JOHN the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, "Repent ye, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand." Matt. 3:1, 2. "Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent ye, and believe the gospel." Mark 1:14, 15. And as Jesus sent forth the twelve to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, he said to them, "And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of Heaven is at hand." Matt. 10:5–7.
We have now reached a very important point in the discussion of this subject. Many will meet us here with the popular view that the kingdom was set up at the time of the first advent. They will use the phrase, "The kingdom of Heaven is at hand," expressed by John, Jesus, and the twelve, with force upon the minds of those who do not study the subject in all its bearings. But, as we have shown, in no sense of the word whatever was the kingdom set up at the time of the first advent of Christ. The words, "kingdom of Heaven," and "kingdom of God," have but two significations: first, the plan to save men by grace; and, secondly, the future condition and reward of the saved. The plan of salvation, or the kingdom of grace, was instituted soon after the fall; and the reward of the saved, or the kingdom of glory, is future.
The Greek word translated "at hand," as used by Jesus, John, and the twelve, is enggizo, and is defined by Greenfield as follows: "To approach, draw near. By metonymy, to be at hand, to impend. Matt. 3:2; 4:17; 10:7; Luke 10:9, 11; Mark 1:15." The immortal kingdom was not at hand, according to this definition, or the obvious meaning of the phrase, in the days of John and of Jesus. In fact, Paul warned the church at Thessalonica against the idea that the day of Christ—the day to destroy earthly kingdoms, and establish the immortal kingdom—was even then at hand. "Be not soon shaken in mind," says the apostle, "or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand." 2 Thess. 2:2.
The Greek word translated "at hand" in this text is enistemi, and signifies, according to Greenfield, "To place in, or upon; to stand near, be at hand, impend. 2 Thess. 2:2." In their bearing upon the subject of the kingdom, there is really no difference in the signification of these two Greek words. But, does Paul contradict John, Jesus, or the twelve? Certainly he does not.
What, then, did John and Jesus mean in proclaiming the kingdom of Heaven at hand? Not that the kingdom of grace was soon to be set up. No; that had been instituted more than four thousand years before that proclamation. Neither did they urge immediate repentance on the ground that the kingdom of Heaven was at hand in the sense of being the next universal kingdom! With this view, their fervent announcement would seem to lose its force. But their proclamation had direct reference to the wonderful manifestations of divine power and grace immediately to follow, during the work of confirming the covenant, Dan. 9:27; first, by Christ, for three and a-half years, and by the apostles, Heb. 2:3, the same period of time.
John looked forward to the ministry of Jesus, which was approved of God "by miracles, and wonders, and signs, which God did by him." Acts 2:22, and proclaimed the kingdom of Heaven at hand. And Jesus looked forward to his own ministry, and also to that of the apostles as "they went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following," Mark 16:20, and proclaimed the kingdom of Heaven at hand. This view of the subject is sustained by the commission given by our Lord to the seventy: "Go your ways. Behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves. And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you." Luke 10:3, 8, 9. The kingdom of God in this connection can mean nothing more, and nothing less, than the manifestation of divine power and grace.
And with this agree the words of Christ addressed to the worthy scribe. "And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God." Mark 12:34. This scribe was sound on the fundamental principles of God's government. He only needed to know Christ and the power of his great salvation, in order to enjoy all the privileges and blessings of the kingdom of grace.
Deception has been the work of Satan ever since he so successfully deceived Eve. He led the Jews to expect in the Messiah a ruling monarch, instead of a meek and lowly teacher, and finally the sacrifice for sinners. The Pharisees supposed the kingdom of Israel would then be established with outward show. "And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation; neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." Luke 17:20, 21. But was the kingdom within the unbelieving Pharisees? The marginal reading—"among you"—helps the case. What was then among them? Christ had just cleansed ten lepers who showed themselves to the priests, and one of them returned to give glory to God. In their midst were the wonderful manifestations of divine power and grace in the miracles of Christ; hence, he said to the Pharisees, "The kingdom of God is among you." The work of divine grace was manifested among them. At the time of the second advent, and the establishment of the eternal kingdom, the people will doubtless be under as great deception relative to the nature of the coming kingdom of Christ, as the Jews were relative to his mission at his first advent. Then he came as the humble teacher of the people, closing his mission with giving himself a sacrifice for sinners. The Jews rejected Jesus because he did not meet their vain expectations. Satan led them to look for the coming of Messiah with outward show, and grandeur, when he was to come in humility. And now that he is soon to appear the second time in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, to raise the righteous dead, and reign in his tangible kingdom forever, Satan has the delusion prepared for the people that Christ's coming is spiritual, at death, at conversion, or in the outpouring of the Spirit of God. Jesus anticipates the heresies of our time and says: "The day will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it. And they shall say to you, See here! or, See there! go not after them nor follow them. For as the lightning that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day." Luke 17:22–24.
