to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose king¬
dom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall
serve and obey him.
Before entering into this important subject
we will turn to a number of types given us in
the Holy Scriptures for the purpose of encour¬
aging the believers through the assurance that
those who serve the Lord faithfully shall be
made free from the vanishing things of earth
and be translated into the kingdom of his Son.
Above all, these types go to show that his chil¬
dren shall be exempted from the judgments
which the Lord must bring upon the wicked¬
ness of this world.
The first type is Enoch. (Gen. 5: 21-24.) The
fundamental truth presented typically by his
translation is that those who walk in holy com-
munion with their God will be translated. Enoch

walked for three hundred years in such commun¬
ion with Go d, and, therefore, he was taken up
higher in order to escape the judgment about
to come ov er a corrupt world.
The time preceding the millennium is gener¬
ally divided into three periods. Enquiring into
this matter more closely we find three sub¬
divisions, making six periods, or seven, if we
include the millennium.
Considering the three principal divisions we
find the first period to extend from creation to
the flood, generally designated as the infancy
of mankind. The second period covers the time
from the flood to the birth of Christ, and
is called the period of training or “school-
mastering’' of the human family. The third
period extends from the birth of Christ to
the millennium, and is the time of the Gospel or
the fullness of grace. In the translation of
Enoch we have, for the human family in the
first period, a testimony that there will be
a time when, without tasting death, the saints
shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air.
The second type is Elijah. (2 Kings 2: 12.)
This falls into the second period, when man¬
kind is under a process of education giving to
those who live in that period divine evidence
that the believers shall,without seeing death,be
translated into the fellowship of the Lord.
Rapture of the Saints- 197
A further type we have in Joseph and his
brethren. (Gen. 45: 9-12.) This is not so direct
a type, no translating taking place, and yet it
conveys the same teaching. Joseph, the ruler of
the land of Egypt, to whom all power was given,
is a type of the King of heaven. His brethren
are a type of the brethren of Jesus, i. e., the
church. The great famine is a picture of the
time of Antichrist. In accordance with the ideas
conveyed by this picture, the believers shall
enter into the time of tribulation, but before
the tribulation is fully come, they shall by the
heavenly Joseph be translated into his own
country. The brethren of Joseph received his
invitation to come to him into the land of Egypt
toward the close of the second year of the famine.
There was at that time only scarcity of food—
not actual famine, but these two years were
followed by five years of severe famine and dur¬
ing which they were with Joseph whose store¬
houses were amply supplied. In accordance
with this type we may suppose that the believ¬
ers will see only the beginning of the time of
tribulation.
We turn our attention now to another picture
which we have in Matt. 24; 16-18, in the pre¬
diction of the destruction of Jerusalem. In this
passage the believers are charged to flee from
Jerusalem in haste when they see it be¬
sieged by an army; they should lose no time in
198 Outliiie on Frophecy.
trying to take some of their effects. When Jeru •

Salem was besieged by the Romans and famine
began to rage in the city, the besieging army
withdrew for a short time, without doubt through
the providence of God, giving to the believers
an opportunity to liee from the city. They im¬
proved the opportunity, reaching in safety
Pella, the place of refuge intended for them,
where they were spared from the terrible judg¬
ments. This also is accepted as an evidence
that the believers shall not remain on the earth
during the time of the great tribulation. On
the other hand we should at any rate conclude
from this that Antichrist must first make his
appearance before the hour for the translation
of the saints has come. This is also clear from
2 Thess. 2:2, 3, where Paul states that Christ
will not come except there come a falling away
first, and that man of sin be revealed. On the
strength of this passage wê must say that we
believe there must be some further develop¬
ments before we may expect the return of Christ;
that, however, may take place within a short
time since everything at present is going at a
rapid pace. The spirit of Antichrist is already
strongly represented and apostasy has made
great advances.
A further assurance that we shall not be on
the earth during the time of tribulation is found
in Rev. 3: 10, 11, in the epistle to the church in
Rapture of the Saints. 199
Philadelphia. They are portrayed there as a

small band of believers, esteemed only little by
the world, and having a little strength, but in
the eyes of God held of high estimation because
he has found them faithful. They present in
truth a picture of those who have prepared
themselves for the coming of the Lord, and
who are worthy to appear before him. Here it
is revealed to us that of the great multitude of
so-called believers only a small and unnoticed
band is found worthy to be kept from the time
of tribulation.
Many dear children of God have made a great
mistake by not searching closely into the mean¬
ing of that promise (Matt. 24: 16-18), taking it
to indicate a Pella on earth, and selected a
place for themselves where they believed to be
secure from the wiles of Antichrist. The Holy
Scriptures, however,show clearly that the tribu¬
lation will come over the whole earth; conse¬
quently, the place of refuge for the believers
can not be on the earth.
This idea leads us to the consideration of the
translation of the believers, as it is revealed to
us in the Scriptures.
1 Cor. 15: 51-53, Paul enters into this subject,
saying that he is revealing to them a mystery.
Why this subject was a mystery to the Corin¬
thians is readily understood when we consider
how worldly that church had become. Chapter
200 Outline on Fjôphecy.
3, the apostle says that he could not give them

meat because they were yet babes, and reproves
them for several forms of sin found among
them. Are not the Corinthians a picture of
those to whom the second coming of the Lord
is a secret in our day? They are yet ensnared
in worldly things and do not desire that he
should soon return. They have never with
prayer searched the promises of God’s Word re¬
garding this subject, and, therefore, it is a mys¬
tery to them to talk of the blessed hope which
animates the believers.
According to Luke 12, those who say, ‘My
lord delayeth his coming, ” shall begin to beat
the menservants and maidens, instead of
inviting them into the kingdom of God. This
is verified anew that such who have no longing
for the Lord’s coming, are harsh in judgment
against such of God’s children who do not
agree in all their teachings, because they have
not a new spirit like Joshua and Caleb. Paul
states that the translating shall take place in
the twinkling of an eye at the time of the last
trump. In any event, this trump will be heard
only by those whose spiritual ear is opened.
According to 1 Thess. 5: 2, the return of the
Lord will be as the coming of a thief in the
night. Such an one will come at an unexpected
hour, taking his prey in the quietness of night.
Even so it shall be at the coming of the Son of
Rapture of the Saints, 201
man. When the world will be engaged in rev¬

elling and drunkenness, in marrying and wor¬
shipping mammon, and even the cold church
be asleep, then shall the sign of the Son of
man appear in heaven, visible only to the be¬
lievers. The world will see only the accom¬
plished fact, the translation itself will be hidden
from their eyes. The dead who have fallen asleep
in the Lord will come out of their graves; those
who yet live and wait for his coniing, will be
changed in the twinkling of an eye, in a moment
shall that which is mortal be swallowed up by
immortality. Toe loved ones who have gone
before, shall be united with us, and together we
appear before the face of God.
In the passage from Thessalouians which is
heading this chapter, the apostle takes up the
same subject and presents the same thoughts;
a few points, however, are more fully developed.
The Thessalonians were a lively, spiritual
church; to them this subject was not unknown
or obscure. They lived in this blessed hope
and, at any rate, made this the subject of their
conversation. On the other hand, however, it
would appear that they went rather to the ex¬
treme, believing that all who would be worthy to
meet the Lord, should live to see his appearing.
So nearly at hand did they believe was the ful¬
fillment of the promises relating to his coming
that they waited for it daily; and when, notwith-
standing, some who had been living in this hope

died, the anxious question was raised among
them whether those should in the resurrection
not be at a disadvantage from such who would
live to see his coming. Paul, therefore, explains
to them that physical death has nothing to do
with this question, and that those who fell
asleep in the Lord shall have the same inherit¬
ance as the others, the condition being that
they were prepared for his coming when they
fell asleep.
In conclusion the apostle says that they
should comfort one another with these words,
namely, of the coming of the Lord. At any
event, it is his opinion that the believers who
are passing through great tribulation should,
when they come together, speak of these
things and comfort each other with words of
encouragment concerning the coming of the
Lord, viz.,that they should soon meet him in the
clouds of heaven, and how glorious their
reward would be. We believe that the Chris¬
tian families among the Thessalonians would
after finishing their daily work, sit together in
the evening, to follow the exhortation of the
apostle. How beautiful when the father of a
family can in the evening gather around him
his believing children to prepare himself with
them for what the future has in store.
We will take up one more passage in Luke
liapture of the Saints. WS
17: 34-36 before leaving this subject. Here

the Lord himself announces his return, and
that a separation will take place when becomes.
Two shall be in the field, two grinding at the
mill, two lying in one bed. There may be only
little difference as far as their outwârd appear¬
ance is concerned, but while the one has a hid¬
den life from above, the other is thinking only
of his field. There will be a sudden separation:
one will be left on this earth, while the other
one shall meet his Lord. When we think
of the separation which shall take place when
the Lord shall come again, when we think in
how many a family there will be a division,
shall it not be an incentive to us to be prepared
for the coming of Christ? Great indeed will
be the distinction between those who can go
and the others who have to remain. While the
first shall in the clouds receive the reward of
grace and be crowned, those who remain shall
under the frightful reign of Antichrist pass
from tribulation to tribulation. Truly, it pays
to prepare for his coming. Often the question
is heard, what will become of our children 'when
Jesus returns and we shall be caught up to meet
him in the clouds? Do not the Scriptures show
us that we must be fully sanclified and filled
with his love in order to have part in the first
resurrection? Even if infants are saved because
sin is not yet counted against them, it would
204 Outline on Frophecy,
nevertheless be wrong to suppose that they

themselves are prepared for the coming of the
Lord as sanctified children of God. This point
is not clear to many, yet the Scriptures do not
leave us in the dark concerning it. There is
enough scriptural ground for the belief that the
faith of the parents is sufficient for the chil -
dren, also, as long as they are in infancy. We
hope to be understood rightly in this: when we
speak of faith we mean that they intercede for
those of their own household until they obtain
assurance concerning them.
Another thought is embarrassing to many.
If of the parents one is a believer and the other
one not, what shall become of their children?
In reference to this point, we have the word of
Paul, 1 Cor. 7: 14, on the strength of which we
are fully satisfied that the sanctified parent
shall take with him infant children, since they
are entrusted by God to the sanctified parent
and laid upon his heart.
»
CHAPTER XVII.
The Different Ranks of the Blessed.

(1 Cor. 15: 35-42.)
35 But some man will say, How are the dead raised up?
and with what body do they come?
36 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened,
except it die:
37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that
body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of
wheat, or of some other grain:
38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him,
and to every seed his own body.
39 All fiesh is not the same flesh: but there is one
kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of
fishes, and another of birds.
40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terres¬
trial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory
of the terrestrial is another.
41 There is one glorj^ of the sun, and another glory of
the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star
differeth from another star in glory.
42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown
in corruption; it is raised in incorruption.
There shall be a vast distinction between
206 Outline on Prophecy ^
those who have been saved but are yet worldly

minded with the world, and those who conse¬
crate themselves fully to the Lord.
Many may perhaps, as the disciples, consider
the question what the reward shall be if we,
consecrating ourselves entirely to the Lord,
leave everything and follow him. Is it only a
blessing which we receive in this life, or shall
there also be a reward of grace in the life to
come? Truly, it will pay even in this life to
walk in close communion with God. Yet, the
time on the earth is only the seed time, the har¬
vest shall follow in the beyond.
The passage of Scripture which heads this
chapter is clear indeed in its teaching that there
shall be a great difference in the various ranks
of the saints.
We understand that all God’s children shall
enjoy salvation, which they receive of God ac -
cording to their own capability. The apostle,
however, teaches that this capability is greater
in some than in others. According as we have
been prepared through the Holy Spirit, we
shall be capable of accepting the bliss of th e
redeemed in the fullness of the Spirit.
Something similar we experience even here
upon the earth. In the assembly of the believ¬
ers the Holy Spirit with his fullness blesses the
Word which is preached. Many believers will
be filled with the preseace of the Lord in such
Ranks of the Blessed. m
measure that they experience a degree of the
bliss of heaven; others, too, receive a blessing,
but it, however, falls far short of that degree to
which the first have attained. The difference
simply comes from the fact that the spiritual
life of the latter is yet rather superficial and
they are, therefore, not able to grasp the deep¬
est truths and most glorious treasures offered
in such meetings.
In our text Paul is very clear in his teaching
concerning the new body which the believers
shall obtain in the resurrection of the just. He
teaches that not all flesh is the same flesh, but
that there is a great difference in species. Still
greater shall be the difference in the beyond.
All the blessed shall have heavenly bodies, but
in the glory of their bodies there shall be a great
difference—one shall surpass the other in glory.
Verse 41 the apostle says that of sun, moon and
stars each has its own glory, but the glory of
the sun surpasses, by far, that of the moon, and
the glory of the moon differs from that of the
stars, while even the stars differ from each other
in glory. All, however, are full of beauty and
shine in indescribable splendor. So it shall,
also, be with the blessed: every one having part
in the first resurrection shall shine in the eter¬
nal glory of heaven, some indeed much brighter
than others, all, however, in an inexpressibly
beautiful light.
208 Outline on Piôpkecy.
What a difference in the outward appearance

