Introduction

 •  39 min. read  •  grade level: 10
 
TO
THE MILLENNIAL HYMNS
“Hallelujah! hark, the sound
From the depth into the skies,
Wakes above, beneath, around,
All Creation's harmonies!
See Jehovah's banners fund,
Sheath'd his sword: he speaks—'tis done;
And the kingdoms of the world,
Are the kingdoms of the Son."
—MONTGOMERY.
As the following hymns relate to the Lord's Second Coming and Kingdom, it may be well, in order to make them clear to the apprehension of those readers to whom the subject is not familiar, to offer a few words of explanation.
The reader will observe that there are here three separate classes, or parties; namely, the CHURCH, ISRAEL, and the GENTILES, distinguished one from the other in such hymns, for instance, as those beginning, "Break forth, O earth, in praises!" and " Bright with all his crowns of glory." Now while the Cross of Christ, the grand foundation of blessing to man, is common and equally applicable to all, the Lord's mode of dealing with each of these classes, owing to the especial standing and calling of each, is peculiar, and distinct altogether from his ways with the others. This being the case, it becomes needful here briefly to mark this threefold distinction.
The Lord, when he came to the earth, came only to Israel, that people whom, in the person of Abraham, he had at the outset brought nigh to himself. (Matt. 10:5, 65These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: 6But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. (Matthew 10:5‑6).) The true Son of David, the heir of his throne, he came claiming the allegiance of Israel, as Israel's king (Matt. 21:1-111And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, 2Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. 3And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. 4All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, 5Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. 6And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, 7And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. 8And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. 9And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. 10And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? 11And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee. (Matthew 21:1‑11)); and had they received him as such, then the result would have been, his reign upon earth. The kingdoms of this world, with Israel at their head, would at once have become the kingdoms of our Lord and his Christ. But, as we read, "He came unto his own, and his own received him not." (John 1:1111He came unto his own, and his own received him not. (John 1:11).) They saw no beauty in him, that their souls should desire him; and hence, instead of his then taking the kingdom, he was led as a lamb to the slaughter,—he died on the cross.
This, we know, was the eternal purpose of God, seeing that without shedding of blood there can be no remission of sins, no blessing to man. But Israel, nevertheless, was equally guilty of despising his love, of hating the Just One, of cutting off their Messiah. What, therefore, is the Lord doing now? what is his present object on earth, seeing that he must have some object to bless and delight in? Not Israel, we know, seeing that they, for their sin in killing the Lord, are for a season cut off, and left to the mercy of their Gentile oppressors. Neither is any nation now owned by him, or called by his name. (Isa. 63:1919We are thine: thou never barest rule over them; they were not called by thy name. (Isaiah 63:19).) The apostasy of Israel, the destined and only dispenser of blessing to the rest of the world, stands in the way; and so hinders the outflow of mercy, in a national sense, as yet, to the Gentiles. And yet the Lord has a people on earth—a people destined to far higher blessing and glory than ever Israel will enjoy, even when restored, as they will be, to his favor hereafter,—"a people for his name" (Acts 15:1414Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. (Acts 15:14)), gathered out from all nations on earth, both Jews and Gentiles. (Eph. 2:11-1911Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 12That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 14For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 15Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 16And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: 17And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. 18For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. 19Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; (Ephesians 2:11‑19),)
The term by which this elect body is distinguished in Scripture, namely, “THE CHURCH OF GOD," is altogether peculiar, inasmuch as its calling and standing are distinct from all that precedes, or will follow it; and this because its relation to Christ is peculiar. As Adam and Eve, the husband and wife, the type of this "great mystery," were one, in a natural way, so, spiritually, Christ and his saints, in this dispensation, are one. He, the Spouse of his Church,—she, on the other hand, the Bride, the Lamb's wife. (See Eph. 5:29-3229For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: 30For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. 31For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. 32This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. (Ephesians 5:29‑32).) He the head of his people, they the members, making up one mystical body in him. Then again, which is a thing altogether distinct from the earthly calling of Israel, the Apostle, in Hebrews (ch. 3:1), terms us, "partakers of the heavenly calling;" the reason for which is, that heaven, not earth, will be hereafter our place, as well as that especially of Christ himself, in the kingdom.
