FREE EBook – THE FIRST AND THE LAST by Ira Surface 1921

Republished by TheBibleGuy Thomas Spencer 2014

Chapter 8

THE  RAPTURE

After careful study of the previous chapters of this book, we must have anticipated the truth of the rapture, which we hope to make clear in this chapter.  If we study the chart which is folded in this book, we will see that the first resurrection commences at the rapture, and continues until the Glorious Appearing of Christ.  This is the resurrection of which John speaks in Rev. 20:4-6, as follows:

“And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

“But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.  This is the first resurrection.

“Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.”

I. NOT GENERAL RESURRECTION    

The idea that all the dead are brought forth at the same time, and that there will be a general judgment, to which all, both good and bad, will be called, and judged at the same time, is an error that grows out of not rightly dividing the word of truth.     So, it is scripturally certain that all the wicked and those who have received the mark of the beast will be resurrected after the thousand years re finished. In other words, the holy ones will live and reign with Christ a thousand years before the wicked ones will be resurrected. This, of itself, is sufficient to cause us to reject the idea of one general resurrection.

One of the evident things in God’s word is that there is a first resurrection, and that this resurrection will precede the millennium. The scripture says, in Rev. 20:5, “But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.”

1. First Resurrection Not New Birth

It is quite common to hear, from those who seem to be careless in the reading of God’s word, that the first resurrection is the new birth.  This is not authenticated by the scriptures.  Resurrection, as referred to in the quotation given above, Rev. 20:5, is not figurative, but is a word literally applied to the dead body.

The new birth has reference to the regeneration of the spirit, which makes us new creatures in Christ.  We re distinctly told in Eccl. 12:7, “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: but the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.”  This explains the verse given in I Thess. 4:14, “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him.”  The spirits of those who have died in the triumphs of a living faith in Jesus go at once to God, only their bodies go into the grave.  But at the first resurrection, all the bodies of those righteous dead will hear the call and come forth to meet Jesus, their spirits will take possession of their resurrected and glorified bodies, and they will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air.

Paul says, in I Cor. 15:23, “But every man in his own order.”  Order here means regiment, or rank.  This is an important fact, and helps us to decipher the manner of the resurrection.  Some will be in rank A, and some in Rank B.  The dead and the living will take the rank peculiar to the state they possessed while they were alive.  The fact that multitudes will have died before that day will make no difference in their rank.  Those who remain until the moment of that call to come forth will be changed, and they will join those whose rank corresponds with theirs.  This makes it plain that the church of the Gentiles will be made up of orders, according to the measure of the Holy Ghost’s work in their lives.

The firs resurrection is not the new birth, because we are told, in Rev. 20:6, “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection.”  This is evidence that the new birth must be first experienced before we can ever have part in the first resurrection.  That experience of blessedness and holiness, which the new birth gives is not the first resurrection, but a pre-requisite for it.

Again, order is one of the first principles of God, the Creator; and it is reasonable to believe that order will be the character of the summons to the judgment.  That order is plainly set forth: first the just, then the unjust.  It will be first the righteous, then the wicked; for in no case are the wicked represented as coming to be judged with the righteous.  God does not mix things.  Sometimes man gets things mixed, but it is because he does not carefully read the scriptures.

We have seen how the previous chapters of this book have set for the order of the reckoning time.  That order is that the Gentiles shall be first and Israel last.  If you will refer again to the chart, you will see that the great regiment of the first resurrection is divided into the following orders:

1. The rapture of the Gentile full overcomers.
2. The tribulation saints, or the fullness of the Gentiles.
3. The rapture of believing and full overcoming Israel.
4. The glorious appearing of Jesus Christ, or His coming back to earth again.

Our purpose is to take the first two orders, or the church of the Gentiles, and scripturally define their position.

2. The Scriptural Fact of the Rapture

We will notice that there are two orders in the church of the Gentiles: their rapture, as seen in the fourth chapter of Revelation, and their fullness, as seen in Rev. 7:9.

The scriptural fact of the rapture is suggested by the fourth chapter of Revelation.  John is caught up by the Spirit into heaven.  In order that he might have the real experience, John is not only caught up, but he is thrust forward into the very time and place of the rapture.

Those whom John first saw, when the door was opened, were crowned ones, and were not the multitude he saw in the seventh chapter, for that order had no crowns: but they were seen as a Blood-washed multitude with palms in their hands.  That fact puts this multitude in another rank, different from that occupied by the raptured ones whom he saw.

The four Living creatures, who were in the raptured body, seemed to be so closely identified with the great throne, upon which God sat, that when they spoke their voice seemed to come from the midst of that throne, and to be the voice of the throne.  These four Living creatures seem to be the heavenly choristers: they lead the thanksgiving service, they lead the worship, they direct the anthem of praise.  Then in one spirit of adoration and homage, that happy raptured multitude, represented by the four Living creatures and the twenty-four Elders, fall before the throne; they cast their crowns at the feet of Him who sat upon it, saying (Rev. 4:11), “Thou are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created.”  Again we see this same multitude singing the new song (Rev. 5:8-14):

“And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of the saints.

“And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

“And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;

“Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing.

“And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all  that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne . . .  .

“And the four beasts said, Amen.  And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped Him that liveth for ever and ever.”

It was the gospel of the Son of God; the song of redemption, sung by those raptured ones, from the midst of the throne.  This will be the raptured company; that glorified, selected body which Jesus will call up to meet Him in the air.  These raptured ones are a prophetic picture of the first fruits of the early harvest, the promise of the coming full harvest.  This full harvest will be the completion and fullness of the Gentile church.  Paul speaks of this in Rom. 11:25:  “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.”

These four Living creatures and twenty-four elders are a prefigured representative body.  They are not only dictating the anthems of praise, but they are voicing the very essence of the inner hearts of all who are in that company.  Hear the responsive chant, or ratification, by the innumerable host which compose that company, and then the echoes that come from all the living.  Rotherhams translation of verse 10 says, “And didst make them unto our God a kingdom and priests.”  The King James version says, “And didst make us, “ etc.  Whether it be “them” or “us”, they are evidently, identifying themselves with this raptured company, and representing, in voice and heart, all who are around the throne at this prophetic moment.  They are there with the hosts of others, who, with one mighty voice, accept and sing that new song.  And when the music of that angelic host subsides, we hear the ratification in Rev. 5:14: “And the four beasts said, Amen.  And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped Him that liveth for ever and ever.”

It seems to one who studies this question, that there must be a reason for the rapture.   You will remember that Jesus said, in the parable of the laborers, “Many are called, but few chosen.”   Where there is a choice to be made (and Jesus says there is a choice), there is a difference; and where there is a difference, there are merits possessed by some which others do not possess.  Jesus says that in the reckoning time there will be many called, but few chosen.  It is evident that the ones chosen are those who have qualified, especially, for this rapture.

There is no one who can say, as he looks over those who believe in Jesus and belong to His body, that all are equally qualified.  Some, while they believe in Jesus as their Savior, do not welcome the operation of the Spirit in their lives.  We can not say they are not Christians, but we can say they are not Spirit filled.  They have been born again by the Spirit, but they have not received the Holy Spirit since they believed.  “Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?”  Acts 19:2.  Not only are they not advancing but they are resisting the power that would set them on fire for God, and make them efficient in their testimony.  They do not stand with the class of Spirit filled workers whose whole being is alive to God.  Even the casual observer would not class them together.  Then why should we expect them to be in the same rank at the reckoning time?  Jesus taught this difference in the parable of the pearl of great price:  in the parable of the pounds: in the parable of the laborers: and in the doctrine of rewards, where very man shall receive according to his deeds.

This being so taught, may we not say the same is true of the church which Jesus is calling from among the Gentiles?  He will not only call the church, but from that church which He has called, washed, cleansed and sanctified, He will CHOOSE a people for His special glory.  That choice will be on the ground of special equipment and efficiency.   God has provided that equipment, and he who carelessly refuses to perfect himself will certainly not deserve a place in the rapture.

This suggests our next thought:

3. The Time of the Rapture

The time of the rapture will be the time of Christ’s second coming, which will be in two stages.  In the first stage, He will come for the Gentile church.  In the second stage, He will come to Israel as their Messiah.

Not Expected

He will come for the Gentile church at a time when the world is not thinking of looking for Him.  His coming will be before the tribulation has commenced.  If you will notice the chart, you will see that the first stage of His second coming will be immediately after the utterance of the message to the Laodicean church, which is the last message.  The effect of that last message will be felt until every Gentile who will believe has been reached.  That message will be carried through the first six seals of the tribulation period.  Therefore, those who are not ready to meet Jesus when He comes at the rapture will pass into the first six stages of the tribulation.  John says of these (Rev. 7:14), These are they who come out of the great tribulation.” – Rotherham.

But those who are qualified and worthy will be caught up to meet Jesus in the air, when He comes for them at the rapture.  I Thess. 4:15-18

“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.

“For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the arch-angel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

“Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”

Very Near

The time of that coming, we believe, is very near, but the time will not be announced.  Even the angels in heaven do not know, as that time is known by God the Father only.  This is the element of hope in the gospel, for Paul says, in I Thess. 4:18 “Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”  If the whole church were to pass through the tribulation, as some believe this verse would have no meaning.  The hope which Paul holds out to the church is the fact that those who are qualified, at the coming of Christ, shall be (not may be), caught up to meet Jesus in the air.  Thus they escape the fearful tribulation which is to come upon the earth, the commencement of which will be at the entrance of the white Horse Rider, Rev. 6:2.

3. Be Ye Ready

Now, since the exact time of the rapture can not be known, although we know from the fulfillment of prophecies that the tie is near, let every saint of God be ready; for there will be no trumpet to announce this coming.  It will be preceded by a calm, like that which settles down before the breaking of a terrible storm.  I Thess. 5:3 says, “When they shall say peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them.”

It is possible for us to be so absorbed in the cares of life, that we will not notice the deception of the times.  It is even possible for us who are deeply absorbed in the study of this long looked for event to be overtaken and miss God’s best for us, the rapture.  “Therefore e ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh,”  Matt. 24:44.  Pray that ye may be accounted worthy to escape, Luke 21:36.

4. The Manner of Christ’s Coming

We are told that He will come as a thief, and this statement reveals two things: first, it defines how Jesus will steal away His bride; second, it reveals, more clearly than ever, the fact that this stage of His coming will be for a different purpose than the second stage.  The second stage will be a revelation to the whole world; for “every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him.” Rev 1:7.

