WE have seen how the destruction of the Assyrian Empire was accomplished, and how that empire was divided among the three allied powers,—Media, Babylonia, and Egypt, and their kings, Cyaxeres, Nabopolassar, and Necho. The marriage of Nebuchadnezzar, the son of the king of Babylon, to Amyitis, the daughter of the king of Media, firmly bound and faithfully maintained the alliance between these two powers.
But there was nothing of this kind to favor the king of Egypt. Necho was not left very long to enjoy the portion that pertained to him in the partition of the empire. As we have related, this triple alliance was formed and the invasion of Assyria was begun about the year 610 B. C. The march to Nineveh, the siege, and the settlement of the division of the empire, seem to have occupied about two years. Thus for three full years, to B. C. 607, Necho was left undisturbed in his possessions from the Euphrates, westward. In the year 607 B. C., Nabopolassar associated Nebuchadnezzar with himself, as king, on the Babylonian throne. Then it was decided to add the possessions of Necho to the Babylonian dominions. Accordingly, the same year Nebuchadnezzar marched out of Babylon against Necho. At the crossing of the Euphrates at Carchemish, he found the Egyptian army drawn up to meet him. A great battle was fought, which was utterly disastrous to the Egyptians, who "fled away" in confusion.
"Nebuchadnezzar closely pursued his adversary as far as the frontier of Egypt; but having learned, whilst before Pelusium, that his father was dead (604), he retraced his steps to take possession of a throne that, so recently established, might be shaken by a change of kings. Under these circumstances, says Berosus, the Babylonian historian, he put the affairs of Egypt, Syria, and the adjacent countries, in order; and leaving in charge of his trusted generals the numerous prisoners he had taken, as well as the command of the garrisons left in the conquered provinces, he departed with a small escort, crossed the desert by forced marches, and thus arrived speedily at Babylon, where the chief of the caste of the Chaldeans resigned into his hands the government he had administered since the death of Nabopolassar."
Then says the graphic writer of the Kings:—
"The king of Egypt came not again any more out of his land; for the king of Babylon had taken from the river of Egypt unto the River Euphrates all that pertained to the king of Egypt." 2 Kings 24:7.
With reference to the Babylonian Empire, as an empire, it may fairly be said that Nebuchadnezzar was its real founder, for all the conquests that were ever made by the Babylonians after the establishment of their independence upon the destruction of the Assyrian Empire, were made by Nebuchadnezzar, even while his father lived. Yet, because of the establishment of that independence by Nabopolassar, the history of that kingdom which grew into the Babylonian Empire, properly enough begins with him. However, when the Assyrian Empire fell, and the allied kings made the division of its territory, Nabopolassar did not date the beginning of his reign from the year of that division, 610 B. C.; but he dated it from the year that Bel-zakir-iskun, king of Assyria, bestowed upon him the title of "King of Babylon," as his reward for bringing again into subjection that revolted province. So that the beginning of the history of the kingdom of Babylon of the Bible and of Nebuchadnezzar is in the year 625 before Christ.
And thus we are brought to the establishment of the kingdom of Babylon of the Bible, and to the accession of Nebuchadnezzar as ruler of that kingdom.
Just here another most important personage comes into notice. In that same expedition against Necho, which we have already sketched, Nebuchadnezzar besieged, at Jerusalem, Jehoiakim, whom Necho had made king of Judah. 2 Kings 23:34; 24:1; Dan. 1:1. Nebuchadnezzar took the city, and "Jehoiakim became his servant." Nebuchadnezzar also took "part of the vessels of the house of God," and "certain of the children of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the princes," and had them carried to Babylon in 607 B. C. Among the captives that were carried to Babylon from this expedition was DANIEL, who was soon raised by the Lord to the dignity of a prophet of God; and by the king to that of ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon; and upon the illustration of whose sublime prophecies we are now to enter.
Of the prophecies of Daniel, the Son of God said, "Whoso readeth, let him understand." Matt. 24:15.
