The historic meaning of prophecy

Front matter

Class.

Book.

Copyright N".

Contents

Page

Preface, - iii

I. The Plan of Prophecy, - - . i

CHAPTER II The Prophecy of Christ

The event of our Lord's prophecy concerning His coming to set up His kingdom, and of the end, or last era of the world preceding that time, was when the disciples called His attention to the building of the temple, and He replied that there should not be left one stone upon another that should not be thrown down. Before that He had wept over the city and foretold its destruction. It was on the first day of the week and after His triumphal entry into Jerusalem that He wept over the city; and it was on the third day following, as He and His disciples sat upon the Mount of Olives overlooking the city, that He delivered His prophecy.

The disciples supposed the destruction of Jerusalem to have some connection with the establishment of Christ's kingdom, hence they put the double question, ^^When shall these things be?'^ and ^^What shall be the sign of Thy coming and of the end of the world (or age) T^ Our Lord adopts the usual style, of prophecy and describes the circumstances connected with the destruction of Jerusalem to outline the events of a later time. The accounts of Matthew and Mark are almost verbatim, but Luke's account should not be confused with the other two; for, altho there is a general resemblance between the two prophecies, they were delivered at different times.

Luke reports our Lord's words which were uttered upon the spot, as they were looking at the temple; while

THE PROPHECY OF CHRIST

Matthew and Mark report the words which He spoke in answer to the question they put to Him in private as they were seated upon the mount. In His first answer in the presence of the multitude He spoke of the tribulations and persecutions that were near at hand, and would culminate in the destruction of Jerusalem ; but interwoven with those near events were prophetic glimpses of parallel circumstances that were in the distant future. In His prophecy on the Mount of Olives He launches out from the time of the false Christs at the beginning of the Christian era to the later rise of Antichrist and the era of the false Messiahs. The prophecy of Christ gives a general outline of the circumstances from the beginning of the Christian era until the time of His Messianic kingdom,

^^Many shall come in My name.^^

The prophecies of the Old Testament had been fulfilled so far as they apply to the Jewish dispensation, and the fullness of time had come for the Messiah to appear. The Jewish nation was subject to the power of Rome, and they desired to throw off the iron yoke which that government had imposed upon them. The Jews expected the Christ to be their King, and believed that thru Him the kingdom would be restored to Israel. That phase of the Jewish mind even appeared in the interrogation of the disciples after the Lord's resurrection^ when they inquired, ^^Wilt Thou at this time restore the kingdom unto Israel ?^ The Jewish people believed that the Christ would establish and perpetuate the independence of the Jewish nation What else could they understand of the kingdom of heaven, since Israel was the nation chosen of God, and the Christ was to be of the royal line of David, whose kingdom would be an everlasting kingdom?

When John began to preach, his great spiritual power caused all men to muse in their hearts whether he were the Christ or no. The Pharisees sent to ask him about the matter, and would have readily followed him had he offered to take the kingdom and free them from the Eomans. John said he was not the Christ, but that One much greater than himself should come after him; and the burden of his preaching was, ^^Eepent; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand/' Whom could he mean but the Christ? That was what they wanted; for they supposed the kingdom of heaven to mean the kingdom of Israel ; and multitudes confessed their sins and were baptized.

But John's rejection of the Pharisees, who did not recognize their need of repentance, caused them to reject him; and later they also rejected the One of whom he bore witness. The time was ripe for a revolt against the Eomans, and the Lord's predictions concerning that time have been fulfilled. Many false Christs arose, and the Jews' obstinacy and perseverance in resisting Eomisli authority was based upon their desire to establish a Messianic kingdom according to their own ideas.

^^There shall be wars and rumors of wars, nation rising against nation, and kingdom against kingdom : and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes. All these are the beginning of sorrows," or throes of the New Creation.

The records of the early centuries of Christendom are largely composed of such circumstances as the above clause describes. Old empires went down, and new ones rose; and there have been eras of violent physical and political disturbances thruout the world in general. But the era of wars, famines, and desolations foretold in prophecy is to be at the time of the near approach of the Millennial era. Note the formidable army John introduces in his prophecy of the sixth trumpet.

"Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and

THE PEOPHECY OF CHRIST

shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for My name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound the love of many shall wax cold."

The disciples of our Lord drank largely of the cup of persecution, and the Church after them drank of it to the dregs. The apostles saw causes working even in their day which would eventually bring about such circumstances as the above paragraph of prophecy describes. The mystery of iniquity began to be revealed in the dark age of the Papacy; and prophecy foretells another perilous time, answering to the same general description, in the era to which the false prophet of John's prophecy belongs.

"And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world, for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.''

This is an era of great missionary activity; and missionary zeal is the life of the Church. Wherever the gospel goes, it carries with it the advantages of education and civilization; and all the world must be evangelized before the end of this dispensation. But there will be another missionary era before the Millennial era shall begin (Rev. 14:6), and to that gospel of the kingdom the prophecy more directly applies. The gospel of the kingdom will be preached to every nation on the face of the earth before the Millennial reign of Christ shall begin. The time of the end is to be connected with a circumstance mentioned by Daniel.

"When ye, therefore, shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place (whoso readeth let him understand), then let them which be in Judea flee to the mountains; let him that is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house: and let him that is in the field not return back to take his cloke. But woe unto them that are with child and to them that give suck in those days! And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on a Sabbath/'

The words in parenthesis hint at something that needs to be understood of the abomination of desolation. Daniers revelation shows that the world is to have another night, and at this clause of our Lord's prophecy he refers to a circumstance that shall take place at the beginning of that night. It is the initial event of the sixth seal, even tho the particular circumstances which Daniel mentions in similar terms shall be at a later time. The setting up of the abomination of desolation is a crisis that has occurred, and will occur again; and its general import is always the same: it ushers in a reign of terror. One of those reigns of terror was near at hand, and was fulfilled in the siege of Jerusalem under Titus. The last will be at the close of the Millennial era, in the last uprising of Antichrist. /'Then let them that are in Judea flee to the mountains.'^ (See Luke's account.)

In his first prophecy he speaks of the near destruction of Jerusalem ; but in his later prophecy, when he mentions the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, he refers directly to the seizure of the temple by Antichrist, at the beginning of the sixth seal, and counsels his people to save themselves by a timely and precipitate flight. Yet we are not to suppose that Antichrist's reign will be confined to Palestine alone, nor that the Jews will be the only people who will suffer.

"For then shall be great tribulation, such as hath not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days had been shortened,

THE PEOPHECY OF CHKIST

no flesh would have been saved : but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened."

The tribulation of the sixth seal, described by John, is undoubtedly to be identified with that of which our Lord was speaking. It will be of unparalleled severity, and is to be interpreted in the future rise of Antichrist, and borders upon the era of the false Messiahs.

^^Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is the Christ, or, Lo, there, believe him not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. Behold, I have told you beforehand. If, therefore, they shall say unto you, Behold, He is in the wilderness; go not forth: Behold, He is in the inner chambers; believe it nof

It is the era of the false Messiahs, the perilous times of the last days, to which our Lord refers. The Antichrist pretenders will endeavor to establish their claims thru their pretended miracles. Our Lord^s warning words are suitable to apply against all religious impositions; but it will be found especially necessary to heed them in the fu.ture era of Antichrist delusions.

^Tor us the lightning cometh forth from the east, and is seen even unto the west; so shall be the coming of the Son of man.''

The event of Christ's coming will be open, clear, and universal, and will not be restricted to local factions and secret assemblies.

^Wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles (or vultures) be gathered together."

This mysterious saying of our Lord is also found in a discourse to His disciples, as given by Luke (17:37), and occurred Avhen He was on His way to Jerusalem and before His discourses at the temple and on the Mount of

la

Olives. It evidently lefers to an Antichrist convention, that will be followed by a destructive war. (See Eev. 19: 17, 18.)

"But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light; and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven shall be shaken/'

The great tribulation here described is the one of the sixth seal, and also includes the desolations of the first and second trumpets, wliicli will be a continuation of that tribulation, to be renewed after a season of peace. The great apostasy will set in at the beginning of the third trumpet and continue until the fourth trumpet.

"And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn; and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.'' (See Daniel 7:13.)

