The Judgment of Nations: Or, The Ending of Temporal Power

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Contents

THE END OF THE AGE h

In the Beginning — God, 13

Divine Government and Human Government, 15

CHAPTER II. General Viewpoints on the Subject, 37

The Prophet Daniel's Desire to Know the End, 39

Increase of Knowledge a Regenerating Principle, 41

The Dynamic Effect of Knowledge Upon Government, 42

The Moral Effect of the Increase of Knowledge, 45

Individualism and Collectivism, 4^

Autocratic and Democratic Governments 49

Democracy, the Natural Evolution of Autocracy 50

A Reactionary Autocracy and a Radical Democracy, 52

Christian Democracy, 56

The Foundations Are Being Revealed, 57

The Tree of Knowledge, 59

Chapter III. Is The World Getting Worse Or Better? 63

General Aspects of the Subject 65

Definition of a World, 65

Optimism and Pessimism 66

Optimistic View, (i>7

8 CONTENTS.

Page.

Pessimistic View, 67

The Question of a Paradox 68

Christ's Atonement for the World, 70

Christ the Hope of the World, 75

The Great War ia Its Relation to Social Regeneration, 76

As Applied to Nations and the Social Order, 79

The Individual Element in the Question, 80

Chapter IV. Judgments And Events In The Time Of The

END, 83

Specific Judgments in the Time of the End, 85

The Judgment of the Church, 86

Judgment Shall First Begin at the House of God, 87

Called Out of Babylon, 88

The Ascension of the Spiritual Church, 90

Christian Slackers, 91

The Bride of Christ, 92

The Bride of Cain 95

The Church Militant and the Church Triumphant, 96

Increase of Knowledge and Church Apostasy 103

The Christian's Attitude Towards the Apostate Church 107

Samson, a Type of the Temporal Church, 109

Judgment of Nations, iii

Judah and Joseph Among the Nations, 112

The Return of the Tews to Palestine, 117

Sex Relations in Cnurch and State 121

The Winepress of the Wrath of God, 124

CHAPTER V. Explanation of Diagram, 129

What a False Autocracy Means, 131

The Downfall of Military Autocracy or the Judgment of

Moab 133

The Ships of Chittim, 138

The Downfall of Commercial Autocracy or the Burden on

Tyre, 140

The Overthrow of Religious Autocracy or the Burden on

Egypt, 145

Fa

The Fall of Babylon, 151

CONTENTS. 9

CHAPTER VI. p^^^

THE ENDING OF TEMPORAL POWER I55

Description of Diagram 157

Temporal Power and Spiritual Power 158

The Imminence of the Spirit in Temporal Things, 160

The Conflict Between the Temporal and the Spiritual, 166

Secular and Sacred 167

Dynamics of the Complete Antichristian Spirit, 170

The Trinity of Evil 171

The Beast From the Bottomless Pits, 177

King of the North and King of the South, 181

The Antichrist or Son of Perdition, 184

The Battle of Armageddon, 190

CHAPTER VII. The Great Day of the Lord, 199

Christ's Second Coming, 201

Premillennialism and Postmillennialism, 204

The Controversy Between the Premillennialists and the

Postmillennialists, 206

Two Sides to the Question, 207

Danger of Extremes, 208

The Trinity, the Key to the Question, 209

The Wheat and the Tares, 211

Christ's Coming Kingdom, 213

Wise, Foolish and Wicked, 216

The Jews and the Gentiles in the Millennial Age, 223

Unity in Christ, 228

The Power of His Crucifixion 231

The Power of His Resurrection, 233

Chapter I. The End Of The Age

In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish: but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow. Isaiah 17:11.

AC£S OR DISPENSATIONS Oi THE WORLd's HISTOKY

IN THE BEGINNING GOD.

"In the beginning God." This is considered to be the most inclusive and fundamental statement of the Scriptures. God is the great first cause by whom all things are created, in heaven and in earth. The crown of all creation is man, in the likeness and image of God, possessing free will and rationality, with potential powers for good or evil.

