Time, tradition and truth concerning the end of the world

Preface

For years the alarmist has set various times for the coming of Christ. The more conservative class has watched develop¬ ments and studied the prophetic word. Scoffers have arisen. Unbelievers have multiplied. “Because iniquity abounds, the love of many has waxed cold.” The majority of Christen¬ dom is no longer affected by the subject of the near advent.

Signs pointed out in the Scriptures have multiplied in the scientific and spiritual world. Inventions have developed, from the Lucifer match to the flyin^machine; from pen and ink to telephone and wireless telegraph. Business has evolved from neighborly honesty to modern monopolies, corporations and trusts; society no longer enjoys the fireside circle, but wears itself out in clubs, leagues and confederacies. Thus the world moves onward; but as to the definite end of all this, so clearly pointed out in the Bible, it is unsettled as to its nature and unprepared in every way.

With clearness, precision and positiveness, the writer en¬ deavors to show, in this pamphlet: First, the truth of the Bible concerning this vital event; second, the traditions of remote ages; and, third, by a simple line of chronology the time when it will occur.

The author is affiliated with no class, creed or congrega¬ tion ; and, under God and His Word, is alone responsible for the plain facts herein promulgated.

Trusting its message may reach every honest heart, and they are many; and help all to make a sensible and practicable preparation for the close of probation, it is sent to you by

The Author.

Part I A Great Prophetic Object Lesson

Religious teachers of the Bible seem never to have realized the full need of teaching the Old Testament Scriptures. They have not seemed to grasp the thought that the principal his¬ torical events of past ages are recorded for the chief reason of teaching, or illustrating, future events of a similar nature. “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come ” i Cor. 10:11. This is true also of the laws written by Moses, as the following pages will reveal to the reader.

We are particularly admonished, in the last days, to re¬ member the law of Moses, which God commanded him. Here is the statement: <c Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.” Mai. 4:4.

In contrast with this divine admonition, we quote the fol¬ lowing from a modern writer on The Law and the Covenants: “This whole system of Jewish laws, which were distinct from the moral law, came to an end at Calvary, and are no longer binding on Jew or Gentile. P. 71. Also from a table on pp. 66 and 67 we quote: “(a) Not good; ( b ) Yoke of bondage; (i) Superseded by faith; (/) Carnal; ( k ) Christ caused to cease; (0) Taken away,” etc., etc.

The trouble with these positions is, the writers have not seen the purpose of God in these laws. They have not seen that in every precept written by Moses there is a lesson for the guidance of Christians in every age of the world. The following pages, we think, will show clearly the importance of an acquaintance with the writings of Moses.

We find in the book of Leviticus, in the twenty-third to the twenty-fifth chapters, a record of ten feasts, known as annual sabbaths, which were observed on certain days of the year. On the fourteenth day of the first month, which answers to our April, was the Lord’s passover. This feast was to com¬ memorate the deliverance of the first-born of Israel just prior to their leaving Egypt. Their houses were marked by the blood of the slain lamb; and when the destroying angel saw this mark, which showed their faith in God, he passed over the dwelling. But it was not so with the first-born of the Egyptians; they were slain. This feast was not only com¬ memorative, but was typical. It pointed forward to the cru¬ cifixion of the true Lamb of God, and hence Christ was the true passover. “Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.” I Cor. 5 \J.

On the fifteenth day of the same month was the feast of un¬ leavened bread. This was also typical of Christ, the bread of life, which came down from heaven. “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” Jno. 6:51, 54.

Also, in the beginning of the harvest, on the day follow¬ ing the weekly Sabbath, they were to wave, or offer, before the Lord a sheaf of the first-fruits of the harvest. This sheaf was typical, and represented the resurrection of Christ, as we read: “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first-fruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order; Christ the first-fruits; after - ward they that are Chrisfs at his coming.” i Cor, 15:20-23. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” John 12:24. And Paul says, “That which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die.” 1 Cor. 15:36. Man’s death and resurrection are compared to the grain as it is cast into the ground and dies, thus bringing forth fruit.