Daniel places that event of the Lord's coming in the time of the fourth beast of his vision. The tribes or nations of the earth shall see the sign of the Son of man in heaven; but he adds that they shall see Him coming in the clouds of heaven. Daniel says He will come to the Ancient of days.

"And He shall send forth His angels [gospel messengers] with a great sound of a trumpet; and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."

The elect will organize during the last three trumpets; and the bodies they shall represent will be massed in a great international convention a short time before the Millennial era.

"Now from the fig-tree learn the parable : when the branch is now become tender and putteth forth its leaves,

THE PEOPHECY OF CHRIST

ye know that the summer is nigh; even so ye also, when ye see all these things, know ye that He is nigh, even at the doors/^

T-he closing circumstances of Christ's prophecy border upon the Millennial era; hence the force of His words, ^'He is nigh, even at the doors/'

^^Yerily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass away till all these things be accomplished.'' The existing generation would not pass away until the breaking up of the Jewish politj^, which typified the future breaking up of all existing powers. The word ^^generation" is also used in a figurative sense for the existing type of Jews, that would not disappear until near the Millennial era.

^*^Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away." Heaven and earth will pass away, first in the existing order of things in society, and afterward in the worlds distinguished as heaven and earth; but the words of Christ are immutable: they shall not pass away.

^^But of that day and hour knoweth no one, not even the angels of heaven, neither the Son, but the Father only." Up to that time a clear revelation of the time of Christ's annunciation as the world's Messiah, and of other important epochs connected with it, had not been given. It was a secret locked up in the bosom of the Father until the time of its revelation thru the Apostle John.

^^And as were the days of IsToah, so shall be the coming of the Son of man. For as in the days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and they knew not until the flood came and took them all away; so shall be the coming of the Son of man."

The coming of Christ here refers to His Messianic Kingdom. There will be no marked interruption in the affairs of men, and the clear fulfillment of the prophetic circumstances leading up to that important event will be as little heeded as were the warning words of Noah by the antediluvian world. The carrying away of the people by the flood will also find a parallel case in a widespread calamity that shall overtake men in consequence of their opposition to Christ and of their failure to be prepared for Him at His coming.

^Then shall two men be in the field ; one is taken, and one is left : two women shall be grinding at the mill ; one is taken, and one is left. Watch, therefore; for ye know not on what day your Lord cometh. But know this; that if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief was coming, he would have watched, and would noi have suffered his house to be broken thru. Therefore be ye also ready; for in an hour that ye think not the Son of man cometh.^^

The selection mentioned of persons mingling together in the daily affairs of life is intended to show that the intimated calamity will be sudden and unexpected. Even the knowledge of its near approach will not suffice to save such as shall not watch and be prepared for it.

"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath set over his household, to give them their food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his lord, when he cometh, shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, that he will set him over all he hath. But if that evil servant shall say in his heart. My lord tarrieth; and shall begin to beat his fellow-servants, and shall eat and drink with the drunken; the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he expecteth not, and in an hour when he knoweth not, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'^

THE PEOPHECY OF CHEIST

Our Lord here teaches that the time of waiting for the ushering in of the Millennial era will seem long, and some will grow weary of the delay.

In our exposition of the Lord^s prophecy we have shown that He answered the disciples^ question, and neither more nor less. He gave a general outline of the circumstances that should intervene, from the beginning of the Christian era to the beginning of the Millennial era. The parable of the wise and foolish virgins applies to the bringing in of the Jews. The parable of the talents shows that selection under the Messianic administration of the Son of man will be based upon character that has been previously tested and approved. The parable of the sheep and goats illustrates the Messianic administration of the Son of man, when the two great powers of Christ and Antichrist shall be massed, before and during the Millennial era.

The pretended Christs and false prophets of the Apostolic era; the wars, famines, and pestilences that prevailed at times for many centuries; the protracted era of persecution by Antichrist; and the era of the world-wide spread of the gospel, now progressing toward its fulfillment, — are the signs already fulfilled of the coming of Christ. The great tribulation; the era of the false Messiahs, including the great apostasy ; the visible sign of the Son of man ; the rise of anarchy, and of a Messianic gospel power; the wars and desolations that shall prevail in the closing centuries of that era; the massing of the two great powers of Christ and Antichrist; and the sudden and unexpected visitations that shall fall upon the whole world, — are the coming signs of the end, or last eras of the age.

