The Coming and Reign of Our Lord Jesus Christ: The Apostasy, Part 8

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So too, dear reader, if you would escape from the terrible vortex of religious corruption that surrounds us at the present day, and which will be part of Babylon in its last phase, you must be in spirit in the wilderness. In separation from it, in the presence of Christ, there alone can you see it in its true colors. And if you would enter into God’s thoughts about the church, and discern its distinctive heavenly character, you must in spirit enter where Christ is, and accept by faith the high and exalted position which is the Christian’s true portion.
The evil religious power being crushed, the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies are gathered together against the Lord, and He judges them also; the beast, and the false prophet with him, being cast into the lake of fire (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)). Details of this we will reserve till we dwell on His coming in power and great glory to judge and reign.
The Assyrian who attacks Jerusalem from without, and takes it (Zech. 14:22For 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. (Zechariah 14:2)), overruns with his armies the land of Israel, as well as many other countries; and after further warlike exploits, himself finally falls as he is about to attack the city a second time; but we shall see more of this also further on (Isa. 10:24-34; 29:1-824Therefore thus saith the Lord God of hosts, O my people that dwellest in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian: he shall smite thee with a rod, and shall lift up his staff against thee, after the manner of Egypt. 25For yet a very little while, and the indignation shall cease, and mine anger in their destruction. 26And the Lord of hosts shall stir up a scourge for him according to the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb: and as his rod was upon the sea, so shall he lift it up after the manner of Egypt. 27And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing. 28He is come to Aiath, he is passed to Migron; at Michmash he hath laid up his carriages: 29They are gone over the passage: they have taken up their lodging at Geba; Ramah is afraid; Gibeah of Saul is fled. 30Lift up thy voice, O daughter of Gallim: cause it to be heard unto Laish, O poor Anathoth. 31Madmenah is removed; the inhabitants of Gebim gather themselves to flee. 32As yet shall he remain at Nob that day: he shall shake his hand against the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem. 33Behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, shall lop the bough with terror: and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall be humbled. 34And he shall cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one. (Isaiah 10:24‑34)
1Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! add ye year to year; let them kill sacrifices. 2Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be heaviness and sorrow: and it shall be unto me as Ariel. 3And I will camp against thee round about, and will lay siege against thee with a mount, and I will raise forts against thee. 4And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust. 5Moreover the multitude of thy strangers shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth away: yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly. 6Thou shalt be visited of the Lord of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire. 7And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all that fight against her and her munition, and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision. 8It shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite: so shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion. (Isaiah 29:1‑8)).
Two-thirds of the Jews are cut off in this great tribulation; but one-third, preserved by God, are brought through the fire (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)). Some are martyred for their testimony, and for refusing the mark of the beast, and have part in the first resurrection; one-third bear testimony, and are brought through by the power of God into millennial blessing; the remainder, the apostate, idolatrous Jews, who receive the mark, and think they are safe, are cut off in their wickedness, either by the awful invasion of the Assyrian, who is the rod of God’s anger, sent by Him against the hypocritical nation (Isa. 10:5-65O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation. 6I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. (Isaiah 10:5‑6)), or by other summary judgments of God.
This fearful hour was referred to by the Lord when He spoke of the unclean spirit who saith, “I will return unto my house whence I came out. And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first” (Luke 11:24-2624When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. 25And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. 26Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. (Luke 11:24‑26)). Terrible picture of Israel’s condition under antichrist.
But judgment will not be limited to the land, but go out far and wide in the earth. The God-fearing Jews who bear witness for Jesus, publishing the glad tidings of the kingdom among the nations, will be special objects of persecution wherever they are found. “Take heed,” said the Lord, “to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to counsels; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony against them” (Mark 13:99But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them. (Mark 13:9)). The early Christians received similar treatment; but the fulfillment of this passage is yet future. So terrible will be the hatred, even in their own families, that “brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for My name’s sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved” (Mark 13:12-1312Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death. 13And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. (Mark 13:12‑13)).
Thus will be fulfilled in the most special and literal manner the words of our Lord, “A man’s foes shall be they of his own household.” Men generally will show their persistent hatred of the name of Christ by persecuting those who publish the glad tidings of His coming kingdom and glory. But he that endures to the end, that is, to the end of the hour of tribulation, shall be saved— saved out of it for blessing in the millennial earth (Jer. 30:77Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it. (Jeremiah 30:7)). “In those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be” (Mark 13:1919For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be. (Mark 13:19)). “And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect’s sake, whom He hath chosen, He hath shortened the days” (Mark 13:2020And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days. (Mark 13:20)). “This generation” (or race), said the Lord to His Jewish disciples, “shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away” (Matt. 24:34-3534Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. 35Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. (Matthew 24:34‑35)).
How blessed for the Christian to know that he is delivered from this terrible hour! that as the Lord delivered Lot before judging Sodom, and translated Enoch before drowning the world with a flood, so will He bring His own loved ones of this present interval of grace to the glory above, before He judges the habitable earth for its wickedness, sweeping it with the besom of destruction.
How false the security of the poor world, deluding itself, and deluded by Satan, that things are getting better! Many cry, “Peace, peace, and there is no peace.” How vain to think that God’s grace to a lost world will lead to its conversion! Nay; but the Word of the Lord is yet to be fulfilled: “When Thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness” (Isa. 26:99With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. (Isaiah 26:9)). But O, how blessed to know that when the consumption decreed shall have had its course, it shall overflow with righteousness (Isa. 10:2222For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return: the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness. (Isaiah 10:22)), and the despised and rejected Nazarene, Jesus, the Son of God, will have His rights and title in the earth!
Could we stay where death is hovering?
Could we rest on such a shore?
No; the awful truth discovering,
We could linger there no more;
We forsake it,
Leaving all we loved before.