Earlier text: General ArticlesThe Millennium.
By J. O. Corliss
A CORRESPONDENT writes: “In Bible Tract No. 1, entitled ‘Millennium,’ page 2, it states that the period (millennium) is bounded at each end with a resurrection. How is verse 8, chapter 20, to be harmonized with this theory? Are we to understand that these people are dead at the going forth of Satan?” We presume that the writer of these questions had in mind the book of Revelation, as that contains the only chapter in all the Bible that locates the one thousand years, or the time popularly denominated the millennium. (Millennium signifies a thousand years.) This period has been generally supposed to mark an era in the world’s history prior to the close of probation and the advent of Christ, when all men will be at peace with each other, and all will know the Lord from the least to the greatest. Why this view has so generally obtained is not plain, logically considered; because, as before stated, all that may be learned concerning that time is confined to a few verses of the twentieth chapter of Revelation, and these in no way furnish material for the support of such a theory. The data furnished by these few verses are, however, sufficient not only to definitely locate the millennium, but to determine the nature of the event. By reference to verse 4, we learn that a certain class of people live and reign with Christ a thousand years. But who are these? and whence came they? we ask. The same verse answers: “I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they [the class just described] lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” This class, all will admit, will be composed of those who had once been dead. Among them will be those who were beheaded for Christ’s sake; those who no doubt died ignoble deaths in various ways rather than worship the beast; these, with all who had died in Christ in all ages, will help to swell that privileged number. This conclusion is strengthened by reference to the verse following: “But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.” We call attention to some interesting points in this quotation. The words, “rest of the dead,” imply that those previously spoken of as reigning with Christ had also been dead. These, however, are released from death, while the others are held therein during the thousand years. But by what power did these who reign with Christ gain ascendancy over the others? The record informs us by saying: “This is the first resurrection.” But the sixth verse confirms and establishes this position. “Blessed and holy is he,” saith the sacred writer, “that hath part in the first resurrection; on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” In the first case those who reign with Christ during the thousand years are represented to have been once dead. In this instance it is stated that those who are thus privileged, have part in the first resurrection; hence we must conclude that none participate in the joys of the thousand years until after the first resurrection. We are next led to inquire, When does the first resurrection—in which the righteous have part—take place? This is concisely answered by Paul in the following words: “For the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” 1 Thess. 4:16, 17. Two important facts are revealed in these words, relative to the subject under consideration. First we learn that the resurrection of the righteous takes place at the time of our Lord’s second personal appearing. This point established, we are forced to conclude that if the resurrection provides the subjects who reign with Christ during the thousand years, then that period so long looked for by the church must await the advent of Christ. We learn, secondly, from this scripture that when the Lord does raise the dead and change the righteous living, they are caught up in the clouds to meet him in the air. It is plain then that they leave this earth and mount to Heaven to reign that thousand years with Christ. The reason for this is obvious. When we learn the condition of the earth during that time, we must conclude that it would not be a fit abode for the redeemed saints. Turning again to Revelation, chapter twenty, we learn from verse five that some are still dead during the entire millennium. On the other hand we learn that when the Lord appears, and, as we have seen, takes away the righteous, all the wicked who live upon the earth are slain (2 Thess. 