In the first chapter of St. John's Gospel the foundations of creation are revealed. The old, natural order of creation, the old dispensation with its types, rites and ceremonies, was but the external effect, or, as John puts it, the forerunner of the new. The first cause of all creation was revealed unto the world when Christ brought^/'life and immortality to light." He Himself was the true Light, or cause of all that preceded. As the natural, physical sun is the light and life of the physical world, so, likewise, Christ, the Son of righteousness, is the Light and the Life of the spiritual world ; and the cause of all natural life is spiritual. The old dispensation corresponds to the light of the moon; the new dispensation to the light of the sun. The old shines and lives by reflected light ; the new contains the source of light. John the Baptist was the symbol of the old order ; Christ was the substance of the new and of the old order also. The old order, like John, was not that Light, but bore witness of that Light.

Creation began with God and it ends in God, as Christ said: "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end." God in Christ, the Word made flesh, was an individual, and all things were made by Him; consequently, all creation in every form and in every particular is but a reflex of the universal God-man. The Bible is but a revelation of this great personality.

From these considerations it can be seen that the ages or dispensations of the world's history are simply the manifestations or revelations of God's eternal purpose through Jesus Christ, the Word of God, revealed in time. Consequently an age in its highest sense is a moral state or condition of Divine revelation, taking upon itself the elements of time. Each age fulfills a Divine purpose and when this purpose is fulfilled, it passes and gives place to a new age with a fuller purpose, or a revelation fitting into God's plan of redemption. In successive order of development, we have the Antediluvian age before the flood; the Abrahamic age of the law and the prophets ; the Gospel, or Gentile age of grace; and the final Kingdom age which is the flower and fruitage of all the ages. (See design, page 12.)

However much we may consider the subject from the sociological, philosophical, or rational points of view, we must insist upon this proviso ; that the determining factor in the interpretation of Divine revelation is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. "For the same was in the beginning with Qod * * * and the Word was God."

THE END OF THE AGE iS

' DIVINE GOVERNMENT AND HUMAN

GOVERNMENT.

The predominating features in connection with this subject of the ending of the age are the elements of government, which include the entire social order and is fundamental to all dispensational teaching of the Scriptures.

There are distinctly two kinds, or forms of government. On the one hand, we have a Divine government which is a reflection of the Divinity and humanity of Christ. On the other hand, we have a human government which is the effect of the imperfect and unregenerate nature of man. Because of man's God-given free will and rationality, and his predisposition to evil, there is always a conflict between this Divine rule and the human order, human perversity opposing Divine providence. God interferes with the governments of men only indirectly, conceding man more and more the freedom of his will until a given time or period, when Divine government asserts itself and forcibly controls the affairs of men. This is called the end of the age, or dispensation. At this time, God's purpose having been fulfilled in its relation to His plan of salvation for this age. He closes up the age, restores the Divine order of things that man has willfully and ignorantly perverted, and establishes a new order of government upon different principles.

When Christ died upon the cross and was resurrected, He took the judgment of this world's sin upon Himself ; as John tells us, **The Father judgcth no man, but He hath committed all judgment unto the Son."

To use commercial terms, Christ has refrained from entering this judgment. He has given all an opportunity to escape the condemnation; but, because of the wickedness of the world in this ending of the age, He enters His judgment, issues execution and forcibly takes over the governments of this world : '*Now is the judgment of this world ; now is the Prince of this world cast out."

From these considerations, it can be seen that the ending of the age constitutes a judgment, for truth and justice in the end must prevail. Man's day will end and the Lord's day will begin. The prophets all tell us of the awful judgments that God will send upon the nations for their wickedness. Specifically these prophecies had an application to the nations of ancient times, especially to the Jewish nation ; but generally they are having a literal fulfillment at the present time, in this ending of the age or dispensation. At this time, God acts primarily through the individual by releasing His restraining hand for a little while, God allows man the freedom of his will. When this takes place, the individual and the nations gravitate to their own moral state or condition.

