Chapter 79.
Length of the Day of the Lord
1. WHAT is the character of the "day of the Lord"?
"The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there. bitterly. ____________________." Zeph. 1:14,15.
2. Under which of the seven seals does this day begin?
"And I beheld ___________________________, and, lo, there was a great earthquake, . . . for ______________________; and who shall be able to stand?" Rev. 6:12-17.
3. What signs were to appear under this seal?
"The _____________________, and the __________________; and the ____________________unto the earth, even as a ___________________________, when she is shaken of a mighty wind." Verses 12, 13.
NOTE.-For dates and fulfilment of these signs, see chapters 68 and 69. The Lisbon earthquake of 1755 should not be confounded with that to take place under the seventh plague. Rev. 16:18.
4. Under which seal will the Lord come?
"And when He had __________________________, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour." Rev. 8:1.
NOTE.-This silence in heaven is the result of Christ and the angels leaving heaven to come to this earth. See reading in Chapter 63. of this book.
5. With what is the day of wrath to open?
"And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having the ___________________________________." Rev. 15:1.
NOTE.-These plagues immediately precede Christ's coming. See Rev. 16:12-15, and reading in chapter 66.
6. What great event will take place at Christ's coming?
"For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven: . . . and ____________________." I Thess. 4:16.
7. How long after this will the wicked dead be raised?
"But ____________________________________________." Rev. 20:5.
8. As they gather around the holy city, what will take place?
"And ___________________________________________." Verse 9.
9. What is this destruction called?
"But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part, in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is ___________________." Rev. 21:8.
10. Unto what are the present heavens and earth reserved?
"But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved ___________________________________." 2 Peter 3:7.
NOTE.-When the fire from heaven destroys the wicked, the earth itself will also be burned and purified.
11. Does the day of the Lord include this burning day?
"But ________________________ will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the ________________________ _________________________ and the works that are therein shall be burned up." Verse 10.
NOTE.-The day of the Lord, therefore, begins with the seven last plagues and the coming of Christ, and continues for one thousand years, or till the wicked are destroyed, and the earth is renewed and given to the saints.
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Wednesday, September 10, 2008
BIBLE STUDY: CHAP.78 - THE MILLENNIUM
Chapter 78.
The Millennium
1. WHAT text definitely brings the millennium to view?
"And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and ___________________________: . . . and ______________________________." Rev. 20:4.
2. Whom does Paul say the saints are to judge?
"Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints? ______________________________? . . . Know __________________________?" 1 Cor. 6:1-3.
NOTE.-From these scriptures it is plain that the saints of all ages are to be engaged with Christ in a work of "judgment" during the millennium, or one thousand years.
3. What prophecy had Paul upon which to base his statement?
"I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; until the Ancient of days came, and ___________________________________." Dan. 7: 21,22.
4. How many resurrections are there to be?
"Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto _____________ ; and they that have done evil, unto ___________________________." John 5:28,29.
THE MILLENNIUM
• The millennium is the closing period of God's great week of time-a great sabbath of rest to the earth and to the people of God.
• It follows the close of the gospel age, and precedes the setting up of the everlasting kingdom of God on earth.
• It comprehends what in the Scriptures is frequently spoken of as "the day of the Lord."
• It is bounded at each end by a resurrection.
• Its beginning is marked by the pouring out of the seven last plagues, the second coming of Christ, the resurrection of the righteous dead, the binding of Satan, and the translation of the saints to heaven; and its close, by the descent of the New Jerusalem, with Christ and the saints, from heaven, the resurrection of the wicked dead, the loosing of Satan, and the final destruction of the wicked.
• During the one thousand years the earth lies desolate; Satan and his angels are confined here; and the saints, with Christ, sit in judgment on the wicked, preparatory to their final punishment.
• The wicked dead are then raised; Satan is loosed for a little season, and he and the host of the wicked encompass the camp of the saints and the holy city, when fire comes down from God out of heaven and devours them. The earth is cleansed by the same fire that destroys the wicked, and, renewed, becomes the eternal abode of the saints.
• The millennium is one of "the ages to come." Its close will mark the beginning of the new earth state.
5. What class only have part in the first resurrection?
"_____________________ is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power." Rev. 20:6.
6. What will Christ do with the saints when He comes?
"I will come again, and ____________________________; that where I am, there you may be also." John 14: 3.
NOTE.-In other words, Christ will take them to heaven, there to live and reign with Him during the one thousand years.
7. Where did John, in vision, see the saints?
"After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, ___________________________, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands." Rev. 7:9.
NOTE.-This scripture shows plainly that the righteous are all taken to heaven immediately after the first resurrection. This accords with the words of Christ in John 14:1-3, where He says, "I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." Peter desired to accompany Christ to those mansions; but Jesus answered, "Thou canst not follow Me now; but thou shalt follow Me afterwards." John 13:36. This makes it clear that when Christ returns to earth to receive His people, He takes them to the Father's house in heaven.
8. What becomes of the living wicked when Christ comes?
"______________________, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and ______________________________________; . . . the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and ______________________________________________________." Luke 17:26-30.