This is additional proof that His coming for His precious ones, at the rapture, will be as a thief comes, and will not be seen by the world of unbelievers.  We see, in Heb. 9:28, that “unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”  So those who look ardently for Him (as Rotherham translates it), and have made themselves worthy, will be the only ones who will see Him at that time.  “There shall be two men in one bed; and one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.  Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.  Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken and the other left,” Luke 17: 34-36.  Doubtless, in each case both were Christians, but both were not Spirit filled and no overcomers.

As a Thief

But, how does a thief come, and for what purpose?  He comes silently.  No trumpet announces his approach; he carries no flaming torch.  He comes to steal, and enters stealthily.  Then, he does not take everything of value.  He leaves the furniture, which is not what he wants.  He looks for the diamonds, the rubies, the silver and the gold – the things that are most precious.

Secretly

Jesus will so come, not with a flaming sword to execute vengeance.  No one will see Him at this time, except those who are ardently looking for Him.  He is coming for just one thing, which is not to reveal His glory, for the time of that revelation is at the second stage of His coming.  That one thing will be to catch out His precious Bride.  Ah!! You say His Bride?  Yes!!  Among the raptured ones the Bride of Christ will be hidden away.  The church is the body for which He gave Himself.  Paul says in Eph. 5: 25-27, “Even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it; that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.  That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any suck thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”  This is the pearl for which the merchantman made the supreme sacrifice.

There is something very beautiful in this manner of Christ’s coming at the rapture.  The Bride will be ardently and earnestly looking and longing for her Bridegroom, as the Bridegroom is longing for her.  That meeting in the air will be a blessed, glorious, and mutual greeting.  It will be the fruition of the hope so long entertained.  It will be the escape of the precious and beloved Bride from the awful throes of the great tribulation, which must come before the earth is restored to its Edenic purity.  “Because thou hast kept the word of My patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come pon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.  Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take they crown,” Rev. 3:10,11.

Jesus will be the resurrection life of which He spoke when He said, “He that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die.”

The unbeliever will not recognize this coming of Christ.  To him, this catching away of the prepared and Spirit-filled ones will be a strange coincidence, which he will explain in a materialistic way.  The believer who is converted, but has not yielded his life to God, will be stricken with a spirit of remorse, because he has not given credence to the doctrine of Christ’s second coming.  He will remember all the sermons, testimonies, and messages he has heard, and will say, “Yes it is all true, and I have missed it.  I have missed God’s best, and the joy it would give me now.”

It is pleasant to believe that between the rapture and the gathering in of the last straggling Gentile, at the end of the church period, there will be a mighty turning unto the Lord.  Millions of church members who are not living a victorious life, will then turn to God and yield themselves to Him.  Many ministers of God who have, amidst much reproach, given out the word of the kingdom, and warned the people against the encroachments of this deceptive age, will rejoice to see the fruits of their labor.  The word shall not return voice, it shall accomplish.  They have strewn the word in hard places, and under much discouragement; but they shall come forth rejoicing, bearing precious sheaves.

This rapture is our high calling in Christ.  We may now take possession of it.  If you are not ready, you must get ready quickly.  This is no fancy or dream; Jesus is really coming soon.  Do not miss God’s best.  Let not another day pass before you get right with God, “for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh.”

5. This Rapture Exclusively Gentile

It has been shown that God does make a separation between Israel and the Gentile.  You will see on the chart that the barley harvest includes only the Gentiles.  The house of Israel will be reckoned with as the wheat harvest.  The house of Israel will be reckoned with as the wheat harvest.  But both harvests had the sheaf of first fruits.  This sheaf of first fruits, in each case, was gathered before the full harvest, which they represented, was gathered.  Great care was taken to keep the barley sheaf separate from the wheat sheaf.  This, unquestionably, is a type of the Gentile harvest ad of the Jewish harvest.

This subject will be treated more fully in the next chapter on the Bride of Christ.

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FREE EBook – THE FIRST AND THE LAST by Ira Surface 1921

Republished by TheBibleGuy Thomas Spencer 2014

Chapter 9

THE BRIDE OF CHRIST

Much has been said about the Bride of Christ.  It is evident that she exists somewhere, and is acting in some capacity.  The place nearest to the Bridegroom is the place which is held by the Bride.  The Bride is composed of the full overcomers, who are very close in their fellowship with Christ and with each other.  They are also in very near relationship to the Holy Ghost, who transmits to them the precious things of the Bridegroom.

The world has always listened to the message of love; but to the Bride of Christ that message is peculiarly sweet and precious.  Christ, the Bridegroom, speaks to no other as He speaks to His beloved bride.  His yearning is beautifully expressed in the Songs of Solomon 5:2, “I sleep, but My heart waketh; it is the voice of My beloved that knocketh, saying, Open unto me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefileds: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.”

I. THE BRIDE CHOSEN BEFORE ISRAEL WILL BE RECALLED    

To the careful student it is plain that the Bride of Christ is not composed of Old Testament saints. In Matt. 11:11, it is recorded that Jesus said, “Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist.” Yet we find John saying (John 3:29, 30), “He that hath the Bride is the Bridegroom: but the friend of the Bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the Bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease.” The Bride of Christ, therefore, was not among the great men of Israel, among whom John was the greatest.    

“Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for His name.     After this I will 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:    

First: God is taking a people “for His name.” What is the meaning of taking a people for His name? It means that people will be the bride of Jesus, who is the Bridegroom.    

Second:  That Bride, or people who take the name of Jesus, will be taken from among the Gentiles, not from among the Israelites, whom he represented, were friends of the Bridegroom; agrees with this.  A friend is not the Bride, but may be very closely associated with both the Bride and the Bridegroom.

Third:  This taking out of the Bride of Christ will be accomplished between the time of John’s statement and the rebuilding of the tabernacle, or the regathering of the Israelites.  Since the gathering of the Gentiles, from whom the Bride of Christ is to come, is not the same as the regathering of Israel, it follows that the Bride of Christ, therefore, can not be of Israel.

Again, Israel is already married, is a wife and not a bride, as is shown by Jer. 3:14, 20: “Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion.”  “Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, said the Lord.”  Israel has been unfaithful, but she will surely be restored to her Husband, God the Father.  Note Isa. 54:5-7:

“For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is His name; and they Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall He be called.

“For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.

“For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.”

1. BRIDE OF CHRIST FROM GENTILES

The above references are conclusive proof that Jesus is calling His Bride from among the Gentiles, not Israel.  No reasoning that will mix those who are the Bride of Christ with Israel, who is already the Wife of the Father, can be scriptural.  John the Baptist represented the prophets, and was the greatest of them all, but he was only the friend of the Bridegroom.  Those who are overcomers among the Gentiles will be made one with our wonderful Christ, and be with Him as the heavenly Bride.

It is very precious to know that in that great gathering of the heavenly marriage company there will be such friends as Abraham, Moses, Samuel, David, and all those mighty men, who stood so true to God the Father.  It is wonderful to know that the Father has sent the Holy Ghost to bear the words of love from the Son to us, who are Gentiles and so weak and poor in ourselves.  He tells us that the Son loves us in a peculiar sense.

The Son gave Himself for the church, and from it He will choose His Bride.  Eph. 5:25-27 says:

“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it;

“That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.

“That He might present it unto Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”

1. The Marks of the Bride

The Bride is a called-out body, from a called-out body.  Jesus said, “Many be called, but few chosen.”  That is, many will be in the church, called out of the world; but a few, taken out of the church in a special manner, are the chosen ones.  This chosen company will be composed of those who are prepared for the rapture.  The Bride will be among those who go up in the rapture.  It is not reasonable to say that all who are converted will be classed in the same rank.  It is clearly set forth that the Bride will be chosen by virtue of the cleanness and sanctity of her whole life and being.

There are three kinds of fullness.  We see the thirty fold, the sixtyfold, and the hundredfold believers.  These three ranks of fullness all grew on the same good ground.  That which fell on other ground did not mature, and brought forth nothing.

2. The Bride Has Marks of Fullness    

The difference in the fullness must have been caused by the amount of labor bestowed upon the growing crop. The three kinds of fullness speak of three degrees of merit. This is conclusive evidence that there are three different orders, or ranks, in the church. You will find this is given on the chart, which shows three orders: the Bride, the Overcomers who are not the Bride, and the Tribulation Saints. So we have a people who are called out of the world, who constitute the believing church; a body called out from the church, who form the raptured body of overcomers; then we still have a chosen body called from among the overcomers. These will be the Bride of Christ.

3. The Bride the Few Chosen    

This viewing of the Bride of Christ as a called-out body is in perfect harmony with God’s way and method of doing things. He never calls out the large body. His method has always been to choose a few from the many called.  

He called Abraham out because he possessed the necessary element of faith, and He made him a great nation.    

He chose out of the first-born of Israel, saying, “They shall be Mine.” Then He chose the tribe of Levi from among the twelve tribes of Israel, and said that they should be for an offering unto the Lord. This act of God is peculiarly significant, as is seen in Num. 8:13-16. This shows how God chose a tribe from among the tribes, a special choice from a choice.

 

He called Israel out from all the nations of the earth, because they, as a nation, represented those who believed in the true God.

He called out Noah and his family into the ark, because He had found Noah righteous; it was merit that gave Noah his place in the ark.

III   THE BRIDE A PECULIAR BODY FOR A PECULIAR PURPOSE

In Eph. 5:25-27, we read, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Chris also loved the church, and gave Himself for it; that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”  We see here two attitudes of the believer.

1. Standing

First, his standing is perfect in Christ Jesus, since the sacrifice was made for every believer, for the whole church.  Christ’s purpose was also that all should be holy without spot of wrinkle.

2. State

Second, his state is the degree of perfection at which he arrives as he follows on after the Lord.  All will not submit to the process of perfecting.  All will not deny themselves, and submit wholly to the Lord; be crucified unto the world, and have the world crucified unto them.  Their state will be the ground of the judgment of the believer.  “Many are called, but few chosen,”  Matt. 20:16.  Therefore, the Bride will be the few who are chosen out of the church.

IV. THE BRIDE PECULIARLY SEPARATED

Let us notice further. Gen. 2:23 says, “And Adam said, this is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of man.”  There is a deep significance in that type of Eve, as seen in this scripture.  Notice that she was taken from the body of the firt Adam, who said, “She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of man.”  Eve was not the body of Adam.  She was of his bone and of his flesh, but she had a distinct individuality.  She became, distinctly, a separate body.  She was made peculiarly separate, that she might be the bride of Adam.  His body could not be his bride.

Paul speaks of this, in Eph. 5:32, as a great mystery, and says it is the church.  The truth is, there is an earthly body of Christ.  Paul said, “Now are ye the body of Christ.”  This is the church militant.  As out of Adam’s side came his bride, so out of the militant church will be taken the Bride of Christ.  This is another unanswerable proof that the Bride will not be the whole body of Christ, but will be separated from that great body of believers, which we call the church.