We observe the operation of this principle at the present time. The real natures of people and nations are coming to the surface. If it is in the hearts of people to do evil, they are granted every opportunity ; if their supreme desire is to do good and live righteously, they are having a corresponding opportunity to gratify this desire. As a result of this alchemy of Divine mercy and justice, the wicked grow intolerably worse, and the righteous become infinitely better. This ending of the age is a time of test or trial, primarily to the individual and, in a general or collective sense, to the Church, to the State and to the entire social order. "Judgment also will I lay to the line and righteousness to the plummet." (Isaiah 28 : 17.) "Every man's work .shall be made manifest, for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire ; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is." (i Cor.

3:13)

THE RELATION OF THE INDIVIDUAL TO THE

SOCIAL ORDER.

The individual came first in order and exists as the cause. Society is the effect of that cause, and the cause must be prior to the effect. In this respect, the social order is but the effect of the individual. Government collectively is the product of the individual, and a true collectivism is the result of a true individualism ; consequently, the same laws of birth, growth, decay and death that apply to the individual, must necessarily apply to a nation, a generation, or an age. The history of the world corresponds to the life of a man from childhood to the grave. As each individual is a unit of the nation, so, likewise, each nation is a greater factor of a universal empire that we call the world.

GROWTH AND DEVEWPMENT OF THE HUMAN RACE.

When we compare the history of the human race with

the growth and development of the individual, we can

clearly discern the analogy. In the old dispensation it was,

"Thou shalt, and thou shalt ngt," Like the child, it was

z under law and restraint; as the rationality and free will of the individual are developed, the restraint of the law is gradually removed. As the Apostle Paul says: "The law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ." When Christ came there was a decided change in God's dealings with mankind. While the law is still effective, yet the determining factor is no longer law, but grace, or love. The world is learning by the example of the cross of Christ that the regenerating principle of the individual or nations is not law but love. The law is but a temporary expediency. Consequently, when Christ came into the world there was a decided change and it was no longer "Thou shalt and thou shalt not," but "Behold I stand at the door and knock." The world, like the individual, had reached its majority, or become of age. At this time the world emerged into a new order or life, a new birth of freedom in Jesus Christ. The covenant of the law is being superseded by the covenant of Grace. You will observe that every epoch or age in the world's history has been a movement in this direction. The entire world, as typified in the Jewish people, with its ceremonial sacrifices and washings, especially the deliverance of Israel from Egypt and Babylon, all signify the final emancipation of the human race through Christ.

The old dispensation in spirit was autocratic, or under law, while that of the new is democratic, or under grace. In the old dispensation, the individual existed to perpetuate a Divinely chosen nation or people. But with all of its collectivism ; with all of the wealth and richness of God's promises to the Jewish people as a nation, yet in its last analysis the soul and hope of that nation existed in the coming of the Messiah, preeminently an individual; the universal God-man, that by and through this individual, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, both Jew and Gentile, bond and free ; all shall be united in the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God.

WHAT IS MEANT BY THE END OF THE AGE?

All things pertaining to time and the social order are but reflexes of the individual ; consequently, an age possesses all of the characteristics of the individual ; it is born, grows and develops, comes to maturity, and dies ; and out of the corruption of the old age, comes a new age founded upon higher and better principles. Because of the perverseness of the human heart, mankind deviates from the natural, fundamental order of life. As a result, society, a reflection of the individual, becomes more and more complex and less natural and simple; consequently, society becomes artificial, superficial and corrupt. As Christ said, "Whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap." This not only applies to the individual but to a generation or an age. Sin on the one hand, and righteousness on the other, both pass through a definite process of growth or evolution, eventually coming to their flower and fruitage, thus constituting the harvest, or the end of the age. At this time the good is separated from the evil, even as the wheat is separated from the tares.

HISTORICAI.LY.