This being the case, as soon as his last member is brought in, and his body is complete, the Church will be removed from the earth, will pass away into heaven. The Lord, as we read, descending from thence with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel and with the trump of God, we, both the dead and the living in that day, will be caught up to meet him, and be forever with him. (1 Thess. 4:16-1816For 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: 17Then 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. 18Wherefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:16‑18); 1 Cor. 15:5151Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, (1 Corinthians 15:51).) Thus will end the path of the Church upon earth, and for this we, the children of God, are now called to 'wait, even "for his Son from heaven" (1 Thess. 1:1010And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. (1 Thessalonians 1:10)), to take us home to himself. Such hymns as those beginning, "Hope of our hearts, O Lord, appear," and, "Hark to the trump, behold it breaks," refer to this rapture—this ascension of the Church into heaven.
And now, the Church being gone, with whom will the Lord begin to deal next? With Israel again. Gathered once more into their own land -in unbelief and defiance of God, it is true the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, the very tribes which slew their Messiah, will by this time have built their city and temple (Isa. 66:66A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the Lord that rendereth recompence to his enemies. (Isaiah 66:6); Zech. 14:1-31Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. 2For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. 3Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. (Zechariah 14:1‑3); Rev. 11:1, 21And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. 2But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. (Revelation 11:1‑2)); and not only so, but will also have received a false Messiah, set up by themselves, one suited to meet and to please the unregenerate heart. This delusion, on their part, God will permit, in order to chasten his people for their past disobedience in rejecting his Son. They hated, they put the Just One to death, the one who came to them in the name of the Father; and hence he, acting on the principles of retributive justice, measuring to them with the same measure that they themselves meted to Jesus, will allow them to become the blind dupes of another, who will come to them in his own name. (John 5:4343I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. (John 5:43).)
A deceiver at first, and a tyrant in the end (Psa. 5:6; 43:16Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the Lord will abhor the bloody and deceitful man. (Psalm 5:6)
1Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man. (Psalm 43:1)), this fearful being, this false Christ, Satan's great counterfeit of their long' looked-for Messiah, will receive their blind homage and worship, in those days of their deepest delusion and ripened apostasy. And not only so, but " all the world will wonder after the beast (Rev. 13:33And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. (Revelation 13:3)); while the ten Gentile kings, who in that day will rule the fourth and last empire of Daniel, will give him their power and strength, owning him alone as their Lord, and becoming wholly subject to him, as his vassals. (Rev. 17:12, 1312And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. 13These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. (Revelation 17:12‑13).) In the midst, however, of the infidel nation, thus come to the height of their evil and folly, an elect faithful remnant (Isa. 6:1313But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof. (Isaiah 6:13); Zeph. 3:12, 1312I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord. 13The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid. (Zephaniah 3:12‑13); Zech. 13:8, 98And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. 9And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God. (Zechariah 13:8‑9)), hated by the bulk of the people, will be raised up, it would appear, through the testimony of two certain prophets, namely, the witnesses spoken of in Rev. 11, to look for the coming of Christ. And in answer to the cry of these sufferers he will come.