of individual men will the attentive observer
notice already here upon the earth. One will
meet persons who in their appearance are like
Absalom, without fault, while others are un¬
comely—yes, even deformed. This, however,
is only the external appearance, and the inner
man, the heart, is often the very opposite of
what the external represents, because our earth¬
ly bodies are not yet formed and developed in
accordance with the new life within. Yet when
man is born from above, the creation of the new
body begins in the soul which is the garment of
the spirit and makes an impression on the
earthly body. Great is the change wrought
even in the outward man by conversion. How
many a man who, before his conversion, was re¬
pulsive in his whole appearance, but after hav¬
ing for a number of years lived a life that is hid
with Christ in God, became attractive and pleas¬
ing in his very appearance.
On the other hand, sin also may cause a great
change in a person—a well known fact. How
many a lovely and even agreeable face has been
changed through indulgence in sin into a pic¬
ture that is dreadful.
As said above, the new body of the resurrec¬
tion shall be formed in accordance with the in¬
ner life, the external appearance of man shall
be only a representation of the inner man.
Ranks of the Blessed. W9
A clear evidence of this we have in the trans-

liguration of Christ. There the light of the innei".
life penetrated through the veil of the human
vessel in such a manner that even the raiment,
was radiating the glory of the inner man.
Our natural body, which now.serves as a t>ab-
ernacle for the inner man, shall be the grain of
seed for the new body, and that new body shall
in a measure be a likeness of the mortal body.
When John beheld the Son of God in his maj -
esty and glory, he, notwithstanding the great
change, recognized the well known features of
the Savior. This alone is an unmistakable an¬
swer to the question whether the blessed in the
beyond may recognize each other. We believe
that we even shall retain the same modulation
of voice. Mary recognized her risen Lord by.
his voice.
Our body will be sown as a grain of seed for
the resurrection. Rom. 12: 1, we have the ex¬
hortation to present our bodies a living sacrifice
holy unto the Lord; and in addition to this we
have the solemn word that him who destroys
the temple of God, God shall also destroy. W^^
would here call upon all who misuse and destroy
their bodies to stand still and consider what
they do. Our body is a grain of seed for eterr
nity.
Even in the Old Testament Scriptures it is
taught that there wfill be different ranks among
^10 Outline on Frophccy,
the blessed in heavenly glory. Dan. 12: 2,

ihe Lord permitted that faithful man of God to
take a glimpse of the future. He sees the dead
rising from their graves, ‘ ‘some to everlasting
life and some to everlasting shame and con*
tempt.” He sees such who were teachers
“shine as the bi’ightness of the firmament, and
they that turn many to righteousness as the
stars for ever and ever.” Matt. 13: 43, Jesus
gives us the beautiful word that the righteous
ehall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of
their Father.
The clearest scriptural testimony regarding
the difierent degrees of heavenly blessedness
we find in Revelation. In the seventh chapter
John beholds the blessed in their heavenly man¬
sions. First of all, he sees the multitude of the
people of Israel, distinguishing even each parti¬
cular tribe. Then he beholds a great multitude
of all nations and people and tongues, praising
God in glory. They are clothed with white
robes and carry palms of victory in their hands,
but as yet have no crown. Such as are crowned
be sees in Rev. 4 and 5.
In Rev. 14 and 15, he sees two distinctive
idasses. In the fourteenth chapter he sees the
bride of the Lamb, the spectacle of wliich ac¬
cording to the description surpasses everything
his eye has yet beheld. These are such which
have been found blameless before the throne of
Ranks of the Blessed, 211
God, in which even the eye of God did not hnd

anything which might be displeasing to him.
They follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth
and are continually in his presence. Truly,
these are such who have here upon the earth
learned to obey and follow him, and who fol¬
lowed him even through Gethsemane.
What appears to us as of particular import¬
ance is the hymn which they sing. It is a
hymn which can not be learned by othere of the
blessed; it surpasses the voices of the holy in¬
habitants of heaven, end angels even are not
able to sing it. Nothing else can it be which
makes their singing so incomparably beautiful
than perfect love and the cognition of the full
significance of the mystery which was in Jesus
Christ, and which is revealed in tho.se who con¬
secrate themselves fully to him.
This passage appears to us to be of the ut¬
most importance, for it shows us that the con¬
verted soul may here upon earth reach a degree
of grace and conformity to the image of Christ,,
which is impos.sible to attain in the beyond..
Whoever neglected to be prepared, has suffered
a loss which is irrepairable for eternity.
We will readily admit that those who have
been saved may in the hereafter experience an
increase in knowledge, yet, hardly can this be in
a measure as it is possible here upon the earth.
When we meditate upon this matter, and notice
Outline on Prophecy-
what may be neglected by a lack of earnestness

in this matter, and that such neglection can not
be repaired through all eternity, it is an incen¬
tive to us to press on to the mark we have be¬
fore us and to forget the things which are be¬
hind. We lift up our heads and leave the earth
beneath our feet. We consecrate ourselves
anew to the Lord and say. Lord Jesus make
out of us what is possible to thee, and let us he
found faithful.
In the lifteenth chapter of Kevelation, John
beholds the blessed which have after the trans¬
lation of the bride been converted, and who, re¬
fusing to accept the mark of the beast, loved not
their lives unto death, but gave it for eterual
bliss. They are standing at the sea of glass
mingled with fire. The fire indicates the heat
of tribulation through which they have passed.
They have in their hands harps of gold and with
joy sing the song of Moses and the Lamb, prais¬
ing the judgments of God with a loud voice.
Apparently, however, they are not standing so
high in dignity as those of Rev. 14.
Again we notice also different degrees in the
occupation of the blessed in the beyond. Rev.
4:4-11, we have two classes of the blessed. The
elders are described as taking part in adminis¬
tering divine judgment, and the nations are rep¬
resented by four living creatures, who assist in
executing the judgments. Luke 19: 16-19 treat®
RalÛs of the Blessed. 21S
of the reward of grace and the oih.ces of the
heavenly kingdom; Matt. 20: 1-17 has reference
rather to the bliss of the redeemed in ’general,
which is a free gift of grace which can not be
earned. As far as that gift of grace is con¬
cerned, tJiey all receive an equal portion, i. e.,
redemption; in the reward of grace, on the other
hand, we notice a difference, one receiving
more, another less, according to their faithful¬
ness. It is clear that the Lord can in the be¬
yond entrust to us according as he found us
faithful in this.
As the blessedness must take its beginning
already in this life, ’.the Lord assigns to those
who are fully consecrated to him, their work or
the office which they shall fill. The full author¬
ity, however, he will not give into our hands,
because as long as we are on the earth, we are
not found sufficiently capable and experienced
for it. One thing is certain, if we are faithful
with that which the Lord has entrusted to us,
he will soon give more and he will delight in
appointing us to the full dignity and authority
of our office.
When we meet him in the cloud, we are not
entitled to make a claim for a royal office, but
since it is revealed to us that such a dignity
exists for children of God, we will in childlike
gratitude humble ourselves before our God and
ask him to make us faithful in all things. Per-
^14 Outline oitr Fropheey.
fectlyJioo3« of all things earthly, let us go oa
fromjglory to glory until we shall in our celestial
bodies appear in his likeness before him.
CHAPTER XYHI,
DaniePs Prophetic Chronology.

(Dan. 9: 24-27.)
24 Sieventy weeks are determined upon thy people and
upon thy holy city, to llnish the transgreision, and to
make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for
iniquity, and brinj in everlasting: rip^hteousness, and to
seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most
Holy.
25 Know therefore and understand, that from the
Ifoing forth of the commandment to restore and to build
Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven
weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be
built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
20 And 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.
27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for
one week; and in the midst of the week he shall cause the
sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the over¬
spreading of abominations he shall make it desolate,
even until the consummation,and that determined shall
be poured upon the de^solate.
Daniel was a great statesman—the highest in

office after the king, and a large portion of the
administration of government rested upon him.
Yet, however, with all the pressure of his work,
he found sufficient time to search the Word of
God, and above all, he found it possible, not
only to lead a life of prayerful communion wdth
his God, but to kneel down three times every
day and'intercede for his people. • The ninih
chapter gives us a glimpse of his life of prayer.
Humbly he confesses his own sins and those of
the people, having in his intercession for the
latter principally a three!old aim in view; viz.,
first of all, pardon- for the sin of his people,
acknowledging thereby that their captivity in
Babylon was caused by sin, which must be
removed before God can help them.
The second point which he had in view was
deliverance from captivity. From the writings
of Jeremiah he knew that his people should for
gfeventy years languish under the oppression of
a foreign nation, and since the seventy years
were now completed, he asked the Lord in
earnest x)rayer to send deliverance.
The sanctuary of Israel was the third object
burdening his heart. He kiieTT that it had been
destroyed, and prays that God himself may
cause another sanctuary to be built for. them.
A man like Daniel would find it impossible to
give space to the thought that his people .should
Frôphetic Chronology- ^17
be restored again without having also their

sanctuary restored in which God had promised
to dwell.
Verse 24, we have the answer of God to his
prayer. That answer is sixfold, viz., 1. The
transgression should be restrained (margin).
2. An end of sins be made. 3. Keconciliation for
iniquity be made. 4. To bring in ap everlasting
righteousness. 5. Vision and prophecy sealed
up. 6. The most holy place anointed (margin).
God further reveals to him that the time for
the fulfillment of all this would be seventy
weeks. In verse 25, he divides these seventy
weeks into three different periods which in¬
clude three distinct events of the history of the
Jewish people. The first period comprises
seven weeks, the second, sixty-two weeks, and
the last period, one week. All Bible students
agree that this has reference to year-weeks,
each week comprising Seven years. The com¬
mentators do not all agree on the. date of the
beginning of the seventy weeks, although
the majority of them take verse 25 as. indicat¬
ing the beginning, where we have these words:
“Know therefore and understand, that from
the going forth of the commandment to restore
and build Jerusalem..... .shall be seven
weeks. ” It is believed that.this commandment
was given under Artaxerxes in 457 B. C.. .Some
suppose that the reference is to the time when
Outline on Froplieci/,
Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the

walls, which was ten years later. It is not a
matter of much concern to us to give here the
exact time, since this has had its fulfillment
and has in every particular come to pass accord¬
ing to the prediction of the prophet.
In studying the prophet Nehemiah, we are
impressed with the fact that the times were
unfavorable and Nehemiah found it a difficult
task to rebuild the city. Under severe exertion
and self-denial the work was at last completed.
The seven weeks of the first period comprise
forty-nine years, and we believe their close to be
coincident with the completion of the Old Testa ¬
ment Scriptures by the prophet Malachi who
gave new revelations concerning the coming of
the Lord, an event which should take place
toward the close of the sixty-two year-weeks.
The chronology of Daniel was sufficiently
clear for the pious Jews who 'waited for the
appearing of the Messiah. They knew when the
time was fulfilled, as we may notice from the
example of Simeon and Anna. In the divine
answer to his prayer the prophet was further
told that after sixty-two weeks Christ should be
cut off, indicating that he should be put to death
by the violent hand of the wicked. Through
the death of the Messiah the first four promises
of verse 24 find their fulfillment. First, transgres
sion was restrained by the sacrificial death of our
Frophetic Chron ology, ^19
Lord wkich was an earnest for the liual con¬

version of the Jews. If this transgression
should not have been restrained, there would
be for all future no hope for the Jewish people.
Second, there was made an end of sins through
this sacrificial death, for God administered
mercy for judgment, forgiving sin for Christ’s
sake. Third, reconciliation for iniquity was
made through the Redeemer. Fourth, to bring
in everlasting righteousness. It is evident that
this righteousness is not yet manifest among
them, although it has been obtained for them
Calvary.
Further, we read in our text (verse 26) of the
destruction of Jerusalem, which was accom¬
plished by the Romans, how the city shall be
devastated and the i)eople punished for their
sins, having put to death the Messiah.
If we inquire into the manner of the prophetic
reckoning of God with his people, we notice
that the Lord counts only that time during
which he could acknowledge Israel as his peo¬
ple. This does not imply that they were in
that time faithful in every particular, but that
they were in a state in which the Lord could
own them as his people and have a sanctuary
in their midst. The rejection of Israel as a
nation took place when they were led captive
into Babel by Nebuchadnezzar. From that time
on the Lord begins again to deal with the naticns
220 Outline on Fropliecy.
and their kings, as we see’clearly in Daniel,