CHAPTEE III

The Revelation of John

John divides the Christian era into seventeen periods, viz. : The seven seals, the seven trumpets, the thousand years^ reign of Christ, the short period of Satan after the thousand years, and the world's Sabbatic era, figuratively called the New Creation.

The apostle was commissioned to write the things which he saw, and the things which are, and the things which shall come to pass hereafter; and it may be interpreted as referring to tlie entire plan of the age, present, past, and future, which has a close connection thruout. In a wider sense, the things which were, and the things which are, and the things which shall come to pass hereafter, include three ages, which are the age of the human race, with the one that preceded and the one that shall follow it.

The m^essages to the seven Churches apply to the Church in general during the era of the seven trumpets. The angels of the seven trumpets are seven Messianic authorities, one for each trumpet.

"And behold, a door opened in heaven,'^ s}^mbolizing a revelation of the heaven] ies. The throne set in heaven with one upon it, represents the dominion of Christ within the Church. The rainbow round about the throne typifies the preservation of the Church under the dominion of Christ. The four and twenty elders, the double of twelve, signifies tbat both Jews and Christians are included in the

THE REVELATION OF JOHN

gospel plan; the nation of Israel being founded by the twelve patriarchs, and the Christian institution being founded by the twelve apostles of Christ. Each elder had a throne and a crown, to signify that the authority of the Church was vested in the Church, and not in a Messiah. The lightnings, voices, and thunder portend a threatened catastrophe. The seven lamps before the throne ^^are the seven spirits of God^^ and in a general sense embrace Christ's spiritual kingdom. The glassy, crystal sea typifies a solid but pure and non-political institution. The four living creatures full of eyes are the four great continents, teeming with animated beings.

The sealed book is presented, and no one is able to open it but the lion of the tribe of Judah. He appears as a lamb that has been slain, which shows that the starting point of the revelation now entered upon is the beginning of the Christian era, when the Lamb of God w^as slain for the sins of the world. The seven horns of the Lamb symbolize the Church universal in its aggressive character ; and the seven eyes of the Lamb, which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth, typifies a universal missionary era of the Church. The elders and saints unite in prayer and praise to the Lamb and pronounce a sevenfold benediction, and every created thing ascribes to the Lamb blessing and honor and glory and dominion. Universality is the keynote of this prophecy. It is the prophetic forecast of Christ's Messianic reign thru the evangelization of the world.

The opening of the first four seals reveals four successive eras of the Church and four successive classes of people that should predominate in the Church. The color of the horse symbolizes the character of the rider; and they are arranged in a descending scale, from the most pure down to the very worst. The white horse of righteousness

THE HISTORIC MEANmG OF PEOPHECY

and peace first appears; then the red horse of war; then the black horse of famine (Amos 8:11); and then the pale horse of death. The meaning can be readily interpreted. There should be a general and gradual decline after the Apostolic era until the Christian institution should wholly depart from its original character.

The opening of the fifth seal revealed underneath the altar the souls of them that were beheaded for the Word of God and for the testimony which they held; and they cried with a loud voice^ "How long, Master, the holy and true, dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth ?^' The people of God are described as having passed thru an era of persecution, and the time had been long; and the souls of the martyrs who suffered in that persecution are represented as crying to God to know how long vengeance and judgment should be deferred. "And it was said unto them that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow-servants also and their brethren who should be killed even as they were should have fulfilled their course.^^ There should be another era of persecution after a season of rest; and that the prophet now proceeds to describe.

Upon the opening of the sixth seal there was a great earthquake, symbolic of political agitation. "The sun became black as sackcloth of hair,^^ the light of the gospel being wholly obscured. "The whole moon became as blood,^^ the legal dominion becoming a murderous institution. A Satania power will get the control of the government, and gospel work will be forcibly restrained thru murderous assaults. Then the stars, the leading lights of the Church, will fall and desert their posts by going over to the enemies^ side to save themselves from violence. ^^The heaven was removed as a scroll when it is rolled up.'^ The Church will not be destroyed, but laid aside ; her work

^0

THE EEVELATIOIs" OF JOHN

suspended. "^^And every mountain and island were moved out of their places.'^ There will be a general shaking of things both of Church and State.