(Psa. 79, 80, 118.) Yes: the heavens will open, and Christ the Rider on the white horse, followed by the armies in heaven (Rev. 19:11-2111And 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. 12His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15And 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. 16And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. 17And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; 18That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. 19And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. 20And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21And 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. (Revelation 19:11‑21)), even his CHURCH, together with others who have part in the first resurrection, who, as we have seen, will have previously ascended to meet him, and will have been with him in heaven during the whole of the above-mentioned action on earth, will descend to make war with the beast, the ten kings of the earth, and their armies; with all, in short, who, in that hour of man's perfect apostasy, will be leagued under the beast, against God and his Christ. Then follows the conflict—" THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON' (Rev. 16:13-1613And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. 15Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. 16And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. (Revelation 16:13‑16)), the issue of which it is almost needless to tell. The beast, and the false prophet, his minister, the second beast of Rev. 13:1111And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. (Revelation 13:11), will be destroyed, cast, both of them, into the lake of fire forever; the kings of the earth, and their armies, will be slain with the sword proceeding out of the mouth of the heavenly conqueror; while Satan, the great mover of all, will be chained, and cast, for a thousand years, into the bottomless pit. This done, the Lord, having gathered in his elect, namely, the Jewish remnant before named, will next take to himself his great power and will reign. He will ascend the throne of David his father, which had been destined for him, as the true heir, from the outset (Psa. 89; Ezek. 21:25-2725And thou, profane wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come, when iniquity shall have an end, 26Thus saith the Lord God; Remove the diadem, and take off the crown: this shall not be the same: exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high. 27I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him. (Ezekiel 21:25‑27)); gather in, in the next place, the whole of his people, both Judah and Ephraim, and not only so, but his glory will spread through the earth. Blessing at last will flow forth in a national political way to the Gentiles, who will unite with Israel, in that day, in adoring the Lamb through whose blood alone they will be redeemed. (Isa. 2:2-52And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. 3And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 4And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. 5O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord. (Isaiah 2:2‑5).) The temple worship of Israel will then be revived. (Psa. 51:1919Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar. (Psalm 51:19); Ezek. 40-48) The feasts and the sacrifices, not pointing forward, as of old, but commemoratively looking back to the blessed work of redemption already accomplished, will be observed in Jerusalem.
Thither the nations will congregate; thither they will go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. (Zech. 14:1616And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. (Zechariah 14:16).) The Promised Land will be the scene of God's presence on earth-the place of his throne; there his city will rise—Jerusalem—the metropolis of the world; there his temple will stand; there, too, the glory will be especially visible, in the light of which the nations will walk. (Rev. 21:2424And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it. (Revelation 21:24).)
The above-mentioned conflict and victory, together with the blessings resulting from thence, are referred to in such hymns as those beginning, "'Tis he, the mighty Savior comes," and, "Lo, 'tis the heavenly army!”
But, it will be asked, during this period, namely, the thousand years of Christ's reign upon earth over Israel and the nations, where will the Church be? Her glory, as we have said, is not earthly, like Israel's—where, then, during this season of blessedness, is her destined place? In heaven, we answer; because if heaven is to be the throne of the Lord (Psa. 103:1919The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all. (Psalm 103:19); Isa. 66:11Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? (Isaiah 66:1)), so will it be also the throne of his bride, who, as we read, is to live and reign with him, during the thousand years of his kingdom. (Rev. 20:44And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4).) In the earthly Jerusalem the Lord will be known as king of Israel, the Son of David, Lord of the nations; while, in the heavenly city, which, it appears, will, as it were, rest in the air over the Zion on earth (Isa. 4:5, 65And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence. 6And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain. (Isaiah 4:5‑6)), he will be honored and loved as the head of his body, his bride, the Lamb's wife. Such are the names which solely belong to the Church, the object most near and dear to his heart, the one in whom his grace will be more fully displayed than even in the elect and redeemed nation of Israel.
But this state of things will continue only for a limited period, for "a thousand years," as we have before said; after which, Satan being unbound, he will stir up the nations to make one effort more against Christ and his people. But this will also be defeated. Fire, coming down from heaven, will devour the wicked; afterward Satan, the great mover of all, like the beast and his prophet before him, will be cast, not again into the bottomless pit, but into the lake of fire forever. Then follows the judgment of the GREAT WHITE THRONE—the judgment of all the wicked, from the very beginning, namely, of the nations above named, and also of those who will have no part in the first resurrection, but, on the other hand, whose bodies will lie either in the earth or the sea, through the thousand years of the kingdom. These all will be raised for this purpose, then judged and convicted out of the books, and finally cast into the lake of fire, with Satan, the god and prince of the world. (Rev. 20:7-157And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. 9And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. 10And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. 11And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:7‑15).) Then will follow "THE END" (1 Cor. 15:2424Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. (1 Corinthians 15:24)), when all things will be made new, when “A NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH" (Rev. 21:11And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. (Revelation 21:1)) will rise out of the fires of that day; when, too, the kingdom having been given up by the Son to the Father, GOD WILL BE ALL IN ALL. (1 Cor. 15:24-2824Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 26The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. 27For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. 28And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all. (1 Corinthians 15:24‑28).)