chapters 2 and 7. In chapter 2 it is revealed
that the Lord inaugurated and dethroned kings,
Daniel perceives that God had at thS.t time set
aside the Jewish kings and, instead of them,
enthroned heathen kings, giving them the
power to reign over the world. At the cruci¬
fixion God set aside the Jewish people also as
the messengers of salvation, that the second
part of prophecy might be fulfilled. Prom then
on they are no longer taken into consideration
in the reckoning, until they will come to where
they can say, “Blessed is he that cometh in
the name of the Lord! ”
Luke 21: 24, Jesus says that Jerusalem "shall
be trodden down by the Gentiles until the times
of the Gentiles be fulfilled. There is yet one
week of the seventy left. This week, namely,
the last week, is to bring something peculiarly
important for Israel, and since the Lord is not
yet sought by them and their time can conse¬
quently not be reckoned, it is evident that that
week is yet in the future. We ask, therefore, in
view of the above passage, When shall the
time of the Gentiles be fulfilled? Have we any¬
thing in the Bible to give us particulars con¬
cerning the time when this is to take place?
Before taking up this subject we would call
attention to the fact that the reckoning of time
in the prophecies of Daniel has reference to
Prophetic Chronology. ^21
what is still in the future for Israel, and we

have seen that prophecies regarding the first
two periods of the seventy weeks have been
accurately fulfilled. When we now give a
further reckoning from Daniel concerning the
time when the last week shall be fulfilled, we
do not wish to be understood as if we would
make an attempt to come to a definite conclusion
as to the time of the appearing of Jesus for his
believers. There is no statement of that time
given in the Bible and he who would set the
time and hour for the coming of the Lord,
ventures on insecure ground, having no right
to such a presumption. As necessary as it is
that the time of the end of his life shall remain
unknown to man, even so necessary is it that
the hour of the coming of the Son of man shall
remain hidden to men.
If, however, day and hour are hidden from
signs and from the commotion which is notice¬
able among Israel, so much may be discerned
that the time is very near. It may be possible
that individual Christians may have special
revelations or the inward conviction that they
may just now look for the appearing of the
Lord. Pious Simeon of old came by the
leading of the Spirit into the temple where he
found Jesus. It had been revealed to him by
the Holy Ghost that he should not see death
before he had seen the Christ.
OitUine on Froj)hccij.
The apostles Peter and Paul both had revela¬

tions in regard to their early departure from
this earth, and so it may possibly be in the case
of some believers as to the second coming of
the Lord. That the last week of the seventy
refers to the time when the Jews shall again
become a nation, appears clear to us, and even
the closing verses of our text contain hin. s con¬
cerning the latter days when, under Antichrist’s
reign, the nations shall for the last time attempt
to destroy Jerusalem in which they shall in part
be successful. At that time the Jews shall
again oft'er the daily sacrifice and Antichrist
shall succeed to force his way into the Temple
and prevent the offering of sacrifices.
The subject intimated in verse 27, is Jigain
taken up by Daniel in chapters 10 and 11. The
prophet gives in the latter chapter a lengthy
description of the tribulation which is to befah
Israel in the la.st week. We have further found
in previous passages that the Holy Scriptures
testify that the appearing of Christ shall take
place at the beginning of the reign of Anti¬
christ. We have also noticed that most of the
signs are being fulfilled and that there is a
commotion in Israel Avhich has for its object
the restoration of the people into a nation. The
seventieth week will begin when Israel is a
kingdom in their own land. Since the signs
in Dan. 4 have appeared, it will hardly be nec-
Prophetic Chvonologij, MS
essary to search the Scriptures further in order

to ascertain when the times of the Gentiles
shall be fulfilled.
If, in times past, this one word of the Lord
would have been taken into consideration, the
shedding of streams of blood during the time of
the crusades would have been avoided, for the
Lord had not promised Jerusalem to the Chris¬
tians; it is, to the contrary, clearly taught in
his Word that the heathen shall possess it until
the time when he shall again give it to his peo¬
ple. If, in order to find when this shall be ful¬
filled, we wish to consider further the reckon¬
ing of time, the fourth chapter of Daniel will
give us the desired explanations.
Nebuchadnezzar was the first one of the hea¬
then kings whom God had inaugurated after the
kings of Israel had been rejected. The time of
the Gentiles shall continue until the stone
which comes from the mountain shall strike the
toes of the image 'svhich signifies the end of the
Gentile government. When Nebuchadnezzar
had become proud and ascribed the great power,
with which the Lord had invested him, unto
himself, he entered upon a state of insanity,
which continued, as is generally believed, for
seven years. Without dwelling longer on the
nature of this sickness, we will refer the reader
to Dan. 4: 29-32 and Lev. 26: 18-23. In Daniel
it is stated that seven tiroes shall pass over him
22^f. Outline on Prophecy.
until help shall come. In Leviticus the Lord

speaks to the people and tells them, if they
should be disobedient he would punish them
seven times more, or, in other words, punish
and reject them during seven times. Here, also,
most of the students of prophecy agree that in
the language of prophecy each time of the
seven comprises 360 days, i. e., prophetically,
one day being counted for one year, conse¬
quently, each one of the seven times would com¬
prise 360 years.
By Moses the Lord has deemed it best to
reveal to his people that they shall be rejected
during these seven times or for 2.520 years. So
long it shall be until the time of the Gentiles
shall be fulfilled and Israel shall have received
a full measure of their punishment. The rejec¬
tion of Israel began at the time of the begin¬
ning of the Babylonian captivity, 585 B. C., if we
add to this number 1900 years we have a total
of 2485 years; accordingly, Israel would have to
remain in dispersion among the nations for
thirty-six years longer, until the time, according
to Daniel’s prophecy, shall be fulfilled.
Some commentators set the time when Neb¬
uchadnezzar annexed the Jews to his govern¬
ment'604 B. C., and believe that the Lord began
at that time to deal with the Gentiles and since
Israel was in bondage they were dismissed as
God’s nation.
r
4 I
*>•
CHAPTER XIX.
The Great Harvest for the Lord.

(Ezek. 36: 23-32.)
23 And I will sanctify mv great name, which was pro¬

faned among the heathen, which \e have profaned in the
midst of them: and the heathen shall know that I am the
Lord, saith the Lord God, when I shall be sanctihed in
you before their eyes.
24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and
gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into
your own land.
25 Then will I sprinkle clean w’ater upon you, and ye
shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all
your idols, will I cleanse you.
26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new' spirit
will I put within you: and I will take awuiy the stony
heart out of your flesh, and 1 will give you an heart of
flesh.
27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you
to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments,
and do them.
28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your
fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your
God.
2^26 Outline on Frojjliecij.
29 1 will also save you From all your uncleannesses:
and I *111 call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay
no famine upon you.
30 And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the in¬
crease of the Field, that ye shall receive no more rex)roach
of famine among the heathen.
31 Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and
your doings that were not good, and shall loathe your¬
selves in your own sight-for your iniquities and for your
abominations.
32 Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord God,
be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for
your own ways, O house of Israel.
We have with the chapters on the Restora¬

tion of Israel left this jêople and directed our
eye principally to the two other general sub¬
jects. In this chapter we come back to Israel
and will take up the part of the promises which
has reference to their conversion to the Lord
after they have become a nation. The above
quoted portion of Scripture gives us a clear
description of their conversion that it hardly
appears necessary to quote other Bible pas¬
sages. They shall be led back from among the
Gentiles into their owm country, and the Lord
shall sprinkle clean water upon them, i. e., pre¬
sent to them the Gospel menage. Further it
is stated that they shall receive a new heart and
a new spirit, that the Lord shall fill them with
his owm spirit and they shall keep the statutes
and judgments of the Lord. This, it may be
arked, has Israel never done unto this day.
The Great Harvest, 2^7
Id Hebrews 8, this new condition of things is

designated as the ‘ new covenant” which the
Lord intended to make with Israel, when the
Word of the Lord shall be written in their
hearts. Ezek. 37: 9-14 gives us further revela*
tion concerning the conversion of Israel. In
the first part of this prophecy, the reference is
to the restoration of Israel as a nation, and in
the second part the spiritually dead people be¬
come alive as a people of the Lord. Micah 7:
18-20, this nation appears as one wdiose sins liave
been forgiven and cast into the depth of the
sea. From Daniel 9 it is evident that in the
seventieth week the anointing of a sanctuary,
called the Most Holy, shall take place foj- Israel.
This anointing is the final act of the leslora*
tion of the sanctuary and has reference to the
dedication of the same and the fullness of the
Spirit dwelling in it. The term Most Holy is
chosen because of the indwelling of God. Israel
having become a converted nation. In the
Most Holy of the sanctuary the Lord d welled,
and in the millennium Israel shall be consec rated
to God in such a measure that their i>i’h\sthood
shall be called the Most Holy in which tlio Lord
d Welle th.
The prophet Zechariah, in speaking of this
time at the conclusion of his prophecy, describes
the holiness of Israel as so complete that all
pots of Judah and Jerusalem shall be h< ]y unto
the Lord, and even on the bells of the horses

shall be engraved the words, “Holiness unto the
Lord.” (Zech. 14: 20, 21.)
Daniel says further that prophecy shall then
be sealed, or in other words, reach its limit.
This is as far as all the prophets were permitted
to look; with the millennium, however, and the
conversion of Israel, their predictions, for the
most part, come to a closing point.
Zech. 13: 8, 9 represents the people as passing
through a process of purifying in which two-
thirds of them are destroyed and only one-third
remain as tried gold.
Zech. 12: 10-14, we have further explanations
concerning the way and manner of the conver¬
sion of Israel. The Lord promises that he will
pour out upon them the spirit of grace and sup¬
plication, and proceeds to show how thorough
shall be the repentance of Israel. They shall in
the moment when the spirit of grace shall be
poured out upon them, look upon him whom
they have pierced and shall mourn for him,
every tribe and every house apart, and the
women also shall have a particular place where
they shall wail for him whom they have re¬
jected.
These verses give us a glimpse of the Geth-
semane of the bride Israel, and remind us how
in Gethsemane, forsaken by his disciples, he
trod the winepress alone. Before Israel shall
The Great Harvest. mo
enter into higher relation with him, they have
to taste the cup of suffering.
This brings us to the passage, 2 Cor. 3: 15-17,
where Paul says that Israel has, till the present
day, the veil of Moses upon their heart; when
they, however, are converted, the veil shall be
taken away. The apostle foresaw the time
when the Lord shall pour out on them the spir¬
it of grace, and that thereby the veil of Moses
shall be removed.
In the eleventh chapter of Romans, Paul fore¬
sees the conversion of Israel. He says: ^‘There
shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall
turn away ungodliness from Jacob; for this is
my covenant unto them when I shall take away
their sins. ” Both Paul and Daniel give us pro¬
found glances of the restoration of Israel into
the covenant of grace. When we consider the
love of these men for their people, it is easy for
us to comprehend why the Lord granted to
these his servants so much light concerning the
future of Israel. In his sympathy for his peo¬
ple, Paul goes so far as to desire that he might
be accursed, if by that he could bring deliverance
from sin to them. We see Daniel on his knees
in prayer for his people, wrestling with God
for their deliverance. If we wish to understand
Scriptural prophecy, the one thing necessary
for us is to pray with all earnestness for the
lêople of Israel and their welfare. The time
2S0 Outline on rrophecy.
of this con7ersion of Israel is not clearly stated

in the Holy Scriptures, yeb, in most of the pro¬
phetic passages that event is connected with
their restoration as a nation, and we have there¬
fore sufficient reason to hold that the conversion
shall follow soon after their restoration.
They shall, as we have seen, in part be con¬
quered by Antichrist, but the Lord himself shall
finally come to their rescue and give them vic¬
tory over the nations. At that moment they
shall see him whom they have pierced and shall
recognize him as the true Messiah. At any
event repentance and contrition must have been
effected in them beforehand, after they have
been put to shame in their own Messiah, he
having turned out to be Antichrist.
ISRAEL AS A MISSIONARY PEOPLE.
If we give our attention to the evangelical