Notice again:  The separation of Adam’s bride took place while he was in a deep sleep; and so it will be when the Bride of Christ is taken out of the body, at the rapture.  At that time, the church will be in the midst of sensual counter attractions which will blind her eyes, stop her ears, and make her insensible to the separation of the Spirit-filled body, the Bride, who will be secretly stolen away by her Lover-Christ.  But when she opens her eyes she will be conscious of the fact that those who were her strength and power are gone.  If you will read the last message, given to the Laodicean church, you will see these very conditions portrayed.  Rev. 3:5-18:

“I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor not:  I would that thou wert cold or hot.

“So, then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of My mouth.

“Because thou sayest, I am rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing: and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor and blind, and naked:

“I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.”

V. THE BRIDE IN THE SHEAF OF FIRST FRUITS    

There are some who maintain that there will be no rank, or order, as reward of merit, when we have come to our fullness as a church. But types and prophecy teach us differently. Notice how the sheaf of the first fruits was gathered. The master of the field took his sickle and searched the whole field. He gathered one head here and another there, taking only the early ripened, well filled, perfect heads. When he had gathered this sheaf he took it to the priest, who offered it as the sheaf of the first fruits, which was a promise of the full harvest to follow. This master of the field is a type of Christ, who will come as a thief, to take only the most precious ones out of the church. The sheaf of first fruits is a type of those who will be taken out of the Gentile church at the time of the rapture. They will be selected, caught up, and offered as a promise of the great harvest to follow, which will be the fullness of the Gentiles.  

 

Can the fact that the raptured ones will be a choice out of a choice be more clearly set forth? They are separated as the choicest, early ripe heads, and caught up in advance of the great harvest from the same field. This is a wonderful type, and proves again the doctrine of the rapture. There can be no questioning of the fact that the first fruits of the Gentile church will be caught out, by Him who is Master of the field, before the great harvest is gathered.

VI. THE BRIDE SEPARATED AND CLEANSED    

Could you place with that company we call the Bride the man who, though born again, has never separated himself from the world by special service?  He is still loving the theatres, the cards, and the dance, and does not expect or want the Bridegroom to come.  We have many believers of that type, whose habits class them with the smoking, chewing, drinking crowd.  The very thought of placing them with the overcomers is distasteful to anyone.  It is not possible that they could share equally with those who have separated themselves by self-denial and cross-bearing, and have chosen, for Christ’s sake, to suffer reproach outside the camp.  The Bride of Christ is a chosen, early ripe, well filled body and, like the sheaf of first fruits, she will be taken out before the sickle gathers the great harvest, thus escaping the tribulation.  Luke 21:26 says, “Watch ye, therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Paul’s prophetic view saw this separated sheaf of first fruits of the early harvest when he gave us the following in I Thess. 4:16, 17:

“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 first:

“Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

He left us His benediction of comfort in the eighteenth verse:  “Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”

VII. RQUISITES OF THE BRIDE

Sanctification is one of the requisites of the Bride of Christ.  Paul says concerning the Bride, “Christ gave Himself for her that He might sanctify her.”  Sanctification here means the same as it means elsewhere, separation unto a holy purpose.  The purpose of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross was that we might be thus separated, and it is the privilege of every one who is called.  But we know that all who are called are not thus separated; consequently, they are not chosen.  So, while Christ’s purpose ws to provide a means by which He might present to Himself a Bride separated from the world, there will be but few who will be willing to deny themselves.

1. Sanctified

“Sanctified, and cleansed by the word” means that as the word of God operates on us, it reveals our state.  Thus, sanctification and cleansing are a progressive process.  As the word of God is made known to us, it makes new claims for chastity and holiness.  As its depths are unfathomable, its claims are not fully known, and we are always in the progressive stage of sanctification.  So the Bride of Christ is making herself ready.  She is now the pearl of great price, before He hs polished her and made her all glorious, “that He might present to Himself a church without spot or wrinkle.”  She will be perfected at the resurrection.  He will catch her up to Himself, and she shall see Him as He is.  Then she shall be like Him.

2. Much Prayer

The much prayer is another requisite which the Bride much possess.  When Christ gave the exhortation to pray always, He did it because there is no other way of becoming ready for the rapture.  Nothing will take the place of prayer. Faith will not, of itself, make us broken in spirit.  Neither will faith, alone keep us yielded to God.  But prayer changes things.  It changes us from formal to contrite suppliants.  It changes a hard, unfeeling heart to one of brokenness and meekness.  No one can make any advancement in the spiritual life, unless he has the prayer life.  Prayer illuminates the avenues of our hearts, so we can understand God’s word.  Much prayer will characterize the life of the Bride, and help to qualify her for God’s very best.

3. Patience or Endurance

Endurance is one of the requisites John speaks of in Rev. 3:10.  “Because thou didst keep My word of endurance, I will also keep thee out of the hour of trial which is about to come upon the whole habitable world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” – Rotherham.  This is very plain.  We need no lexicographer to help us understand that.  If we measure up to the sanctity and holiness of the bride we shall be kept out of the tribulation by being transported to the skies before it breaks out.

4. Peculiar Belief

Now Jesus tells us that a peculiar believe in Him is necessary.  In John 11:25, 26, He says, “He that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he life: and whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die.”  We can readily see that it is the resurrection power in our bodies that is meat here.  That is the power which will raise the dead bodies at the rapture, and at the same moment catch up the ready ones who will be living at that time.  And together they will meet Jesus in the air.

5. A Great Love

It is but natural to think that those who will be the Bride of Christ must have a great love for Him-their Bridegroom.  This brings us face to face with a practical fact.  There will be many, at the time of the rapture, who are not loving Christ supremely, who nevertheless must be called believers, and members of His church  But we know Jesus expects an unwavering love.  If we really love Him we will be ardently looking for Him.  A bride who mixes up with other affections ad is unfaithful to her lover, will not be worthy of him.  If she loves him she longingly looks for his coming.  She keeps herself ready to receive him, and to be received by him.  So it is with the Bride of Christ.  She will keep herself ready for His appearing at any moment.

6. Expectancy

The she must be expectant.  We are told that “unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time.”  This expectancy of Christ’s appearing begets readiness.  Jesus said that one is a faithful and wise servant who does not say in his heart, “My Lord delayeth His coming.”  We confidently believe that if we are ready to be caught up as the Bride of Christ, we will be ready for anything He has for us.

An expectant faith is the only faith that amounts to anything.  “He that would come unto Christ must believe that He is, and that He is the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.”

7. Soul Winner

Surely the Bride of Christ must be an efficient soul winner.  She must have that element in her which will bring forth spiritual children.  It is inconceivable that the one who is barren and unfruitful in spirituality can ever be the Bride of Christ.  Jesus has provided the means by which we may all become proficient workers for the salvation of souls, and He surely expects His bride to be thus equipped.  There are believers in Jesus who have never made an effort to win souls for Him; and for this very reason they are barren, and can not be in the rapture.

8. The Holy Spirit

There is still another requisite which I will mention, and that is a spirit of hunger and earnest searching for God’s choicest and best gift.  The absence of this hunger will tend toward barrenness and emptiness; but, “He that hungereth and thirsteth . . . . shall be filled.”  In these days no one can expect to be in the rapture who will not heed the Holy Spirit’s entreaty to come into a life of fullness, by tarrying for the baptism with the Holy Spirit.

Jesus has provided for this efficiency.  We remember that He said, in the fourteenth chapter of John, “Greater works than these shall he do; because I got unto My Father . . .. I will pray the Father and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever.”  Notice the marvelous works of the apostles; thousands of souls were saved in a single day, which was great work.  Jesus labored three years and one hundred twenty souls were the product of His labors; but when this equipment of the Holy Ghost came, the church grew marvelously.

It seems to those who are deeply concerned, that we all need to get back to first principles.  Those who aspire to be members of the Bride, will not dare to resist the Holy Spirit.  All should be conscious of the need of much prayer and endurance, lest they come short of God’s best, and find themselves without the essential requisites which will enable them to be in that raptured company.

 

 

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Chapter 10

THE ANTICHRIST

We have already seen that the fullness of the church period brings us to the end of the seventh chapter of Revelation.  Also, we have seen the full and complete ending of the church in the great multitude of the blood-washed, saved Gentiles, who came up out of the great tribulation.  This great multitude is not the Bride, for she was taken out of this body at the time of the rapture; but these are those who were not ready when He came.  They are those who will be left to enter the tribulation, but will be delivered therefrom when the full measure of the Gentiles shall be gathered in.

Notice now the chart.  You see that it shows that the “fullness” of the Gentiles is not the “time” of the Gentiles.  The “time” of the Gentiles commenced about the year 606 B.C. or at the beginning of the Babylonian captivity; and will continue until the glorious appearing of Christ, when He shall come with the armies of heaven to destroy them that destroy the earth, Rev. 19:1-21.  The fullness of the Gentiles commenced when the door of faith was opened to the Gentiles, as given in Acts 13:46 and 14:27:

“Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of the God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.”

And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how He had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles.”

This time of the fullness of the Gentiles closes with the close of the church period.  Paul speaks of this in Rom. 11:25, “that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.”  This time will continue until the end of the church period; hence this measure of the Gentiles correspondes to the people whom the Holy Spirit is gathering from all nations, which company is described in Rev. 7:9: “After this I beheld, and lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothes with white robes, and palms in their hands.”

This corresponds to the great and full harvest, of which the rapture was a promise.  Rev. 7:13-17:

“And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? And whence came they?

And I said unto him, Sir thou knowest.  And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lam.

“Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple: and He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.

“They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.

“For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”

This also corresponds to the barley harvest, or early harvest, which had to be gathered before the wheat harvest, or the late harvest, could be commenced.  Of this we will speak later.

Now in this chapter we wish especially to consider the Antichrist.

I. WHO IS HE?

Before we attempt to show, by scriptural names, who the Antichrist is, let us consider of scriptural suggestions as to his identity.  There has been much speculation on this subject.  We should remember, when we are reasoning concerning the identity of the Antichrist, that what he appears to us to be may not be what he really is.  His very nature is deception and his name “The Lie.”  His real identity is now a mystery, and it will not be fully known until he reveals himself, as spoken of by Paul.  This will take place just before the glorious appearing of Christ, when Antichrist will turn, with all his fury, against the Jews.  We wish modestly to mention, as suggestions, a few scriptural statements which may help to identify him, and then dwell more certainly on the names ascribed to him.