In close connection with the establishment of the future immortal kingdom will be the second coming of Christ with power and great glory. This prophetic event does not have its fulfillment in a plurality of ways, each differing from all the rest, as in the popular applications to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman army, to conversion and to death. These mystical applications are expressed by the words of our Lord, "See here or see there," while the one grand event of the second advent is illustrated by the lightning that flashes across the entire heavens.
Christ, the King of kings, and Lord of lords, in his own glory, and in the glory of the Father, attended by all the holy angels, will descend. The earth will tremble and the heavens will blaze with glory. The voice of the Son of God will call the righteous dead from their graves, and the living righteous will be changed. These will be gathered from all parts of the earth, up to meet their descending Lord. "And he shall send his angels 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." Matt. 24:31. The saints of all ages and from all countries and nations, will be in that vast gathering. "Many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven." Matt. 8:11. These will be the immortal subjects of the eternal kingdom. But if the kingdom is already set up in any one church, or in all the Christian churches of our time, where are these patriarchs? Search as closely as you please among the followers of Luther, Calvin, Wesley, or Alex. Campbell, and you positively cannot find Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But when the righteous dead shall all be raised and gathered home to their everlasting rest, the patriarchs, prophets and the saints of all ages will meet in the grand assembly of the redeemed, and together sit down in the kingdom of God.
FITNESS FOR THE FUTURE KINGDOM.
But in order to enter the future kingdom of glory we must first be in the kingdom of grace, sharing all its blessings and privileges. The faithful John bears testimony which has direct bearing on this subject. He looked forward to the new heaven and the new earth, and the holy city, in the glorious restitution where there will be neither pain, sickness, sorrow nor death, as the eternal kingdom of the redeemed. And yet he declared himself while in the present state of tribulation, as being in the kingdom of Jesus Christ. "I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ." Rev. 1:9. The beloved John was in the kingdom of grace.
And Paul, in delineating true Christian experience in his epistle to the Colossians, speaks of deliverance from the power of darkness, a redemption through Christ's blood, and a translation into his kingdom, which can apply only to the present probationary state. He sets forth the emancipation from the bondage of spiritual darkness into the light and liberty of the sons of God and the attainments which believers may reach in fullness of spiritual understanding, and of strength, in order to a moral fitness to be partaker of the eternal inheritance, in words that should stir the soul and burn their way to every Christian heart:
For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and long suffering with joyfulness; giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light; who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son; in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins." Col. 1:9–14. The words delivered, translated, and redemption, may usually express the transition to the immortal state; but in the foregoing quotation they express the power and work of grace in connection with the forgiveness of sins.
The moral fitness for the next life must be attained in this life. The last change to immortality is not a moral change. It is simply an exchange of the corruptible body for one that will be incorruptible. This is expressed by the apostle thus: "Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body."
The exchange of the sinner's vile nature to the glorious character of the Son of God must take place during the period of probation, while Christ pleads his blood before the Father on the sinner's account. If this change does not take place while Christ is our mediator, the change of the vile body will not take place at his second advent. Now the sinner may, in obedience to the law of the Father, by faith in the blood of the Son, attain to the moral fitness for the inheritance of the saints in light.
"There is a fountain filled with blood,
Drawn from Immanuel's veins,
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains."
Washing and ironing, however laborious, must be done in order to have clean clothing. Our robes of character must be made pure before Christ lays off his garments of mediation, and puts on his kingly robes. Now we may wash and be clean. Then it will be said, "The time is at hand. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he which is filthy let him be filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And behold I come quickly, and my reward is with me to give every man according as his work shall be." Rev. 22:10–12. "Wherefore, beloved, seeing ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. 2 Pet. 3:14. This washing of the soul from the stains of sin demands diligence.
Paul says that "Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing." Eph. 5:25–27.
