Part 7 (2/2)
And finally this earth becomes in its eternal state, as a new earth, surrounded by a new heaven, the eternal dwelling place of G.o.d in the midst of His redeemed people.
[1] The question may be asked by some, ”If Satan and his angels possessed the earth and were dispossessed, to what other place did they go?” Undoubtedly the atmosphere surrounding this earth, called the first heaven. Satan is called ”The prince of the power of the air”
(Eph. ii:2). Notice also the work of putting the firmament in order, the atmosphere, on the second day (Gen. i:7) is not p.r.o.nounced good.
[2] Cain in rejecting G.o.d's way of approach by sacrifice and bringing instead his own works was the first Unitarian and Christian Scientist.
[3] See ”The Present Age” in this volume.
[4] ”Exposition of Revelation,” by A. C. Gaebelein, unfolds this more fully.
[5] See chapter ”The Redemption of the Purchased Possession.”
[6] The Roman Empire in its final form of ten kingdoms.
[7] See ”Revelation,” by A. C. Gaebelein, in explanation of this interesting prophecy.
THE CONVERSION OF THE WORLD AND THE JEWS
The term, the conversion of the world, is nowhere used in the Bible.
That there is, according to the predictions of G.o.d's Holy Word, a wonderful future in store for the earth, when nations will learn war no more, but learn righteousness instead, and wors.h.i.+p Jehovah as King and Lord, is too well known to every intelligent Christian to need restatement. When that jubilee time comes the knowledge of the glory of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the deep; the groaning creation, now so sadly sharing in the curse of man's sin, will be delivered from its groans. It is noteworthy that there are no promises in the New Testament which would authorize the Church of G.o.d to expect the accomplishment of these predictions as the result of her testimony and activity. If this were her work, to convert the world, to lead nations to know G.o.d, to abandon the most horrible result of sin, war--we would have to confess that she has failed miserably. Nor is it true, as some now say, that this world war will, when it ends, bring about these blessed things by man's renewed efforts. If it is the work of present agencies, the expected world conversion lies in an unreachable distance.
According to Prophecy
It is in the Old Testament Prophetic Word where we find the promises that the nations of the world will be brought to know G.o.d, that all the ends of the earth shall turn to the Lord and that all kings shall fall down before Him. It is written that ”All nations shall serve Him,”
”All nations shall call Him blessed,” and that the whole earth will be filled with His glory.[1] Nor is the Old Testament Prophetic Word silent as to how and when all this is to be brought about. As the writer has shown in his ”Harmony of the Prophetic Word,” before this glorious future can come for the nations of the earth the Lord's return must have taken place; and this event is preceded by judgments upon the nations, and partial restoration of G.o.d's ancient people to their own land, the calling of a G.o.d-fearing remnant amongst them, and by the great Tribulation. When these things have come to pa.s.s, immediately after the days of that Tribulation, our Lord will appear in the clouds of Heaven with power and great glory. The Day of Vengeance has come, but in wrath mercy will be remembered. All Israel living in that day will be saved, and His Kingdom will be established upon this earth.
The nations of the earth are then gathered into this kingdom. They will not be gathered into the Church, as is often said, for the Church is no longer here but has entered into glory to reign with Christ over the earth.
Daniel in his vision beheld the Son of Man coming with the clouds of Heaven: ”And there was given Him dominion and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pa.s.s away, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed” (Dan. vii:13-14). As the result of the first coming of our Lord in humiliation and His sacrificial death He receives the Church, which is now forming during this age. When He comes the second time He receives this world-wide Kingdom, in which the nations of the earth will be subjects. When that time comes, and not before, the kingdoms of this world become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, ”and He shall reign forever and ever” (Rev. ii:15). So much for the conversion of the world, and the blessings promised to the nations and to the whole earth. It is inseparably linked with the second coming of Christ.
The Nations which Enter into the Kingdom
In Matthew xxv:31 our Lord speaks of what will take place when He has returned, ”When the Son of Man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory, and before Him shall be gathered all nations, and He shall separate them one from another as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats; and He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.” We are aware that this pa.s.sage is often looked upon as teaching a universal judgment of the whole human race; but it is not that. Not a word is said by our Lord concerning the resurrection of the dead.