1:7; Rev. 11:11-21), the earth then becomes one vast charnel house. In speaking of this time the prophet says: “And the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth; they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground.” Jer. 25:33. That the prophet here introduces the close of the great controversy that has been going on for six thousand years, is evident by referring to verse thirty-one of the same chapter: “The Lord hath a controversy with the nations; he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the Lord.” The fact that this slaughter extends from one end of the earth to the other, and that the victims are not lamented, shows that all those left on the earth are involved in the account. There are none left to lament the terrible calamity. But this is not all. When the Lord comes, the handiwork of man disappears; all that art and science could contrive for man’s comfort vanishes. The prophet speaks again upon this point: “I beheld, and lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld, and lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by his fierce anger. For thus hath the Lord said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.” Jer. 4:25-27. Certainly this is “destruction upon destruction,” which would totally unfit the earth for the abode of the saints during the millennium. We are now prepared to examine briefly another portion of Revelation 20. Commencing with the first verse we read: “And 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 bound him a thousand years, 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; and after that he must be loosed a little season.” We learn by this that Satan is bound during a thousand years. Is it the same period of time that the saints reign with Christ, and the wicked lie dead, between the two resurrections? Evidently it is. Please notice the phraseology of the second verse, where the subject is first introduced. It is there said that the angel binds Satan for a thousand years. The third verse affirms that he will deceive the nations no more till the thousand years are fulfilled. Both these statements must refer to the same period. Again in verses 4 and 5 the saints are shown to be with Christ a thousand years, having been raised from the dead, while the rest of the dead live not again till the thousand years are finished. These too are identical in point of time. Now the seventh verse introduces the loosing of Satan and says that it occurs when the thousand years are expired, showing that the previous mentions of a thousand year period, each covers the same time—that of Satan’s binding, or captivity. It stands to reason that if the saints are in Heaven with Christ during that time, they are beyond the reach of Satan’s deceptions. If the others are all dead, they certainly cannot be influenced by him. His life-long occupation, then, has ceased as long as that period continues. He may wander up and down in the desolate earth, and behold the work of destruction he has wrought, but find no comfort in it. He is really a prisoner until the termination of the thousand years, or until the resurrection of those who were unworthy of a part in the first resurrection. His work may then be renewed for a brief season, only to end in the destruction that overtakes all the finally impenitent. So far, the specifications of the chapter are met. We will, however, examine one more point of the subject. Satan’s prison house is said to be the bottomless pit. With the foregoing conclusions, one may ask, Do you then think that the desolated earth is referred to in that expression, “bottomless pit”? No one certainly could think the expression a literal one; for a bottomless pit would contain nothing, therefore could not become a prison for Satan or any other being. But for an answer to the question, let us together examine one point in a scripture already referred to. In Jer. 4:27, after speaking of the overthrow of the cities when the Lord comes, he says the whole land shall be desolate. The Lord does not make a full end of it; for after the thousand years it will be renewed. See 2 Pet. 3:12, 13; Rev. 21:1. But before its renewal the prophet says concerning its condition, “I beheld the earth, and lo, it was without form and void.” Jer. 4:25. This, it will be noticed, is the very same expression used in the first chapter of Genesis, verse 2, with reference to the earth in its chaotic state. “And the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep.” Then when the earth is reduced to a state of desolation, as brought to view by Jeremiah, it assumes the chaotic condition in which it was before man was created upon the earth. But the inspired record describes that condition in one word: “Darkness was upon the face of the deep.” The original form of this word in the Septuagint (Old Testament in Greek) is the same as that translated “bottomless pit” in Rev. 20:1, 3. And when we consider that in the latter case the word is used in connection with events a portion of which transpire on the earth, the matter seems conclusive. It is seen that at the end of the thousand years the resurrection of the wicked takes place. Unlike those who came up in the first resurrection, these remain on the earth, and Satan goes out to deceive them into an attack upon the beloved city of the saints. This city, the new Jerusalem, John saw coming down from God out of Heaven. The sight of the city and the saints fires Satan and his followers with frenzy, and while he and his host are engaged in attacking the city, fire comes down from God out of Heaven and devours them. These retributive fires purge the earth. Then “he that sat upon the throne said, Behold I make all things new,” and the earth becomes the final abode of the saved. Rev. 21:5-7. “And let him that heareth say, Come.” The Testimony of the Pronouns.