And John sees the washed and glorified multitude, who had pressed their way to Christ and Heaven through the moral darkness of this world, and had come out of great tribulation into the kingdom of glory. "After this I behold, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. Rev. 7:9, 10. "And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? And whence came they? And said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said unto me, These are they which come out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." Verses 13, 14.
What are You Doing for Jesus?
HARK, the voice of Jesus crying,
Who will go and work to-day?
Fields are white and harvest waiting,
Who will bear the sheaves away?
Loud and long the Master calleth,
Rich reward he offers free;
Who will answer, gladly saying,
Here am I, send me, send me?
If you cannot cross the ocean,
And the heathen lands explore,
You can find the heathen nearer,
You can help them at your door.
If you cannot give you thousands,
You can give the widow's mite,
And the least you give for Jesus,
Will be precious in His sight.
If you cannot speak like angels,
If you cannot preach like Paul,
You can tell the love of Jesus,
You can say he died for all.
If you cannot rouse the wicked
With the judgment's dread alarms,
You can lead the little children
To the Saviour's waiting arms.
Let none hear you idly saying,
"There is nothing I can do,"
While the souls of men are dying,
And the Master calls for you.
Take the task He gives you gladly,
Let his work your pleasure be;
Answer quickly when He calleth:
"Here am I, send me, send me?"
The Saint's Inheritance.
By J. N. Loughborough
THE EARTH PROMISED TO THE MEEK.
"BLESSED are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth." Matt. 5 : 5. These are the words of Christ in his discourse on the mount. The earth as the future inheritance is among the blessings pronounced upon those who possess different Christian graces. In relation to these graces, and the promised blessings, a New York Sunday school girl, being asked which she should choose, replied: "I would rather have the one pronounced upon the meek; for if I live so as to have that blessing, I shall get all the rest." True! For he who is truly meek, is seeking to cultivate all the other graces, and will also share all the other blessings.
A meek man is one who is "mild of temper; not easily provoked; given to forbearance under injuries."* Such was Moses. "Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth."† Christ was a perfect pattern of meekness. He "did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously."‡ "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth."§
A meek man is one who is like Christ. The blessing promised such is: "They shall inherit the earth." This is something future, and, therefore, has reference to a future inheritance.
The sentiment of the above text is not peculiar to the New Testament; but is also fully declared in the Old. In Ps. 37, it is three times stated that the Lord's people "shall inherit the earth," and three times that "they shall inherit the land." We understand that these texts present a future inheritance; not an inheritance of the blessings of this life, but of the joys of the earth made new. Some suppose Matt. 5 : 5, is fulfilled in this present life. But where is the person who has received an inheritance here simply because he has lived Christ-like? Is not the decree still upon all men, "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread?" Are the righteous more favored with this world's goods than the wicked? Or does God still make the "sun to shine on the evil and on the good, and send rain on the just and on the unjust?"
David could say: "I have been young, and now am old, yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread." When speaking of abundant prosperity, he treats of it as the lot of the wicked, instead of the saints. Ps. 73 : 3-7: "I was envious at that foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no bands in their death; but their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men. Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment. Their eyes stand out with fatness; they have more than heart could wish." Again, "Fret not thyself because of evil-doers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb." "Fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. For evil-doers shall be cut off; but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be; yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth.*
David considered the lot of the wicked here such that the righteous would be in danger of desiring it, and fretting. He also contrasts the inheritance which the righteous are to receive with the final overthrow of the wicked, which proves it to be an inheritance still future.
The principal reason urged in support of the position that Matt. 5 : 5 applies in this life, is the supposition that when Christ comes to redeem his people, the earth will be destroyed, and man no longer posses it. If this position can be sustained, then, of course, all texts which speak of a reward or punishment on this earth must have their application before that time. Reasoning in accordance with this position, Universalists have made capital of such texts as Prov. 11 : 31. "The righteous shall be recompensed in the earth; much more the wicked and the sinner." Claiming that this text could not have its application after this life, they have reasoned that "whatever recompense is received by the righteous or wicked here, must be for their good or evil deeds performed here. And if the wicked have met the recompense of their evil deeds here, in another life they will have an equal chance with the righteous." But, by comparing two other proverbs of the wise man with this, we see that such a conclusion is without foundation. "For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it. But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it."† In speaking of the righteous after they are planted in their inheritance, he says: "The righteous shall never be removed; but the wicked shall not inhabit the earth."‡ Instead, then, of the Prov. 11 : 31, proving that all are recompensed in this life, we see it points to the final cutting off of the wicked. When the wicked are cut off, the "meek inherit the earth, and dwell therein forever."