period and consider the commandment of the
Lord to his disciples, we find that the present
time is not calculated to be the epoch in which
great multitudes shall be saved. According to
the words of Jesus, they shall preach the Gos¬
pel to all nations for a witness unto them. The
apostle Paul says that the Gospel shall be of¬
fered to the Gtntiles until the fullness of the
election is come. Our time is one in which
the Lord effects an election of messengers of
salvation in Israel’s stead, and this period is
rather looked upon as the time of the firstfruits.
The Great Harvest, 2ol
The greiit harvest of Israel and the nations

shall take place in the millennium. With the
time of Antichrist’s reign, the dispensation of
the Christian church shall find its conclusion,
and Israel shall, as we have seen above, after
their conversion become a missionary people,
and as such carry the tidings of salvation to the
Gentiles; then, indeed, shall the Word, John 4:
22, be truly fulfilled, “Salvation is of the Jews.”
Rom. 11: 12, the apostle says that their fall is
the riches of the world; how much more shall
this prove the case after their number has be¬
come f ull. If it was a blessing to be ingrafted
as messengers of salvation in Israel’s stead,
what a blessing shall it be for the nations when
the promise given to Israel, Ex. 19, shall be ful¬
filled.
Isaiah speaks allegorically of this conversion
of the Gentiles through the messengers of
Israel. (Is. 66: 19-22; 42: 6, 7.)
THE CONVERSION OP THE NATIONS.
In glowing colors is the conversion of the

nations, which is to be accomplished during the
millennium, painted by the prophets. Is. 49:
14—23 begins once more with the conversion of
Israel, then he calls upon the bride Israel to
lift up the eyes and behold the Gentiles coming
from all directions and turning to their God;
and that many sons and daughters are brought
up at their side. Is. 60: 1-20, we have a wonder-
2S'2 Outline on Propliecij^
ful description of the conversion of the nations

which shall come to Jerusalem to do homage to
the Lord. We see there a full harvest accom¬
plished by the preaching of the Gospel.
Zech. 14: 16-18 states that all nations shall
come bo Jerusalem yearly to celebrate the festi¬
vals of the Lord. Psalm 22: 28-32, we read that
all the ends of the earth shall be converted to
the Lord and all the kindreds of the nations
shall worship before him. We can readily com¬
prehend that the spreading of the Gosjiel will
then be carried on to an extent as never before
known. Satan will be bound, so that he can no
longer by his diabolic plans destroy the scat¬
tered seed. Further, it is evident that the power
of God shall be present not only in a church
but in a sanctified nation. From Jerusalem
shall proceed a power as is indicated by the
golden candlesticks of Zech. 4. The Jews, as
the missionary people, s'lall be baptized with
the Holy Ghost and shall go forth in the
strength of the Lord as the apostle Paul. When
we think of only one hundred thousand mission¬
aries in the field, having the zeal for the Mas¬
ter as Paul, how quickly that promise shall be
accomplished that there shall be one flock and
one shepherd. Should this not be possible in the
millennium when the least one in Israel shall be
as the house of David, and the house of David
as God. Every means shall be at the disposal
2 he Great Harvest. 2SS
of Israel, and the nations themselves shall

come to Jerusalem to see the glory of the Lord.
What a difference from the present condition.
Rightly do our mission workers complain
that there is not sufficient power of prayer to
hold them up, and that wherever the so-called
Christian traders come in contact with the hea¬
then, it is well-nigh impossible to bring them
the Gospel, since those people plant among
them all kinds of unrighteousness and sin. If
we consider only the rum traffic, the English
opium traffic, and the lewdness of man/ nom¬
inal Christians who live among heathen nations,
we are not surprised at the slow' progress
of the Gospel. It is moreover not unknown to
the heathen how godless are the so-called Chris¬
tian nations in our day and what atrocious sins
are at vogue in nominal Coristeudom.
“In Otto Hubner’s “Statistische Tabellen”for
1897, Professor von Juraschek, Austrian Court
Chancellor, and Fellow of the London Royal
Statistical Society, gives the population of the
globe, from the most recent official sources, as
1,535,000,000, or 23,000,000 more than in 1896.
Of this increase, 7.5 per cent, belongs to Africa,
6.5 to Asia, 5.7 to Europe, 3.2 to the Americas.
The population of Asia is 752,000,000, of Africa,
265,000,000, of Europe, 378,000,000, of the Amer¬
icas, 140,000,000. During 1896 the United States
increased over 2,000,000; its population now
23^ Outline on Prophecy,
75,000,000. Kussia increased over 8,000,000; its

population now 135,000,000. The total Euro¬
pean population is 378,000,000, or one-fourth
that of the globe. Allowing 500,000,000 as
nominally Christian, 1,035,000,000 remain for
heathendom. China’s population is 345,000,000,
India’s 296,000,000, Japan’s 45,000,000. Great
Britain rules over 382,000,000 of the human
race.
“The military aspect of Nineteenth Century
Christendom is not without its significance for
those who raise the question, “Is the world
growing better?” If disorder, blood, murder,
massacre, swords, bayonets, guns, torpedoes,
dynamite, armies and navies are evidence of
moral improvement, and the fruit of Christian
civilization, the world is on the rapid road to
perfection. Great Britain, population 39,000,-
000 at home, has an army of 220,000 men, besides
an Indian army of 166,000, Volunteers 261,000,
Militia 145,800, Reserves 76,800; total, 869,594,
with a fleet of 854 war vessels carrying 2,564
guns. At the Victoria Jubilee her fleet ex¬
tended five miles, four lines deep, not a vessel
called in from any foreign station. Her naval
expenditure, 1897, was $38,500,000, augmented
for 1898 by $127,750,000. Russia, population
135,000,000, has a present army of 4,679,000, a
“prospective” army of 12,000,000, a fleet of 265
vessels and 1,600 guns. France, population,
The Great Hai‘vei<t. ^35
38,520,000, ruling 80,000,000, has an army of
4,300,000 and a fleet of 135 vessels, 3,876 guns.
The combined expenditure of Russia and France
for naval purposes in 1897 was $26,055,000, aug¬
mented in 1897-98 by $100,000,000, the budgets
constantly increasing, as is the case with all the
Powers. Germany, population 52,000,000, has
an army of 4,300,000 and a fleet of 190 vessels,
1,460 guns. Austro-Hungary, population 44,-
900,000, has an army of 2,076,000, and a fleet of
142 vessels, guns 772. Spain, population 27,-
000,000, has an army of 600,000 men and a fleet
of 130 vessels, 654 guns, both increasing. Por¬
tugal, population 19,320,000, has an army of
154,000 and a fleet of 34 vessels, 131 guns.
Italy, population 31,290,000, has an army of
3,473,000 and a fleet of 341 vessels, guns 1,742.
Holland, population 38,307,000, has an army of
888,000, a fleet of 130 vessels, 669 guns. Den¬
mark, Sweden-Norway and Belgium, total pop¬
ulation 15,670,000, have together an army of
857,000 men, with 146 vessels, guns 957. These
nominally “Christian Powers,” great and small,
have together an army of 20,196,594 trained
men, 2,187 ships of war, with 14,385 guns, all
powerless by reason of their rivalries, greed,
jealousies, mutual fear, international law, and
‘ ‘Concert of the Pov/ers,” to restrain the Turk
fr om his atrocities, or compel Spain to desist
from her even greater ciimes.
2S6 OidMiie on Prophecy.
“In face of the cries of outraged humanity,

carnage, atrocities and crimes, whose mention
makes the blood run cold, the governments of
earth, ruled by the gangrened politicians of the
day in league with Mammon, and hypocritically
pleading “Peace,” and “Christian Principles,”
refuse to intervene in behalf of the downtrodden
and oppressed, unless their “business interests”
are endangered, or the threatened loss of party
and of power compels their action. The idol
they worship is selfishness, their policy high
treason to God, their country, and humanity,
to righteousness and truth, to justic?, liberty
and mercy.
“The excuse for inaction confronts the fearful
situation in the Old World, and retards the de¬
liverance of the Christian nationalities from the
Ottoman yoke, and the repossession of his land
by the Jews. Military Christendom stands pow¬
erless to execute justice and judgment, by rea¬
son of its selfishness and fear. England rules
290,000,000 of Asiatics, among which her sceptre
covers 78,000,000 of Mohammedans, whose good
will is important for her “business interests.”
Other powers are similarly related to the Moslem
world, whose total population is 272,000,000,
spread over India, China, Turkey, Egypt, Ara¬
bia, Africa and other places. Of these, 78,000,-
000 are under the British flag, bound together
by an antichristian faith, all regarding England
The Great Harvest. 237
now as their foe, Russia and Prance as their
friend. Under China there are 40,000,000; un¬
der Russia, 20,000,000; under Holland, 20,000,-
000; under France, 4,000,000. The Moslem
knows that the “Concert of Europe” is a mere
device to stave off the settlement of the Eastern
Question, until the opportune moment arrives
to divide his bankrupt estate among the “Pow¬
ers, ” and that, while professing friendship for
the Turk, Russia’s aim is Constantinople, the
revival of the old Eastern Empire, and the sway
of Asia; England resisting the policy, yet nurs¬
ing another, viz., the repossession of Palestine
by the Jews, the defeat of Russian influence in
the East, and the increase of her own empire.
He knows that the “integrity of the Ottoman
empire” is necessary to the “Peace of Europe”
and the “Balance of Power,” and plays off one
Power against another, and, so, is master of the
occasion, and occasion of the “deadlock” of the
Powers in any movement for the liberation of
peoples oppressed by his tyranny. He concil¬
iates the Jew to strengthen his fnances, and
oppose th:; policy of “Christian Europe” in any
attempt to crowd his empire. England, Queen
of the seas, and Russia, lord of the land, both
bid for his sympathy and influence in the East,
each opposii^g the other.
“The object of Europe is the partition of Asia
and Africa, each Power envious of the other.
2S8 Oililuw on Pvophecij.
England stands alone in her “splendid isola¬
tion, ” checkmated in any moment for liberty,
humanity and justice among the oppressed na¬
tions. She has lived to repent of the Crimean
War, seen the Turk alienated from her and em¬
braced by Russia, witnessed a “Triple Alliance”
against her, the alliance also cf Russia and
France, the estrangement of Germany, the con¬
trol of China by Russia, and the disapproval of
her Egyptian and African policy. Germany
hates France, as France hates Germany, and
Russia dreads England, as England dreads
Russia. The elfect of the total situation is that
“Christian Europe,” so-called, maintains itself
by force of arms, and not by spiritual ideas, nor
by a law of righteousness, so that a military
force of 20,196,591 trained soldiers and a navy
of 2,187 ves.sels, guns 14,285, are impotent to
suppress the Turk. Hence, the revival and
reunion of all Islam, and the projected combina¬
tion of the Moslem and the Jew.
“What changes in alliances will occur, he may
tell who can trace the way of an eagle in the
air, or of a serpent on a rock. The Russo-
French alliance has a double face of war and
peace; of peace as a counterpoise to the pre¬
ponderance of German influence in Europe; of
war as a dream of the reconquest of the Rhine
provinces by France. Germany, Austria and
Russia stand for despotic rule, and the repres-
The Great Harvest. 289
sion of democratic freedom. England, Italy
and France stand for liberty; all pushing into
the East and South for acquisition of wealth
and power,—the Moslem and the Jew, the ones
with whom they all must reckon. The crisis
cannot long be delayed. England, with all her
faults, cannot long remain in isolation. Will
the three great northern military Powers stand
pitted against the three southern and Mediter¬
ranean naval Powers? Will Framie go to Eng¬
land, forsaking Russia? Will Greece go to
Russia or to England, or to France, when the
crisis comes? Three options remain to England:
(1) To unite with the “Triple Alliance,” (2) to
unite with France and Russia, bringing in Japan
as her ally, (3) to conciliate the Turk, break
his alliance with Russia, unite with Japan and
France, and, maintaining friendship with Per¬
sia and Afghanistan, seek the‘Reform’ ’ of the
Moslem, and promote the interest of the Jew.
And the probability is that of a general break
in the whole diplomacy of Europe, when the
time comes for the last struggle, with the Turk
ever irreformable, and alliances such as the
shrewdest diplomats have deemed impossible—
a chaos of politics, Anti-Semitism here, Anti-
Islam there, Anti-Slavism here, Anti-Hellenism
there. Antichrist and Antichristianity every¬
where! God alone can solve the World’s Prob¬
lem. Righteousness and peace come only
^JjO Outline on Prophecy,
through the judgment of the nations.”—Rev.