In the very first verse of the book of Daniel, is introduced Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. Then it is related how he took Jerusalem and carried some of the people captive to Babylon, and how that certain ones of these who were "well favored" were chosen, whom they might teach the learning of the Chaldeans. In the first verse of the second chapter it is said that "Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him;" and in verse twenty-eight, same chapter, we find Daniel declaring to the king that "There is a God in Heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the King Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days."
That which troubled the king, in connection with his dream, was that he could not recall what he had seen. And of all the real or reputed "wise men" of Babylon, none but Daniel, and he only by being shown it in a night vision, could bring it again to his mind. But when Daniel related the dream, the description was so accurate that Nebuchadnezzar immediately recognized it to the full. Daniel said:—
"Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them; and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth." Dan. 2:33-35.
As we have seen, Daniel had told the king that, in this, God was making known to this king what shall be "in the latter days." He therefore immediately proceeded to tell the king the meaning of all this. He said:—
"This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king. Thou, O king, art a king of kings; for the God of Heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all." Verses 36-38.
There is a passage in Jeremiah that corresponds with this and explains it somewhat more fully:—
"In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word unto Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, Thus saith the Lord to me: Make thee bonds and yokes, and put them upon thy neck, and send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the Ammonites, and to the king of Tyrus, and to the king of Zidon, by the hand of the messengers which come to Jerusalem unto Zedekiah king of Judah; and command them to say unto their masters, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say unto your masters: I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me. And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him." Jer. 27:1-6.
When Nebuchadnezzar first took Jerusalem, in his expedition against Necho, Jehoiakim served him three years and then he turned and rebelled against him. Nebuchadnezzar returned and again besieged the city, took it, and bound Jehoiakim in fetters and carried him to Babylon, and made Jehoiachin king in his stead. Jehoiachin soon rebelled, and Nebuchadnezzar was compelled to again come against Jerusalem. This time he stripped the temple of the Lord of all its gold and all its treasures, and carried away to Babylon Jehoiachin and all his court, and 10,000 of the people, leaving only "the poorest sort of the people of the land," and made Zedekiah king in Jerusalem. Zedekiah served the king of Babylon eight years and then rebelled. In the ninth year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar again laid siege to Jerusalem. After a siege of a year and a half the city was taken, and the temple and all the great men's houses were burned with fire, the walls of Jerusalem were broken down "round about," and Zedekiah, with many more of the people, was carried to Babylon, and Gedaliah was made governor over the very few poor people that were left in the land. In about two months came Ishmael, and ten men with him, and murdered Gedaliah, "And all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the armies, arose, and came to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldees." See 2 Kings 24 and 25; 2 Chron. 36; Jer. 32.501Uaphrahet, the Pharaoh-hophra of Jer. 44:30, was at this time king of Egypt. He received ambassadors from Zedekiah, and sent an army to help him in his rebellion against Nebuchadnezzar (Eze. 17:15, 17; Jer. 37:1-10; 39:1-10). Uaphrahet was defeated, however, but he had done enough to incur the severe displeasure of the king of Babylon, and then when he received and harbored the murderers of Gedaliah, whom Nebuchadnezzar had made governor, his insolence could be borne no longer, and Nebuchadnezzar desolated Egypt.
"The haughty king of Babylon was not yet satisfied; he aspired to the conquest of Phoenicia, coveting its immense riches. For a long time, too, the grand utterances of the prophets had announced to the people of Tyre, now in the sixth century of their supremacy over other cities, the misfortunes impending over them. 'Behold,' said Ezekiel, 'I will bring upon Tyrus Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, a king of kings, from the north, with horses, and with chariots, and with horsemen, and companies, and much people. He shall slay with the sword thy daughters in the field, and he shall make a fort against thee, and cast a mount against thee, and lift up the buckler against thee. And he shall set engines of war against thy walls, and with his axes he shall break down thy towers.' Eze. 26:7-9."