9. What does the Apostle Paul say concerning this?
"When they shall say, Peace and safety; ______________________________ them. . . . and they shall not escape." 1 Thess. 5:3.
NOTE.-When Christ comes, the righteous will be delivered and taken to heaven, and all the living wicked will be suddenly destroyed, as they were at the time of the flood. For further proof see 2 Thess. 1:7-9; Rev. 6:14-17; 19:11-21; Jer. 25:30-33. There will be no general resurrection of the wicked until the end of the one thousand years. This will leave the earth desolate and without human inhabitant during this period.
10. What description does the prophet Jeremiah give of the earth during this time?
"I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was ___________________; 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, __________________, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld, and, lo, the ___________________________________at the presence of the Lord, and by His fierce anger." Jer. 4:23-26.
NOTE.-At the coming of Christ the earth is reduced to a chaotic state-to a mass of ruins. The heavens depart as a scroll when it is rolled together; mountains are moved out of their places; and the earth is left a dark, dreary, desolate waste. See Isa. 24:1-3; Rev. 6:14-17.
11. How does Isaiah speak of the wicked at this time?
"It shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and ___________________________, and after many days shall they be visited." Isa. 24:21,22.
12. How long is Satan to be imprisoned on this earth?
"I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil, and Satan, and ____________________________, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled." Rev. 20:1-3.
NOTE.-The word rendered "bottomless pit" in this text is abusos, the Greek term employed by the Septuagint in Gen. 1: 2, as the equivalent of the Hebrew word rendered "deep" in our English versions A more literal translation would be "abyss." It is a term applied to the earth in its desolate, waste, chaotic, dark, uninhabited condition. In this condition it will remain during the one thousand years. It will be the dreary prison-house of Satan during this period. Here, in the midst of the smoldering bones of wicked dead, slain at Christ's second coming, the broken-down cities, and the wreck and ruin of all the pomp and power of this world, Satan will have opportunity to reflect upon the results of his rebellion against God. But the prophecy of Isaiah says, "After many days shall they be visited."
13. The righteous dead are raised at Christ's second coming. When will the rest of the dead, the wicked, be raised?
"The rest of the dead lived not again ___________________________." Verse 5.
NOTES.-From this we see that the beginning and the close of the millennium, or one thousand years, are marked by the two resurrections.
The word millennium is from two Latin words, mille, meaning a thousand, and annus, year-a thousand years. It covers the time during which Satan is to be bound and wicked men and angels are to be judged. This period is bounded by distinct events. Its beginning is marked by the close of probation, the pouring out of the seven last plagues, the second coming of Christ, and the resurrection of the righteous dead. It closes with the resurrection of the wicked, and their final destruction in the lake of fire. See above diagram.
14. What change is made in Satan's condition at the close of the one thousand years?
"After that _______________________________." Verse 3.
NOTE.-At the close of the one thousand years, Christ, accompanied by the saints, comes to the earth again, to execute judgment upon the wicked, and to prepare the earth, by a re-creation, for the eternal abode of the righteous. At this time, in answer to the summons of Christ, the wicked dead of all ages awake to life. This is the second resurrection, the resurrection unto damnation. The wicked come forth with the same rebellious spirit which possessed them in this life. Then Satan is loosed from his long period of captivity and inactivity.
15. As soon as the wicked are raised, what does Satan at once proceed to do?
"When the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to _______________________ which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, ________________________: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea." Verses 7,8.
16. Against whom do the wicked go to make war, and what is the outcome?
"They went up on the breadth of the earth, and ________________________." Verse 9.
NOTES.-This is the last act in the great controversy between Christ and Satan. The whole human race meet here for the first and last time. The eternal separation of the righteous from the wicked here takes place. At this time the judgment of God is executed upon the wicked in the lake of fire. This is the second death. This ends the great rebellion against God and His government. Now is heard the voice of God as He sits upon His throne, speaking to the saints, and saying, "Behold, I make all things new;" and out of the burning ruins of the old earth there springs forth before the admiring gaze of the millions of the redeemed, "a new heaven and a new earth," in which they shall find an everlasting inheritance and dwelling-place.
The millennium is a great sabbath of rest, both for the earth and for God's people. For six thousand years the earth and its inhabitants have been groaning under the curse of sin. The millennium, the seventh thousand, will be a sabbath of rest and release; for, says the prophet concerning the land, "as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath." 2 Chron. 36:21. "There remaineth therefore a rest [margin, keeping of a sabbath] to the people of God." Heb. 4:9. This precedes the new earth state.
Copyright © 2003-2008
www.preparingforeternity.com
All rights reserved.
The Millennium
1. WHAT text definitely brings the millennium to view?
"And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and ___________________________: . . . and ______________________________." Rev. 20:4.
2. Whom does Paul say the saints are to judge?
"Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints? ______________________________? . . . Know __________________________?" 1 Cor. 6:1-3.
NOTE.-From these scriptures it is plain that the saints of all ages are to be engaged with Christ in a work of "judgment" during the millennium, or one thousand years.