Jâthaniel West.
At the time when the Jews shall go forth as
a missionary people, all Palestine shall be a
holy country; the heathen who shall come from
all ends of the earth shall be overwhelmed by
tne power of God, and they shall, like the queen
of Arabia, be compelled to say that they nave
found much more than they expected.
At that time Satan shall be bound, so he can
not hinder the spreading of the Gospel and use
ungodly men and women to usurp the cause of
God, but the Gospel shall go from pole to pole,
and from sea to sea without any hindrance in
the power of the Holy Spirit. Men shall be
converted by the thousands and millions. The
radiating beams of Calvary shall illuminate the
ends of the earth. This will be the great
harvest of the nations in our dispensation,
the first-fruit for the body of Christ is gathered
out. The first-fruits of Israel were gathered
out in the first seven years of the apostolic time;
the harvest of Israel will begin when the Lord
comes to Jerusalem to smite Antichrist. This
will be the time when a nation shall be con¬
verted in one day as the prophet says. As the
sanctified church is the spiritual bride or the
body of Christ, Israel is the earthly bride, i. e.,
the bride in the mortal body; and as they as a
nation will be converted, then the great marriage
The Great Harvest-
feast shall begin which shall last a thousand

years. As Israel were the first missionary
messengers of the Gospel to select the first-
fruits of the Gentiles, so they will be the first
messengers to gather the great harvest of the
Gentiles. As the Gentiles joined in and carried
on the great Gospel message to select the first-
fruits out of the Gentiles, so will those that are
converted in the millennium join in and help
gather the great harvest of the Lord.
The glory of Jerusalem shall within a short
time be spread to the ends of the earth, and
wherever missionary workers may come, God
will have prepared the way for them. In a
short time the earth shall be full of the knowl¬
edge of the Lord. It affords us joy to think
that the kingdoms shall soon be of our God and
that to the cross shall be the victory.
CHAPTER XX.
The Millennium.
(Is. 32: 1-5; Is. 35: l-IO.)
1 Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and

princes shall rule in judgment.
2 And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind,
and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a
dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.
3 And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and
the ears of them that hear shall hearken.
4 The heart also of the rash shall understand knowl¬
edge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready
to speak plainly.
5 The vile person shall be no more called liberal, nor
the churl said to be bountiful.
1 The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad
for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as
the rose.
2 It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with
joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given
\mto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall
see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God.
3 Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble
knees.
THE KINGDOM OF PEACE
mW^
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mm^,
imr!^- iii^M
I
I
The Millennium. 243
4 Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong,

fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance,
even God with a recompense; he will come and save you.
5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the
ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
6 Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the
tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall
waters break out, and streams in the desert.
7 And the parched ground shall become a pool, and
the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of
dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and
rushes.
8 And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it
shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall
not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring
men, though fools, shall not err therein.
9 No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall
go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the
redeemed shall walk there.
10 And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and
come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their
heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow
and sighing shall flee away.
By the millennium we understand the thousand
years of the reign of Christ over his people, and
the time when Satan shall be bound (Rev. 20:
1-6). The believers shall be caught up to meet
the Lord in the cloud of heaven, and this is to
take place at the beginning of the reign of
Antichrist. They shall be with him on high
until the time of Antichrist be fulfilled, whence
they shall come down with the Lord near to tlie
earth, or even upon the earth (Jude 14, 15),to
pass judgment over Antichrist and win the

victory for the people of God, the Jews, over
the nations.
We have in the Holy Scriptures no definite
statement to the effect that Christ shall during
the thousand years dwell upon the earth, only
this is clear, that he shall reign, for which,
however, his personal presence is not uncon¬
ditionally required. As he reigns now over
the believers through his Word and his Spirit,
even so may it be during the millennium. His
Word and representatives who are fully con¬
secrated to him may reign for him and admin¬
ister government in accordance with his will.
To the believers who are faithful is the promise
that they shall, according to their faithfulness,
rule over ten or five cities, and this also may be
done through faithful representatives.
We must not lose sight of the Word that the
Jewish people shall be the leaders in the mil¬
lennium and the nations shall under their lead¬
ing be won for tlie truth of God. Neither must
we suppose that within a few years the whole
world should enjoy the full and complete bless¬
ings of the millennium; it may be supposed that
perhaps a century will pass before that shall
be realized, and during the whole period of
thousand years shall the presence and power
of God nowhere be as strong as in Jerusalem.
We believe that the believers, who reign with
The M illeiniium. 245
Christ and have before the millennium received
the new body, shall occupy a higher position
than the Jews who shall through Christ serve
in the priestly office. We are of the opinion
that they shall through the thousand years
dwell with Christ in the new Jerusalem which
shall be on high, above the old Holy City.
When Christ shall come for the believers, the
new Jerusalem shall descend with him and shall
serve as the place of abode for the believers
until the earth be completely renewed. The
supposition that they shall during the thousand
years come with Christ upon the earth as vis¬
itors, as the Lord came to our first parents in
Paradise, stands without any arg ument to the
contrary. This, however, is simply a thought
which suggests itself from the comparison of
different portions of prophecy.
We will now pass to a number of events which
shall take place upon earth during the thousand
years.
1. Jerusalem shall be rebuilt, and indeed on
a larger scale than ever before. Ezek. 36:33-38,
it is described how the cities of Judah shall be
built again and how the whole country, which in
places has well-nigh become a wilderness, is to
be changed into a garden of the Lord. Jer. 31:
38-40 gives us a description of the rebuilding
and extension of the city of Jerusalem. The
spirit of prophecy shows us here in what manner
2li6 Outline on Prophecy.
the city is to be enlarged, and that the old Jeru¬

salem is small in comparison with what the city
shall be in the millennium.
2. The geographical alternation of the
country. According to the teaching of God’s
Word this earth shall undergo a great revolu¬
tion at the time of the coming of the Lord. Is.
35: 6, 7, it is stated that the parched wilderness
shall become a fertile valley and where the land
was arid there shall be springs and beautiful
pools. Verses 1 and 2 describe the adornment
of the country and that the wilderness has been
changed into a flower garden.
According to Ezek. 38: 19, 20, a great change
shall take place in the country. Compare
also Rev. 16: 20. One of the clearest descrip¬
tions regarding the geographical changes is
given us in Zech. 14: 4-9. It is showm there
that in the moment when the Son of God shall
set his holy feet on the Mount of Olives, the
mount shall cleave in the midst thereof, one
part going toward the north and the other
toward the south. Through this opening shall
flow a beautiful river, which shall form a con¬
nection between the so-called Dead Sea and the
Mediterranean. Jerusalem shall be accessible
by a waterway, which appears to be necessary
to facilitate travel and intercourse between the
nations during the millennium.
According to Is. 30: 25, the dry country of
The Millennium. 2^7
Palestine shall become so abounding in water

that on all hills shall flow brooks and streams
of water. Israel had been a dry people and
also dwelled in a dry land, i. e., upon the
mountains and hills. In time to come they
shall as a people be filled with the Spirit and
their mountains shall abound in springs and
streams.
3. The productiveness of the earth. The
valleys of Palestine have always been fertile
except in times of drought. Psalm 72:16 shows
us how the heights of the mountains shall in
time to come be covered with fruit. Is. 30:
23, 24, we have another description of the pro¬
ductiveness of the country. The prophet Joel
says that at that time the mountains shall be
full of wine and the hills shall flow with milk.
He sees a new stream flowing from the house of
the Lord and watering the valley of Shittim.
Further he sees all trees bearing their fruit,
and that “the floors shall be full of wheat, and
the fats shall overflow with wine and oil.” What
the army of the enemy and the grasshoppers
have destroyed shall be restored (Joel 2: 18-26).
Ezek. 36: 29, 30 promises to Israel the bless¬
ings of the country after their conversion.
Amos foretells how the ploughman shall over¬
take the reaper, i. e., while the one is yet i)low-
ing the other is already engaged in rear ing.
He also sees that the mountains drop sweet wine
2Jf8 Outline on Fropheey.
and the hills are overflowing (Amos 9: 13-15).

4. The former and latter rain. According
to Ezek. 34: 26 the Lord shall send them rain
at the right time. Joel says that Israel shall
shout and be joyful, because the Lord will give
them an abundance of fruit and the former
and latter rain in due time.
In Palestine the harvest is dependent on these
two seasons of rain, namely, the one in spring,
at seed time, and the other before harvest,
enabling the fruits to ripen. In the past it has
often been the case that rain was withheld,
because the Lord had to punish the people for
their sin. In the millennium both the former
and the latter rain will yearly come in the
proper season.
5. The peaceful disposition of the animal
world during the millennium. Ezek. 34: 25,
the Lord promises unto his people a covenant
of peace that they may even in the forests
sleep securely, since he will destroy the evil
beasts. According to this it will with animals
be similar as with mankind. The creatures
which are not yearning for the liberty of the
children of God (Rom. 8) and refuse to be tamed
shall be destroyed by the hand of the Lord. So
it shall be also with mankind; those who with
Antichrist will rise against the Lord and refuse
to have part in the millennium shall perish in
the great day of the battle of the Lord. Is. 11:
The Millennium, 249
6-9, we have further description of the peace¬

ableness of animals: bears and cows shall feed
together, the lion shall eat straw and a sucking
child shall play on the hole of the asp and
the weaned child shall put his hand on the
cockatrice’ den.
According to Is. 65: 25, the wolf and the lamb
shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw
like the bullock, and even the serpent shall be
contented with the dust of the earth. We are
well aware that those who would spiritualize
everything and who fail to see the great victory
of Calvary, have here the interpretation that
the lions and the bears who dwell in the natural
heart of man shall be tamed. When they come
to Rev. 20, they say that the devil is now bound
through the blood of Christ, while Peter says
that he goes about like a roaring lion seeking
whom he may devour. The apostle Paul writes
to the Corinthians and Ephesians that the devil
is the god of this world. Rev. 20: 7, we read
that Satan shall yet be loosed. If he, in the
opinion of these people, is now bound and can,
notwithstanding, do such a work of destruction,
what then shall it be when he will be loose!
If the blood of Christ is binding him now, there
vrould according to their idea have to come a
time when the blood of Christ would become
pov/erless. It is true, the prophets often make
use of figurative language; in most instances.
however, when this is the case, it is so indi¬

cated. If we should treat the Gospels as those
interpreters do the prophets, we should very soon
find ourselves on the principles of Sweden-
borgianism and our own ground would give
way.
6. Peace among the nations. Through the
judgment over Antichrist everything in enmity
against God shall be put away, and since Satan
shall be bound and God manifests himself in
power, the result will be a state of peace among
the nations which is described in beautiful
colors.
Is. 2: 4 and Micha 4: 3 show us that the weap¬
ons of war shall be turned into plowshares:
neither shall nations learn war any more.
Is. 32: 16-18 describes beautifully the pro¬
found peace which shall be like a river where
security and joyous quietness are supreme.
Ps. 85: 10, we read that mercy and truth will
meet together; righteousness and peace will
kiss each other. What a vast difference between
the condition described here, and what we have
before our eyes to-day. Then shall the poor
no longer be oppressed or their property taken
from them by dishonest methods; no longer
shall it be necessary to guard against the jirac-
tice of deceit in the Chamber of Commerce.
Every one shall then not only seek his own wel¬
fare but that of his brother as well.
The Millennium, 251
7. Joy instead of weeping. So few cheerful
men and women are found in our day, even
among the rich who have at their disposal
everything that the world can offer. Every¬
where is found more of weeping and complaint
than of thanksgiving and praise; the sad traces
of sin are manifest in all circles of society.
Our text, Is. 35, concludes with an expression of
the joy of the redeemed: They come to Zion with
songs and everlasting joy upon their heads,
they shall overflow with joy and gladness.
Is. 65:19, the prophet sees Jerusalem rejoic¬
ing and predicts that the voice of weeping shall
be heard no more. Ps. 100 begins with the
words, “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord all
ye lands,” and the whole Psalm describes the
joyous conditions of the millennium.
8. Divine government shall prevail. Is. 32:
1-5 gives us a beautiful picture of this divine
government, where a king shall reign in right¬
eousness and princes shall rule to administer
judgment. Verse 2 describes these princes
and what a blessing they shall be for the peo¬
ple—the opposite of those officers of our day
who have become like vampires and ravenous
beasts. In the millennium these princes shall
be as a hiding place from the wind. We will
readily grasp the meaning of this picture when
on a severely cold day we are overtaken by a
storm and are longing for a place of shelter.
The prophet sees further that these princes will