"The Tyrians resisted for a long time, with the constancy and obstinacy they had already shown against Sargon, and the siege of their city lasted thirteen years. But at last Tyre was carried by assault, by the king of Babylon in person (574), who treated the Tyrians as he had the Jews, and carried into Chaldea the most distinguished families of the country. The colonies Tyre then possessed on the northern coast of Africa and in Spain, such as Carthage, not yet independent, and Gades (now Cadiz), recognized the suzerainty of the conqueror of the mother country. Tyre once taken, Nebuchadnezzar, before returning to Babylon, attacked the people of Idumea, Moab, and Ammon, who had associated themselves with the last Jewish attempt at revolt, and compelled them to submission. He made also a campaign in Arabia, passed victoriously through Hedjaz, and Nedjid, and penetrated as far as the Sabean kingdom of Yemen. These wars, predicted by the prophets, terminated the series of Chaldean conquests in Western Asia." —Ancient History of the East, book 4, chap. 5, sec. 3, par. 5, 6.
(To be concluded next week.)
Joyful Service.
By Dr. Donald Fraser
If you want to know the character of a house, ask the servants—especially the old servants. If you want to know what sort of a condition the public services are in, sometimes you will hear various accounts of them. But it is different with the service of our Lord. Ask the old servants, and you will get the best account of it. There may be servants who have tried it for a little while and become froward and willful. Those who have been at it longest have the best things to say about it. Ask such an one as Paul the aged. Observe the cheerfulness of the latest epistles of Paul. You have a good deal about his trouble and suffering in the mid-time, but when he came to be Paul the aged, when he is writing his pastoral to Timothy and Titus, he is extremely cheerful and consolatory. He has been long in the service. Ask the Apostle John, who began in earliest life and lasted longest in earthly service. You will hear how he had not found it an easy service—nobody does who goes thoroughly through with the Lord. John had, after the Master left, been arrested and threatened along with his friend at Jerusalem. Afterwards he had been exiled, as we know, to Patmos, for the word of God. He had lost his own brother James, and his dearest friend, Simon Peter, by martyrdom in the service of Jesus Christ. But what does he say of it at the end? Look at his epistle: "His commandments are not grievous." He came more and more to see, as all aged Christians do see more than they saw it in youth, how thoroughly reasonable is this service; how good it is; how right it is—nay, how blessed it is.
John had heard his Master saying, and put his "Amen" to it at the end of his service—"My yoke is easy, and my burden is light." It may be a question, having regard to the context, whether, when our Lord says, "Take my yoke upon you," he just meant the yoke assigned to us, or the yoke that he had borne, and which he called us to share. Take the latter meaning. Just as when he says to the disciples, "My peace I give unto you," he intends not merely a peace that he can confer, but the very peace that possessed his own soul in the midst of his tribulation, and says: "That peace I give unto you. In the world ye shall have tribulation, but in me you will have peace."
So in regard to those obligations of duty; he calls those who come to him to follow him in the way, and to bear the yoke with the courage and the burden he endured when he was here as the Father's elect servant. So we are not merely commanded, by the thought that God has a right to give his orders, and we cannot take a higher place than to be his servant, but we have, as has been again and again pointed out, to follow the Master, who himself has served, and knows all the difficulties of the service.
It gives a master great power over his workmen when they know quite well that he is not a mere amateur in the thing himself; not merely master because he has money enough to employ them, but is a master who has done the work himself and knows it better than they do; has done it well, has done it thoroughly, and joins them in the work, and says, "Come and work with me; what you do not know how to do, I will show you." It is such a Master whom we serve.—Dr. Donald Fraser.
Patient Waiting.