And here, before leaving this part of the subject, there is one point which we may notice with regard to Rev. 21:22And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. (Revelation 21:2) and 10. It is this, that both of these verses refer to one and the same blessed event. They both describe the Church, the Bride, at the opening of the thousand years, in the act of descending to assume her millennial place in the air, as we have before seen, over the earthly Jerusalem. The distinction, then, between them is this. In the second verse, the prophet just speaks of his having seen the city in its descent out of heaven,—but leaves the city itself undescribed, as well as every detail as to the kingdom; and then, in the third verse, passes on, beyond the millennium, to speak of "THE END" (1 Cor. 15:2424Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. (1 Corinthians 15:24)), when he who sits on the throne will make all things new, when, the world being purified, cleansed from every trace of defilement and death, THE TABERNACLE OF GOD WILL BE WITH MEN, that is, the Church, with God dwelling in it, will be brought into yet closer approximation to the dwellers on earth. During the thousand years, it will be CHRIST, UNDER GOD, ruling the world in righteousness; afterward it will be GOD-THE WHOLE GODHEAD, having as full and blessed communion with man as it is possible for Deity to hold with the creature.
Such we believe to be the interpretation of verses 2-6.
And now as to the tenth verse, the celestial city is there seen, as before, in the act of descending out of heaven from God. But here, what had been left undescribed, is supplied. The holy city itself is delineated, its glory, its light, its walls, its gates, its foundations; and not only so, but it is shown in its relation to the earth, the nations are seen walking in the light of its glory; the fruit and leaves of the tree in the midst of the street of the city are for the refreshment and healing of the dwellers on earth; while the river, the symbol of the Spirit of God, flowing forth from the throne, gladdens, not only the city itself, but also the earth, with its life-giving streams. The millennium, in fact,—which, between the descent of the city in the second verse, and the creation of the new heavens and new earth in the third and following verses, is wholly left out,—is, with its various details, both heavenly and earthly, now brought before us.
Further, with regard to the twelve angels here named, it has been truly said that the word αγγελος (angelos), rendered both "angel," and, in some cases, "messenger," is "a name, not of nature, but of office." This, then, being the case, it belongs, not only to such as are commonly termed angels in Scripture, but also to men, to any one bearing a message from God, as in the case of John the Baptist (Matt. 11:1010For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. (Matthew 11:10)), or from man, as in the case of John's two disciples, sent by him to make inquiry as to the mission of Jesus. (Luke 7:2424And when the messengers of John were departed, he began to speak unto the people concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A reed shaken with the wind? (Luke 7:24).) Observe, in both of these cases the word in the original is αγγελος (angelos), meaning either angel or messenger, the latter being our rendering thereof. True it is that usually it does not mean a human messenger, and that in 1 Cor. 4:9; 13:19For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men. (1 Corinthians 4:9)
1Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. (1 Corinthians 13:1); Heb. 2 the apostle definitely distinguishes between angels and men; but this does not alter the question; and we have after all to judge by the context as to what meaning we are to attach to the word. As to the apostles, they, like John, were, in the highest sense, angels, messengers, as the word "apostle," derived from a αποστελλω, (apostello), "to send," implies; and, therefore, that they should be here introduced as twelve angels, at the twelve gates of the city, (bearing in mind the above comparison between Matt. 19:2828And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (Matthew 19:28), and Rev. 21:12-1412And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: 13On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. 14And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. (Revelation 21:12‑14),) seems perfectly natural.
As to the New Jerusalem, it may be well to add, that we believe it is not sufficiently seen that it is merely a symbol, that it is not the eternal abode of the saints, not the place of the Church, but the Church herself, the bride, the Lamb's wife, as she will be forever.)
Should there be any question as to whether the millennial earth is described in chapter 21. from verse 10 on to chapter 22., this may be settled by what is said of the tree: "The leaves of the tree," it is written, "were for the healing of the nations;" healing belongs to an imperfect state, such as the millennium (however wondrously blessed) will be. In the new earth, on the other hand, no death, no sorrow, no pain will exist. "The former things" will "have all passed away," all will be new, all will be perfect, and hence no healing, no restoration there will be needed.