The dead are not included in this judgment. This judgment can therefore not be identified with the Great White Throne Judgment of Revelation xx. Nor is the Church in any way connected with this judgment, because when that takes place the saints are with the Lord in glory. It is the judgment of the living nations which the Lord finds on earth at the time of His second coming. This judgment will cover the first part of His reign as King, when He will first rule like David in subduing His enemies, when Gog and Magog, under the leaders.h.i.+p of the Prince of Rosh, will also be dealt with in judgment (Ezekiel x.x.xviii and x.x.xix), and that will be followed by His reign as Prince of Peace, as foreshadowed by the reign of Solomon. Now, at this judgment of the nations, when He divides them as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats, there will be nations which He puts at His right hand, and to which He saith, ”Come ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” These nations are therefore converted nations, righteous nations, declared to be fit for that Kingdom over which He will reign. The question arises, When were these nations converted? Though the Gospel has been preached for about 1900 years yet we do not know of any converted nation on the earth to-day. The nations which we term Christian nations are at present engaged in the most b.l.o.o.d.y war of all history. Yet in as much as the Lord finds converted nations on the earth when He comes back and receives His throne, these nations must have been converted previous to His coming. It is therefore an important and interesting question, When and how were the nations converted which the Lord at the judgment of nations calls blessed, and bids to enter the Kingdom on earth? They were not converted by the preaching of the Gospel as it is done to-day, for if they were converted as the result of the testimony of the Church they would share in the glorious destiny, ”Caught up in clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” The only alternative then is that they will be converted after the true Church has been completed and taken into glory.
Sometimes before our Lord is manifested from Heaven with His holy angels, a turning of nations to G.o.d must therefore take place. It will be during the time when G.o.d deals with this earth in mighty judgments, when the earth and the heavens are shaken, when Antichrist, Satan's masterpiece, is on the earth and produces the Great Tribulation. It will be one of the startling events of the end of the age, after the Church has been removed from the earth. During these years of trouble, judgment, and great tribulation, G.o.d will give a final witness to all nations. Of this our Lord speaks in Matt. xxiv:14, ”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.” Though the Gospel of Grace is being preached world-wide, the preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom as a witness unto all nations has not yet taken place. It falls into the seven years preceding the visible coming of our Lord.
Who Will be Used in the Conversion of These Nations?
But who will be the preachers who proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom if all true Christians have left the earth and the true Church is no longer here? The apostates and destructive critics of to-day, with the ma.s.s of professing Christians who received not the love of the Truth will surely not take up the preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom, for we read in the Word of G.o.d that those who received not the love of the Truth that they might be saved will follow the strong delusion of Antichrist and believe the lie (2 Thess. ii:10-11). Who then are the preachers? An elect company of G.o.d's ancient people, Israel. They are now scattered among all the nations of the earth, judicial blindness is upon them; but it will not be always so, for G.o.d has not cast away His people.
When the Church is gone the Lord will not leave the world without a witness. He will raise up a company of G.o.d-fearing people, Israelites; take away the veil from their hearts and use them as heralds. As it was in the beginning of this present dispensation, so will it be at the close. The first preachers were Jews, and the last heralds before the Lord comes in visible glory will again be Jews. To them will be given the last evangel of G.o.d's mercy to a lost world. ”To every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people” (Rev. xiv:6); and the message, ”Fear G.o.d and give glory to Him for the hour of His judgment is come, and wors.h.i.+p Him that made heaven and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters” (Rev. xiv:7). They will preach the Gospel of the coming Kingdom, that the Kingdom is about to come, and then call upon all nations to repent and turn to G.o.d.
It would be intensely interesting if we could follow the calling of this remnant of Israelites for this testimony as revealed in different portions of the Old Testament. Such a remnant of believing Israelites is antic.i.p.ated in the Psalms, which speak of the coming final deliverance of Israel. There we read of their persecutions, their prayers, and their expectations. The reader will please turn to Psalm xliv:10-26; Psalms lv to lvii; Psalm lxiv, lxxix and lx.x.x; Isa.
lxiii:15 to Isa. lxiv. And how well this remnant is fitted to give a world-wide testimony among all nations, for they are scattered amongst the nations and acquainted with the different languages. Therefore the preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom to all nations will be accomplished before the real end comes.
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