If the promise be true, that the earth is to be burned at the second advent, and no more exist, then, of course, all texts speaking of an inheritance on the earth must be fulfilled before such conflagration shall take place, or else they will fail entirely of receiving a fulfillment.
One text has been brought forward to prove that the earth will cease to exist at the coming of Christ. "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also, and the works that are therein, shall be burned up."§ This text does not inform us that the earth is to be burned up; neither could such a conclusion be drawn from it after properly analyzing the language. It will be seen that to make sense, the word "also" must refer to what has been previously said; and instead of reading it—"The earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up," placing the commas after the word heat, and also, it would read, "The elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also," showing that the earth is to be melted only, the same as "the elements." Hence, we perceive that it is the works which are in the earth, and not the earth itself, which are to be burned up in the day of the Lord. The works in the earth which are to be burned up we understand are the "works of the devil," which John says, "Christ has been manifested that he might destroy." See 1 John 3 : 8. These are sin and sinners. The above conclusion, that the earth is to be melted instead of burned up, is confirmed by verse 11. "Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness?" This is the only testimony we have met with which can be supposed to prove that the earth is to be burned up, and this makes no such statement. It is further evident that Peter did not design to teach the utter destruction of the heavens and the earth, from the fact that he immediately adds, "Nevertheless, we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness."
Edward Robinson, D. D., says that the original word, rendered new, in 2 Pet. 3 : 13; Isa. 65 : 17, and 66 : 22, means renewed, or made new, hence, better, superior, more splended. So the corresponding word of the Old Testament means, as a verb, to make new, or renew, repair, restore, as in 1 Sam. 11 : 14; Job 10 : 17; Isa. 61 : 4; Ps. 103 : 5; 2 Chron. 15 : 8; 24 : 4; whence are derived the words rendered new, i. e., renewed, as in new moon, new heart, new creature, etc.
Soloman tells us,¶ "The earth abideth forever," and David says: "Of old hast thou laid the foundations of the earth; and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed."**
Reason would lead us to object to the idea that this earth is to be blotted out from the universe at the close of man's probationary state. It will be freely admitted that, since the early history of this earth, sin, rebellion, anarchy, and confusion, have distressed its borders. The mass of the inhabitants have lived in rebellion against the law of God. We can expect nothing better in this present state; for Paul informs us that "evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived." If there is no future state for this earth after sin and sinners are rooted out of it, it appears to us that its very existence would be a blot in the universe of God.
We are not alone in this conclusion. We will here quote a few of the many testimonies that might be cited. The Dublin Christian Herald says:
"If the earth was to be destroyed, and man never to have the sovereignty of it, Satan would have a victory to boast of forever; neither would that promise be fulfilled, that Jesus should destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3 : 8. Frightful indeed, is the breach which Satan has made in this fair field of God's creation. * It is essential for Christ's glory that the earth should be delivered out of the hand of the enemy."
Thomas Dick, LL. D., says:—
"To suppose, as some have done, that the whole fabric of creation will be shattered to pieces, that the stars will literally fall from their orbs, and the material universe be blotted out of existence, is a sentiment so absurd and extravagant, and so contrary to the general tenor of the Scripture and the character of God, that it is astonishing that it should ever have been entertained by any man calling himself a divine, or a Christian preacher.*
John Cummings, D. D., of London, says:
"When he (Christ) comes, this earth shall be re-cast, restored, re-constituted, re-beautified, and set in more than its first and pristine glory. * Only exhaust from the earth the poison, sin—the footfall of Him who made it be echoed from its hills and valleys, once more, at dewy dawn, and at eventide, and this earth of ours will be instantly transformed into an orb, the like of which is not amid all the orbs of the universe besides."
J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH.
(Continued.)
A Sign of the Day of God.
By D. M. C.
A CONVERSATION.
OBSERVER. My friend, while we are waiting here at the depot, let me call your attention to these cars. They are certainly a wonderful invention, the admiration of all the world. This is an age of wonders; but there is nothing more wonderful than the cars.
TRAVELER. Yes, indeed. I always look on them with awe and admiration. I have sometimes thought they might be a forerunner of the millennium in fulfillment of the prophecies.