By William N. Glenn
It is universally conceded that we have the Bible in the English language. It is true that the version in common use is the English of three centuries ago, and some forms of expression are somewhat out of date, and a few of the words convey different ideas from those attached to them when King James' translation was first published. But the general principles of construction of the language, and the relation of the parts of speech to each other, remain unchanged. For instance, the pronoun is used to represent a noun; and this rule always carries the idea that the representation is perfect; the pronoun signifies just what the noun for which it stands signifies—no more, no less. For example: Though Columbus discovered a continent, he died in poverty. It is clear that the pronoun "he" implies all that is implied by the noun "Columbus," and no more. There is no exception to this rule, whether the pronoun stand for a person, place, or thing; and there is no reason why it will not apply to Bible English as well as to that of other books. Example: "Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us; this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation." Isa. 25:9. There can be no disputing that "he," "his," and "him," in this example, are the exact equivalents of "God" and "Lord." With this recognized principle of the English language before us, let us examine a few texts of Scripture bearing upon man's nature. Gen. 2:7: "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul." Here the pronoun "his" represents "man," and must comprehend all that is meant by that term—no more, no less. Remember, he was man before the breath entered his nostrils and he became a living soul, and he was man afterward. There had been nothing added to him, only he was made to live and breathe, just as all living creatures do that live upon the land. See Gen. 7:21, 22. In Gen. 2:16, 17, it is recorded: "And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." In these verses the pronoun "thou" stands for "man," and must fully represent that term, including that which was formed of the dust, that which ate, and that which understood the command of the Lord. So we find all these characteristics of the man grouped together as a unit, and represented by pronouns of the singular number. Again, see chap. 3:17-19: "And unto Adam [earth] he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it, . . . in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken; for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." All this was addressed to Adam—all there was of him—and the singular pronouns "thou," "thy," and "thee" stand, severally, for Adam—all there was of him—ending in death. The use of the pronouns in the account of man's creation and fall, unmistakably show that he is a unit by nature, and when he dies the whole being dies. The recognized rules of the English language regarding the use of this class of words will admit of no other construction. The inevitable conclusion is that any future life for man must be through a resurrection or translation, just as we are taught by the apostle Paul. See 1 Cor. 15:21, 22: "Since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." And verses 51-53: "Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." In all this there is harmony. Are We Understood?
By R. F. Cottrell
We hold that there is a descriptive prophecy of a final warning to be given to mankind, which will be immediately followed by the day of wrath. Rev. 14:6-12. It is a message of the gospel, and it will be given through chosen servants of God, as it has ever pleased him to communicate instruction and warning, as well as the promises of the gospel. We believe that the prophecies in general have been so far fulfilled that the time has come when this warning should be given, and, further, that it is actually being preached and published to the world. If we are right in our view in this respect, it is a matter of the greatest possible importance to all to know it; to hear and heed the warning. If we are wrong in this particular, we are deluded, and no one should receive our preaching, but prove its falsity and lead us out of the delusion, and so save our souls. Conversing with a kind neighbor, I was stating our faith in the fact that the time had come for the final message, that of the third angel, to be given, reasoning as above on the importance of it, our position being true, as we believe it is; and his reply was, that he did not doubt that we believe we are right, as all other denominations do. That is not the point. The question is not whether we are "righter" in things in general than other denominations are. The question is, Are we right in this particular thing? has the time come for the predicted and described warning to be given? and is it actually being given? Can it be shown from the successive fulfillment of prophecy, in the order given in the book of God, that the time has come, and that the proclamation of this solemn warning is an existing fact, and a sign of our times? If this is so—and no one can prove that it is not—then we are doing, as instruments, the work of God, the special work for our times, as designed and foretold in his word. If we are right in this, God is in the work. Therefore, if there is a bare possibility of our being right, all should have the deepest interest to know it. And if we are not right in this particular point, those who are right should show, by sound reasons from the word of God, that we are wrong. The position is absolutely either right or wrong. There is no middle ground. And we have no rivals in this matter in other denominations. None but Seventh-day Adventists profess to preach the message of the third angel. None explain it, defining its terms. No one convicts us of error in regard to its meaning. Those who are most friendly to us only look on with doubt, taking no position on these messages. Our work stands by itself; it is like no other; and the only question is, Is it right? It is of God, or of men. If it shall prove to be of God, it must be heeded. When God speaks, men should hear. To oppose it, would be to fight against God. But if we are in a delusion, it is a fearful delusion, and we would be exceeding glad to be undeceived. We would not be found false witnesses of God. But we are shut up to the conclusion to which we have come, till some one can explain the prophecies of Daniel and John, show us what they mean, and tell us what our mistake is. Till then, we must preach to the world what we believe to be the truth for our times; for if our position is in harmony with the word of God, a fearful responsibility rests upon us to proclaim it to the world. R. F. COTTRELL. The Resurrection of the Just.