We will notice, first, a reference which suggests that the Antichrist my be an Assyrian.  Isaiah 10:5,6 says:

“O Asyrian, the rod of Mine anger, and the staff in their hand is Mine indignation.

“I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of My wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.”

The prophet says this Assyrian is to use the rod of God’s anger, and the staff of His indignation, against Israel.  They are a hypocritical nation whom the Assyrian will tread down like the mire of the streets.  To show that this has a reference to the tribulation, or the time of Jacob’s trouble, we refer you to Isa. 10:12:

“Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath performed His whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks.”

This is what the Lord will do to the Antichrist at the time of His glorious appearing.

Again, in Isa.10:24, we see the manner of this trouble will be by a rod and a staff, as it was in Egypt.

I think the words of assurance found in this verse are for the believing ones who will be in Israel at that time.  In that day Israel will pass through great plagues, as they did in the land of Egypt.  Let it be remembered that it was an Assyrian Pharaoh who persecuted the Israelites in Egypt.

We see the nature of the doom that awaits the Assyrian in Isa. 30:31: “For through the voice of the Lord shall the Assyrian be beaten down, which smote with a rod.”  Notice that it is by the voice of the Lord the Antichrist will meet his doom.  Paul says, in 2 Thess. 2:8, “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming.”

As said before, these passages are offered merely as suggestions.  They seem to identify the Antichrist as an Assyrian, but when he is revealed he may prove to be a different person.

Note one more reference found in Dan. 11:37, 38:

“Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.

“But in his estate shall be 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.”

This scripture is more than a suggestion.  There is little doubt that this kind whom Daniel saw is the same person John saw as the white horse rider, going forth conquering and to conquer.  From these scriptures we may infer that the Antichrist will be an Assyrian Jew, who has repudiated the “God whom his fathers knew,” and turned to worship the god of forces.

Let us now notice some definite scriptures which refer to the identity of Antichrist, and some of the scriptural names which are applied to him.

1. One Coming in His Own Name    

I believe that Christ had reference to the Antichrist when He said, in 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.” So even in the time of Christ’s humanity, if this reference be rightly applied, we find this world character mentioned. 

2. He Is the Wicked One     In 2 Thess. 2:8, Paul speaks of the Antichrist as the “wicked one.” He comes as a deceiver, He will, evidently, be much in demand, even by the Jews, until he reveals himself.

3. He Is the Lie    

Paul also speaks of him as “The Lie.” There are many who are willing to be deceived. Some have been trying to construct their own salvation, while others have been very ready to drift into false doctrines, and willingly reject the blood of Jesus Christ. All these who do not love the truth will be given a real deception.

4. He Is the Son of Perdition    

This name is applied to but two persons in the Bible. The first time it is applied to Judas Iscariot by Christ, in John 17:21: “Those that Thou gavest Me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition.” Paul calls the Antichrist “the son of perdition” in 2Thess. 2:3. Some who have given much thought to the subject think that this meas Judas will return as Antichrist.    

There is another strange fact recorded in Rev. 19:20. The Antichrist does not die when he meets his doom; others die and are buried. At the great white throne judgment, death and hell will yield up the dead that are in them, and they will be judged and cast into a lake of fire. But of this son of perdition it is said that he was cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. This will take place a thousand years before the judgment of the great white throne. AT that judgment all those whose names are not written in the book are cast into the lake of fire. The devil is also taken and cast into the lake of fire, where the beast (Antichrist) and false prophet ARE. Some have placed much emphasis on this language, and attempt to prove that the Antichrist will be a supernatural man. While he may be more than a mere man, as may be suggested here, the scriptural proof for that petition is lacking.

 

Jesus said, in John 6:70, “Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?” To no human being but Judas is the name “Diabolas” (devil) applied. We wish to be conservative about saying that Judas was the devil incarnated; but there are many who think this to be a fact. We could infer, as the Antichrist is positively identified as the son of perdition, that he must be Judas, returned to complete his mission by one more betrayal of Christ. Whether or not the Antichrist will be Judas incarnated, he will come as the arch betrayer of God’s chosen seed, Israel. His revelation will disclose who he is and what he is.

5. He Is the Man of Sin    

Paul names the Antichrist “that man of sin,” in 2 Thess. 2:3-8:    

“Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.     “And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.     “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming.”    

Notice the words, “the revolt.” This implies that the ones who have attached themselves to the Antichrist will revolt. These two things, the revolt of Israel and the revelation of the Antichrist, must take place before the day of Christ’s glorious appearing, when He shall come with the armies of heaven to take possession of His throne, Rev. 19^th chapter. This is the “day” of which Paul speaks – the day of Christ.    

Suddenly it will be revealed to them that this is the man to whom the scriptures refer when they speak of “the one in his own name,” the “wicked one,” the “lie,” the “son of perdition,” the “man of sin,” etc. National Israel, who at this time will have reached the zenith of her power, will be overthrown and her trouble, of which Christ spoke, and of which Daniel prophesied, will have begun.

This brings us to the consideration of our next subject – the seventieth week of Daniel.

But the day of Antichrist, the man of sin, must come first. Dan. 9:27 says that Israel will enter into a covenant (treaty) with the Antichrist for one week. But also says that the Antichrist will break the covenant in the midst of the week, at which time the revolt will take place; for he will take away the daily sacrifice, and set up the abomination that makes desolate. At that time Antichrist will reveal his real character, and Israel will know how miserably they have been deceived.

Rotherham translates verse three: “That no one may cheat you in any one respect. Because that day will not set in except the revolt come first, and there be revealed the man of lawlessness, the son of destruction.”

“For the mystery of iniquity doth already work; only He who now letteth will let, until He be taken out of the way.

“Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

“Let no man deceive you by any means; for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.

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Chapter 11

DANIEL’S SEVENTIETH WEEK

In this chapter we will try to make plain the meaning of Daniel’s seventieth week.  In the first place, we will give attention to the interpretation of the seventy weeks, which was given to Daniel by the angel Gabriel, Dan. 9:24-27:

“Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

“Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto 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.

“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.

“And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week; and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”

This revelation to Daniel is one of the marvelous things of prophecy.  It proves, in many respects, the accuracy of the scriptures.  It forces us, if we wish to understand prophecy and apply it, to accept all scripture in the order in which it was given; this is especially true of the book of Revelation.  If we change the order of the chapters in Revelation, then the book of Daniel, the prophecies of Isaiah, and much of Ezekiel become utterly unintelligible.  Let us now notice the prophecy of the seventy weeks.

It is a fixed period of time, determined by God.  “Seventy weeks are determined,” verse 24.

In this period of time the events prescribed concern Jerusalem and Daniel’s people, not the Gentiles, Dan. 10:14.

I. SEVENTY WEEKS DIVIDED

Notice how Gabriel divides this period of seventy weeks into seven weeks, sixty-two weeks, and one week.  This period of seventy weeks dates definitely from the month Nisan, which is Marc, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes.  It was at this time that the commandment to rebuild the streets and walls of Jerusalem went forth. Neh. 2:1, 6:  “And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king,  . . . . and the king said unto me (the queen also sitting by him), For how long shall thy journey be? And when wilt thou return?  Sot it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.”

This is the commandment which is referred to in Dan. 9:25: “From the going 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 time in the first division was seven weeks.  In this first division the streets, walls, and the temple were restored.

Then we are told that after threescore and two weeks (62 weeks), shall Messiah be cut off.  It was seven weeks, and sixty two weeks from the month Nisan in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes to the crucifixion of Christ.  But Daniel was told that seventy weeks were determined; therefore we still have the seventieth week, which must be definitely located.

1. Seventy Weeks for Israel Only    

Let me again call your attention to the important fact that these seventy weeks pertain to the Jews or Israel, only. This being true, then the time from the cutting off of Messiah to the beginning of the seventieth week will be a period which will pertain to the Gentiles, and not to the Jews. We have clearly shown that this is a period which is not counted in the Jewish calendar; neither are there any prophecies concerning it. God reckons time only as it directly concerns His people. This time of grace pertains to the Gentile church. It is an indefinite period in which the Holy Spirit is seeking out a people for the name of Christ, from among the Gentiles. 

 

Now, we know definitely when this period of grace to the Gentiles commenced, but Jesus said no man knoweth the day nor the hour when it will end; however, we do know that it will continue until the time of which Paul speaks in Rom. 11:25, “Until the full measure of the Gentiles e come in.” We can not know when that measure will be full. On the contrary, there are scriptures which locate many things which are to take place during the last week of Daniel; therefore it is important that we consider this period, and its relative position to the other sixty nine weeks.

2. Time Value of the Week    

God’s way of expressing time is very peculiar, but it is very definite. Many people carelessly pass over the time element in the scriptures. They satisfy themselves that there is no way of computing God’s weeks, months, and years, by saying that a day with the Lord is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as a day. But let us carefully follow this part of our study and see if the scriptures will not reveal something to us.    

Again, let us turn to Ezekiel 4:6, which reads: “When thou hast accomplished them, lie again on the right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days; I have appointed thee each day for a year.” Here God again uses the same measurement to express time value. We will now show, by actual facts, that this is the time value of Daniel’s seventy weeks.     

“Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.”    

We read that the waters prevailed one hundred fifty days, Gen. 7:24. At the end of the one hundred fifty days the ark rested on the mountains of Ararat, “ in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month.” It was just five months, for he entered the ark on the seventeenth day of the second month; therefore, five months equal one hundred fifty days, thirty days to each month. This is the calendar system.    

The fact that Dan. 9: 24-27 refers to Daniels people only is in perfect harmony with other facts of scripture, already set forth in the foregoing chapters of this treatise. When we are considering this portion of Revelation, we are considering the time when the fulfillment of prophecy is converging upon the Israel of God, and upon the incidents that will attend the final, deadly conflict between that chosen people and the Antichrist.

Now let us go back to the question of Daniel’s seventy prophetic weeks. As we have already stated, there were four hundred ninety calendar years in these seventy weeks. Scholars who have carefully computed the time, and compared the facts of history, tell us it was four hundred eighty-three years from the commandment of Artaxerxes to restore Jerusalem until the crucifixion of Christ. This is another illustration of the marvelous accuracy of prophecy. It also shows us how uncertain and misleading is the assumed right of many interpreters of the book of Revelation to dislocate the chapters. They mix the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven vials into a conglomerated mass, and then expect to understand and apply this prophecy of Daniel and other prophecies which refer to this time.