In a historical and chronological sense, an age is a definite period of time, especially in its relation to the Biblical story of creation and the accepted chronological order of the Scriptures. Dispensationally, a thousand years is calculated as a day; seven days, or seven thousand years, a cycle of ages, completes the world's history. (See diagram, page 12.)

According to Biblical chronology, every two thousand years, or two days, marks an epoch, or age, in the world's history. From Adam to Noah completes the first age; from Noah to Christ's first coming, the second; from Christ's first coming to His second coming, is called the Gospel Age. From His second advent to the final judgment and the end of the world, constitutes the Kingdom Age, or the Millennial reign of Christ on Earth.

The ending of this present dispensation, which is the Gospel, or Gentile Age, is an exceedingly important epoch in the world's history. At this time, the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our Lord and Christ, not only in a moral sense, but in a political, economic and historical sense. This final age of the world's history is called the Lord's day, corresponding to the seventh day of the week, or the Jewish Sabbath day. This kingdom age is the crowning of all the ages; it is a climax, fulfilling all scriptural prophecy. Christ's spiritual kingdom, which was the cau^e and the life, must manifest itself in a concrete, material effect, as the prophet says : "The days are at hand, and the effect of every vision."

The Gospel age of two days and the Kingdom age of one day are well brought out in the following passage of Scripture : "After two days will He revive us ; in the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. (Hosea6:2.)

THE END 01? THE AGE AND THE END OF THE WORLD.

While the Scriptures use the word world in a general sense, yet specifically the term world is translated with different shades of meaning, the one within the other. There are two Greek words used for the term world, one is aion, the other, cosmos. This confusing of interpretation is evidently due to the fact that many Scriptural prophecies relating to the end of the age, or world, have what is called a double reference. In a restricted sense it may refer to the end of the age — aion, but generally to the end of the world — cosmos. You can readily perceive the difficulty. One English word must be used to interpret both meanings. Dispensationally, the end of the age and the end of the world have reference to two distinct events in the world's history. The end of this Gentile dispensation, or the ending of temporal power is a partial judgment ; at this time Satan is bound but not destroyed, which correspondingly applies to the wicked.

The tares are gathered into bundles preliminary to their destruction; the wheat is gathered into the bam. The end of the world is the final judgment; for Satan and the wicked, who are only held in restraint, or bound, are now resurrected for final judgment, when Satan and his hosts are destroyed, completely separating the good from the evil, the just from the unjust.

Some claim that the death of the individual fulfills all prophecy relating to the end of the age, or world. This is true in an individual sense, but not in a general or collective sense, for a world, as we have shown, is but a reflex of the individual. < As the individual dies, separating the temporal from the spiritual body, so, likewise, a world dies. The natural, unregenerated world, or social order, gives place to a regenerated spiritual world in Jesus Christ," called the kingdom of Christ.

The "corruptible puts on incorruption, the mortal puts on immortality." This applies to a world as well as to the individual. This is partially accomplished at Christ's second coming and the end of the age. It is finally completed at the end of the world, or final judgment seat called the great white throne. Before this tribunal, all people out of Christ are assembled and judged. "Death and hell" are "destroyed" and whosoever is not found written in "the Lamb's" book of life."

THE NEW BIRTH OF FREEDOM.

The finest comparison that we can find of this new birth of the age, or dispensation, is found in a common hen egg. There is a time when, if you were to break or destroy the shell of the egg, you destroy the life within ; however, after subjecting the egg to the process of incubation, there develops a state or condition wherein if you do not break or destroy the shell, which corresponds to the letter, the life within will depart. At this time the hen turns the egg and pricks the shell, tearing away all obstruction to the bringing forth of the new life. This process of elimination and regeneration corresponds to our present wars and disturbed social conditions ; the passing of the old order of governments and the coming of the new. It is said that the chick first works its beak through the shell, and when it breathes the air it rapidly expands until the shell bursts and the chick is liberated. This is the great question of our day and generation; will this new birth called democracy, or in its larger and true sense, Christianity, get out of the shell ? Is the individual initiative strong enough to throw off the old conditions, or will we fail, and like the chick, perish in the shell and shift the responsibility to succeeding generations? It depends upon the individual; it is up to you and me. As the prophet says, "Shall I bring to the birth and not bring forth ? saith the Lord."