represent two sources of blessing for the peo¬
ple. First, he speaks of them as rivers of water
in a dry place, and then, as the shade of a great
rock in a dry land. No shade is so refreshing
as that of a rock.
From other passages, as Micah 4: 7, 8; Ezek.
34: 11-16; Zech. 14: 9, we see that the Lord him¬
self assumes the government, and the princes
are his representatives, similarly as it wâs the
order of God at the time of the Judges.
Ezek. 37: 25, Hos. 3: 5, and other passages
represent David as taking charge of the govern¬
ment. It is evident that David is mentioned
here as a type, since he reigned more according
to God’s own heart than any other king and he
is most frequently represented as a type of the
Messiah. Some are of the opinion that David shall
in the millennium be inaugurated by the Lord
to administer the government. This point is of
comparatively little consequence to us, suffice
it to know that the Lord himself will truly be
the one who shall hold the reins of government
in his hands.
9. The Word of God is the basis of the law in
the millennium. Israel of old was a nation as
well as a church. In the books of Moses we
find very many precepts which have reference
rather to national government than to spiritual
economy. In other parts of the Old Testament
The Millennium, 25S
also we have many passages which give direc¬
tions regarding the national household. So it
shall also be in the millennium. The Word of
God shall be the basis for all governmental
actions. (Micah 4:1, 2; Is. 2: 2, 3; Ps. 85: 12-15.)
10. The duration of human life and the puri¬
fication of the atmosphere. In the first periods
after creation, man reached the great age of
nearly one thousand years. As a consequence of
sin, the duration of life has been shortened, so
that already in Israel’s time it did not exceed
seventy to eighty years.
According to Is. 65: 20-23, man shall in the
millennium again reach the full age. Men of one
hundred years are described as youths, and the
Lord says that the days of people shall be as
the days of trees. The average age of trees is
estimated at one thousand years. According
to this it would be possible for men to live
through the whole millennium, and we have no
reason to suppose that this should be otherwise
since sin has been taken away.
Is. 30: 29, describes to us the firmament. The
light of the moon shall be as the light of the
sun and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold.
According to Eph. 6: 12, the atmosphere of
the earth is full of unclean spirits. It is evident
that they shall go with Satan into the abyss for
the thousand years, and even the vermin shall
be no more.
25Jf Outline on Prophecy,
These are a few thoughts as to the glor y of

the millennium. When we draw a comparison
between the present condition of things and
what it then shall be, we find a difference as of
a dark, stormy November evening and a beauti¬
ful spring day. We rejoice that at evening time
it shall be light. And since we are in the last
hour, we see even now in the spirit the radiant
morning of that beautiful new creation.
CHAPTER XXI.
The Judgment of the Nations and the

Final Judgment.
(Rev. 20: 7-15.)
7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan
shall be loosed out of his prison,
8 And 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.
9 And 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.
10 And 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.
11 And 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.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before
God; and the books were opened: and another book was
opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were
judged out of those things which were written in the
books, according to their works.
13 And 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.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.
This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book
of life was cast into the lake of fire.
After one thousand years the devil, the old
serpent, shall once more be permitted to leave
his prison and come back to the earth; and he
shall go about his pernicious work with more
determination than ever before. We read in the
above passage that after a thousand years he
shall be loosed out of his prison and that he
shall not be hindered in his purpose to tempt
the nations in order to deceive them. What
length of time shall intervene from the close of
the millennium to the full regeneration of the
earth is not stated in the Bible, it is only said
that the time is short and that even Satan know’s
that he has but little time. This time his
assaults are not directed immediately against
the Jews; the Lord shall then have in them such
a work of grace that the devil knows he can
not deceive them. His assaults are directed
against the nations and we are indeed aston¬
ished at his great success. (Verses 8 and 9.)
A great multitude of those who have lived in
the millennium shall follow his insinuations
THE FULLVICTORY OF CALVARY
Judgment, 257
and shall fall as Adam and Eve and become
subjects of the prince of darkness.
Two questions present themselves here,
namely, first, why the Lord will not prevent
that they shall again be tempted, and second,
how it is possible that after having lived in the
millennium under divine government they shall,
notwithstanding, êave the service of God and
enter the kingdom of darkness.
To the first question our reply is that only
such can have part in the kingdom of God who
have reached a degree of faith which will
enable them to endure trial and temptation.
Without trial it is impossible that man should
become a fit subject for the inheritance of
eternal bliss, only in being tried it becomes
evident what may be hid in the heart of man.
The backsliding of so many shows that their
relation to God has never been right, and we see
even in Gog and Magog the necessity of the
devil being loosed. The nations must be
tried in order that they may become ripe for
their destination. This will also answer the
second question, for we see that a great multi¬
tude of those who in the millennium shall be
willing subjects of the divine government, and
even rejoice in it, have failed to be regenerated
and become a new creature. Since Satan will
be bound the old sinful nature within them may
as it were sleep and they may submit to the
divine reign without having in fact become one
with it. Man has need of regeneration in the
millennium as well as in the present dispensa¬
tion. If mankind in the millennium on the one
hand have a great advantage from the fact that
the devil shall not be there to entice and to stir
up the old nature, on the other hand the old
nature is not eradicated, and the way of life
eternal is none other for them than that of a
thorough regeneration by the Holy Ghost, the
sauie conditions which we have in our age.
Many of those living in the millennium shall
neglect this and shall remain in their natural
state. As the Holy Ghost develops the new
spiritual life and transforms it more and more
into the divine nature, so is Satan the power to
transform, more and more, the corrupt nature,
which he planted by the fall of Adam into the
likeness of his own depraved self. Since, how¬
ever, he had been bound for one thousand
years, we can conceive how men could live in
that period without having the sinful nature
within them developed; but when brought under
the influence of the wicked one, the principle
of sin in them will reach the state of ripeness
within a short time.
Satan with the host of apostates out of the
nations shall make Jerusalem his aim, and as
the hosts of Antichrist had one thousand years
previously aimed to subdue the city of Jeru-
Judginent. 259
Salem and destroy all divine seed, so Satan
now makes a similar attempt; his army moves
against Jerusalem to destroy the city with fire
and the sword. For the last time he makes
the attempt to obtain full control of the earth
on which he has gained a foothold through his
subtileness toward our first parents. Jerusalem
shall not be prepared for such an attack: there
are no wêapons of war and the city has no
walls (Zech. 2: 4, 5), but has one thing, namely,
the wôrd of prophecy—the Lord has promised
to be a wall of fire about the city and his prom¬
ise is sure and steadfast.
Before the army of Gog and Magog shall be
able to cause any hurt to Jerusalem, fire shall
fall from heaven to destroy the enemies, and
Satan shall be cast into the abyss burning with
fire and brimstone into which one thousand
years previously the beast and the false prophet
had been cast, and then immediately follows
the final judgment before the divine throne.
Matt. 13: 47-50; 25: 31-33, as well as many
other passages of the Bible, nave reference to
this judgment. If wê search the Scriptures
carefully, we find in them a clear revelation of
what shall take x)lace in the latter days. f
Certain passages tell us of the second coming
of Christ for the believers; others, of his coming
upon the earth with the believers "when he
shall come in great glory to hold judgment over
Antichrist, The passages at the head of this
chapter have reference to the great, final judg¬
ment, when both wicked and good shall yet be
found.
If we consider the plan of God from the time
of creation to the final end, we find mention of
seven distinct judgments which God had to
execute in order to punish and destroy ungodli¬
ness. The first judgment took place in Paradise
after the fall of Adam. Since Adam was the
representative of creation and sinned against
his better knowledge, the punishment ex ended
over all creation.
The second judgment was the deluge.
Wickedness abounded in such measure that the
Lord was compelled to interfere and destroy
mankind. Here again we have a judgment,
which with the exception of Noah and his fam¬
ily extended over the whole creation. This
judgment also came only after men had abund¬
ant opportunity to accept the truth. Instead
of that, however, they trampled it under their
feet. After the flood the judgments are no
longer universal, but are rather limited to
nations. The next judgment is that over Sodom
and Gomorrah. To these people also the light
was presented by Abraham and Lot and they
could have turned to God and prevented the
judgment. The apostle Peter informs us that
they tormented righteous Lot day and night.
Judgment. 261
The I'ourth judgment is that over the Egyp¬
tians. To them the Lord had given opportunity
for two hundred years to become acquainted
with the truth through his people Israel. At
last he gave them a final warning through signs
and miracles, but since they remained hardened
toward the truth, the Lord had to destroy them.
The fifth judgment came upon the apostate
people of the covenant, Israel. Before judging
this people who had received so much of
divine revelation, the Lord permitted matters
to come so far with them that streams of the
blood of righteous men were shed among them,
and finally he gave them the incomparable
testimony of the truth through his Son. Since,
hoTvever, they rejected even this and called on
his blood to come upon them and their children,
there came upon them a judgment more terrible
than ever before.
The sixth judgment is that over the apostate
church which has degenerated into a congrega¬
tion of Antichrist. This judgment shall take
place in Jerusalem. To the Christian church
the Lord has given a most abundant measure
of light; therefore, the judgment will also sur¬
pass all others in severity.
The seventh judgment is that of the nations.
The Lord permits one thousand years of light
and peace to precede this judgment It comes,
therefore, very suddenly and the souls shall
262 Outlljie on Fropliecij.
receive the sentence of eternal punishment
without previous warning. As far as we can
see, the judgment which follows after that, is
the final one. Then shall be the resurrection
of all the dead, many of whom have been in
their graves for thousands of years, and each
one shall receive according to the deeds done
in the body, wdiether they be good or evil.
Many shall then be placed at the right hand
who at the beginning of the millennium were
not ready for the coming of the Lord, but vrho
were yet saved before their time of grace was
passed. According to Rev. 7, all nations and
tongues shall be represented. All such wdio,
in the measure of the light which they had
received, surrendered their self-will to live in
accordance with the will of God, shall yet
obtain grace.
We have at the close of our text the solemn
words that the books of God shall be searched
and those whose names shall not be found in
the book of life shall be x)laced at the left hand
and cast into eternal perdition. To us it is
disquieting to see so many go their way indif¬
ferent, resting on an ungrounded hope and
build upon their own works instead of being
regenerated through the Holy Ghost. Millions
shall go to perdition in despair when they shall
be made aware that Satan has deceived them
and that in S(.»ite of their expectation their
JucMinent. ms
names are not found in the book of life. This
picture is too dreadful to dwell upon. Let it
be an incentive to us to warn the souls while it
is yet called to-day.
CHAPTER XXII.
The New Heaven and New Earth.

{1 Cor. 15: 24-28; Rev. 10: 1-7.)
24 Then 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.
25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies un¬
der his feet.
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
27 For he hath put all things under his feet. But
when he saith all things are put under him, it is man¬
ifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under
him.
28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him,
then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that
put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
1 And I saw another mighty angel come down from
heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon
his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his
feet as pillars of fire:
2 And he had in his hand a little book open: and he
set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the
earth,
3 And cried with a loud voice, as wdien a lion roareth:
TRitIMPH OVER SATA
J\l*ew Earth, 265
and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their
voices.
4 And when the seven thunders had uttered their
voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from
heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the
seven thunders uttered, and write them not.
5 And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and
upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,
6 And svvare by him that liveth for ever and ever, who
created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the
earth, and the things that therein are, and ttê sea, and
the things which are therein, that there should be time
no longer:
7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel,
when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should
be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the
prophets.
With this chapter we conclude our inquiry
into the prophetic revelations of the future.
The above passages of Scripture give us a
glimpse of the beyond, of consummate eternity.
Yet, it is here also the case that the Holy Script¬
ures reveal to us only a few features of the
conditions in the beyond.
Rev. 20, beginning with verse 7, we read of
the state of things on this earth after the mil¬
lennium. This passage, however, gives us only
a few glimpses concerning this subject without
a detailed description of the prevailing condh
tions of the period between the millennium and
the end of the world.
From the twenty-first chapter of Revelation
to the conclusion of the book, we have some
2S6 Outline on Fivphecy,
thing of a description of the new heaven and