Following this feast, they were to count fifty days, thus:— “And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven Sabbaths shall be complete; even unto the morrow after the seventh Sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat-offering unto the Lord.” Verses 15, 16, 18. This was a great feast, and met its antitype fifty days after the resurrection of our Lord, on the day of Pentecost. These were called spring types, as they occurred in the spring of the year. Following these, in the fall of the year, in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, was to be a day of atonement; but before this, on the first day of the month, was to be a blowing of trumpets:

“Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, I11 the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a Sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. Ye shall do no servile work therein; but ye shall offer an offer¬ ing made by fire unto the Lord. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement; it shall be an holy convoca¬ tion unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord. And ye shall do no work in that same day; for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the Lord your God. For what¬ soever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people. And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people. Ye shall do no manner of work; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. It shall be unto you a Sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls; in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your Sabbath.” Lev. 23 '.24-32.

In our consideration of the two atonements in Part Three of this book the reader will see clearly there were two atone¬ ments made. The first one was made when Christ ascended. The second is made in connection with the close of Proba¬ tion. Thus the last one comes in consecutive order as indi¬ cated in the feasts. This locates the last one when the decree passes, “He that is holy let him be holy still. . . This

marks the close of Christ’s ministry in heaven when the sins of the people will be placed on the head of Satan, the one who caused sin.

It may be well here to review these feasts: (1) The Passover; (2) Feast of Unleavened Bread; (3) The Wave Sheaf, or First-Fruits of the Harvest; (4) The Pentecost. We think all are agreed, thus far, that these feasts pointed for¬ ward to, and met their antitype in the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Christ, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. It is equally plain to those who have made a study of the ministry of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary, and compared the same with the ministry of the High Priest in the earthly sanctuary, built by Moses,—par¬ ticularly the work of the day of atonement (Lev. 16), that the fifth and sixth feasts: viz., the blowing of the trumpets on the first day of the seventh month, and the day of atone¬ ment on the tenth day of the seventh month, meets their antitype at the close of probation.

These feasts embrace the proclamation of the coming of Christ, and the close of Christ’s ministry in the heavenly

Concerning the End of the World.

sanctuary, as expressed in the threefold message of Rev. 14:6-12. See pp. 21 and 22.

Mark it well, that Christendom at large understand well, and accept the first four feasts, as stated; and a large num¬ ber also accept the fifth and sixth, as here stated. May we not, then, look for the seventh and eighth, that of the feast of tabernacles and ingatherings, after probation closes, and before the coming of Christ and the deliverance of the rem¬ nant people of God?

We read further (Lev. 23) that in this same month, five days later, on the fifteenth day of the month, commenced the feast of tabernacles, which was to last eight days; “And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the Lord. On the first day shall be an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work therein. Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord; on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord; it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein.” Verses 33-36.

The Lord now instructs them how they shall celebrate this feast of tabernacles: “And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days. And ye shall keep it a feast unto the Lord seven days in the year. It shall be a statute forever in your generations; ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month. Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths; that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.” Verses 40-43.

This was to commemorate their experience in the wilder¬ ness. And let the reader bear in mind that this feast was established before their entrance into the land of Canaan; and the antitype of this feast must be met before the people of God receive their final reward. Note also that, when the end of the harvest was reached, and they would gather in the fruits of the land, in connection with this feast of tabernacles, was to be held the feast of ingathering:—“Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month , when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days; on the first day shall be a Sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a Sabbath.” Verse 39.