THE TRAVAII. 01? THE NATIONS.

The question arises : does the birth of the new age, or dispensation, come by evolution or by revolution? And we answer, by both. The process leading up to its consummation has been gradual and evolutionary, even as a child is formed in the womb ; the birth, however, like all births, is sudden and revolutionary : "As a woman in travail who pains to be delivered."

When Christ came into this world and suffered the death of the cross. He impregnated the world with spiritual life; from that time until this, His kingdom has been growing and developing by a definite and specific process : "First the blade, then the ear, then the full com in the ear." At a given time it shall suddenly burst forth in all the splendor of a regenerated earth, a manifested and glorious kingdom. As Christ said : "Behold I come quickly, my works are before me, and my reward is with me.

The present tribulation of the nations is the birth throes of a new order of government founded upon the Christ principles of love and truth, and in direct opposition to the present form of government which is established on law and force.

This great and bloody conflict is caused by the coming of the new and the passing of the old. And the corruption and disintegration of the old are absolutely essential to the birth of the new. As Christ said : "Except a com of wheat fall into the ground and die it abideth alone, but if it die it bringeth forth much fruit."

THE TEACHING OF THE PARABLES.

The central purpose and theme of Christ's parables, were to illustrate the great spiritual truths pertaining to the coming of the new age and the establishment of His kingdom. The scope of the parables takes in the spiritual nature of His kingdom; its application to the regeneration of the individual and to the salvation of the social order as a whole. You will observe that the parables generally deal almost exclusively with the means and methods by which the kingdom is established rather than with the kingdom itseK.

The parable of the sower; the wicked husbandman; the barren fig tree ; the great supper ; the rich fool ; the two foundations ; the wise and foolish virgins ; the talents ; the dragnet ; the leaven ; and especially the parable of the tares, which, as Christ said, contains the elements of all parables; all of these parables bring out a definite process by which His kingdom is established; first, the sowing of the Word, which is God's eternal truth, its silent growth and development, then the seed time or harvest in the end of the age. You will observe that the tares, or the wicked, are not revealed until the time of the end, or harvest, when they are cast out of the kingdom, which is the purging or regenerating of the kingdom. This is generally the theme of the parables — a process of rewards and punishments that are consummated in the end of the age. This is especially clear in the parable of the dragnet ; the sea is the world, or nations, the net is the temporal or earthly Church in the gospel age. At the time of the end, the net is drawn in containing two kinds, the good and the bad; the good are preserved and the worthless are cast back into the sea.

The much-disputed parable of the leaven also teaches this dispensational truth, however, with a broader, more paradoxical and mystical meaning. The leaven in a sense symbolizes the word, or truth that was sown in the world ; small and apparently insignificant to begin with, but like the mustard seed, increasing to a mighty power. In Matthew, chapter 13, Christ gives us the parable of the mustard seed which typifies the growth and development of the kingdom from a small beginning. You will also observe that the mustard seed, or tree, is a concrete, material thing. This parable is immediately followed by the parable of the leaven which was evidently given in order to add emphasis to the same spiritual truth of growth: "Another parable spake he unto them. The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal until the whole was leavened." It is very evident that the mustard seed in the one parable and the leaven in the other are typically synonymous.

The woman in the parable symbolizes the Church whose duty it was to bring in the kingdom. The three measures of meal signify the temporal, or material elements of the kingdom in measures of time. The leaven corresponds to the active principle, or knowledge pertaining to the kingdom, like the mustard seed manifesting itself in phenomenal growth or development. The kingdom of heaven would not be compared with an evil thing. This leavening process- of the truth works silently, almost imperceptibly, coming "as a thief in the night," until suddenly it comes to its fruitage in the end of the age, separating the good from the bad, the just from the unjust.