3. What prophecy had Paul upon which to base his statement?
"I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; until the Ancient of days came, and ___________________________________." Dan. 7: 21,22.
4. How many resurrections are there to be?
"Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto _____________ ; and they that have done evil, unto ___________________________." John 5:28,29.
THE MILLENNIUM
• The millennium is the closing period of God's great week of time-a great sabbath of rest to the earth and to the people of God.
• It follows the close of the gospel age, and precedes the setting up of the everlasting kingdom of God on earth.
• It comprehends what in the Scriptures is frequently spoken of as "the day of the Lord."
• It is bounded at each end by a resurrection.
• Its beginning is marked by the pouring out of the seven last plagues, the second coming of Christ, the resurrection of the righteous dead, the binding of Satan, and the translation of the saints to heaven; and its close, by the descent of the New Jerusalem, with Christ and the saints, from heaven, the resurrection of the wicked dead, the loosing of Satan, and the final destruction of the wicked.
• During the one thousand years the earth lies desolate; Satan and his angels are confined here; and the saints, with Christ, sit in judgment on the wicked, preparatory to their final punishment.
• The wicked dead are then raised; Satan is loosed for a little season, and he and the host of the wicked encompass the camp of the saints and the holy city, when fire comes down from God out of heaven and devours them. The earth is cleansed by the same fire that destroys the wicked, and, renewed, becomes the eternal abode of the saints.
• The millennium is one of "the ages to come." Its close will mark the beginning of the new earth state.
5. What class only have part in the first resurrection?
"_____________________ is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power." Rev. 20:6.
6. What will Christ do with the saints when He comes?
"I will come again, and ____________________________; that where I am, there you may be also." John 14: 3.
NOTE.-In other words, Christ will take them to heaven, there to live and reign with Him during the one thousand years.
7. Where did John, in vision, see the saints?
"After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, ___________________________, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands." Rev. 7:9.
NOTE.-This scripture shows plainly that the righteous are all taken to heaven immediately after the first resurrection. This accords with the words of Christ in John 14:1-3, where He says, "I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." Peter desired to accompany Christ to those mansions; but Jesus answered, "Thou canst not follow Me now; but thou shalt follow Me afterwards." John 13:36. This makes it clear that when Christ returns to earth to receive His people, He takes them to the Father's house in heaven.
8. What becomes of the living wicked when Christ comes?
"______________________, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and ______________________________________; . . . the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and ______________________________________________________." Luke 17:26-30.
9. What does the Apostle Paul say concerning this?
"When they shall say, Peace and safety; ______________________________ them. . . . and they shall not escape." 1 Thess. 5:3.
NOTE.-When Christ comes, the righteous will be delivered and taken to heaven, and all the living wicked will be suddenly destroyed, as they were at the time of the flood. For further proof see 2 Thess. 1:7-9; Rev. 6:14-17; 19:11-21; Jer. 25:30-33. There will be no general resurrection of the wicked until the end of the one thousand years. This will leave the earth desolate and without human inhabitant during this period.
10. What description does the prophet Jeremiah give of the earth during this time?
"I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was ___________________; 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, __________________, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld, and, lo, the ___________________________________at the presence of the Lord, and by His fierce anger." Jer. 4:23-26.
NOTE.-At the coming of Christ the earth is reduced to a chaotic state-to a mass of ruins. The heavens depart as a scroll when it is rolled together; mountains are moved out of their places; and the earth is left a dark, dreary, desolate waste. See Isa. 24:1-3; Rev. 6:14-17.
11. How does Isaiah speak of the wicked at this time?
"It shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and ___________________________, and after many days shall they be visited." Isa. 24:21,22.
12. How long is Satan to be imprisoned on this earth?
"I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil, and Satan, and ____________________________, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled." Rev. 20:1-3.
NOTE.-The word rendered "bottomless pit" in this text is abusos, the Greek term employed by the Septuagint in Gen. 1: 2, as the equivalent of the Hebrew word rendered "deep" in our English versions A more literal translation would be "abyss." It is a term applied to the earth in its desolate, waste, chaotic, dark, uninhabited condition. In this condition it will remain during the one thousand years. It will be the dreary prison-house of Satan during this period. Here, in the midst of the smoldering bones of wicked dead, slain at Christ's second coming, the broken-down cities, and the wreck and ruin of all the pomp and power of this world, Satan will have opportunity to reflect upon the results of his rebellion against God. But the prophecy of Isaiah says, "After many days shall they be visited."
13. The righteous dead are raised at Christ's second coming. When will the rest of the dead, the wicked, be raised?
"The rest of the dead lived not again ___________________________." Verse 5.
NOTES.-From this we see that the beginning and the close of the millennium, or one thousand years, are marked by the two resurrections.
The word millennium is from two Latin words, mille, meaning a thousand, and annus, year-a thousand years. It covers the time during which Satan is to be bound and wicked men and angels are to be judged. This period is bounded by distinct events. Its beginning is marked by the close of probation, the pouring out of the seven last plagues, the second coming of Christ, and the resurrection of the righteous dead. It closes with the resurrection of the wicked, and their final destruction in the lake of fire. See above diagram.