the new earth. Outside of these two chapters,
the Bible gives us only little of the state of eter¬
nal bliss. Often the question is raised why it
is that not more is revealed to us regarding the
bliss of the eternal state which God has pre¬
pared for those that love him. If we, however,
enquire more closely into this matter, we shall
find here also the wonderful wisdom of God who
reveals his mysteries to man only in the meas¬
ure as man is able to receive them.
If we take the Old Testament we find only
little reference to the fact that it was God’s plan
ever to give a New Testament in the future. It
was promised that a Savior should come from
the seed of Abraham to redeem the world; it is,
however, in the prophetic Scriptures not prom¬
ised that a new part should be added to the Bible.
In nearly all passages of the Old Testament
which contain prophecies of a blessed future
and of which the titles added by the trans¬
lators generally state that they refer to the
Gospel dispensation, it is evident that those
titles are wrong and that the Holy Ghost gives
a description of the millennium. Many are be¬
ing misled by the superscriptions to the various
chapters, because they do not consider that
these are only the ideas of men and are by no
means a part of the Bible as the Word of God.
The Old Testament has some types of the Gos-
Xeiv Earth, m
pel dispensation while types of the millennium
are frequent. The latter is particularly often
referred to in the prophetic Scriptures. The
New Testament gives for the main part the
fulfillment of the types and a full revelation how
fallen man may be reinstated into the family of
God, also a number of prophecies concerning
the millennium and a glimpse of the beyond.
We have a threefold reason to believe that
when the Lord shall come again, he will give
us a further addition to his Word, The first
reason why we hold this belief is based on the
tenth chapter of Revelation where the seven
thunders uttered their voices. What they said
has been sealed and no one knows what it is.
We can not conceive of any reason why they
should have spoken if there should not be a
time to come when this is to be revealed. This
chapter has for its subject the consummation of
time and the beginning of eternity. The angel
of God, with a rainbow on his head, is standing
with one foot on the earth and the other on the
sea and asserts with an oath that there shall
henceforth be no time. He takes, as it were,
the bow out of the clouds which had been set
there for a token that the world should not be
destroyed; it is now made known that that cov¬
enant is come to its end. Then follow the
seven thunders. We have, accordingly, reason
to believe that they spoke of things eternal
which the Lord has deemed necessary as yet to

seal because men were not yet prepared to re¬
ceive these wonderful messages.
To reveal divine glories and mysteries before
mankind is prepared to receive them is for weak
man fraught with dangers, because of his inclin¬
ation to lose his way by being absorbed in such
things and neglect his own salvation. This can
even nov/ be observed in the case of many whose
minds are, to a great extent, occupied by the
millennium and whose spiritual life is, notwith-
•standing this fact, in a miserable condition.
Further, we find that the great things of God
are threefold. Even the Godhead consists of
three persons, and man created in the image of
God is a threefold being. The tabernacle which
was constructed after the model which Moses
had seen upon the mountain, was threefold.
Paul was caught up to the third heaven which
would seem to indicate that the heavens also
have three divisions. We believe, therefore,
that the Word of God also, when completed will
be composed of three parts. We wish to be
understood right on this subject. As in the
tabernacle of the Mosaic dispensation—every
part was complete in itself, so it shall also be
with the Bible. The Old Testament is in it¬
self, its history, types and promises, complete;,
and this is also true of the New Testament
which gives us the whole counsel of God
JSêiv Earth, 269
regarding the redemption of mankind. Should

we receive another addition to the Word of God,
it will be, without doubt, a revelation of things
yet to come, and this brings us to the third
point. For the very reason that we have only
little light as to the period after the millennium
and eternity itself, we believe that the time will
come when the Lord shall in a third part of his
Word give a further revelation of the astonish¬
ing greatness of his works and of the whole
magnitude of what was done on Calvary.
If we compare the Word of God as a whole
with the tabernacle, the Old Testament corre¬
sponds to the first court, the New Testament to
the Holy Place, and the third part, correspond¬
ing to the Holy of Holies, will be given at the
time of his second coming. But we ought not
to be occupied too much with these things for
all the light requisite for the service of God is
given to us. We have indeed received as much
as we can make use of. • Yes, we must humbly
confess that we have failed to make full use of
that which we have received and that there is
as yet much ground to be occupied for the full
reception of the Word of God which has been
revealed to us.
The next subject in our study would be the
new earth. We have, beside the text from the
Revelation quoted above, a short word concern¬
ing the new earth in 2 Pet. 3: 10-13.
^70 OiitUne on. Prophecy.
Although this subject is not frequently

touched upon in the Scriptures, the fact is
revealed to us that there shall be a new earth.
Some interpreters conclude from the above pas¬
sage that this earth shall be purified by fire and
then changed and transformed into a new earth.
They hold that as man shall be transformed
from an earthly state into a heavenly one by the
fire of the Spirit of God and is then called a new
man, so must also the earth pass through a
process of fiery trial and thus be pu rified from
all traces which sin and Satan have left on it.
As evidence for this view, could be mentioned
the children of Israel purifying by fire all metal
which they took from the heathen. Others
take the above passage of Peter literally and
hold that heaven and earth shall pass away and
vanish into nothingness and that God shall then
create another earth as a dwelling place for the
blessed.
One thing is evident, the future place of
abode for the blessed shall be upon the new
earth. John sees the new Jerusalem coming
down upon the earth—a tabernacle of God with
men—and beholds God himself dwelling among
them. If the place of abode of the saints would
be in heaven, the new Jerusalem should not
come upon the earth. Further, it should in
such case be said that we shall go to God in the
heavens iistead of himself coming down to
J\ 'eiv Earth, 271
dwell among us. We find in the Holy Script¬
ures nothing descriptive of heaven, neither the
old nor the new; it is, without doubt, the throne
of our God and a place where he with the holy
angels reigns in unspeakable glory. We have
in the Bible a number of statements to indicate
that those who fell asleep in the Lord shall
dwell there until the time of the millennium or
the new earth.
There is, moreover, nothing definite given as
to the purpose of the new heaven, but we may
conclude from the Scriptures that it shall be for
the future also the throne of the Father and
dwelling place of tee holy angels, for nothing
is given us to indicate that the latter should
dwell upon the earth among men, and although
it is said of God that he shall dwell amoug them
in the new Jerusalem, it does not follow that
his throne shall be upon the earth. The Father
is a spirit and has not a body as the Son, he
shall even fill the new heaven. This does not,
however, imply that he can not assume some
form. Daniel sees him as the Ancient of days
to whom the Son of man comes. (Daniel 7.)
The apostle John sees the sealed book in his
hand. In accordance with these pictures, we
have a right to think of the Father as having a
form, but clothed with majesty which fills all
heaven and the new earth.
The difference between the new and the first
earth is not indicated in details, but there is

enough to show that even between the millen¬
nium and the new earth there shall be a great
distinction. The millennium must therefore
not be confounded with the new earth. The
millennium shows us the final triumph of the
Gospel which shall even in creation cause a
great change. The new earth, on the other
hand, indicates to us the full victory of Calvary
through which all shall be made new and im¬
mortal. Of the new earth we read that death
shall be no more; in the millennium death has
not yet been fully overcome, and, although the
age of man shall be a thousand years, yet, sin¬
ners of one hundred years shall die. The long
duration of life is promised rather to those who
lead a life in accordance with the Word of God.
In the millennium the sun shall shine seven
times brighter than now; on the new earth
there shall be no sun, for God and the Lamb
shall be the light thereof. It is apparent that
as long as ttiis earth is not renewed, the sun
must rule the light of it; after the renewiug has
taken place, the Lamb shall be the centre of
eternal light, taking the place of the sun. It is
evident that the Father himself shall be the
light. The natural light was in existence at the
time of the creation before the sun haci been
created. The purpose of the latter was only to
rule the light. So it shall also be in the land
Mew Ewrth.
of eternal bliss. The Father is the light which

shines forth through the Son, and in the same
light the nations shall walk.
Heb. 1: 3, it is said of Christ that he is up¬
holding all things by his divine arm and is the
brightness of the glory of the Father. In vari¬
ous parts of the Scriptures the truth is pre¬
sented that all things have been created by him
and he is the Author and Preserver of all life.
So it shall also be in the eternity of eternities.
On the new earth the sea shall be no more
and in its place there shall be a stream of the
water of life on whose banks shall stand the
trees of life which shall yield their fruit every
month. In the millennium, however, the sea
shall be as during the previous ages. It is fur¬
ther stated that on the new earth there shall be
neither princes nor governments; in the millen¬
nium they shall yet be found, both among the
Jews and the nations. It appears that in eter¬
nal bliss different nationalities shall continue to
exist; all, however, under the direct leadership
of God, without princes or governments. Con¬
cerning the state of things on the new earth,
we are told that righteousness and peace shall
reign.
If we would further inquire into the condi¬
tions of things, on the new earth, whether na¬
tions should yet multiply as they were bidden
in Paradise, or whether the Word of the Lord
0}>'‘ /,
^ t ^ Oiitlijie on Vropliccij.
should llud application here, that they shall be

as the angels of God and neither marry nor be
given in marriage, we can not go beyond con-
jecta es, and will ]*5itlier wait patiently until the
Lord shall reveal it to us.
In 1 Cor. 15: 24, 25, the last thought on our
subject is presented. We see there that the
eternal kingdom is restored and delivered up to
the Father. The millennium is the kingdom of
the Son, the eternal kingdom is the kingdom of
the Father. The Father commits to the Son
the millennium, i. e., the triumph and full vic¬
tory of what he has accomplished on Calvary,
that all the world may acknowledge the great¬
ness of the victory won on the cross. Then is
fulfilled what we read in Eph. 1: 19-23, that the
Lord Jesus triumphs over all creatures in
heaven and earth and under the earth. After
the millennium the Son shall deliver u|) to the
Father evêrythiug which he has gained through
his sacrificial death. Paul says that the Son
shall in his greatness subordinate himself to him
of his own free-will, as he has subordinated
nimself when he was upon the earth, that the
Father may be all in all for all eternity. From
these words we conclude that the Father shall
retain the government over the whole universe.
We shall be in the Son the crown of his great¬
est glory; he, as the head, shall be led by the
Father himself,and,we as the members, through
New Earth. 275
him, for vTo, are one in him as he is with the

Father. In heaven there shall be ouly one
family, as the redeemed are reinstated into the
family of God, and as they are the body of
Christ belonging to the divine Trinit3^. In this
family there shall in all eternity not come a
discord, neither an error, even if presented in
different bodies; all are in reality one. Vte are
longing for these eternal mansions of on l* God.
Our prayer is that this small work ina^^ be
instrumental in making souls willing to become
loose from all things earthly, and be prepared
for the eternal home. May God in his grace
grant it. Amen.
i; -m
f*
17
Ml 215 -as I ^ --V'- ^ '■ 1000
TA 1 TH
. e;<To jdiam
■ [' ftUU'.'t. , . H m
■ .-If ; a! , i ^ I
■ ■ M7y. ■ |
RtTfsrm r/iTH I
::yjL3
The above chart gives an outline from creation to the new earth It is divid 'd into four principal pa.’ts The division from above to the line woe 'e the numbers are
found, represents the part wLich we call heaven.
The next division shows the people which were chosen by God to be messengers of salvation and who through faith are in connection with him.
The third division extends to the bne above the grave and represents the nations which have separated themselves from God to walk in their own ways.
The undermost division represents the grave, the abyss, and hell. I'or an exp'anation of the chart, see the latter part of the book.
Explanation of the Chart.
The chart was drawn in order to make the

plan of God somewhat clearer for those who
have not the opportunity for a more detailed
systematic study of the Scriptures. It presents
a short survey from the creation of the world
to the new earth and is divided into four prin¬
cipal parts. The first division extends from
the top to the first line, along which figures are
found, and indicates the part which we call
heaven. The second division extends from the
line beneath the figures to the line on which
the genealogical tree of Noah rests; by the
&ame are indicated the nations which God has
chosen as the messengers of salv dion. The
third division, between the second and third
lines, in w^hich we find the tower of Babel, indi¬
cates the nations which walk in their own
ways. The fourth division show’s us the grave,
abyss Ccud hell.
These four principal divisons are again
21S Outline on Fropkecy.
divMed into different parts, which are num¬