Leaven, like knowledge, is not necessarily good, or evil. Knowledge only is good when it is imbued with the

Divine knowledge or purpose. Human knowledge, apart from Divine knowledge, becomes evil and devilish. As we demonstrate elsewhere, knowledge is a regenerating principle; likewise, this leaven in the parable signifies the active, or regenerating principle of the kingdom; it brings blessing to the righteous and error ensnares the wicked. The necessary part of regeneration is degeneration. We have this well illustrated in the process that ripens the grain for the harvest; this ripening process, which corresponds to leaven, is not necessarily evil. On the one hand we have the leaven of unrighteousness: "They that sow to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption ;" and on the other hand, the leaven of the righteousness : "They that sow the spirit shall of the spirit reap life everlasting." In both cases we observe the same process of growth and development, ending in a harvest. The same sunshine and rain that ripened the wheat ripened the tares also; likewise, the same truth that liberates and sets free those who love the truth, condemns and destroys all who are opposed to the truth ; we have on

the one hand, a fruitage or reward of unrighteousness and on the other hand a harvest or reward of righteousness.

The line of demarkation does not exist in the process of growth, but rather in the fact that one is tares and the other wheat. For as Christ tells us, the wheat and tares must grow together until the harvest. The same knowledge and education that make a good man better, in the same degree will make a bad man worse. The whole question hangs upon the fact as to whether a man is a righteous man or an unrighteous man in the sight of God. Does he correspond to the wheat, or to the tares? The Scriptures give us the only safe rule to judge by: "By their fruits ye shall know them."

CORRUPTIBLE AND INCORRUPTIBLE.

"So, also, is the resurrection of the dead ; it is sown in corruption, raised in incorruption. It is sown a natural body, raised a spiritual body."

From this passage of Scripture and similar ones, we learn that there is a natural, or corruptible body, also a spiritual, or incorruptible body. The world in general is composed of these two elements, natural and spiritual, or corruptible and incorruptible. The same laws that apply to the individual must apply to the world, or age. The corruptible must put on incorruption. Out of the corruption of the old order is coming the new order. The natural body is giving place to the spiritual body. The law and the letter is being fulfilled in love, or the spirit.

The question naturally arises, why, in the Divine economy of things, is the corruption of the temporal necessary to the birth of the spiritual? and we answer, because of man's sinful and fallen nature. It was divinely ordained that the natural, or temporal elements, should give place to the spiritual by a process of growth, or evolution; but man, by his free will, has rebelled against God's purpose ; he has clung to the letter and rejected the spirit. In doing this, man has violated and infracted the fundamental laws of the universe. In the process of time, these laws which have their source in God's eternal and unchangeable nature, will readjust this infraction which brings judgment upon man for his sin. The Lord may be patient and long suffering, but in the end, the truth must prevail. From these considerations, it can readily be seen that God's purpose must vindicate itself. When that time arrives, it will be judgment and not mercy; a corruption and destruction of all that is opposed to God's purpose.

In our present generation, we discern clearly the passing of those things which belong to the old dispensation and the coming of the things which belong to the new. All that is corruptible and unessential shall be left out, and all that is essential to the further growth and development of the human race will go over into the new age or dispensation. The patriarch Jacob, in his remarkable blessing on Joseph, compares these good things to the vine that leaped over the wall. Missionary and philanthropic enterprises, lecture bureaus. Boy Scout movements, and, in mechanical inventions, such as the telephones, automobiles, flying machines, phonographs, moving pictures, and similar devices, are calculated to disseminate knowledge among the masses. Such enterprises and inventions, symbols of democracy, belong to the new dispensation, and in eflFect are corrupting, destroying and disseminating the old order. Or, in other words, the old is being fulfilled in the new. As Christ said: "Every plant which My Father hath not planted shall be rooted up." The corruptible must put on incorruption, the natural body must give place to the spiritual body. Primarily this applies to the individual; collectively, to the age, or dispensation.