By Dean Alford
"I CANNOT consent to distort its words from their plain sense and chronological place in the prophecy on account of any consideration of difficulty, or any risk of abuses, which the doctrine of the millennium may bring with it. Those who lived next to the apostles, and the whole church for three hundred years, understood them in the plain literal sense; and it is a strange sight in these days to see expositors, who are among the first in reverence of antiquity, complacently casting aside the most cogent instance of unanimity which primitive antiquity presents. As regards the text itself, no legitimate treatment of it will extort what is known as the 'spiritual interpretation now in fashion.' If in a passage where two resurrections are mentioned, where certain souls lived at the first, and the rest of the dead lived only at the end of a specified period after that first, if in such a passage the first resurrection may be understood to mean spiritual rising with Christ, while the second means literal rising from the grave, then there is an end of all significance in language, and Scripture is wiped out as a definite testimony to anything. If the first resurrection is spiritual, then so is the second, which I suppose no one will be hardy enough to maintain; but if the second is literal, then so is the first, which, in common with the whole primitive church, and many of the best modern expositors, I do maintain and receive as an article of faith and hope."—Dean Alford, on Rev. 20. Condition of Society.
By Bishop Coxe
WHAT an age we live in! An age to which the Lord has given great power to get wealth, opening men's minds to new forms of using and economizing the resources of the physical system. And, in return, man only grows vain and self-sufficient, and makes gods of his right hand and his proud brain. Nay, your flippant scientist, who ought to be humbled by the universe which lies about him like an ocean, as impenetrable as ever, is conceited enough to exalt himself because of the few pebbles he has gathered upon the sands, and turns traitor to the human race in refusing to recognize its Creator. And when all this arrogance of false science gets down to the lowest class, look at its effect upon the vulgar mind in the practical atheism that is increasing among us. Monstrous marriages and criminal divorces are multiplied, and adulteries and abortions are a staple of our daily news. In many parts of our country, courts and judges give reins to universal licentiousness. Our own quiet villages and orderly cities are invaded by social outlaws, the reek of whose blasphemy and obscene ideas is rank beyond all description. Our journalism condemns this, or treats it with deserved contempt, but, nevertheless, patronizes it by advertising its enormities and becoming its "tract society," printing and distributing its filth and profaneness.—Bishop Coxe. The Holiness Needed.
By Theodore L. Cuyler
For the holiness that fights against sin, battles with temptation, keeps unspotted from the world, and lays self on the altar, there is a crying need in our time. It is a sympathetic spirit going about doing good, yet it has no sympathy with evil customs and the fashions of the world. It strives to keep clean. Against the downward pull of the world it braces itself and says, "If others do this, yet will not I." It dares to be singular and unfashionable. It keeps out of places where it would be smirched, and finds such enjoyment in its prayer-service, its Bible-study, its deeds of charity, and in the innocent joys of life, that it does not hanker after the playhouse and kindred sensualities. Walking in the Spirit, it does not stoop to the lusts of the flesh.—T. L. Cuyler. The Sabbath-School.
By Ellet Joseph Waggoner
LESSON FOR THE PACIFIC COAST—FEB. 28.