If we follow the rule of value which is given above, we have four hundred and ninety of these prophetic days, or four hundred and ninety calendar years. There were several systems of computing time. The lunar year had three hundred fifty four days; the solar year had three hundred sixty five days; the astronomical year, three hundred sixty five and one fourth days; the calendar year, three hundred sixty days. God never varies from His plan, even in computing time to His people, so we are not suiting our own convenience when we say the calendar year is the system we must use. How do we know God uses the calendar year? We will refer to the word of God in Gen. 7:11: “In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.” The seventeenth day of the second month is definitely stated as the time when Noah entered into the ark. The thirteenth verse of the same chapter says, “In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark.”

Gabriel said, “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people, and upon the holy city.” As we have said before, this does not mean Gentiles, so let us apply it to the Jews only, and it will make many things plain. Let us again notice the statement in Dan. 9:24:

First, we will turn to the words of God in Num. 14:34: “After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.” Here we have a clue to a very important part of Daniel’s prophecy, a day for a year. If we use this unit of time value, we can say, very definitely, that the week of which Daniel speaks will be just seven years in length.

3. “Time, Times, and Dividing of Time”    

We have already shown the time value of Daniel’s seventieth week to be seven years. It is definitely set apart from the sixty-nine weeks as especially belonging to the “latter days.” While interpreting the expression, “time, times, and the dividing of time,” we wish to mention other similar references. We find this expression used twice in the book of Daniel and once in the book of Revelation.

From Dan. 7:25, we learn that the saints are to be given into the hands of the Antichrist until a “time and times and a dividing of time.” This is followed by the statement, in the twenty-eighth verse, “Hitherto is the end of the matter.” So we can clearly see that this expression has reference to the latter days of Daniel’s people, and to the latter part of the tribulation which is to come upon Israel, and upon the whole world, Rev. 3:10.    

“It shall be for a time, times, and a half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.    

This being a prophecy which refers directly to the Antichrist and to the time of the end, we shall find its fulfillment in the last part of Daniels seventieth week. We will now turn to Revelation for the explanation of this time value, for Revelation is the book of its fulfilment.     

Again we have proven the last half of Daniels’ seventieth week to be three a nd a half years, and we know the first half must also be three and a half years. So it is established, beyond a doubt, that the seventieth week of Daniel will be just seven years.

 

This brings us to our next subject, the regathering of Israel.

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Chapter 12

THE REGATHERING OF ISRAEL

“Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision,” Dan. 8:16.  “So he came near where I stood,” Dan. 8:17 “And he said, Behold, I will make thee to know what shall be in the last end of the indignation; for at the time appointed the end shall be,” 8:19.

Again, after the marvelous prayer recorded in Dan. (;3-20, Gabriel came to Daniel and touched him, saying, “O Daniel, I am now come forth to give, thee skill and understanding,” 9:22.  Let me again quote the words of this mighty angel, who at the call of Daniel, the faithful servant of God, came forth to answer his prayer.  Dan. 9:24-27 says:

“Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon they holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.

“Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem, unto the 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.

“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.

“And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week; and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”

We have already defined the time value of these seventy weeks, and spoken of the indefinite period of grace between the sixty-ninth and seventieth weeks.  Now we wish to take up the seventieth week, or the time which Gabriel designated as “the midst of the week . . . . even until the consummation.”  Space will not permit us in this volume to deal fully with all the incidents of the tribulation wee; so we shall confine ourselves, principally, to the regathering of Israel, which will commence even before the seventieth week, and reach the zenith of power by the middle of the week.  We hope to locate the middle of the week in Revelation and define some of the remarkable things which will befall Israel at that time.

You can refer to many who have given satisfactory comments upon the incidents recorded in the book of Revelation, so we will speak more particularly of the things which cluster around the divisions of the book.

1. Israel Will Return in Unbelief    

That Israel will be gathered back to their own land is one of the facts of prophecy. We read in Ezek. 36:24, 25:     “Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean; from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.”    

Let us now notice a more direct reference to their state of unbelief, in Zeph. 2:1-3:    

“Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought His judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness; it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger.”    

This gathering of which Zephaniah speaks will be the gathering before God’s time. “Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as chaff (the day of His indignation), before the day of the Lord’s anger come upon you.” We can plainly see there will be a gathering, but not by the Lord. It will be their return to take possession of their inheritance while they are yet rejecting Jesus as their Messiah.    

“And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.    

The covenant of Almighty God with Israel can not admit a third party; but this alliance with the Antichrist will be made by Israel while she is still in unbelief. Israel’s perverse spirit rejected Christ when He offered himself to her as her king, and it will be this same perverse spirit that will receive the Antichrist.

 

“From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you; for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night; and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.”

At the first of the week, at the beginning of their identity as a nation, we see them entering into a covenant with the Antichrist. Dan. 9:27 says, “And he (Antichrist) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week.” That is, the Antichrist will form an alliance with them on the basis of the covenant which God made with them. Doubtless the treaty will be that Israel is to maintain her form of worship, the greater part of which will be the daily sacrifice. Israel will not enter a league of nations; but this treaty with the Antichrist will be her covenant with death, of which Isaiah speaks in chapter 28:18, 19:

You will note that the marginal reference reads, “O nation not desirous,” or a nation which has despised the overtures of grace, offered by Jesus Christ. We read of Israel in Isa. 65:2, “I have spread out My hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walked in a way which was not good” – or in the way of unbelief.

“Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired; before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you, before the day of the Lord’s anger come upon you.

This is only one of many prophecies which establish the regathering of Israel. But you will notice there is an intimation that they will gather in unbelief, for the twenty-sixth verse says, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh.” This promise is given after God said He would bring them from among the heathen.

“For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.

2. Israel Will Come in Great Wealth     In the time of Israel’s bondage in Egypt, God promised her she should not go out empty handed, so she was filled with the gold and silver of the Egyptians. As the Israelites were thus ladened with gold and silver when they came into their prominence at Sinai, so will it be at the time of her regathering from among all nations. She will have accumulated great wealth, which will be in the possession of individuals. It is stated as a fact that even now the Jews are in possession of one fourth of the wealth of the world.      Like the mustard tree of Christ’s parable, Israel has reached tremendous proportions, and the Gentile nations (birds) will seek alliances with her (shelter in her branches).  

Israel is also like the unjust steward who tried to make a home with his lord’s money. She has made herself a national home, but it shall fail because it will be built in unbelief.

This will make Israel’s national identity tremendously significant. She will probably lead all nations in the financial world, and will, doubtless, be a great factor in international politics. This will be a great handicap to the Antichrist, who will be the political head of the federated nations. The covenant Antichrist makes with Israel will become very distasteful to him as time draws near the middle of the week, and he sees the prominence and power to which they have attained. The time for the revelation of the Antichrist has not yet arrived, so he is still manipulating affairs deceitfully. He fears to make himself known because of Israel’s great influence.

3. Israel’s Prominence Will Provoke the Nations    

Even now no nation can achieve the mastery of sea and land, in the financial world or the commercial world, without provoking the jealousy of other nations. There is no international question about which the nations are so sensitive as about this one. All the great powers of the world are watching, with a jealous eye, any measure which will give to another the least advantage over themselves.    

All this will be very distasteful to the nations, and, like Pharaoh of old, they will try to devise some means by which they may weaken Israel. Great pressure will be brought to bear upon the Antichrist, and he will be forced, perhaps willingly, to break his treaty with Israel. Now he has the angry nations with him, and he can reveal himself.

This treaty with national Israel will be broken in the midst of the week, Dan 9:27. Israel will then revolt, and no doubt open war will then be declared.

We are told in Rev. 11:18, that at the time of Israel’s prominence, “The nations were angry.” What has made the nations angry? The angry nations are the Gentile nations who are federated under the Antichrist. Israel is not federated; she stands alone in her majesty. She is proud of her achievements over the nations. By her successes, diplomatic and otherwise, she has aroused the ever-present spirit of jealousy in the nations, and they are angry because the Antichrist, their leader, is in treaty relationship with her. The nations were angry because Israel had prospered more than they. They were angry because Israel sat in great prominence. She is the woman closed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.”

This national Israel, clothed with majesty and power, possessing wealth and influence. She has God’s promises; for, although she has rejected Jesus as her Messiah, she still has the light of faith I God, and the covenant He made with her fathers.

This will be the beginning of the travail of national Israel, of which we will now write more fully.

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Chapter 13

THE SUN-CLAD WOMAN

The twelfth chapter of Revelation is, in many respects, one of the most wonderful chapters in the book.  The first thing that appears to us is the great wonder in heaven, or sign, as most of the translations give it.  This woman, clothed with the sun, crowned with the stars, and standing on the moon, represents something, is a sign of something.  This chapter is written to identify her.

 

1. Is the Sun-Clad Woman Not the Church?    

Some say she represents the church, but you will notice that six seals, which represent six time periods, have been broken; their time periods have expired, and their events have all been fulfilled, before the opening of the seventh seal, in which the events of the twelfth chapter are to take place. You will notice on the chart that the end of the church period is the full measure of the Gentiles, and that the Gentile church was completed in the gathering in of the Gentile tribulation saints. This event is recorded in Rev. 7:16, 17:    

Therefore this sun-clad woman can not be the Gentile church.

 

“They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more, neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.” They are no longer on earth, but the woman is still on earth.

2. Is the Sun-Clad Woman Not the Virgin Mary?    

Again, some say she represents the mother of Christ. But this would be taking the events which John says will take place when the seventh seal is broken, – events which will take place after the church periods have expired (Rev. 4:1), – and be placing their fulfilment back before the time of the cross at the birth of Jesus. So the sun-clad woman can not be the mother of Christ.

3. Sun-Clad Woman in Joseph’s Dream    

Whom does the sun-clad woman represent? She represents national Israel. If you will turn to Gen. 37:9, you will read the forecast of this sun-clad woman in Joseph’s dream:    

This dream is significant in itself, as it pertains to Israel; but the interpretation which Joseph’s father Jacob gave it, makes the identity of the sun-clad woman clear to us. We turn to Rev. 12:1, and we read:     There can be no mistake that Israel, in some phase, is seen in this wonder, but let us confirm it. In Gen. 37:10, 11, we see the interpretation which Jacob gave of the sun, moon, and stars:    

The fact that there were eleven stars makes the identity more definite, as the twelfth star, evidently, was Joseph. 

There can be no question that the interpretation of the sun, moon, and eleven stars, was as Jacob gave it; Joseph’s father, mother and his eleven brothers. It is clear then that the dream meant the house of Jacob, or the house of Israel, and it would be so recorded in the annals of heaven. Therefore, the identity of the woman, clothes with the sun, crowned with twelve stars, with the moon under her feet, is evidently the framework, or government, of the house of Israel.”

“And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.”

“And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.”