OBSERVER. I think they are a remarkable fulfillment of an ancient prophecy. As I have the Bible here, I will read it. I verily believe that no man, however familiar with the cars, could give as accurate a description of a railroad train in so few words as are employed in the book of God for that purpose.
TRAVELER. I am interested to see such a prophecy, if there be one. I never heard our minister mention it.
OBSERVER. I know that many of the ministers pay but little attention to the prophecies, though they comprise a large and most important portion of the Bible. But now look for yourself. Let us read Nahum 2 : 3–5; “The chariots shall be with flaming torches in the day of his preparation, and the fir trees shall be terribly shaken. The chariots shall rage in the streets, they shall justle one against another in the broad ways; they shall seem like torches, they shall run like the lightnings.” I believe that this prophecy is fulfilled before our eyes.
“The chariots shall be with flaming torches.” This, you will readily see, indicates that they will be propelled by fire, or, at least, that fire will be used on them for some purpose while running.
“They shall seem like torches;” that is, they shall look like torches in the dark. How exactly this is fulfilled by the cars! See! there comes a train now. I am glad that it is night so that you can see the force of this prophecy. There! See that illuminated train approaching. Does it not from a distance look like many flaming torches in the dark?
TRAVELER. Really, it does seem to be a very good fit. But has there never been anything like this before the cars?
OBSERVER. No sir, fire was never applied to the propelling of any carriage till these railways were invented, which was less than fifty years ago. And then, these cars exactly fulfill every specification of the prophecy. “The chariots shall rage in the streets.” To rage is to act vehemently, to make much noise and ado. There! look at that train as it comes thundering past us. Hear what a deafening noise it makes when it whistles! How the ground shakes, and everything trembles! How could it be more appropriately described than by saying that it rages? Then again: “They shall justle one against another in the broad ways.” There, you see those switches and side tracks. There are side tracks enough for several trains to pass each other at the same time. Hence these may very appropriately be called “broad ways,” wider than the ordinary track. Now watch that freight train as it switches off to unload and load again. Says the prophecy, “They shall justle one against another in the broad ways.” See them run one against another, making everything ring, in switching off, backing up, and starting again.
The language, “they shall justle one against another,” indicates that several chariots, or coaches, will be attached one on to another as these cars are. This never was true of any other chariots.
TRAVELER. It does seem to fit very well so far, I confess. “They shall run like the lightnings.” That certainly is true of the cars. It is astonishing with what rapidity they do run. Indeed, some trains have been called “lightning trains.” I believe there never was any carriage invented before that could run anywhere near so fast, was there?
OBSERVER. Certainly not. Swift-footed animals were the fastest means of conveyance which men could have till the railways were invented. Till within fifty years, it took long weeks and months to travel a few hundred miles, which can now be traveled in a few hours. Nothing in the past could fulfill this prophecy—“They shall run like the lightnings.” But the cars do strikingly fill the picture.
TRAVELER. It may be that this prophecy does refer to the cars. I do not see how it could well be made plainer.
OBSERVER. But read further: “He shall recount his worthies.” Verse 5. Every time the train passes a station, the conductor goes through and re-examines, or recounts, his passengers to see what new ones have come aboard. How exactly this agrees with the prophecy!
TRAVELER. Why, how plain that is! I never knew that such things were in the Bible.
OBSERVER. This is not all. Read on: “They shall stumble in their walk.” Now, see men try to walk in the cars as they are in motion. They go stumbling along and hastily catching at the seats and sides of the cars to avoid falling.
TRAVELER. Yes, I know that to be so.
OBSERVER. Hence the prophet continues; “They shall make haste to the wall thereof,” &c. Thus every prominent feature of the cars which would strike one on first beholding them, is here described by the prophet. They look like torches, they run like lightning, they rage, they justle against each other, the conductor recounts his passengers, they stumble while walking in them, &c. Could a prophecy be much plainer?
TRAVELER. Indeed, I don’t see how it could very well.
OBSERVER. Having settled this, I wish to call your attention to another point in this prophecy, one which makes it of great interest to me. When was it to be fulfilled? And of what was it to be a sign?
TRAVELER. Is there anything by which we can tell?
OBSERVER. There should be, or the prophecy would be of no use. Read again: “The chariots shall be with flaming torches in the day of His preparation.” “His preparation” means the Lord’s preparation, as may be seen by the previous verse. What this day of preparation is for, may be learned by looking back a little further, in the fifth verse of the previous chapter: “The mountains quake at him [the Lord], and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea the world, and all that dwell therein.”