The foregoing remarks, it will be seen, proceed on the principle that the Book of Revelation, from chapter 6 to 19 as to its fulfillment, is future. To this, many, we are aware, will object. But those who have considered and entered into the peculiar and distinctively heavenly character of this dispensation, such as we have spoken of before, will acknowledge that it cannot be otherwise. This book presents, not continuously, from beginning to end, but in so many distinct and, some of them, coincident visions, the history characteristically of the earth; of nation rising against nation of wars, famines, earthquakes, pestilences, and so on; all affecting and connected with man in his social earthly condition. Whereas, what is the Lord doing now? He is now calling out his elect church from the world, a people not of the world, even as he himself is not of the world, a heavenly people, whose path here below is that of pilgrims and strangers. Therefore, quite in harmony with this, his present action, object, and dealings with man, he does not now interfere (except, it is true, so far as he is secretly and providentially working) with the course of the world. This being the case, we might be prepared to find the Spirit of God in the Word taking very little notice of the present history of man, in a national political aspect. It is so in the Book of Acts. There, from the eighth chapter onward, after the Jews had put Stephen, God's witness, to death, (thereby proving their hopelessly evil condition, as well as the hopeless state of the earth, which, as we have seen, depends on the repentance of Israel for the outflow of national blessing,) we find the Lord beginning to hide his face from his earthly people, and to deal with the interests of the heavenly people-the Church. So also in the Epistles, (saving that the saints there appear as the heralds of mercy to sinners at large,) we find the Spirit of God addressing himself to the saints, and only to them. When Israel, the earthly people of God, shall be dealt with again, then, indeed, he will resume the thread of this world's history. This is the subject of the Book of Revelation, from chapter 6. to 19., and also of Matt. 24. In the former we have presented, in so many coincident visions, as we have seen, the actings of the apostate Jews of that day, with a faithful suffering remnant amongst them; together with those of the Gentiles connected in evil with Israel, just previous to the second coming of Christ; all within the LAST WEEK OF DANIEL, the time of the reign of the false Messiah, "the prince that shall come," ''the beast" before mentioned.
There are two periods named in the Book of Revelation, which, in the minds of those who are willing to abide by the literal interpretation of Scripture, will, we believe, bear on the above statement as to "THE WEEK;" namely, the 1260 days (not 'years) of the witnesses (Rev. 11:33And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. (Revelation 11:3)); also the 42 months of the blasphemies of the beast. (Rev. 13:55And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. (Revelation 13:5).) Each of these terms, it is clear, means to express an equal period of time, namely, three years and a half, and, taken together, they make up seven years, or a week.
Again, Num. 14 is referred to in support of the above supposition; but, surely, without any just ground. For forty days, we there find, that the spies who had been sent forth by the Lord to search out the land, had been rebellious against him, and hence, in accordance with the retributive justice of God, the people who believed their evil report are threatened with forty years' punishment,—doomed to wander, for the whole of that time in the wilderness, "Each day for a year," as it is written. Now, from hence do we understand that a day means a year? —Assuredly not; when Moses speaks in this passage of days, he means by the word, literally, days; and by years literally years. All that he means is, that for each day that they had sinned, they should be kept out of the land for a year.
Lastly, on referring to Ezek. 4, we find the prophet performing a certain symbolical action, namely, lying on his left side, in the first place, for 390 days, then lying on his right for 40 days, thereby pointing, in the one case, to the years of Israel's, and in the other to those of Judah's, calamity-"Bach day for a year." Here again we find the days representing the years; as to the number thereof; but not, surely, the word day meaning a year, as is supposed to be the case with regard to the 1260 days of Rev. 11)
And this week we believe to be that above named, the last of the seventy recorded by Daniel, within which, as we have said, the events of the greater part of Revelation, and also those detailed in the 24th chapter of Matthew, will happen, and at the termination of which, the Jews will again be received into favor.