4. Sun-Clad Woman National Israel    

This gloriously clothed and crowned woman will be national Israel, the house of Jacob in all their political power and prominence. Her clothing is the sun, for this nation, although rejecting Jesus as the Messiah, will still be looking for the glorious fulfilment of that covenant which was renewed with Jacob at Bethel. It was not for Jacob only, but for fulfilment in a nation, at that time still unborn. That nation was to be no other than the nation of Israel. Then the sun, moon, and stars of Joseph’s dream were a prophetic sign of the nation of Israel. Therefore, the sign of the sun-clad woman of Rev. 12:1 must mean national Israel in great prominence before all the nations of the earth.

5. Israel in the Latter Days    

“Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days; for yet the vision is for many days,” Dan. 10:14.    

I have said, in a previous chapter, that Israel will come to national prominence during the time of her treaty with the Antichrist. Both the Antichrist and Israel will develop great political power at the same time. The Antichrist will have become the leader of the federated Gentile nations, and Israel will stand alone, except for her treaty relations with the Antichrist. At this time two important events will take place:    

Second, the Antichrist will reveal himself, and then the only things of which Paul speaks in 2 Thess. 2:8 will be fulfilled.     We can not tell when this point of time will be reached, but even now we see signs which point toward the fulfilment of these prophecies.

Not prophecy locates this time definitely as the midst of the week. Dan. 9:27: “And he (Antichrist) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation: (end of the week).

First, the Antichrist will break his treaty with Israel, after three and a half years.

Having identified the sun-clad woman as national Israel, let us now speak of the things which will befall her in the latter days.

6. Israel Unconsciously Fulfilling Prophecy    

Israel is slowing gathering back in unbelief. The Zionist movement is not necessarily a religious movement. In fact, many of its leaders are agnostics; but this movement is everywhere working toward the national organization of Israel. England, France, and the United States are lending this movement their influence.    

This is seen in the deliverance of the man child, Rev. 12:5: “And she brought forth a man child who was to rule the nations with a rod of iron and her child was caught up to God and His throne.” We will speak of this birth further on. It is the same birth of which Isaiah speaks in 66:7:    

Who hath heard such a thing? Who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.”    

This is the fall of national Israel. The man child has been caught up to God and His throne, and the woman has fled into the wilderness, where she has a placed prepared of God, that they should feed her there for twelve hundred sixty days, or three and a half years.    

But Isaiah speaks also of another birth. He says, “After Zion travailed she brought forth her children.” This is the nation born in a day; born at the sight of Jesus when He shall have returned, at the time of His glorious appearing. For they shall see Him whom they have pierced and shall repent. This will be the birth of that part of Israel which belongs to the unbelieving class.    

“And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.    

“In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart, the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart, and the family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart; all the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart.”

 

“And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and supplication; and they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for Him, and one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

The first birth will produce the overcomers, to be raptured out of Israel. The last birth will come through the terrific pangs of national tribulation which will come upon those of Israel who are left, after the overcoming ones have been caught up in their rapture. When Zion travails she will bring forth her children, for the spirit of real repentance will be poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Zech. 12:9-14 says:

It may be asked, “Who are those who pass into great trouble after the man child is caught up, if the woman is to be caught away to a place of safety?” I answer, this woman represents the frame work of Israel’s government with all her records and laws. This explains the travail of Zion, spoken of in Isaiah 66, which we have already mentioned. Only the woman, the framework of the government, will be moved to a place of safety during the time that Zion travails. Those of her citizens who are not taken out at the rapture of the man child, will be the mourners of Zion.

At this time (the middle of the week) the woman flees into the wilderness to a place prepared of God, where she is fed for three and a half years, or until the end of the desolation. During this time there will be a reign of terror for Israel. Daniel speaks of this as a time of trouble such as never was even unto that time. Jesus also refers to the trouble of which Daniel spoke.

“Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child.

The spirit of unrest and uncertainty, as expressed in the social and industrial upheavals in all nations, is no small factor in making the return of Israel more prominent. As time moves on toward the prophetic time when Israel will return, we may expect that there will be more and more of a spirit of unrest among them, until there will be a real exodus of the Jews from all nations toward the holy land of their fathers. We are astonished and our hearts weep when we think how this nation will again, still in stubborn unbelief in Jesus, try to take the promised land. This unbelief will be their undoing. In this beautiful sign of national Israel in her great prominence we see, also, the sign of her fall as a nation. Of this fall of national Israel we now wish to speak.

This is the day of Israel’s repentance.  This is the day in which a fountain will be opened in the house of David, Zech. 13:1: “In that day there shall be a fountain opened in the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.  This is the glorious day of His glorious appearing, for which Paul so ardently looked, Titus 2:13: “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.”

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Chapter 14

THE MAN CHILD

In the previous chapter we identified the sun-clad woman as national Israel in great prominence before the Gentile nations.  In this chapter we wish to identify the man child.

I  MAN CHILD – BELIEVING ISRAEL

There will be two classes in national Israel.  One will be the class which we may call believing Israel.  This class will believe that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God; that He was crucified, arose again, and ascended to heaven; that from then He will come again as the Messiah.  To this class the man child will belong.  This class is represented on the chart as wise virgins.

The other class will be those who, although believing in Messiah and looking or Him, still reject Jesus as that Messiah.  These are the foolish virgins.

These two classes have a common faith in Jehovah.

II BIRTH OF MAN CHILD

The birth of the man child company will take place at the time of the overthrow of national Israel, who has been in great national pre-eminence (see chart).  The birth of this company will be their separation from the national body.

As we have said before, the great prominence of Israel will arouse the anger and jealousy of the federated Gentile nations, who are under the Antichrist, Rev. 11:18.  Because of these angry nations, Antichrist will break his treaty with national Israel, as seen in the prophecy of Dan. 9:27; and with a host raised for that purpose will proceed against the sanctuary, as seen in Dan. 8:12, “And a host was given him against the daily sacrifice (Israel’s worship) by reason of transgression, and it (the host) cast down the truth to the ground; and it practiced and prospered.”  At that time war will be declared against Israel and the time of great trouble, such as never was and never will be again, will have come upon national Israel.

God is ever watching over His saints, and as soon as the worship of Israel is removed, the birth of the man child will take place, and he will be caught up to God and His throne.  This birth of the man child is so closely associated with his deliverance, of which Daniels peaks, that we may call it his deliverance.  Dan. 12:1 says, “At that time (middle of the week, Dan. 12:7) thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

Therefore:  The birth, the catching up, and the deliverance of the man child company are practically the same, and mean their rapture.  God is taking care of the believing overcomers of Israel.

1. His Relationship to Israel

     Notice that the man child will be delivered from the sun-clad woman. Since this woman represents national Israel, her product, her offspring, must be the children of Israel. This proves the position already taken in this treatise, that there will be no Gentiles in this ruling man child body. This is Israel’s rapture exclusively.

2. His Relationship to Time

     The fact has been scripturally proved that the catching up of the man child will take place at the middle of the seventieth week of Daniel, or three and a half years from the beginning of the peaceful entrance of the Antichrist under the first seal, and three and a half years before the end of his reign of terror. This fact is anchored, it can not be dislocated, it is fixed.   The man child can not be Christ, for the middle of the week, and the sounding of the last trumpet within the time period of the seventh seal could not possibly be in the year 1, B.C., nor 4 B.C.

3. His Relationship to Daniel

This deliverance of the man child will be at the time of great trouble, Dan. 12:1. Daniel is speaking of his people, for Gabriel said, “At that time (middle of week) thy people (Israel) shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.” This is Israel’s record book, kept in heaven.     Then we are convinced of this truth, vis., the man child will be the children of the house of Israel, who have their names written in the book. Jesus said, “Rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”

 

This is a marvelous statement which sheds a flood of light upon this subject. There is not a statement in prophecy which contradicts the truth that “thy people” means the house of Israel. The house of Israel will be the sun, moon, and twelve stars with which the “woman” is clothed; and the offspring of that woman, the man child, will be no other than the children of Israel, just as Jacob’s children were the children of Jacob, or Israel.

4. His Relationship to the Trumpets

     The man child will be caught up to God and His throne. They are delivered because their names are written in the book. From this we understand that God has not varied His plan, for He always takes the peculiarly equipped ones out of the body. This deliverance is the only deliverance of Israel of which we have any record, and it will take place at the sounding of the seventh, or last, trumpet, Rev. 11:15. 

 

The theory that makes the seventh angel trumpet to the “trump of God,” of which 1 Thess. 4:16 speaks, or any other trumpet than what t is plainly sated to be, the seventh, is clearly unscriptural. No amount of reasoning can make this seventh angel trumpet, which was announced by the sixth angel as still in the future, mean the trump of God, which will be sounded at the rapture of the Gentile overcomers; and the last angel trumpet belongs to the house of Israel, and will sound for the full overcomers of Israel.

5. His Relationship to the Gentile Rapture     Neither can the man child be the same as the Bride. The trumpet of God will call the raptured body of Gentiles up to meet Jesus in the air, and at o place in the word can this be applied except to 1 Thess. 4:15-18:     “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.     “Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” 

 

The last angel trumpet follows six other trumpets. All of these, taken together, represent the time period which lies between the trumpet of God, and the seventh angel trumpet. At the sounding of the seventh trumpet the man child is caught up to God and His throne. There is not a sentence in the Bible which indicates that the man child rapture has any relationship to the rapture of the Gentile overcomers, either in time, position, or place. How can we, then, accept the theory of dislocating this portion of God’s word, and giving it a position to which it can claim no relationship whatever?

“For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the arch-angel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

“For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him.

6. His Relationship to the Angel Gabriel

     Let us again refer to Dan. 12:1 for further light. The prophet tells us that not only will deliverance be given to this body, but that, at the transit of this ruling body across the skies through the powers of the prince of the air, Michael will stand up. Michael always stands up when the children of the house of Israel need him. Michael seems to be the general of the angelic hosts. When the body of Moses was transported, Stan raised a contention as to who should have it, Jude 9. Michael prevailed at that time by rebuking Satan in the name of the Lord; but when the man child body makes its transit, there will be more than a contention. A decisive battle will be fought, Rev. 12:7, 8.

At this time Satan, with all his forces, will be cast out into the earth. Then Michael, the prince of this mighty overcoming body which is called the man child, will victoriously proceed, with the overshadowing angels of glory, up to the throne of God.

 

This makes the deliverance of which Daniel speaks (12:1) identical with the deliverance of the man child, Rev. 12:5. Then those whose names are written in the book must be believing Israel, who are the man child for whom Michael will stand up.