14. What change is made in Satan's condition at the close of the one thousand years?
"After that _______________________________." Verse 3.
NOTE.-At the close of the one thousand years, Christ, accompanied by the saints, comes to the earth again, to execute judgment upon the wicked, and to prepare the earth, by a re-creation, for the eternal abode of the righteous. At this time, in answer to the summons of Christ, the wicked dead of all ages awake to life. This is the second resurrection, the resurrection unto damnation. The wicked come forth with the same rebellious spirit which possessed them in this life. Then Satan is loosed from his long period of captivity and inactivity.
15. As soon as the wicked are raised, what does Satan at once proceed to do?
"When the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to _______________________ which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, ________________________: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea." Verses 7,8.
16. Against whom do the wicked go to make war, and what is the outcome?
"They went up on the breadth of the earth, and ________________________." Verse 9.
NOTES.-This is the last act in the great controversy between Christ and Satan. The whole human race meet here for the first and last time. The eternal separation of the righteous from the wicked here takes place. At this time the judgment of God is executed upon the wicked in the lake of fire. This is the second death. This ends the great rebellion against God and His government. Now is heard the voice of God as He sits upon His throne, speaking to the saints, and saying, "Behold, I make all things new;" and out of the burning ruins of the old earth there springs forth before the admiring gaze of the millions of the redeemed, "a new heaven and a new earth," in which they shall find an everlasting inheritance and dwelling-place.
The millennium is a great sabbath of rest, both for the earth and for God's people. For six thousand years the earth and its inhabitants have been groaning under the curse of sin. The millennium, the seventh thousand, will be a sabbath of rest and release; for, says the prophet concerning the land, "as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath." 2 Chron. 36:21. "There remaineth therefore a rest [margin, keeping of a sabbath] to the people of God." Heb. 4:9. This precedes the new earth state.
Copyright © 2003-2008
www.preparingforeternity.com
All rights reserved.
BIBLE STUDY: CHAP.77 - THE GATHERING OF ISRAEL
Chapter 77.
The Gathering of Israel
1. BECAUSE of disobedience, what experience came to Israel?
"________________________________________." Jer. 34:17. See Jer. 25:8-11.
2. What prophecy spoke of their return from captivity?
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. . . . And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the Lord: and ____________________________________, saith the Lord; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive." Jer. 29:11-14. See also Jer. 23:3.
NOTE.-The first dispersion of the Jews occurred B.C. 606-588, under Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. In B.C. 457, under Artaxerxes, the Persian king, large numbers of Jews returned to Palestine, their homeland.
3. How had Moses spoken of another and greater dispersion?
"The Lord ___________________________, from the end of the earth. . . . and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst. . . . and the _________________________________the other." Deut. 28:49-64.
NOTE.-This calamity and dispersion occurred in 70 A.D., under Titus, the Roman general. Says the Popular and Critical Bible Encyclopedia, Vol. II, article "Jerusalem," page 932: "Jerusalem seems to have been raised to this greatness as if to enhance the misery of its overthrow. So soon as the Jews had set the seal to their formal rejection of Christ, by putting Him to death, and invoking the responsibility of His blood upon the heads of themselves and of their children (Matt. 27:25), the city's doom went forth. Titus, a young, brave, and competent Roman general, with an army of sixty thousand trained, victorious warriors, appeared before the city in April, 70 A.D., and the most disastrous siege of all history began." See reading in Chapter 68. of this book.
4. Under what striking symbol was all this foretold?
"Thus saith the Lord, Go and get _____________________, and. . . . break the bottle . . . and . . . say unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; ______________________ ___________________." Jer. 19:1-11.
NOTE.-"No city on the globe has suffered more from war and sieges than Jerusalem. . . . Storming legions, battering-rams, and catapults have razed it again and again. And yet, the general outline of the city has always been preserved. Zion and Mt. Moriah remain in full view from Olivet, and there, on those hills, stretching away toward the west, city after city has come and gone in the passing ages."-Popular and Critical Bible Encyclopedia, Vol. II, article "Jerusalem," pages 928, 929.
5. How long was Jerusalem to be trodden down of the Gentiles?
"And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, _________________________________________." Luke 21:24.
NOTE.-Jerusalem stands for the people, the truth, and the true worship of God. It is first mentioned in the Bible as Salem (Gen. 14:18); is spoken of figuratively as a mother bringing forth the children of God (Gal. 4:26,27); and is a type of the holy city, New Jerusalem, which is to be the metropolis of the new earth. In Rev. 11:2 it is used as a type of God's people during the long period of 1260 years of papal persecution, who are there referred to as "the holy city," which the Gentiles "tread underfoot forty and two months."
6. What will terminate the "times" allotted to the Gentiles?
"And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and ___________________________________." Matt. 24:14.
7. Why was the gospel to be preached to the Gentiles?
"Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, ________________________." Acts 15:14.
8. What false idea of this gathering were some to hold?
"And many nations shall come, and say, ___________________________." Micah 4:2.
9. For what will the heathen be assembled in Palestine?
"Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat. . . . Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision [margin, concision, or threshing; i.e., war] : for _________________________________." Joel 3: 12-14.