Now if Christ was the first-fruits of them that slept, when will the final ingathering, or the resurrection, take place? We answer, as shown by Dan. 12:1-3, that a partial resurrection of the righteous will take place during the time of trouble, after the close of probation. Before Israel’s deliverance in connection with the coming of Christ, the resurrection of all the just will take place. Hence, as the feast of tabernacles was to be observed while they were in the wilderness, so we conclude that the Scriptures teach that the feast of taber¬ nacles will again be lived over in the time of trouble, when Israel will be gathered out of all nations, and live in the most solitary places. We read:—“As I live saith the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you; and I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out. And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face. Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord God. And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant; and I will purge out from among you the reb¬ els, and them that transgress against Me; I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not

Concerning the End of the World n

enter into the land of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.” Eze. 20:33-38.

It was in the wilderness that Israel was purged, and where the carcasses of the unbelievers fell. So in the time of trou¬ ble, when the plagues are falling, every one who is not sealed will feel their effects. It is at this time that these words written by Zechariah apply:

“And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem. Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongues shall consume away in their mouth. And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the Lord shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbor, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbor. And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance. And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as this plague. And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the Lord will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.” Zech. 14:12-19.

All who have not come to the Lord and made preparation will then fall by these plagues. The great antitypical feast of tabernacles is very soon to take place. Let every one be sure that the preparation necessary to stand be made without delay. Without this preparation, no soul, of whatever creed or class, will be able to stand.

The prophet Isaiah, also, undoubtedly refers to the feast of tabernacles in the closing part of his book, in these words: “For I know their works and their thoughts; it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see My glory. And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard of My fame, neither have seen My glory; and they shall declare My glory among the Gentiles. And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the Lord out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to My holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the Lord, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the Lord.” Isa. 66:18-20.

We have a very positive statement by the prophet Micah, that the wilderness experience will be repeated. The length of time is undoubtedly referred to by the statement, “accord¬ ing to the days” in the following quotation from Micah 7:14, 15:—“Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thine heri¬ tage, which dwell solitarily in the wood, in the midst of Car¬ mel : let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old. According to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt will I shew unto him marvellous things.” Also Deut. 2:7; 29:5; Isa. 4:5, and Neh. 9:20-21; “Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy marina from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst. Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilder - ness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not.” Eze. 34125; “And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the zvoods” Josh. 14:10, 11; “And now, behold, the Lord hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the Lord spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilder¬ ness : and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old. As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in.” This shows that after probation closes, those who are sealed will neither die nor lose their strength. They will be cared for as in the wilderness.

The feast of ingatherings, symbolized by the gathering of the fruit of the land in the fall of the year, will meet its antitype in the resurrection of all the righteous. We have that time positively stated in the following: “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 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 archangel and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first” 1 Thess. 4:13-16. “For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the first-fruits; after¬ ward they that are Christ's at his coming!’ 1 Cor. 15:21-23.

Now as these two feasts were at the same time of the month, it locates them definitely between the close of proba¬ tion and the personal coming of Christ. Later it will be seen that the forty years of the feast of tabernacles has its appli¬ cation between these two events; the same as in the wilderness after leaving Egypt, where the plagues had been poured out, and before entering into the promised land.

AN OBJECT LESSON

Nehemiah observed this feast after the return and deliv¬ erance from the Babylonish captivity. It is evident from Nehemiah’s record that he understood that after the captivity of the last days, of which the Babylonian captivity was only an object lesson, this feast would meet its antitype, “And on the second day were gathered together the chief of the fathers of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, unto Ezra the scribe, even to understand the words of the law. And they found written in the law which the Lord had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month. And that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities, and in Jerusalem, saying, Go forth unto the mount, and fetch olive branches, and pine branches, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as it is written. So the people went forth, and brought them, and made them¬ selves booths, every one upon the roof of his house, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the street of the water gate, and in the street of the gate of Ephraim. And all the congregation of them that were come again out of the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths: for since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun unto that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great gladness. Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto the manner.” Neh. 8:13-18. This was nearly one thousand years after the death of Joshua.