7. His Relationship to Prophecy

There is another reference to which I wish to call your attention, Isa. 66:7: “Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child.”

 

Before Israel travailed she brought forth a man child. This is in line with what we have said. We know that Israel will not travail when she is in great political prominence; but her pains will begin when she is deprived of her worship. We have shown that simultaneously with the overthrowing of national Israel, the man child will be caught up. This is the birth of a man child, of which Isaiah speaks.

III. WHO IS THE MAN CHILD?

The man child is a chosen body composed exclusively of overcoming Israelites, from the living and the dead, selected and caught out as the raptured company.  They will be the first fruits of the wheat harvest (see chart), and they will be a representative body.  The fact that they are caught up to God and His throne makes them a raptured body.

You will notice on the chart another raptured company, composed of the Bride and the full overcomers.  These, with the tribulation saints, constitute what Paul calls, in Rom. 11:24, the full measure of the Gentiles.  We have shown these to be exclusively Gentiles, and they belong to the first order of the reckoning time.

In like manner the time from the catching up, or rapture, of the man child company, to the glorious appearing of Christ, will constitute the reckoning time of Israel, who belong to the last order of the reckoning time.  This is the order Jesus gave n the parable of the laborers.  Then, s the rapture of the Gentile full overcomers and their fullness is exclusively Gentile, so the rapture of the man child will be exclusively Israel.

On the chart you will also see these two orders expressed.  First, the barley harvest; second, the wheat harvest.  Each of these two have their sheaf of first fruits, which must be offered in their respective order.

That we may scripturally recognize the body that constitutes the man child, we will let the scriptures speak, Rev. 14:1-3:

“And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with Him an hundred and forty and four thousand, having His Father’s name written in their foreheads.  And I heard a vice from heaven, as the voice of a harpers harping with their harps; and they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand which were redeemed from the earth.”

This is a striking revelation.  John saw a body of a hundred forty-four thousand before the throne of God and before the living creatures and elders.  They have the Father’s name written in their foreheads.  They are separate from other bodies that might be around the throne, because they sang a new song that no man could learn but the hundred forty-four thousand.

IV  MARKS OF IDENTITY

There are three mark which identify this hundred forty-four thousand who are on Mount Zion after their rapture, with the hundred forty-four thousand whom John saw sealed in the seventh chapter, before they came to the time of Israel’s rapture.

First:  We see there in chapter 7 that a hundred forty-four thousand were sealed, and that is the number John saw on Mount Zion.

Second:  They were sealed in their foreheads.  Those whom John saw in Rev. 14:1, had the Father’s name written in their foreheads.

Third:  They were Israelites, exclusively.  Those whom John saw later before the throne of God were separated in their worship, for they sang a song no man could learn.

The first two of these points make the hundred forty-four thousand whom John saw on Mount Zion, identical with the sealed hundred forty-four thousand.  Therefore those on Mount Zion were exclusively Israel, for twelve thousand from each of the twelve tribes were sealed.  There can be no doubt that these hundred forty-four thousand sealed ones of the seventh chapter of Revelation were those whom Daniel, in the 12:1, said would be delivered at the middle of the seventieth week; for these, who were sealed by the might angel with the seal of the living God, must also have their names written in the book.  Daniel had reference to Israelites only, for Gabriel had said “thy people,” or Israel.

Not only are the hundred forty-four thousand who were sealed delivered, but there are others also.  Jesus said to the seventy disciples, when they returned so full of joy to tell Jesus how that even the devils were subject to them, that they should rejoice rather that their names were written in heaven, Luke 10:20.

When Daniel said that everyone should be delivered whose name was found written in the book, he did not make a careless statement.  It can be applied to no people but the Israelites, and to no time but the middle of the week.  All of the faithful Israelites will be delivered.

As the man child is the only company delivered or caught out at the time of which Daniel speaks (Dan. 12:7), the man child must be the company which John saw on Mount Zion, after they had been caught out, vis., a company composed of Israelites only, among whom will be the apostles of our Lord, who are to rule; the hundred forty-four thousand sealed ones of Rev 7: and all others who belong to the ruling body of Israel; for the man child is the ruling body, raptured at that time.

V  HIS CHARACTER

To further identify this great company of raptured Israel, let us read Rev. 14:4, 5, where we see the same company of which we have been speaking:

“These are they which are not defiled with women; for they are virgins.  These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth.  These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.  And in their mouth was found no guilt: for they are without fault before the throne of God.”

1. Virgins     We see in the above quoted scripture that they are virgins. When our Lord gave the parable of the ten virgins He was speaking of national Israel. We have already spoken of the two classes of which she will be made up.    

The give went in to the marriage, and the door (to the marriage) was shut. If you will follow the chart you will see there are three companies who will be present at the marriage. They are the raptured Gentiles, from among whom the Bride is chosen, the tribulation saints, and the man child, or the raptured body of Israel. This is the last place where we have a record of any one going up to the marriage. Jesus said, “They that were ready went in to the marriage: and the door was shut.” This locates the parable. The foolish went away into the fearful trouble of Jacob, the great tribulation. 

 

Thomas said he would not believe Jesus had arisen until he saw for himself; so that part of Israel who are represented by the five foolish virgins will not believe Jesus is the Messiah until they see Him.

The ten virgins represent these two classes. The five wise virgins represent the believing class who will be ready, and looking for the Bridegroom. They are not the Bride, for the Brie will be Gentile. The wise virgins were ready to join the bridal procession (see chart). The foolish virgins were looking for the Bridegroom, but were delaying His coming, and were not ready. They represent the unready and unbelieving part of Israel.

2. They Followed the Lamb 

    This man child company were followers of Jesus Christ. They must, therefore, be those whom Jesus called, and all those of Israel who have believed on Him since He left His precious message. They followed Him in sacrifice, laying down their lives for Him. They followed Him in self-denial. They followed the Lamb whithersoever He went.

3. They Were the First Fruits

     “These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb,” Rev. 14:4.    

But, let us notice further. Although the hundred forty-four thousand were sealed before the church came to its fullness, they were not taken out with the church, for we see them again in Rev. 9:4, gloriously preserved by divine power from the plagues of the fifth angel trumpet. Here is another unquestionable proof that no Israelites will be in the Gentile rapture, neither will they be in the Gentile fullness. Then the only rational thing to do is follow the inspired order of the word.  

 

We see this same company again as those who were separated from national Israel, and caught up to God in the person of the man child. These will be the firstfruits of Israel – their raptured ones. This proves two raptures: one before the tribulation, which is exclusively Gentile, and one at the catching up of the man child, which is exclusively Israelite.

We have spoken in a previous chapter of the first fruits of the barley harvest, and shown them to be the raptured Gentiles. We wish you to notice this, that raptured body were not sealed in their foreheads, but they were given “a white stone, and in that stone a new name written,” Rev. 2:17. This indicates a wide difference between the raptured ones of the Gentiles as seen in the firstfruits of the barley harvest, and the raptured ones of Israel, as seen in the firstfruits of the wheat harvest.

4. They Were Faultless    

The firstfruit offerings were always without blemish. No half -filled head of wheat or barley was ever chosen to be put into the sheaf of first fruits. When the offerer came with this first fruits sheaf, it was always composed of the choicest heads, chosen out from the whole field.

 

Those whom John saw were the first fruits of Israel. They were perfect and “without fault before the throne of God.” As we see them on Mount Zion, they were washed, cleansed, sanctified, saved and sealed.

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FREE EBook – THE FIRST AND THE LAST by Ira Surface 1921

Republished by TheBibleGuy Thomas Spencer 2014

Chapter 15

THE MILLENNIUM

In closing this book, we think it unnecessary to give much space to the discussion of the age known as the millennium.

Five things of world-wide interest will take place at the close of the reign of terror, and the opening of the reign of peace.

I. THE GLORIOUS APPEARING OF CHRIST

First:  The long looked for glorious appearing of Christ will take place immediately after the marriage of the Lamb (see chart).  Christ will come to the earth.  No one is caught up to meet Him at this time.

He will not come unaccompanied, for with Him will be His beautiful heavenly Bride, and all who are to reign with Him and minister to Him while He is on the earth.  We are told (Rev. 19:11-16) that there will be a wonderful white horse cavalry.  All will be clothed with the glory and splendor of heaven.  Then all the people of the earth will know of the great victory which His coming will bring.

II. ARMAGEDDON

s coming with the hosts of heaven will terminate it.

III. THE ANTICHRIST AND THE FALSE PROPHET

Third:  The Antichrist and the false prophet will be taken and cast alive into a lake of fire.  Thus will terminate the career upon the earth of these two persons who have overthrow Israel’s government and caused two thirds of her people to perish during the reign of terror, Zech. 13:8, 9.

It will last only three and a half years, but the conflict will be terrific.  The earth will flow with blood, and none but the all-conquering hosts of heaven could win the victory.

IV. THE DEVIL CHAINED

Fourth:  The devil will be bound and cast into the bottomless pit, where he shall remain during the thousand years of the millennial glory of Christ.  This is the stroke that will rid the earth of all that hurts or destroys.  There will be no devil to accuse us, no imps of hell to molest, no Antichrist or false prophet to deceive; for the morning of the day in which all wounds will be healed will have broken and earth will begin to bloom forth like the Garden of Eden.

V. JESUS REVEALED

Fifth:  Another all important prophecy will be fulfilled just as that morning breaks.  Jesus, who will then be King of kings and Lord of lords, will make Himself known to His brethren.

It will not be His glory that they will recognize, but they will know Him by the wounds in His side, His hands, and His feet.  They will ask, “What are these wounds in Thine hands?” and He shall say, “those with which I was wounded in the house of My friends,” Zech. 13:6.

These five things must come to pass before the reign of terror can come to a close, and the reign of peace be ushered in.  This will be the great day of the earth.  It will be the commencement of the time of peace, rest, and righteousness.

Let us now study this thousand years of millennial glory.

1. VI. THE KINGDOM ORGANIZED

This is the kingdom for which we pray when we say, “Thy kingdom come.”  There will be a definitely organized kingdom during this reign.  Its seat of power will be at Jerusalem, and its beneficence will radiate through the whole world.

1. Throne of Glory 

    When Jesus said , in Matt. 19:28, “When I come into the throne of My glory,” He meant this throne that will be set up at Jerusalem. This will be a time of realities. No doubt there were many who made light of His first coming, but the reality of the prophecies of that coming was seen in their fulfillment. At this time many are making light of the prophecies of His second coming, and scoff at the idea of a real kingdom being set up; but God’s word was fulfilled in the first coming of Christ, and it will be fulfilled in His second coming. The one is a proof that the other will be, also. 