10. Under whose influence are the nations to be assembled?
"And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are _________________________, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty." Rev. 16:13,14.
NOTE.-Infatuated by the doctrine of the world's conversion and a temporal millennium of peace, prosperity, and good will among men, the deluded nations will aim to make Jerusalem the center of a glorious kingdom, at which place they will doubtless expect Christ will come and take up His reign as their king. This was the favorite idea of the crusaders in the Dark Ages. But the crusaders were mistaken in their conception, and sorely disappointed. So also will the modern crusaders be mistaken and disappointed; for one object of Christ's second coming will be to "smite the nations" and to destroy these armies assembled. Rev. 19:15.
11. Unto whom are God's people to be gathered?
"The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until ________________ come; and _______________________________." Gen. 49:10.
12. How did Christ speak of the gathering of the Gentiles?
"_______________________________________________________." John 10:16.
13. What great gathering yet awaits God's people?
"And it shall come to pass in that day, that ____________________________His people. . . . And He shall set up an ensign for the nations, and ______________________________________." Isa. 11:11,12. "And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and __________________________." Matt. 24:31.
Copyright © 2003-2008
www.preparingforeternity.com
All rights reserved.
The Gathering of Israel
1. BECAUSE of disobedience, what experience came to Israel?
"________________________________________." Jer. 34:17. See Jer. 25:8-11.
2. What prophecy spoke of their return from captivity?
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. . . . And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the Lord: and ____________________________________, saith the Lord; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive." Jer. 29:11-14. See also Jer. 23:3.
NOTE.-The first dispersion of the Jews occurred B.C. 606-588, under Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. In B.C. 457, under Artaxerxes, the Persian king, large numbers of Jews returned to Palestine, their homeland.
3. How had Moses spoken of another and greater dispersion?
"The Lord ___________________________, from the end of the earth. . . . and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst. . . . and the _________________________________the other." Deut. 28:49-64.
NOTE.-This calamity and dispersion occurred in 70 A.D., under Titus, the Roman general. Says the Popular and Critical Bible Encyclopedia, Vol. II, article "Jerusalem," page 932: "Jerusalem seems to have been raised to this greatness as if to enhance the misery of its overthrow. So soon as the Jews had set the seal to their formal rejection of Christ, by putting Him to death, and invoking the responsibility of His blood upon the heads of themselves and of their children (Matt. 27:25), the city's doom went forth. Titus, a young, brave, and competent Roman general, with an army of sixty thousand trained, victorious warriors, appeared before the city in April, 70 A.D., and the most disastrous siege of all history began." See reading in Chapter 68. of this book.
4. Under what striking symbol was all this foretold?
"Thus saith the Lord, Go and get _____________________, and. . . . break the bottle . . . and . . . say unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; ______________________ ___________________." Jer. 19:1-11.
NOTE.-"No city on the globe has suffered more from war and sieges than Jerusalem. . . . Storming legions, battering-rams, and catapults have razed it again and again. And yet, the general outline of the city has always been preserved. Zion and Mt. Moriah remain in full view from Olivet, and there, on those hills, stretching away toward the west, city after city has come and gone in the passing ages."-Popular and Critical Bible Encyclopedia, Vol. II, article "Jerusalem," pages 928, 929.
5. How long was Jerusalem to be trodden down of the Gentiles?
"And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, _________________________________________." Luke 21:24.
NOTE.-Jerusalem stands for the people, the truth, and the true worship of God. It is first mentioned in the Bible as Salem (Gen. 14:18); is spoken of figuratively as a mother bringing forth the children of God (Gal. 4:26,27); and is a type of the holy city, New Jerusalem, which is to be the metropolis of the new earth. In Rev. 11:2 it is used as a type of God's people during the long period of 1260 years of papal persecution, who are there referred to as "the holy city," which the Gentiles "tread underfoot forty and two months."
6. What will terminate the "times" allotted to the Gentiles?
"And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and ___________________________________." Matt. 24:14.
7. Why was the gospel to be preached to the Gentiles?
"Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, ________________________." Acts 15:14.
8. What false idea of this gathering were some to hold?
"And many nations shall come, and say, ___________________________." Micah 4:2.
9. For what will the heathen be assembled in Palestine?
"Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat. . . . Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision [margin, concision, or threshing; i.e., war] : for _________________________________." Joel 3: 12-14.
10. Under whose influence are the nations to be assembled?
"And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are _________________________, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty." Rev. 16:13,14.
NOTE.-Infatuated by the doctrine of the world's conversion and a temporal millennium of peace, prosperity, and good will among men, the deluded nations will aim to make Jerusalem the center of a glorious kingdom, at which place they will doubtless expect Christ will come and take up His reign as their king. This was the favorite idea of the crusaders in the Dark Ages. But the crusaders were mistaken in their conception, and sorely disappointed. So also will the modern crusaders be mistaken and disappointed; for one object of Christ's second coming will be to "smite the nations" and to destroy these armies assembled. Rev. 19:15.
11. Unto whom are God's people to be gathered?
"The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until ________________ come; and _______________________________." Gen. 49:10.