Punishment of the Wicked—Continued.
1. What is given to those who believe on Christ? John 3 : 36. 2. What is to be the fate of those who believe not the Son? 3. What does the Psalmist say will be the result to the wicked, if the Lord's wrath is kindled only a little? Ps. 2 : 12. 4. Then what will be their condition if his wrath abides on them? 5. What contrast did the wise man make between the continuance of the righteous and that of the wicked? Prov. 10 : 25. 6. With what words of the Psalmist does this agree? Ps. 1 : 1-4. 8. To what other perishable substances are sinners compared? Hos. 13 : 3. 10. How has the beloved disciple described the fate of the wicked? Rev. 20 : 9. 14. After the fire of the last day, what will the wicked be? Mal. 4 : 3. 15. In view of this fact, what does one of the prophets say of the wicked? Obadiah 16. 16. What corroborative testimony can you give on this point? Ps. 37 : 9, 10. 17. Quote another text which proves that a time will come when there will be no wicked in existence in the universe. Rev. 5 : 13. 18. Who is the author of the doctrine that the wicked shall not die? Gen. 3 : 4. 20. For what purpose did the devil invent that doctrine? Eze. 13 : 22. IF the reader will only take pains to look up the references given in this lesson, he certainly will not need comments to aid his understanding of the subject. Just note the strong expressions that are used concerning the wicked: They "shall not see life." John 3 : 36. They pass away as does the whirlwind. Prov. 10 : 25. They are "like the chaff which the wind driveth away." Ps. 1 : 4. This chaff is to be burned up with a fire so intense that it cannot be extinguished. Matt. 3 : 12. "They shall be as the morning cloud, and as the early dew that passeth away, as the chaff that is driven with the whirlwind out of the floor, and as the smoke out of the chimney." Hosea 13 : 3. "As the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust." Isa. 5 : 24. "They shall be devoured as stubble fully dry." Nahum 1 : 10. They shall consume "into smoke." Ps. 37 : 20. "The day that cometh shall burn them up," and "they shall be ashes" under the feet of the righteous. Mal. 4 : 1, 3. "They shall be as though they had not been." Obadiah 16. "For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be; yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be." Ps. 37 : 10. ONE who reads these texts may well wonder how those who profess to believe the Bible implicitly can hold to the doctrine that the wicked shall exist in torment to all eternity. That doctrine squarely contradicts every one of the texts which we have quoted. Yet the contradiction is no more emphatic than was the serpent's contradiction of the words of the Lord, when he said to the woman, "Thou shalt not surely die." Gen. 3 : 4. This was the origin of the doctrine of eternal life for the wicked. It is the only doctrine held by religionists, that can be traced directly to the devil. His object in inventing this doctrine was to induce Eve to transgress the command of the Lord; and it has been for the purpose of holding men in the bondage of sin, that he has kept the doctrine prominently before all mankind ever since. IN Ezekiel 13 : 22 we have the testimony of the Lord on this subject. When threatening punishment upon certain evil ones, he says it is, "Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life." Let us see how this result has been accomplished. WE do not know the exact motive of the one who introduced this doctrine of eternal life for the wicked, into the Christian church. It was no doubt mainly a result of his heathen training, and without any definite motive. But so far as he had any definite idea, it was designed to deter men from sin and to frighten them into repentance. This is why all denominations have advocated it in times past. We have often heard it said by ministers, that if the doctrine of eternal torment were not preached, sinners would have no fear of the consequences of sin. Just as if the Lord did not know what he was about when he made death the penalty for sin! The Lord has said, "The wages of sin is death," and, "The soul that sinneth, it shall die;" but these persons say, in effect: "No, no, Lord; you must not tell people that for if you do they will all keep sinning." And so, making light of the real penalty, and ignoring the love of God as the great factor in turning men to righteousness, they presume to improve upon his word. AND so the doctrine of eternal torment was for many years taught in all its horrible enormity. People accepted it as the word of God, because the priests and ministers said that it was such. Thousands were frightened into a nominal profession of Christianity, and to the infliction of severe punishments