By H. Clay Trumbull
"I waited patiently for the Lord, and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry." In some things we are a good deal like David. In other things he and we are quite unlike. We commonly touch him at the point of his weaknesses and failures, rather than at the point of his strength and fidelity. Here is a point where most of us are not just like David. All of us have cried unto the Lord; but not all of us have waited patiently for the Lord to answer our cry. Patient waiting is not a common attribute of childhood. Impatience and restlessness are the ordinary spirit of children—young or old. Our children are apt to be impatient. We are apt to be impatient as God's children. But this thing is true: if any of us have waited patiently for the Lord, our experience has been like that of David. We have found that the Lord has inclined unto us, and heard our prayer. Patient waiting on the Lord is not an easy thing to do; but it is one of the best things in the world for any child of God to do. It brings the patient waiter into the likeness of David so far. It pleases God. It secures everything that impatience could secure for us and a great deal more. Why shouldn't we wait patiently on the Lord? —H. Clay Trumbull.
Romish Dupes of To-Day.
ROME, Canada, and Peru bear testimony to the fact that the dupes of Romish priests are not all dead. Nor have all had their blind eyes opened. Madame Bompiani writes of puerile scenes of idol worship in Rome, scenes not of the middle ages but of to-day. A Canadian correspondent tells us that when the body of the deceased Archbishop Bourget lay in state, "priests and nuns remained near it to direct those who came to touch the prelate's hands and vestments for various pious objects, many believing it possible to obtain deliverance from disease and pain by the process of touch. It has been stated that 'no less than three million articles of different kinds were brought into contact with the remains of the reputed saint.'" This statement of our correspondent confirms a former item on the subject, which appeared in our columns. We can only say that if each article thus magnetized or vitalized, or whatever it was, should heal somebody, the archbishop will have accomplished more in his death than he could hope to have accomplished in a century of life.
A recent telegram from Chorillos, Peru, says: "Yesterday was the Feast of St. Peter, and the image of the saint, accompanied by a silent and respectful crowd, embarked in a fishing boat and was furnished with fishing-lines. After sailing twice around the bay, a large fish was caught, and the image was then returned to its pedestal in the Chorillos church."
The telegram is a little indefinite. It does not positively assert that the image did the fishing, but since it was furnished with the lines we presume it was intended that we should believe that the image caught the fish. We are hardly prepared to accept the account as true, for one fish is anything but an apostolic haul. Yet upon reflection we remember that Peter and his confrères once toiled all night and caught nothing, so that one fish was about all that could be expected from a wooden image of the apostle. But there is a very serious side to all this. We have here threefold testimony that the Romish church still trades upon the superstitions of her credulous followers. Could superstition be banished from the world, that apostate church would speedily learn that the hope of her gains was gone.—N. Y. Observer.
Never a Failure.
No true life ever was a failure. It may not have been spent in the performance of what the world esteems great and noble deeds; and, according to the world's estimate, it may not have been a success. But any life spent in the faithful performance of the duties of the position in which God has placed it, is a noble life, and will receive from him the highest commendation. It is not the kind of work we are called to do, but the spirit in which we engage in it, and the manner in which we perform it, that gives character and importance to our acts. The meanest service, performed in a proper spirit for Christ, in his estimation is sublime. Or if, in the providence of God, we are deprived of the privilege of doing, and are called only to suffer, if we patiently endure as seeing him who is invisible, under the discipline of suffering our own characters will be ennobled, our example and influence felt for good, and the sufficiency of divine grace magnified, and life, at last, instead of being a failure, will prove a grand success.
We should not regard our position, whatever it may be, as insignificant and unimportant. No position is insignificant in which a man may serve and honor God. Whatever our calling may be, we should regard it as a high calling in Christ Jesus. What we do we should do as unto the Lord. A life spent in his service, in any way, is a noble life, and will lead to an exalted end.—Sel.
Individual Work.