As to the SEVENTY WEEKS, at the termination of which the sin of Israel will be canceled, two leading remarks remain to be made in conclusion, namely, FIRST, though a period of only 490 years, beginning at the time of Nehemiah's return from Babylon, when the commandment as to the rebuilding of the city went forth, (Dan. 9:2525Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. (Daniel 9:25); Neh. 2) they are not, if the above statement be true, concluded as yet, seeing that Israel is still outcast from the land of his fathers. Why is this? it may be said. Simply because the present space between the sixty ninth week, when "the Messiah, the Prince," was presented to Israel, and the seventieth, just before his coming again, is passed by altogether, as having no place in God's record of time—is a COMPLETE BLANK in his estimation. The reason for which is, that the nation of Israel, to whom alone the times and the seasons belong, are for the present dispersed, and lost sight of; and also that the Church of God, the Lord's present object on earth, stands apart from these said times and seasons, as fully as he himself does from the political course of the world.
SECONDLY, as to this prophecy, so far as the lapse of time is concerned, we believe it to be presented in Scripture as doubly fulfilled. The period of seventy weeks, as we have said, is to end with the Lord's second coming, and the restoration of Israel. But has it not, we ask, already expired? If not, what meaning are we to attach to Christ's words, "THE TIME IS FULFILLED"? The truth is, if we take the week of John's and Christ's mission, and add it on to the foregoing periods, seven and threescore and two weeks, we come to the end,—we find that the time was fulfilled,—that seventy weeks were at that time concluded. On the part of the Lord, all things were ready—the kingdom of heaven was at hand, their king, their deliverer was there, and they had only to give ear to his voice, in order to enter at once into blessing. But what did they do? They rejected his grace—they slew their Messiah; hence the Lord, in retributive justice, treats the whole space, from the announcement of Christ by John his forerunner, at the end of the 69th week, down to the "one week" at the close, as a BLANK. The time of Israel's rejection is to be dated from thence; and so we find it to be in this chapter. The week of grace is not mentioned, and why? Because it is canceled—not suffered to stand as the last week, while its place, on the other hand, is to be supplied by a week of a far different kind, a time of unparalleled trouble in the annals of the world. A week of blessing, however, it also will be, seeing that then the hearts of the Jewish elect will be led to look for him who is Coming, and who, as we have said, will appear at the end of that time in his glory. Such is a general view of the subject. The author refrains, in this brief sketch, from entering more into particulars, having done so already in his work on the Seventy Weeks, wherein he has endeavored to prove the existence of the canceled week.
Such is a little sketch of the dispensational dealings of God with his people. With the Church, in the first place; with Israel next; and then with the Gentiles. The hymn beginning, "Through Israel's land the Lord of all," which opens the following series, presents the above order; while such hymns as "Break forth, O earth, in praises," "'Tis come, the glad millennial morn," and "Bright with all his crowns of glory," show the various degrees of distinction and blessing in the kingdom hereafter. They exhibit the CHURCH above, on the throne ISRAEL next, in their own promised land, under the peaceful scepter of Christ, and lastly, the GENTILES coming in for a share of the earthly blessings of Israel.
Most blessed it is, when the heart is made apprehensive of the Lord's ways, as revealed in the Word. The Cross, it is true, is the first lesson the soul has to learn. There it is we discover our ruin by nature; there we are first brought into the presence of God; there we find that our sin has been borne, our iniquities canceled; there, in a word, we learn the secret of happiness. But having found peace through the blood of the Lamb, knowing ourselves accepted in the Beloved, we are invited to advance into deeper and brighter discoveries of the wondrous ways of the Lord. And let none say that these things are needless. If they display God as he is, this is sufficient, they cannot be needless. And if, too, in searching into these things, we discover the calling of Israel to be distinct, as it assuredly is, from that of the Church, still, at the same time, we find that their history is a parable, a lesson for us, through the medium of which we see the hopelessly evil condition of man, till he learns the wonderful mystery of redemption through Christ.
These few remarks, it is hoped, may serve as a key to the following hymns, leading the reader, moreover, desirous of understanding the dispensational ways of the Lord, of which they all more or less treat, into a clearer perception thereof. Christ, as we know, is the great center of hope and of joy, the rock on which all, whether the Church of God at this time, the Jewish people hereafter, or the Gentiles, must build, and this being the case, may his name, more and more, be as ointment poured forth, more precious, more sweet to the souls of his people. The more we know of his love to ourselves, the more must we love him in return; our hearts are so framed, and his beauty, his attractions are such, that it cannot be otherwise. May such then, more and more, be our happy experience, so that we may, in the midst of this stormy and sorrowful world, be able, in some measure, to respond to the spirit and tone of the following lines, so sweetly expressive of the heart's longing for him:—
My soul, amid this stormy world,
Is like some flutter'd dove:
And fain would be as swift of wing,
To flee to him I love.