12. How did Christ speak of the gathering of the Gentiles?
"_______________________________________________________." John 10:16.
13. What great gathering yet awaits God's people?
"And it shall come to pass in that day, that ____________________________His people. . . . And He shall set up an ensign for the nations, and ______________________________________." Isa. 11:11,12. "And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and __________________________." Matt. 24:31.
Copyright © 2003-2008
www.preparingforeternity.com
All rights reserved.
BIBLE STUDY: CHAP.76 -- THE WORLD'S CONVERSION
Chapter 76.
The World's Conversion
1. WHAT did Christ say would be the condition of the world at His second coming?
"______________________, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man." Luke 17:26. See also verses 27-30.
2. How was it in the days of Noah?
"And God saw that __________________________, and that ________________ _________________continually. . . . And ____________________." Gen. 6:5-11.
NOTE.-In a sermon delivered at Savannah, Ga., Dec. 2, 1912, Bishop A. W. Wilson (Methodist) said: "Old Rome in her worst days never harbored such conditions of vice as are prevalent in our highest social circles. Never at any period of the world's history has the moral stratum been so thin or so low."
3. How did Paul characterize the last days?
"This know also, that in the last days __________________________." 2 Tim. 3:1.
4. What did he say would make those times perilous?
"For men shall be ______________________________________." Verses 2-5.
5. Are things to grow better or worse before the Lord comes?
"_______________________________, deceiving, and being deceived." Verse 13.
NOTE.-"Even to the end of time there will still be occasion for the same complaint; the world will grow no better, no, not when it is drawing toward its period. Bad it is, and bad it will be, and worst of all just before Christ's coming."-Matthew Henry, on Luke 18:8.
6. According to the parable of the wheat and the tares, how long are the good and bad to remain together?
"The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but "the tares are the children of the wicked one; the enemy that sowed them is the devil." "________________________________: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in "bundles to burn them." Matt. 13:38,39,30.
7. When does the harvest come?
"The harvest is ____________________." Verse 39.
NOTES.-Thus it is plain that the wicked (the tares) live with the righteous (the wheat) till the end of the world. There is, then, no time before Christ's coming for a sinless state, in which all men will be converted and turn to God.
Harper's "Book of Facts," edition 1906, article "Religion," classifies the population of the globe religiously as follows:-
Non-Christian Christian
Buddhists
Brahmans
Mohammedans
Fetish-worshipers
Jews
Various
TOTAL 400,000,000
250,000,000
180,000,000
150,000,000
8,000,000
62,000,000
1,050,000,000 Roman Catholics
Protestants
Greek Church
Various
TOTAL 175,000,000
110,000,000
90,000,000
25,000,000
400,000,000
From this it will be seen that only about one fourth of the world's population are even nominal Christians.
8. For what purpose did Christ say the gospel was to be preached in all the world?
"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." Matt. 24:14.
NOTES.-He dill not say that all would receive the gospel, but that the gospel was to be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and that then the end would come.
Commenting on Rev. 20:2, Dr. Adam Clarke says: "Probably no such time shall ever appear , in which evil shall be wholly banished from the earth, till after the day of judgment, when, the earth having been burned up, a new heaven and a new earth shall be produced out of the ruins of the old, by thy mighty power of God; righteousness alone shall dwell in them."-Clarke's Commentary, edition 1860.
9. When is the "man of sin," or "mystery of iniquity," called also "that Wicked," to come to an end?
"And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming." 2 Thess: 2:8.
10. How long was the little horn of Dan. 7:25 to make war with the saints?
"I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom." Dan. 7:21,22.
11. How will the day of the Lord come upon the world?
"For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, . . . and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief." 1 Thess. 5:2-4. .
NOTE.-There will be but two classes in the world then: those in darkness, who are looking for a time of peace and safety, and those not in darkness, who are looking for the day of the Lord,-a day of waste and destruction,-the coming of Christ and the end of the world. See Jer. 7:1-19; Dan. 12:1; Joel 2:1-11; Zephaniah 1.
12. What will some who are in darkness say when they hear about the Lord's coming?
"Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of His coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation." 2 Peter 3:3,4.
13. What will be popularly taught in the last days?
"But in the last days. . . many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; . . . and He shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore." Micah 4:1-3. See also Isa. 2:2-5.
NOTE.-Notice, this is not what the Lord says, but what the Lord says many nations shall say in the last days. And this is the very message now heard in every land,-a great world's peace movement; a call for all nations to disarm, to go to war no more, and to profess religion.
14. What message indicates the true condition of things?
"Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning-hooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong." Joel 3:9,10.