bered, in order to avoid misunderstandings in
the explanations.
1. Is to represent the Trinity, and man, con¬
sisting of spirit, soul and body. The sun repre¬
sents the Father, the cross, the Son, while the
Holy Ghost (in the midst of man) is represented
by the picture of a dove. The symbol of the
sun was chosen for the Father because he is the
origin of all light, and one is not disposed to
represent him by the figure of a man. The
cross stands for the Son, since the plan of God
in regard to the redemption through the Son
on Calvary was laid previous to creation (1 Pet.
1: 18-20). The Holy Spirit is represented with¬
in man because it was included in the plan of
God, before the foundation of the world that
man should be sanctified wholly, and the Most
High himself would through his Spirit dwell in
man (Eph. 1: 4).
In the circle which represents'man, we notice
the ark of the Old Covenant. The Most Holy
place represents the spirit of man, the Holy
Place, the soul, and the court the body. By
this we are reminded that man is called the
temple of God (1 Cor. 3: 16).
This is the plan of God which during the
seven thousand years shall be accomplished
and consummated on the new earth.
2. The earth in its chaotic condition, to which
The Chaii. 279
the Lord begins to give light and begins to
prepare it for the dwelling place of man.
3. The earth as it appeared after the sixth
day of creation. The picture represents the
creation of the woman from the side of Adam,
which is also a type of the bride of Christ.
Compare chapter 16. Further 'we see the two
trees, the tree of life (Jesus), and the tree of
knowledge of good and evil (Antichrist). Com¬
pare chapter 9.
4. Here we see (1) an eye and an arroiv point¬
ing in the direction of Calvary—a picture of
the first promise of salvation after the fall, in
which the Redeemer was promised to Eve and
she accepted the promise. (2) The first sacri¬
fices of Cain and Abel. The ascending smoke
of Abel’s sacrifice indicates that it is well pleas¬
ing to God; the smoke of the sacrifice of Cain,
which descends toward the ground, indicates
the condition of his heart. The line beneath
the sacrifice represents Seth and his descend¬
ants as the messengers of the salvation of the
Lord.
The first line extending downward stands for
Cain and his descendants, the children of this
world. Every line extending downward indi¬
cates in general toe departing from God. The
lines uniting the first and second lines show
how the sons of God have intermingled with
the daughters of the world. The arrow ascend-
^80 Outline on Frophecy-
mg points to the rapture of Enoch, the seventh

one from Adam, who vralked with God for three
hundred years. The short arrow pointing
toward the ark represents Noah who was saved
by the same.
Enoch is a type of the believers who are
taken away before the judgment, and Noah is
a type of the church which is rescued during
the judgment.
4. The first period of the human family,
extending from Paradise to the flood, comprises
1655 years.
5. A complement to No. 4, shows the hard
labor after the fall, as man has to labor for his
bread in the sweat of his face.
6. The ark a type of Christ in whom the
believers shall be found perfect in the judg¬
ment, and shall be translated into a new world.
7. The flood which brings judgment and
destruction upon the wicked.
8. Noah as the second progenitor of the
world after the flood; the different branches of
the tree, his descendants. The first three
branches are Shem, Ham and Japheth. By the
branches all extending downward is indicated
that men have again separated themselves
from God. The branch which is extending hor¬
izontally in a long line, shows the choosing of
Abraham out of the tribe of Shem, which took
place 427 years after the flood. Further, we
The Chart. 281
see here Abraham as he is about to offer up his

son. Above we have the bow of the covenant,
which the Lord gave Noah who brought his
sacrifice, as a sign that he would not again
destroy the world.
9. The tower of Babel—a third type of Anti¬
christ. Nimrod was the leader of that under¬
taking. We see how far wickedness had again
abounded.
10. The heavenly period extending from the
flood to the birth of Christ. In the Old Testa¬
ment we read much of angelic appearances.
According to Heb. 1, mankind have received the
law through angels. Since in Old Testament
times angels so often appeared to men, we see
here the picture of angels.
11. The time from the calling of Abraham
to Jacob’s emigration to Egypt, a period of
215 years. The picture represents Jacob’s
dream of the heavenly ladder, which he had at
the time of his flight from Esau. Jacob is a
type of the church, Isaac a type of Christ,
Since Isaac was offered (in intention), Jacob,
i. e., the church, has an open heaven, and the
angels can with joy communicate their messages
to men.
12. Egypt, indicated by the Pyramids and
the Sphinx. The founders of Egypt were
descendants of Ham. Egypt is one of the
oldest countries known to us, and comes more
than others in contact with the people of God.

The picture gives the line representing Abra¬
ham, extending into the division of Egypt; it
indicates the time that Israel spent in Egypt.
13. The high priest with the sacrificial an¬
imal and beneath him the camp of Israel with
the sanctuary. Israel dwelled in Egypt for
215 years (Gal. 3: 17). The arrow on the line
where it begins to go upward again, indicates
the death of Moses. He could not, on account
of disobedience, enter into the promised land.
We have two reasons, found in the Bible, from
which we may conclude that Moses was resur¬
rected soon after his death; (1) He appeared
at the transfiguration of Jesus; (2) Satan con¬
tended with Michael for the body of Moses
(Jude 9.)
14. The time of Israel from the journeyings
in the wilderness to the Babylonian captivity,
881 years. The principal picture represents
the temple, as the most important object among
Israel. The same was built under Solomon
and was in existence to the time of the Babylo¬
nian captivity. A line divides the picture in
halves, which indicates the division of the
people under Jeroboam and Rehoboam.
The short lines beneath this line represent
the prophets at the time when they proph¬
esied. The third arrow pointing upward is
Elijah, as a witness in the second period of
The Chart. ^£83
mankind that the believers shall be translated.

15. The Assyrian kiogxlom. In the picture
we see an Assyrian temple of idols. From the
above division one of the two lines extends
downward into this kingdom; this is the king¬
dom of Israel which wâs led into the Assyrian
captivity, 721 B. C.
16. The man whom Nebuchadnezzar .saw in
his dream.
17. The four living creatures which Daniel
saw, and which mean the same as the previous
one. In Dan. 2, the king sees the future typified
by a man with a golden head, a breast of silver,
thighs and legs of brass, and feet of iron and
clay. From this it is apparent that the nations
will sink down farther instead of rising. Dan¬
iel sees, chapter 7, the same period of time rep¬
resented by four wild animals instead of a man.
This shows u.s how God looks upon the leading
governments, since his covenant people are no
longer at the head of the nations. The four
great world powers which execute the principal
part of the government, until Jesus shall estab¬
lish his government, are in his eyes as ravenous
beasts. See chapter 10. On this picture we have
further the beast with the ten horns, wdiich
ascends out of the sea—a type of Antichrist
(Rev. 13: 1). On this beast sits the harlot—a
picture of apostate Christianity (Rev. 17).
Above this we see the beast with the two
28Jf Outline on Prophecy,
horns. The horns represent apostate Christen¬

dom and Mohammedanism. This picture is
only a complement to the picture of the harlot
which will together with Antichrist reign in
the last time. See chapter 11. Beside the
beast with the ten horns, the binding of Satan
is represented (Rev. 20). On the left side of
the picture in the upper corner we see the
second of the two lines extending downward
into the second division and into the Babylonian
kingdom. This represents the captivity of
Judah under Nebuchadnezzar. Further, we see
here also the four feet. The two feet in the
left corner belov’ have together twenty-three
toes—the old Roman empire in its present con¬
dition, which is divided into that number of
divisions, the western part into sixteen, the
eastern into seven parts. The two upper feet
have each five toes, indicating as Daniel pre¬
dicted that the kingdom shall again be divided
into ten divisions, which is also indicated by
the ten horns. This shall be brought about
under Antichrist’s reign, and the ten kings
shall be allies of Antichrist.
18. Shows the time when Israel returned
from the captivity and rebuilt the temple.
Therefore, the picture shows the plan of the
temple. The same was the second one, and
was built under Zerubbabel. From the first
captivity of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar to the
The Chart. 285
birth ol Christ, we have a period of 604 years.

19. The period from the birth of Christ to
his second coming. In the middle of the pic¬
ture is a spring of water (Christ), on the one
side is an open Bible, on the other side a dove,
the symbol of the Holy Spirit. This is to rep¬
resent to us the Gospel period in its fullness.
The steps which lead to the spring indicate
how we come to this fullness. Above we see
the seven candlesticks, Kev. 1, as symbols of
the churches from the apostolic age to the
second coming of Christ. At the cross we have
an arrow which ascends straight upward to the
thrones, bearing the letters S and F. This
shows how Jesus, after his resurrection, occu¬
pied his place at the side of the Father. S
stands for Son, F for Father.
A second arrow goes from the cross toward
the picture No. 21 which represents the second
coming of Christ. This shows the hope of the
apostolic church for the return of Christ. See
chapter 15. Here we also have an arrow which
comes from No. 25. In No. 19 and 20, two other
arrows meet with it, and this is to represent the
rapture of the believers (2 Thess. 4: 14-18).
20. This belongs to No. 19 and shows more
minutely the close of this time. On the pic¬
ture is represented a guillotine, a symbol of
the fact that the believers will once more be
persecuted at the last time. See chapter 10.
2S6 Oaf line on Prophecy,
21. The Son of God is returniug to the

earth, and we see him in the clouds with his
own who meet him there. The picture is to
show further ho\\^ he shall, at his coming,
give crowns to the believêrs. See chapter 12.
The arrow from S, pointing to the middle of
the picture,indicates that he leaves his place in
heaven to meet his own in the cloud.
22. The millennium. The peaceable nature
of the animals. The arrow from above shows
how Jesus comes to the earth to destroy Anti¬
christ, and to give the kingdom to his people.
See chapter 21.
23. A complement to No. 22, showing the
rebuilding of the temple according to Ezek.
40-45. In the upper part to the left, we see
the two lines which we found in No. 14 and
which end in No. 22. This shows us the resto¬
ration of Israel, and that of both houses, since
both lines meet together. See chapter 8.
24. The short period between the millennium
and the final judgment. It represents the
nations, how Satan again, having been loosed
from the abyss, shall have a multitude of fol¬
lowers; how they shall rise against the people
of the Lord, and will with an army march
against Jerusalem, but shall be destroyed with
fire and brimstone by the Lord (Zech. 2: 4, 5;
Rev. 20: 8). See chapter 22.
The Ckwrf. 287
25. The fourtli principal division oi the

chart, showing the graves of the nations.
26. A complement to No. 25, showing more
fully the graves of those who have no pni-t in
the first resurrection. We see the dead coming
out of their graves, and how the sea delivers up
its dead.
27. The Son of God at the final judgment
when all nations shall be gathered before him
and the division to the right and left shall take
place. The arrows of No. 25 and 26 stop here
to show that all nations shall be gathered
before him. See chapter 22.
28. The abyss in which the devil sliall be
cast for a thousand years.
29. Hell, or the lake which burns witli fire
and brimstone. The arrow which comes from
No. 27, and stops here, shows what way those
w"ho have been put to the left side have to take,
30. The new earth and the ncw^ Jerusalem
wdiich John beheld (Rev. 21 and 22).
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Sprunger, John A. (1903) - Outline On Prophecy. Israel in The Past and in The Future, The Kingdom of Antichrist, The Coming of The Lord PDF

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Class_

r 'S I >'.■'> "

’Ag- .^. ■ __■ /,:. . - ■ '

ISRAEL IN THE PAST AND IN THE FUTURE.

THE KINGDOM OF ANTICHRIST. THE

COMING OF THE LORD. THE MIL¬

LENNIUM. THE NEW HEAV¬

EN AND NEW EARTH.

LIGHT AND HOPE! PUBLISHING COMPANY.

CLASS XXc. No.

Explanation of the Chart. 277

In my missionary travels, a number of my

ready sale. Some publishers sold hundreds

'■il'ii\' of If-I' 'J. ^4.' ' I

^ 'u i .'.liftlir V.,Vi , l;Ct' ii *ti

5.^ t ■ \*r ‘ i»\

God has been pleased to make three great

press image of His person, who “declared Him”

The Bible is composed of sixty-three separate

more of Him, who is the truth, and from Him,

opened out into a vast delta around Patmos,

were glad; Isaiah and Jeremiah revealed not

veiled in mystery, and cast a flood of light on

eller at Sallenches. the guide pours forth clear

cy. Even in Eden the main character and

prophet, announced not only blessing, but judg¬

bruising of the heel should be, was still hidden

men’s typical reign was over, when declension

only through experiences such as these to be

city, the very building in which, and the very

er places, and as each rapid revolution of our

not made known unto the sons of men, as it is

acter of Christ’s person and the grand objects

prophecies, He added, after making these rev^

of the Lord’s mouth, and his destruction by the

a time; that it should terminate when the full¬

to his suffering church, and is entirely different

Being written subsequently to the destruction

them into harmony with earlier ones; but, on the

dawn and the Day Star arise, should be allowed

Fulfilled Prophecies Concerning the Jews.

While Moses, as a divine legislator, promised

ize the features of futurity as they then appeared

“The Lord shall cause thee to be smitten be¬

shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he

them to be removed into all nations of the earth,

because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquh

their captivity;.I will make a full end of all

inhabitants who escaped from the famine, the

slain,—terminated in their entire discomfiture

they ever wish to return—and though it forms

heathen,—among the people, even from one end

Fulfilled Prophecies Concerning the Jews

The Jews have been driven from all places of

legislation a wiser and more humane policy

red againt them by inflicting a variety of punish¬

of them, and imposed upon the remnant a per¬

from the bishop. It was the policy of the kings

so, they suffered great cruelty and oppression at