The cords that bound my heart to earth
Were broken by his hand;
Before His cross I found myself
A stranger in the land.

That visage marr'd, those sorrows deep,
The vinegar, the gall,
These were his golden chains of love,
His captive to enthrall.
My heart is with him on the throne,
And ill can brook delay;
Each moment list'ning for the voice,
"Rise up, and come away.”

With hope deferr'd, oft sick and faint,
"Why tarries he?" I cry:
And should my Savior chide my haste,
Sure I could make reply:

“May not an exile, Lord, desire
His own sweet land to see?
May not a captive seek release,
A prisoner to be free?

“A child, when far away, may long
For home and kindred dear?
And she that waits her absent Lord,
Must sigh till he appear.

“I would my Lord and Savior know,
That which no measure knows;
Would search the mystery of thy love,
The depth of all thy woes.

“I fain would strike my golden harp
Before the Father's throne,
There cast my crown of righteousness,
And sing what grace hath done.

“Ah! leave me not in this dark world,
A stranger still to roam,
Come, Lord, and take me to thyself,
Come, Jesus, quickly come!”
One thing more we would say in conclusion; namely, that our proper hope is the Lord's second coming. True it is, the state of the soul after death is assuredly blessed. But of this, in the word, comparatively little is said; whereas, the hope of the Church, as a whole, is continually kept before the eye of the saints. The Lord himself, though now at the right hand of God, is in a state of expectancy,—is waiting for the day of his glory. And so we, being united to him, and members of his Elect Body, have the same blessed prospect; hence our affections, our desires, our hopes, should be in association with his; our hearts should be continually exercising themselves in these things; we should, while yet in this "strange land," this world of desolation and sorrow, be tuning our harps for the chorus of heaven.
In 1 Cor. 13:1313And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. (1 Corinthians 13:13), we find the cardinal graces, as it were, clustered together,—"Faith, Hope, Charity, these three." Observe the order in which these words stand in this passage, corresponding, as we have heard it happily observed, with that in which they follow each other in the history of the saint. For instance, 1st, Faith (without at all excluding the other two) is the grace which we are now especially called on to exercise. While, 2ndly, Hope (supposing we are called away before the Church is taken to heaven) will be the especial experience of the soul in its separate state, where, freed from the body, released from a world of sorrow which it will have left forever behind, it will be filled with the brightest anticipations of the glory and joy of the resurrection condition. Then, 3rdly, Charity—love, in the end, will fill the whole soul—love the highest, the brightest, the sweetest of all. That all these unite in the renewed mind, and in equal degrees, even now, as to the principle, we fully allow. What we here speak of is the especial manifestation and exercise of each of these graces in the soul of the saint, owing to the peculiar circumstances in which he finds himself placed at the time. Love, then, as we read, being "the greatest of these," seeing that the blessed God is himself essentially love, our hopes should not surely come short of that day when he, whom having not seen, we love, will reveal himself to our hearts in his all-excelling attractions; when those "far echoes of the voice of Love," to which the heart listens at times in its inmost recesses, will be exchanged for the songs, the Hallelujahs of heaven; when, in a word, its blessed powers of loving will be fully developed. And this will not be till the whole family meet in the house of their Father; till the Bride, the Lamb's wife, is actually enthroned with her Lord. ‘Come, Lord Jesus!"—Such was the cry of the Church in its earliest days, when awakened at first by the thrilling touch of his love. "Come, Lord Jesus!" should still be our cry, in these last times, when, as we delight to believe, the day of our redemption is nigh. "Persuade yourself," said the excellent Rutherford, writing to one in affliction, "persuade yourself the King is coming; read his letter sent before him, Behold, I come quickly: wait with the wearied night-watch for the breaking of the eastern sky, and think that you have not a morrow.”
“SURELY I COME QUICKLY.”