NOTE.-On this question of preparing for war, note the following:-
Armies of the World
REGULAR STANDING ARMY (1909) NATIONAL ARMY INCLUDING RESERVES
Austria-Hungary
Belgium
British Empire
China
Denmark
France
Germany
Greece
Italy
Japan
Netherlands
Norway
Persia
Portugal
Russia
Servia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
United States
TOTAL 409,000
45,000
250,000
60,000
14,000
630,000
617,000
28,000
264,000
225,000
40,000
30,000
24,500
30,000
1,100,000
35,000
100,000
62,000
140,000
350,000
89,128
4,542,628 5,840,000
125,000
1,050,000
1,000,000
68,000
4,350,000
3,000,000
178,000
3,200,000
600,000
500,000
95,000
105,000
175,000
5,200,000
353,000
1,000,000
500,000
275,000
1,500,000
208,054
29,322,054
Naval Expenditures of the Great Powers for Ten Years-1902-11
Expenditure Now Construction
Great Britain
Germany
France
Russia
Italy
Austria
United States
Japan
TOTAL $1,761,500,000
737,695,000
660,695,000
556,730,000
301,145,000
154,070,000
1,150,680,000
288,505,00
$5,611,320,000 $589,875,000
351,010,000
236,430,000
164,280,000
82,750,000
74,165,000
367,050,000
76,155,000
$1,941,715,000
Thus in only ten years these eight great powers spent over seven and one-half billion dollars on their navies.
"The immense armies maintained by European countries have come to be a terrific drain upon their respective nations."-Nelson's Encyclopedia, article "Army."
15. While making these war preparations, what are men saying?
"They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of My people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace." Jer. 6:14.
NOTE.-Every one conversant with existing conditions in the world today knows this is true. While the message or peace is being proclaimed, the nations are arming as never before; wars are in progress almost continually; international complications are constantly arising; and a world war is reared as imminent, and constantly looming in sight. The world today is a vast armed camp.
16. But does not the Bible say that the heathen are to be given to the Lord for an inheritance?
"Ask of Me, and I shall give Thee the heathen for Thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession." Ps. 2:8.
17. What will the Lord do with them?
"Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." Verse 9. "And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the wine-press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God." Rev. 19:15.
NOTE.-How suddenly surprised those who have been preaching peace and safety will be when the end comes is indicated in the text already quoted: "For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them." 1 Thess. 5:2,3. All heedless of the signs of the times, and indifferent to the future, the world will come up to the day of the Lord unprepared. As a thief in the night, coming with stealthy, muffled tread, this day will take all unawares who are not looking, watching, and waiting for their Lord's return. Instead or looking for the world's conversion, we should be looking for Christ's coming.
________________________________________
THE coming King is at the door,
Who once the cross for sinners bore,
But now the righteous ones alone
He comes to gather home.
The signs that show His coming near
Are fast fulfilling year by year,
And soon we'll hail the glorious dawn
Of heaven's eternal morn.
Look not on earth for strife to cease,
Look not below for joy and peace,
Until the Saviour comes again
To banish death and sin.
Then in the glorious earth made new.
We'll dwell the countless ages through;
This mortal shall immortal be,
And time, eternity.
F. E. BELDEN.
Copyright © 2003-2008
Preparing For Eternity
All rights reserved.
The World's Conversion
1. WHAT did Christ say would be the condition of the world at His second coming?
"______________________, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man." Luke 17:26. See also verses 27-30.
2. How was it in the days of Noah?
"And God saw that __________________________, and that ________________ _________________continually. . . . And ____________________." Gen. 6:5-11.
NOTE.-In a sermon delivered at Savannah, Ga., Dec. 2, 1912, Bishop A. W. Wilson (Methodist) said: "Old Rome in her worst days never harbored such conditions of vice as are prevalent in our highest social circles. Never at any period of the world's history has the moral stratum been so thin or so low."
3. How did Paul characterize the last days?
"This know also, that in the last days __________________________." 2 Tim. 3:1.
4. What did he say would make those times perilous?
"For men shall be ______________________________________." Verses 2-5.
5. Are things to grow better or worse before the Lord comes?
"_______________________________, deceiving, and being deceived." Verse 13.
NOTE.-"Even to the end of time there will still be occasion for the same complaint; the world will grow no better, no, not when it is drawing toward its period. Bad it is, and bad it will be, and worst of all just before Christ's coming."-Matthew Henry, on Luke 18:8.
6. According to the parable of the wheat and the tares, how long are the good and bad to remain together?
"The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but "the tares are the children of the wicked one; the enemy that sowed them is the devil." "________________________________: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in "bundles to burn them." Matt. 13:38,39,30.
7. When does the harvest come?
"The harvest is ____________________." Verse 39.
NOTES.-Thus it is plain that the wicked (the tares) live with the righteous (the wheat) till the end of the world. There is, then, no time before Christ's coming for a sinless state, in which all men will be converted and turn to God.
Harper's "Book of Facts," edition 1906, article "Religion," classifies the population of the globe religiously as follows:-
Non-Christian Christian
Buddhists
Brahmans
Mohammedans
Fetish-worshipers
Jews
Various
TOTAL 400,000,000
250,000,000
180,000,000
150,000,000
8,000,000
62,000,000
1,050,000,000 Roman Catholics
Protestants
Greek Church
Various
TOTAL 175,000,000
110,000,000
90,000,000
25,000,000
400,000,000
From this it will be seen that only about one fourth of the world's population are even nominal Christians.
