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those days. But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day, for then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be."

Now these words of the Lord Jesus furnish a perfect illustration of the principle of interpretation that we have been endeavoring to show; namely, that Moses and the prophets and Christ and his apostles spake not only to the people who lived in their own times, but also to the people that should live in a much later period in the latter days, as though they were present. More than eighteen centuries have lapsed since Jesus spake these words and that sign has not yet been manifested, nor can it possibly be for many centuries to come; therefore these warnings of the Son of man apply to people of the house of Israel not yet born for their complete fulfillment.

REMOTENESS OF CHRIST'S COMING

And how is it possible that people with ordinary intelligence and reason can be deceived by those who advocate the nearness of Christ's coming in these times? Is there anything in the land of Judah, and in the city of Jerusalem, and in the Temple at Jerusalem in these days, to answer to the words of Christ? Where is the Temple in which the idol can be set up, and in which the man of sin (the rebellious king of Israel) sits, 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, showing himself that he is God? The answer is, the Temple of God in which these things will be seen at present has no existence.

Again Jesus cautions his disciples and the churches in Judea when these signs appear, saying, "Then let them which be in Judea flee to the mountains." Who, we ask, is there of Christ's brethren in the land of Judah in these days to act upon such advice and upon such a warning as this? We answer, There is none. Again, who is there in that land now to pray that their flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day, to escape the great tribulations such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no nor ever shall be? The answer again is, There is none. Therefore they who teach that Christ's coming may transpire now at any time are deceivers without a single exception. They may have a zeal of God, but it is not according to knowledge.

Once more we call attention to the words of Jesus (Matt. 24: 44-51) where he says, "Therefore be ye also ready, for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant whom his Lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his Lord, when he cometh, shall find so doing, verily I say unto you that he shall make him ruler over all his goods."

These words of the Lord Jesus unmistakably contemplate the appointment of men over his household who shall occupy that position at the time of his coming in the latter days, that is, men like the apostles and like Paul and Timothy, Titus, Mark, Luke, Barnabas and others who were ordained and placed over the churches to feed the flock of God and to take the oversight thereof, and who are called “the angels of the churches," men inspired of God and qualified of God by the gifts of the Holy Spirit. These words of Christ

contemplate the preaching again of the Gospel, as was done before by men sent of God who shall run to and fro, as it is written of them (Dan. 12:4; 11:32-35). They will establish churches and increase the knowledge of God among the people, and the words of Christ apply especially to these teachers and these churches who will flourish at the time of his coming to reign on the earth, when all his saints come with him.

The time of trouble, the great tribulation spoken of by Jesus (Matt. 24:21), and by Daniel (12:1), by Ezekiel (5:9), and by Jeremiah (30: 6-7), is spoken of again by Jesus in his letters to the churches (Rev. 3: 10) saying, "Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour (the period) of temptation which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth." Daniel also testifies of these times, saying, "And they that understand among the people shall instruct many, yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil many days (Dan. 11:33); and again (verse 35), "And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge and to make them white, even to the time of the end, because it is for a time appointed." This time of trouble and persecution will continue for a period of three years and a half upon the saints of God, and will exceed in severity all other times of persecution. This terrible time is yet future.

As regards the faithful and wise servants of whom Jesus speaks, whom their Lord hath made rulers of his household in that day, who will be appointed and sent of God to give meat in due season to his household, there are many even in these days of error who claim to be apostles and ambassadors of Christ, sent of God, but says Jesus, "Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?" Jesus said in his letter to the church at Ephesus, to their credit, "Thou hast tried them which say they are apostles and are not, and hast found them liars." Now the world abounds with liars of the same description in these days, but a person who is properly instructed in the true gospel, and the true hope that is set before us, can detect and expose the false pretenders and deceivers, who profess that they know God, but in works deny him.

But in the latter days of Israel the Scriptures show that the Lord will again raise up and qualify men in Israel to run to and fro, and increase and revive again the truth in the earth, which will be done under the supervision of Elias the prophet of whom John the Baptist was a representative. For when Jesus Christ came in the flesh, he was preceded by a man in the flesh, a mortal man, to prepare the way for him and to make his paths straight; but when he comes again as an immortal man to execute the judgments written and to reign on the earth, his forerunner will likewise be an immortal man, Elijah the prophet, who will come as it is written of him by the prophet, saying, “Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord, and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse."