^^And the kings of the earth, and the princes, and the chief captains, and the rich, and the strong, and every bondsman and freeman,^^ all classes of people, ^'^hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains ; and they say to the mountains and to the rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of their wrath is come ; and who is able to stand T^

The opening of the sixth seal describes a great political agitation, ushering in a reign of terror that will affect the world in general. It illustrates the meaning of that prophetic circumstance which is called the setting up of the abomination of desolation. The commotions of that time will at length be called to a halt.

^^After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth,^^ to be interpreted in an international act for controlling those social disturbances. "And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God.^' A great religious revival will originate in the East. "The four angels to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,^^ represent anarchy in its initial stage. These are to be restrained, that gospel work may proceed, until the servants of God shall be sealed. The seal stamps a thing as genuine and authentic. The meaning is that the servants of God will be genuine in character, and not as the stars of the Church who fell under Antichrist. They were sealed in their foreheads, the seat of intellect, and representing the spiritual nature of man (Eph. 4:30). The number sealed were twelve thousand of each tribe. Israel represents the people of God; the twelve tribes include all Israel, and the square of twelve thousand stands for the full number. All the Church will be sealed, and the seal of the Holy Spirit will be the evidence of true discipleship.

^^ After this I beheld, and lo, a great multitude that no man could number, out of all nations and tribes, and peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, arrayed in white robes, and palms in their hands ; and they cried with a great voice, saying. Salvation unto our God who sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels were standing round about the throne, and about the elders and the four living creatures/^

The sevenfold benediction and other characteristic features of the Apostolic Evangelistic era are here introduced. The meaning is that a universal Evangelistic era will follow after the reign of terror, and Christianity of the apostolic character will be restored by such as ^^come out of the great tribulation and washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.^^ The great tribulation will therefore be corrective; and the future blessed estate of the people of God, when He shall ^Vipe away every tear from their eyes,^^ will begin prospectively to appear.

^^And when He opened the seventh seal, there followed a silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. And I saw the seven angels that stand before God; and there was given unto them seven trumpets.^^

The mention of the seven trumpets at the opening of the seventh seal denotes that the era of the seven trumpets is about to begin. The Prophetic era of the silent half hour is therefore very short. The Jewish offering of incense occupied about half an hour, during which time the people bowed their heads in silent prayer. The meaning of the prophetic silent half hour is the Church at prayer, or an international prayer service. An important

THE REVELATIOX OF JOHN

epoch has been reached in the founding of a Messianic Christian institution : the perilous times of the false Messiahs is about to begin^ and the first Antichrist Messiah is about to be inaugurated.

The figure next introduced is that of an angel standing at the altar^ with a golden censer full of incense, to give with the praj^ers of the saints upon the golden altar before the throne. After the offering of the incense the angel filled the censer with fire of the altar and cast it upon the earth.

The prophet is explaining the season of prayer, its meaning and its purpose. The offering of incense before the throne signifixcs that the Church is praying for the Messianic reign of Christ. The incense and prayers went up before God, which means that their petitions were accepted. The filling of the censer with fire of the altar, and casting it into the earth, means that the prayers of the Church will be followed by an effort to cleanse the legal dominion of its corruptions. There will be a general effort to bring about a governmental reformation and to purge away political corruptions. ^*^And there followed thunders, and voices, and lightnings, and an earthquake,^^ the omens of the coming storms of international wars. Then the seven angels prepared themselves to sound. The era of the seven trumpets then began.

The first angel sounded; and the storm, which was before threatening, then began; hail of lead, and fire of gunpowder, mingled with the blood of the wounded and dying. 'The third part of the earth was burnt up;" one-third of the government's resources were consumed: ^^and the third part of the trees was burnt up;" many of the nation's eminent men were destroyed: ^^and all green grass was burnt up;" the country's prosperity was wholly ruined.