upon themselves, thinking by so doing to avert the wrath of God. It is safe to say that no real converts were made in consequence of the propagation of this doctrine; but "the church" gained immense sums of money by the sale of "indulgences," or releases from punishment, to poor, deluded sinners; this money was spent by the popes in self-aggrandizement and riotous living, and the devil was doubtless satisfied. BUT there was always a class of people who, believing that the word of God taught this horrible doctrine, repudiated the Bible entirely. They would have nothing to do with a book which taught, as they supposed, such barbarous cruelty. And thus the doctrine has fostered infidelity. Others believed the doctrine, and settled down into stolid indifference, while others determined to have as good a time as possible while they were on earth. The terrible French Revolution, when all religion was proscribed, and God and the Bible were insulted and ignored, was a recoil from this terrible doctrine of eternal torment. And now, in our own day, we find that the church itself is passing from that extreme of error, to the other extreme. Instead of being the leading topic of sermons, as formerly, the doctrine of eternal torment is seldom mentioned. On the contrary hundreds, yes thousands, of ministers who are called "orthodox," openly hold that God will not punish anybody; or that if he does, it will only be for a time, and that then all men will be restored to his favor. Now anybody who stops to think can see that if men believe this, there is absolutely no incentive for them to change their course of life. The fear of punishment has been taken away, and if they are taught that all men will ultimately be saved, whether they now wish to be or not, they can see no necessity for believing on Christ. And so we see the object that Satan had in the beginning is attained, the wicked are strengthened in their wickedness and carnal security, by the promise of life. The safest and best way is to hold and teach only the simple truth, and leave the results with the Author of truth. E. J. W. NOTES ON THE INTERNATIONAL LESSON.
Paul's Speech on the Stairs.
"BRETHREN and fathers, listen to the defense I have now to make to you!" The sound of their own language, showing that the speaker was at any rate no mere Hellenist, charmed their rage for the moment, and produced a still deeper silence. In that breathless hush Paul continued his speech. It was adapted to its object with that consummate skill which, even at the most exciting moments, seems never to have failed him. While he told them the truth, he yet omitted all facts which would be likely to irritate them, and which did not bear on his immediate object. That object was to show that he could entirely sympathize with them in this outburst of zeal, because he had once shared their state of mind, and that nothing short of divine revelations had altered the course of his religion and his life. He was, he told them, a Jew, born indeed in Tarsus, yet trained from his earliest youth in Jerusalem, at the feet of no less a teacher than their great living Rabban Gamaliel; that he was not merely a Jew, but a Pharisee who had studied the inmost intricacy of the Halacha; and was so like themselves in being a zealot for God, that he had persecuted "this way," to the very death, haling to prison not only men, but even women, in proof of which he appealed to the testimony of the ex-high priest Theophilus, and many still surviving members of the Sanhedrim who had given him letters to Damascus. What, then, had changed the whole spirit of his life? Nothing less than a divine vision of Jesus of Nazareth, which had stricken him blind to earth, and bidden him confer with Ananias, who had healed his blindness, and told him that it was "the God of our fathers" who foreordained him to know his will and see "the just One," and hear the message from his lips, that he might be for him "a witness to all men" of what he had heard and seen. He then mentions his baptism and his return to Jerusalem, and comes to the point that, while he was worshiping—now twenty years ago—in that very temple, he had fallen into a trance, and again seen the risen Jesus, who bade him hurry with all speed out of Jerusalem, because there they would not receive his testimony. But so far from wishing to go, he had even pleaded with the heavenly vision that surely the utter change from Saul the raging persecutor—Saul who had imprisoned and beaten the believers throughout the synagogues—Saul at whose feet had been laid the clothes of them that slew his witness, Stephen—the change from such a man to Saul the Christian and the preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ—could not fail to win