8. For what purpose did Christ say the gospel was to be preached in all the world?
"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." Matt. 24:14.
NOTES.-He dill not say that all would receive the gospel, but that the gospel was to be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and that then the end would come.
Commenting on Rev. 20:2, Dr. Adam Clarke says: "Probably no such time shall ever appear , in which evil shall be wholly banished from the earth, till after the day of judgment, when, the earth having been burned up, a new heaven and a new earth shall be produced out of the ruins of the old, by thy mighty power of God; righteousness alone shall dwell in them."-Clarke's Commentary, edition 1860.
9. When is the "man of sin," or "mystery of iniquity," called also "that Wicked," to come to an end?
"And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming." 2 Thess: 2:8.
10. How long was the little horn of Dan. 7:25 to make war with the saints?
"I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom." Dan. 7:21,22.
11. How will the day of the Lord come upon the world?
"For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, . . . and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief." 1 Thess. 5:2-4. .
NOTE.-There will be but two classes in the world then: those in darkness, who are looking for a time of peace and safety, and those not in darkness, who are looking for the day of the Lord,-a day of waste and destruction,-the coming of Christ and the end of the world. See Jer. 7:1-19; Dan. 12:1; Joel 2:1-11; Zephaniah 1.
12. What will some who are in darkness say when they hear about the Lord's coming?
"Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of His coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation." 2 Peter 3:3,4.
13. What will be popularly taught in the last days?
"But in the last days. . . many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; . . . and He shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore." Micah 4:1-3. See also Isa. 2:2-5.
NOTE.-Notice, this is not what the Lord says, but what the Lord says many nations shall say in the last days. And this is the very message now heard in every land,-a great world's peace movement; a call for all nations to disarm, to go to war no more, and to profess religion.
14. What message indicates the true condition of things?
"Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning-hooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong." Joel 3:9,10.
NOTE.-On this question of preparing for war, note the following:-
Armies of the World
REGULAR STANDING ARMY (1909) NATIONAL ARMY INCLUDING RESERVES
Austria-Hungary
Belgium
British Empire
China
Denmark
France
Germany
Greece
Italy
Japan
Netherlands
Norway
Persia
Portugal
Russia
Servia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
United States
TOTAL 409,000
45,000
250,000
60,000
14,000
630,000
617,000
28,000
264,000
225,000
40,000
30,000
24,500
30,000
1,100,000
35,000
100,000
62,000
140,000
350,000
89,128
4,542,628 5,840,000
125,000
1,050,000
1,000,000
68,000
4,350,000
3,000,000
178,000
3,200,000
600,000
500,000
95,000
105,000
175,000
5,200,000
353,000
1,000,000
500,000
275,000
1,500,000
208,054
29,322,054
Naval Expenditures of the Great Powers for Ten Years-1902-11
Expenditure Now Construction
Great Britain
Germany
France
Russia
Italy
Austria
United States
Japan
TOTAL $1,761,500,000
737,695,000
660,695,000
556,730,000
301,145,000
154,070,000
1,150,680,000
288,505,00
$5,611,320,000 $589,875,000
351,010,000
236,430,000
164,280,000
82,750,000
74,165,000
367,050,000
76,155,000
$1,941,715,000
Thus in only ten years these eight great powers spent over seven and one-half billion dollars on their navies.
"The immense armies maintained by European countries have come to be a terrific drain upon their respective nations."-Nelson's Encyclopedia, article "Army."
15. While making these war preparations, what are men saying?
"They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of My people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace." Jer. 6:14.
NOTE.-Every one conversant with existing conditions in the world today knows this is true. While the message or peace is being proclaimed, the nations are arming as never before; wars are in progress almost continually; international complications are constantly arising; and a world war is reared as imminent, and constantly looming in sight. The world today is a vast armed camp.
16. But does not the Bible say that the heathen are to be given to the Lord for an inheritance?
"Ask of Me, and I shall give Thee the heathen for Thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession." Ps. 2:8.
17. What will the Lord do with them?
"Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." Verse 9. "And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the wine-press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God." Rev. 19:15.
NOTE.-How suddenly surprised those who have been preaching peace and safety will be when the end comes is indicated in the text already quoted: "For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them." 1 Thess. 5:2,3. All heedless of the signs of the times, and indifferent to the future, the world will come up to the day of the Lord unprepared. As a thief in the night, coming with stealthy, muffled tread, this day will take all unawares who are not looking, watching, and waiting for their Lord's return. Instead or looking for the world's conversion, we should be looking for Christ's coming.
________________________________________
THE coming King is at the door,
Who once the cross for sinners bore,
But now the righteous ones alone
He comes to gather home.
The signs that show His coming near
Are fast fulfilling year by year,
And soon we'll hail the glorious dawn
Of heaven's eternal morn.
Look not on earth for strife to cease,
Look not below for joy and peace,
Until the Saviour comes again
To banish death and sin.
Then in the glorious earth made new.
We'll dwell the countless ages through;
This mortal shall immortal be,
And time, eternity.
F. E. BELDEN.
Copyright © 2003-2008
Preparing For Eternity
All rights reserved.
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