The plan of God may have been changed when the Jews rejected Jesus and crucified Him, but God never changes His purpose. His purpose is to set up an earthly kingdom, with a real throne and a real King.

2. Thrones

After the awful slaughter at the battle of Armageddon, and every one who had been in the ranks of the Antichrist had been slain, the veil was lifted and thrones appeared to John, Rev. 20:4:

Associated with these thrones are those who suffered martyrdom, among them the apostles of Christ. Our thought has often been arrested by what the fifth seal (Rev. 6:9) disclosed. You will remember that John said he saw the souls under the altar (sacrificial altar), and their blood was poured out at its base. They were told to rest yet a little while. If they had been Gentiles they would have belonged to the Gentile rapture.

It is possible they were the apostles whom Jesus appointed, for they lost their lives thus. Some may say that the apostles whom Jesus said should occupy twelve thrones, will be in the rapture of the Gentile church; but they say this without fully considering this part of Revelation. We still see them under the altar after the Gentile rapture has taken place. That of itself is proof that they did not go unpin that order. They were told to rest yet a little while longer, until their fellow servants and their brethren (Jewish) should be killed as they were. The apostles will rule on the twelve thrones Jesus promised them, and all who have suffered with Him and overcome shall also reign with Him, but Gentiles will sit down with Jesus in His throne (Rev. 3:31) and the apostles will sit on twelve thrones, Matt 19:28.

The Millennial Reign

It is difficult for us to understand the infinite sweep of liberty which will be given to the glorified beings who will come back to the earth with Christ. After the resurrection of Christ He had the power of coming and going, of appearing and disappearing at will, of eating and drinking; and when the resurrected ones shall see Him, “they shall be like Him, for they shall see Him as He is.”  

We believe they will have a wonderful power of freedom.  The devil will no longer contend with them, for he will be bound.  Doubtless time and space will be annihilated, so that they will move to Africa, Greenland, or to any other place like a flash of thought, at the call of Jesus; even as now our thoughts are flashed to the ends of the earth at the touch of the telegraph or wireless operator.

VII. CHANGES DURING THE MILLENNIUM

There will be physical changes.  We are told in Zech. 14:4 that His (Christ’s) feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, and that it shall cleave asunder and there shall be a very great valley.  The mountains shall be made low.  Isa. 54:10 says, “The mountains shall depart and the hills be removed.”

Barren deserts shall blossom as the rose, for Isa. 35: 1, 2 says; “The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose.  It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing.”

The islands and mountains shall change.  Rev. 15:20 says, “And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.”

Desolate cities shall become prosperous, for Isa. 53:1-3 says:

“Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, though that didst not travail with child; for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord.

“Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations; spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; for  thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.”

Physical weakness shall disappear, Isa. 35:5,6:

“Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.  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.”

Earth shall be restored to Edenic beauty, Isa. 51:3:

“for the Lord shall comfort Zion: He will comfort all her waste places; and He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.”

There will be changes concerning Israel and the Gentiles, Isa. 60:14-18:

“The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The city of the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

“Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations.

“Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck the breast of kings; and thou shalt know that I the Lord am thy Savior and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.

“For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron: I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness.

“Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.”

There will be social changes.  As space will not permit us to quote all these references let us turn to Isaiah, sixtieth chapter. Here we see that Israel will become the light bearers.

Gentiles shall come to that light, verse 3.

They shall come with great merchandise, verse 6.

They shall come with great flocks and herds, verse 7.

They shall come from the isles of the sea, verse 9.

They shall come to minister as servants, verse 10.

They shall come continually and in great multitudes, verse 11.

There will be great changes in man’s physical nature.  We are told that a man shall live out his days during the millennium.  Isa. 65:20 says, “There shall be no more an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old.”  The thought is that men shall again return to the length of days they once possessed.  At a hundred years old they will still have the vigor and freshness of a child, and, in all probability, will live to be a thousand years old.

All this is not out of harmony, for Jesus is coming back to reign on the earth and to restore all things.  He will remove the curse, and the earth will then respond.  He not only will remove the curse, but will organize all things and set them moving in the way of righteousness.

We know that when man fell, his hand of perversion was felt over all things, as Paul shows us in Rom. 8:20-22:

“For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by rason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.”

In all this passage “creature” means creation, the same as in the last verse.

Oppression has caused a hatred against man in most animals, and the desire to kill has taken possession of them.  All this will be changed, however, for we read in Isa. 65:25:

“The wolf and the lamb shall feed together and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock; and dust shall be the serpent’s meat.  They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, saith the Lord.”

There will also be changes in the reception of the gospel.  We grow weary now, as we see so few who heed the message of salvation.  Our hearts weep because of the utter indifference expressed by most of those who hear the gospel of Jesus Christ; but when the millennial age shall dawn, there will be a marvelous change.  There will be no change in the gospel of salvation, for the gospel of grace, which saves both Jew and Gentile now, will be the gospel of grace then.  The change will be in the readiness and eagerness with which it will be received.

There will be no opposing spirit to hinder the acceptance of the gospel, and man’s hunger will be great.  Practically all who hear this great message will believe it and receive it.  It will be like fire driven before the win; it will spread until salvation shall cover the earth.

There will not only be a change in the reception of the gospel, but in the messengers who will minister it.  Since the early days, the gospel of grace has been given out by the Gentile church; but during the millennium it will again radiate to all the world from Jerusalem.

Now the Israelites are scattered among all nations, and are subjected to much humiliation; but during the millennium, Israel will again be clothed with power and authority.  Christ Jesus will again send forth disciples, but with royal authority, not in humility.  Not seventy only, but a whole nation will be empowered and sent forth.  Then Heb. 8:10, 11, which has already been quoted, will be fulfilled.

Israel must fulfill her part of the covenant.  There was a time when Israel received the law of the covenant on tables of stone; but the time is coming when the law of God will be written in the tables of their hearts.  This will be in the millennium. Ezek. 36:26, 27:

“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, 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.”

VIII ALL NATIONS WILL BE REACHED

God’s covenant provides that all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.  There were several things provided for in the covenant between God and Abraham, Gen. 12:2, 3.  Abraham’s part was to separate himself, as shown in the first verse of this chapter, then God would do three things for him.

First:  “I will make of thee a great nation.”

Second:  I will bless thee and make thy name great.”

Third:  “In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

There were three separations clearly mentioned as conditions in this covenant.

First:  A separation from his country.

Second:  A separation from his kindred and his father’s house.

Third:  As separation unto a land which God would give him.

The conditions laid upon Abraham were fulfilled and his faith, which led him to act upon God’s call, was put to his credit, for we are told that “Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness,” Rom. 4:3.

God will surely fulfill His part in this covenant, but we can not say that it has yet been done.  It was renewed throughout the ages, down to the coming of Jesus Christ; but suddenly, as it were, He was rejected and crucified, and the kingdom was postponed.

Now the postponement of this kingdom is what the prophets could not understand; it was the mystery, hidden in God.  We can now see that the great purpose of God was not only that Abraham should b a blessing, or that a nation should come forth; but the great thing was that Abraham and the nations should come forth for the great purpose of blessing all families of the earth.

We can see that all families have not yet been reached and blessed.  God’s part of the covenant involved time, and it is not yet all fulfilled.  The business of Israel during the millennium will be to minister the gospel of Jesus Christ to all the families of the earth, for it is through that gospel that all families are to be blessed.

IX. THE END

This is the end to which Jesus referred when He said, in Matt. 24:14, “And this gospel shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all the nations; and then shall the end come.”

There are only a few things concerning this end of time that we will mention.

1. Satan Loosed

We note the loosing of Satan for a little season, Rev. 20:7-8:

“And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together ot battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.”

We can not understand God’s mind in loosing Satan, but we may conjecture that it will be for the purpose of letting the unworthy ones sift themselves out from the ranks of those who have fully accepted Christ during the thousand years.  During this time no one has been tested, for Stan has been chained.  Now they will be tested, and all who remain true will be saved.

2. Satan Cast Into the Lake of Fire

     “And the devil that deceiveth 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,” Rev. 20:10 

 

This is Satan’s last overthrow. We see Isaiah’s forecast of this once mighty one in chapter 14: 12-22 to which we refer you. We see that Satan was first cast out of heaven; then he will be bound, and cast into the pit for a thousand years. His final overthrow is seen in the passage of scripture quoted above.

3. The Great White Throne

“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.

“And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered p the dead which were in them; and they were judged every man according to their works. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life were cast into the lake of fire,” Rev. 20:11-15. 

Here a marvelous thing will take place. Notice, we are told that after those books were opened another book was opened-the book of life. We can not tell what will be in the first books, but they may be figuratively speaking, groaning under the weight of sinful lives. However, we do know what will be in the BOOK OF LIFE, and why it will be opened. 

 

It will not be opened to record names, but to see whose names have already been recorded. Notice the glory attending the opening of this book of life. He who holds it is the glorified Son of Man. He is the representative of everyone who’s name has been recorded there.

Before this throne of Almighty God, all the wicked dead will be summoned. Here the books will be opened, and every phase of the life of each person standing there will be judged. Sins long forgotten and sins remembered, sins of omission-all will come under the searching eye of Almighty God. There will be no escape. Many will have successfully passed off their lives before men, but nothing can pass this point.

“And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

“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.

4. Second Death

“And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”  Christ gave Himself, His blood, His life, that everyone might have his name recorded in this book of life.  He has done all He could to save mankind, but the end has come and millions are not saved from the lake of fire.  This will be their irreparable loss.

Thank God, there is now still time to act.  The record of our lives will be exposed to the eyes of that shining, glorified host of angels, unless our sins are covered by the precious BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST.  Reader, have you had this blood applied?

Notice that (see chart) after the great white throne judgment all classes and orders will again pass into the realm of the skies and the earth will be dissolved, 2 Peter 3:10: “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in which the heavens shall pass away with a great notice, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.”

These classes will be the Bride, the Lamb’s wife;

All the saved of Israel; and

The Gentile nations who are saved in all time, Rev. 21:24:

“And the nations of them which are saves shall walk in the light of it; and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it.

These classes will constitute the city of the New Jerusalem which will come down, after this earth has been renovated by fire.  They will inhabit the new heaven and the new earth.

As one write has said, we dare not speculate on this.  We can go no farther than the scriptures, as we have them in the twenty first, and twenty second chapters of Revelation.

*         *         *         *         *         *

 

For this book, which is now to close, we ask a place in your study. We pray that it will work for the unity of the body, the perfecting of the saints, the salvation of souls, the baptism of believers with the Holy Spirit; and that the glory of God may be better expressed by all those who read it.

 

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