credence to his testimony. But He who spake to him would not suffer him to plead for a longer opportunity of appealing to his fellow-countrymen. Briefly but decisively came the answer which had been the turning-point for all his subsequent career. "Go, for I will send thee far away to THE GENTILES!"71That fatal word, which hitherto he had carefully avoided, but which it was impossible for him to avoid any longer, was enough. Up to this point they had continued listening to him with the deepest attention. That word "GENTILES," confirming all their worst suspicions, fell like a spark on the inflammable mass of their fanaticism. No sooner was it uttered than they raised a simultaneous yell of "Away with such a wretch from the earth; he ought never to have lived!" Then began one of the most odious and despicable spectacles which the world can witness, the spectacle of an Oriental mob, hideous with impotent rage, howling, yelling, cursing, gnashing their teeth, flinging about their arms, waving and tossing their blue and red robes, casting dust into the air by handfuls, with all the furious gesticulations of an uncontrolled fanaticism. Happily Paul was out of the reach of their personal fury. It might goad them to a courage sufficient to make them rend the air with their cries of frenzy, and make the court of the temple look like the refuge for a throng of demoniacs; but it hardly prompted them to meet the points of those Roman broadswords. In great excitement the commandant ordered the prisoner to be led into the barracks, and examined by scourging; for, being entirely ignorant of what Paul had been saying, he wanted to know what further he could have done to excite those furious yells. The soldiers at once tied his hands together, stripped his back bare, and bent him forward into the position for that horrid and often fatal examination by torture which, not far from that very spot, his Lord had undergone. Thrice before, on that scarred back, had Paul felt the fasces of Roman lictors; five times the nine-and-thirty strokes of Jewish thongs; here was a new form of agony, the whip—the horrible flagellum—which the Romans employed to force by torture the confession of the truth. But at this stage of the proceedings, Paul, self-possessed even in extremes, interposed with a quiet question. It had been useless before, it might be useless now, but it was worth trying, since both the soldiers and their officers seem already to have been prepossessed by his noble calm and self-control in the midst of dangers so awful and so sudden. He therefore asked in a quiet voice, "Is it lawful for you to scourge a Roman who has not been tried?" The question was addressed to the centurion who was standing by to see that the torture was duly administered, and he was startled by the appeal. This was evidently no idle boaster, no man who would invent a privilege to escape pain or peril. Few under any circumstances would ever venture to invent the proud right of saying Civis Romanus Sum, for the penalty of imposture was death; and the centurion had seen enough to be quite sure that this prisoner, at any rate, was not the man to do so. He made the soldiers stop, went off to the commandant, and said to him, with something of Roman bluntness, "What are you about? This man is a Roman." This was important. If he was a Roman, the Chiliarch had already twice broken the law which entitled him to protection; for he had both bound him, and, in contravention of an express decree of Augustus, had given orders to begin his examination by putting him to the torture. Moreover, as being one who himself placed the highest possible value on the jus civitatis, he respected the claim. Hurrying to him, he said— "Tell me, are you a Roman?" But Lysias, as he looked at him, could not help having his doubts. He was himself a Greek or Syrian, who had bought the franchise, and thereupon assumed the praenomen Claudius, at a time when the privilege was very expensive. Whether Paul was a Roman or not, he was clearly a Jew, and no less clearly a very poor one; how could he have got the franchise? "I know how much it cost me to get this citizenship," he remarked, in a dubious tone of voice. "But I have been a citizen from my birth," was the calm answer to his unexpressed suspicion. The claim could not be resisted. Paul was untied, and the soldiers dropped their scourges. But Lysias was not by any means free from anxiety as to the consequences of his illegal conduct. Anxious to rid his hands of this awkward business in a city where the merest trifles were constantly leading to most terrible consequences, he told the chief priests to summon next day a meeting of the Sanhedrim in order to try the prisoner.—Life and Work of St. Paul, by F. W. Farrar.