By Methodist Recorder
EVERY one has his own work to do and his own cross to bear. God knows best what we are competent to perform and able to endure, and he assigns us our proper place in his vineyard. But we are not always contented with our lot. We would often prefer the place of others, regarding their work as easier and their burdens as lighter than our own. In this we commit two errors, first, in taking for granted what we do not know to be true, that the labor and suffering of others are less than our own. If we knew all about their work and their trials, we might come to a very different conclusion. Appearances are often deceptive, and are not always a true index to the reality. Were we able to change places with those whose condition we envy, we might soon be convinced of our folly and greatly regret our choice. In the second place, it is wrong for us to repine at our lot. Whatever God calls us to do or to suffer, we should cheerfully accept as the allotment of his hand. It may seem hard to us, but he knows what is best, and if we could see the end from the beginning, as he does, we would choose our present position. Instead, then, of envying others, and murmuring and complaining at our lot, let us learn, with the apostle, in whatsoever state we are therewith to be content, and faithfully perform its duties, and patiently endure its trials. This is true wisdom. To do otherwise would be great folly.
—Methodist Recorder.
Theories Like Soap-Bubbles
Given a little soap and water a person with good lungs can make soap-bubbles without number, and some will be large and look very pretty. We frequently think of that when we see certain scientists promulgating theories great and marvelous, which are evolved from a very small basis of fact.—Sel.
The Sabbath-School.
LESSON FOR THE PACIFIC COAST—SEPT. 12.
Inheritance of the Saints.—Concluded.
THE PROMISE FULFILLED.
1. By what means is the “gathering” of Israel effected?
“Israel” signifies “one who prevails;” and since it is the overcomers (Israelites) that are to share Christ’s kingdom (Rev. 3:21), we know that it is to Israel that Christ says at his coming: “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Matt. 25:34. And these are gathered by the angels, as is told in Matt. 24:31: “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.”
2. After the coming of the Lord, what must take place before they can be planted in their own land?
After the Lord comes, and Israel are “gathered,” sin and sinners must be destroyed before they can be “planted” in their own land, to be no more afflicted by “the children of wickedness.” The wicked are not destroyed until after a thousand years from the time when the righteous are gathered (See Rev. 20:4-9), and at this “perdition of ungodly men,” the earth becomes the abode of righteousness.
3. When the earth is given to Christ for a possession, what will he do?
“Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” Ps. 2:8, 9.
4. Where have we a vivid prophetic description of this event?
“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.” “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 winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” “And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth; and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.” Rev. 19:11, 15, 16, 21. Read also the intervening verses.
5. What Old Testament prophecy mentions the same thing?
“And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots; and the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; and shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord; and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears; but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.” Isa. 11:1-4.
6. When the wicked are thus destroyed, what is done to the earth?
“But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of Judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” “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. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness.” 2 Pet. 3:7, 10, 11.
7. What is promised after the dissolving of the earth?
“Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” 2 Pet. 3:13.
8. Where is this promise found?
“For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people; and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.” Isa. 65:17-19.
9. What can you say of the happiness of the people who inhabit that land?
“But be ye glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people; and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.” Isa. 65:18, 19. “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write; for these words are true and faithful.” Rev. 21:4, 5. “And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” Isa. 35:10.
10. What of the employment of the people?
“And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat; for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.” Isa. 65:21, 22.
11. How do we know that this is to be fulfilled when Israel are gathered and placed in their own land?
“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that the ploughman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed, and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt. And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them, and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the Lord thy God.” Amos 9:13-15.
12. What will be the character of the people at that time?
“And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children. In righteousness shall thou be established; thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear; and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.” Isa. 54:13, 14. “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” Isa. 11:9.
13. What persons to whom special promises have been made, will then realize their fulfillment?
“And I say unto you, That 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.
14. Why has the fulfillment of this promise been so long delayed?
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Pet. 3:9.
15. From the Lord’s stand-point, has it really been long since the promise was first made?
“But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” 2 Pet. 3:8.
16. When the promise is fulfilled, how will all creation stand related to God?
“And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever.” Rev. 5:13.
17. In view of the blessed promises held out to us, what exhortation should we constantly bear in mind?
“Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. For if the words spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; how shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him.” Heb. 2:1-3.