Haggai and Zechariah, the prophets, both teach that the re¬ turn after the Babylonian captivity to Jerusalem and the building of the temple, were to be taken as object lessons point¬ ing forward to the gathering of Israel, the building of the tabernacle of David which was fallen down, the closing work of the ministry of Christ in the heavenly temple, and the antitypical feast of tabernacles. Connect this with Nehemiah’s reinstating this feast, and you will see clearly that Nehemiah did this at this time as an object lesson to be fulfilled in the last days. (See our comments on Haggai and Zechariah.)

It is elsewhere fully established by the author that the Babylonian captivity and many other historical events are re¬ corded as object lessons to illustrate what will occur in the last days. The incidents recorded by Nehemiah are signifi¬ cant. It will be in the modern land of Ephraim that this feast of tabernacles will be observed, as elsewhere taught.

Notice that they spent their time in the study of the law of Moses. It would be well now for the Lord’s people to assemble and make an especial study of that law, as it con¬ tains much light on all national questions.

THE SABBATIC YEAR

Now, turning again to the book of Leviticus, we find there are two more feasts, as recorded in the twenty-fifth chapter. The consecutive order of these feasts locates the antitype of this one beyond the personal coming of Christ; for the coming of Christ takes place soon after the close of the antitypical feast of tabernacles and ingatherings.

Now what lesson does this Scripture teach us? The for¬ mer feasts are all recorded in the twenty-third chapter. The twenty-fourth chapter introduces another object lesson, which has its application in connection with the coming of Christ, and the close of His ministry in the heavenly temple, and representing the final destiny of all those who have trans¬ gressed the law of God. We can only refer the reader to this chapter as representing the destruction of the wicked at the coming of Christ.

Then follows the instruction concerning the Sabbatic year as recorded in Lev. 25 :i -7:—“And the Lord spake unto Moses in mount Sinai, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the Lord. Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof; But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the Lord: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vine¬ yard. That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine un¬ dressed : for it is a year of rest unto the land. And the sab¬ bath of the land shall be meat for you; for thee, and for thy servant, and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant, and for thy stranger that sojourneth with thee, And for thy cattle, and for the beast that are in thy land, shall all the increase thereof be meat.”

We hold that these feasts represent the history of the world for seven thousand years: viz., six thousand years when com¬ pleted, will mark the coming of Christ; the destruction of all the living wicked; the translation of the living righteous; the resurrection of the righteous dead; and the ascension of all the living righteous to the heavenly mansions; leaving the earth deserted, desolated, uncultivated and a waste, to rest, during the seventh thousandth year of time.

The following Scriptures have their application at the be¬ ginning of this period: “Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him. The land shall be utterly emptied, and utter¬ ly spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this word. The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish. Isa. 24: 1-4. “I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by his fierce anger. For thus hath the Lord said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.” Jer. 4:23-27. (For full expo¬ sition of the Millennium see The Inspired History of the Na¬ tions.)

Another strong evidence of the above application is the chronological order in which this feast is located, both to the ones preceding and those following it. It is also a focal point of all historic object lessons and prophecy. Any one who will acquaint himself with these facts will have no doubt as to their application.

The seventh thousandth year is marked, at its beginning, by the resurrection of the righteous; and at its close by the resurrection of the wicked. It is marked as the period when Satan will be bound, having no subjects to deceive. Rev. 20:5-8.

AN OLD TRADITION

It has been the impression and understanding of men of past ages, that when six thousand years had expired, the world, in its present condition, would end. Concerning the origin of this tradition, we quote from Bliss’s Sacred Chro¬ nology, pp. 208, 209. Gregory says: “In the first verse of the first chapter of Genesis, the Hebrew letter Aleph, which in the Jewish arithmetic stands for one thousand, is six times found. From hence the ancient cabalists concluded that the world would last six thousand years. Because, also, God was six days about the Creation, and “A thousand years with Him are but as one day” (Ps. 90:4; 2 Peter 3:8), therefore, after six days, that is, six thousand years’ duration of the world, there shall be a seventh day, or millenary sabbath of rest.”