Turning to 2 Pet. 3 : 10, we learn that this takes place in the end of the world. “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also; and the works that are therein shall be burned up.”
This shows that the prophecy applies to the last days. Verse 9 says that the Lord “will make an utter end.” Verse 15 says, “The wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.” This we know is to take place at the judgment. Many other allusions in this prophecy show that it relates to the last days. Nahum is speaking of the same time that Isaiah is when the latter says, “Behold the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.” Isa. 13 : 9. This, then, is the day for which God is preparing.
TRAVELER. But does not this apply to the ancient city of Nineveh?
OBSERVER. It is true that Nineveh is mentioned. But in prophecy, future events, persons, kingdoms, &c., are frequently described under well known names of the past. Thus, Christ is called David, Jer. 30 : 9; an apostate church is called Jezebel, Rev. 2 : 20; and Babylon, Rev. 17 : 5, and Egypt and Sodom, Rev. 11 : 8. By overlooking this fact many are misled in reading the prophecies.
TRAVELER. Since you mention it, I remember that familiar names are frequently thus used in the Bible.
OBSERVER. That Nineveh is so used here is evident from the first chapter, and from the fact that no such chariots were known in ancient times.27
TRAVELER. Can it be that these wonderful cars are a sign of the day of God?
OBSERVER. Yes, my friend, it is really so; for God has said that the chariots should be with flaming torches, &c., in the day of his preparation. This world has stood for nearly 6000 years; great men have lived, talented men, men of genius, yet they never invented anything to fulfill this prophecy till within less than fifty years. Men needed, wanted, and greatly desired, something like the cars to travel with, in the past as much as now. Yet no man could invent them? Why not? God had said they should be a sign of the day of wrath. His word could not be broken. For nearly half a century this marvelous sign of the day of the Lord at hand has gone thundering and raging through the great cities and towns of the world. Every time a train of cars goes by “like the lightnings,” it says, “The day of His preparation has come.” Every time the engine whistles, it says in thunder tones, “The day of God is at hand.” Fearful day! Day of wrath! Who shall be able to stand?
TRAVELER. I have long thought that many things indicate the end near at hand, though I did not know how near.
OBSERVER. This is very plain to be seen by those who study the word of God, and compare it with the signs of the times. It is remarked by all that this is an age of wonders. Numerous wonderful inventions have been brought out here within a few years’ time, as it were, all together. The railroad, the steamboat, the telegraph, the printing press, and many other improvements have been developed within the past few years. And God’s word declares them to be tokens of the last days. In the “time of the end,” says Daniel, “many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” Dan. 12 : 4.
TRAVELER. These things are certainly remarkable. I am inclined to believe that the Lord has a design in all this.
OBSERVER. Yes, it is the day of His preparation, and he is using these instrumentalities, in preparing the world for the harvest of the great day. The men of business think the cars a good thing because they can make gain out of them; the politician, because they aid him in his work; and the pleasure-seeker, because they contribute to his enjoyment. God and his word of prophecy are not thought of. But the Lord designs them not only as signs of the end, but to be used in speeding on a final message of warning to the world.
TRAVELER. I fear these things are so, and there are other signs which seem to indicate the same thing.
OBSERVER. Oh! yes; there have been signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars, and upon the earth everywhere. For nearly forty years hundreds of men have been proclaiming the coming of the Lord nigh at hand. Thousands of tons of books and tracts have been scattered all over the world. Multitudes are looking for Jesus soon to come in the clouds of heaven. The world has been warned.
TRAVELER. If these are so, they certainly are worthy of attention. I must look into them. But what is meant by the day of “His preparation”?
OBSERVER. While Noah was preaching and preparing the ark during the 120 years, that was the day of God’s preparation for the destruction of the world by the flood, was it not?
TRAVELER. Yes, of course.
OBSERVER. So it is now. For nearly half a century God has been preparing the world for the coming of his Son, by the preaching of his servants, and by numerous signs in heaven and earth. This is meant by the “day of his preparation.”
TRAVELER. If this be so, it is important that the world should know it. The mass of the people are far from being prepared, except it be for destruction to which they seem to be fast hastening.
OBSERVER. Well, my friend, I must now go. May the Lord impress these things upon your mind, help you to look into his word, to discern the signs of the times, and may we finally meet in the soon coming kingdom of God.