But as Elijah was translated from mortality to immortality, and glorified, he will not appear among mortal men as did John the Baptist, but on the contrary will be able to appear to certain ones after the manner of Gabriel, who

was sent to Zacharias to instruct him in what he should do, and afterwards to Mary the mother of Jesus, to further instruct her in the great things that the Lord was about to do, and who before appeared to Daniel in vision to instruct him concerning things to come; and also as the angel that appeared to the parents of Samson, who, after informing them of their duties regarding the child Samson that should be born to them, wrought wondrously and ascended up in the flame of the sacrifice; moreover as did the angel that appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who showed them the great things of God's covenant and taught them what they should do and how they should walk before God and be perfect, that God might bring upon them and their seed after them the things that he had promised. Jacob speaks of this angel in his blessing upon the two sons of Joseph saying, "The angel which fed me all my life long, and redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads." Again as the angel clothed in linen (which proves him to have been one of Adam's race) appeared to Daniel (10:4-6) in glory, and as Jesus appeared to Paul on his way to Damascus, so may Elijah who appeared to Jesus on the Mount appear also to those whom he may employ in the great work of preparing a people for the Lord, in developing in them the spirit of the fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, lest when the Lord comes to judge his people, he should smite them with a curse and leave

none.

CHAPTER II

THE INHERITANCE AND EMPLOYMENT OF THE
RIGHTEOUS AFTER DEPARTING THIS LIFE

Insomuch as we shall have to treat particularly of this matter in what we have to say in interpreting the remainder of the Book of Revelation from the fourth chapter to the end, we will first call attention to the erroneous views which are entertained and taught by the great mass of religious teachers throughout the world, who live and die under the face of the covering cast over all people and the veil that is spread over all nations.

It is, and has been, a great puzzle and a great subject of wonder and speculation among the religious teachers of the various sects and denominations, Protestants and Catholic, as well as among other religious teachers in other societies and peoples throughout the earth, as to what the righteous would be employed in after death, in the other world, because from their standpoint, the Scriptures appear to them to be silent upon that important subject; and therefore to them and all who believe with them this great question is open to all kinds of speculation and supposition, from the crude dreams of the untutored Indian of the American wilderness, to the more subtle and bewitching theories of the popes, bishops, and priests of the Catholic church, and the bishops, doctors of divinity, and ministers of the sects and denominations of the Protestant churches.

But if their blind eyes could be opened, if they could be turned from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God, then they would be able to see distinctly that the Scriptures are perfectly clear upon the condition of the dead, and declare in unmistakable terms what both the righteous and the wicked are employed at between death and the resurrection and also what the work of the righteous will be after they are raised in glory. This work may be stated in few words as follows.

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First, between death and the resurrection, they will sleep and do nothing else; and the place where they sleep and the bed in which they sleep, is the dust of the earth. They sleep mentally and physically, and so perfect and unconscious is their sleep that they know nothing of what transpires in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, because the Scriptures speak expressly and in no uncertain terms on that subject, saying, "In death there is no remembrance "; and again, "The dead know not any thing"; and again, His sons come to honour, and he knoweth it not; they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them." Again, Daniel says, "Many that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake." And Paul says, "I would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep." Yet the ignorance that prevails in the earth in these days on the state of the dead, has, we may say, no bottom. Again Paul says, "Them which sleep in Jesus, will God bring with him,"that is when God comes to judge the world.

Who is there that is not both blind and dumb, that could fail to see and understand that such Scriptures as these with which the word of God abound are both pointed and decisive on this subject?

Second, the Scriptures also speak expressly concerning the work that the righteous will be sent to perform after they are raised in glory, for Paul, speaking to the saints and appealing to the knowledge that they then had on this doctrine, says to them, "Know ye not that the saints shall judge the world?" And David says of the resurrected saints, "Let a two-edged sword be in their hands, to execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people (of Israel) to bind their (Israel's) kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron, to execute upon them the judgments written; this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the Lord."

Third, the work that the saints will be employed at for a thousand years, after they shall have been engaged for a period of ten years, more or less, in executing the judgments written upon Jew and Gentile, will be to reign with Christ as kings and priests upon the earth, and over the nations of the earth, the nation and kingdom of Israel being the chief and first-born among the nations (Exod. 4:22) over whom the saints will reign. The twelve apostles of Christ are promised the thrones of the house of David (Ps. 122:5), for when Peter said to Jesus, "Behold we have forsaken all and followed thee, what shall we have therefore?" Jesus said to them, "Verily I say unto you, that ye that have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit upon the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel."

THE EMPLOYMENT OF THE RIGHTEOUS AFTER THEY HAVE BEEN RAISED FROM THE DEAD

The work of the righteous after they have been raised from the dead in glory in executing the judgment written, we will now proceed to show as it is taught by symbols and similitudes in the Book of the Revelation, beginning with chapter four. This chapter commences with a vision of John in which a door is opened in heaven, and the first voice which he heard, he says, "was as it were a trumpet talking with me, which said, Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be hereafter."

When Daniel was called in to interpret Nebuchadnezzar's vision of the great image whose brightness was excellent, and the form thereof terrible, Daniel said to the king, "There is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets and maketh known to the King Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days." and again he adds, "what shall come to pass hereafter." Even so what John was called up in vision to see was what must be hereafter, that is, what must be in the latter days and be manifested among the people of Israel and the nations subsequent to the resurrection of the body of Christ from the dead.

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