The dragon of the twelfth chapter, 93.-The beast of the thir- teenth chapter, 95.-This beast is identical with the little horn of Daniel seventh, 96.-The date of the forty-two months of the beast's power, 97.-The forty-two months' duration of The consummation, or era of the second advent, 112.-Various readings of the period, 115.-The import of "the sanctuary" -its cleansing, 117.-The last end of the indignation, 124.- Recapitulation of the foregoing argument, 125.-Remarks on "the daily and the transgression of desolation," 127.-The date of the two thousand three hundred days not in the eighth chapter, 127.-The connection between the eighth and ninth chapters, 128.-Gabriel's appearance to Daniel-the object of his mission, 132.-Explanation of the vision, 133.-Ful- Scoffers in the last times, 146.-Gospel preached in all the world, 147.-The signs foretold in the twenty-first chapter of Luke, 149.-Dark day of May 19, 1780, Recapitulation, 155. The certainty and definiteness of our knowledge of the CHAPTER I. THE KINGDOM OF GOD. THERE is no subject in the whole circle of Christian literature which is more important in its bearings on the right understanding of the Bible, than the meaning of the term "THE KINGDOM OF GOD." This term is sometimes used, perhaps, in reference to God's universal kingdom or government over all worlds and beings; but generally, as used in the Scriptures, it refers to a dispensation of God among men, on earth. In this work it will be my object fully to present and discuss this subject. 1. ADAM AND HIS RACE, KINGS-THIS EARTH THEIR KINGDOM. That God made this earth for man, and man for the earth, is very clear from the account given of the creation, in the first chapter of Genesis. After the creation of all things, God saw that there was not a man to till the ground. "And God said let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let THEM have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowls of the air, and over the cattle, and over ALL THE EARTH, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." Gen. i. 26. The evidence is here distinct, taken in connec tion with Gen. ii. 5-8, that the world was made for man, and man for the world. The dominion given to them constituted them kings. The territorial dominion of Adam and his progeny, was "all the earth," and all that was in earth, air and sea. All was subject to him while he was subject to God; but when he rebelled against God, the whole animate creation rebelled against man; and even the elements of nature themselves, have become his enemy. Man lost the kingdom, and the devil obtained it. Two causes concurred to deprive man of the kingdom and dominion of the world. 1. The revolt of all creatures from his authority when he sinned; and 2. His own mortality. For, had the inferior creation remained in perfect obedience, he could not continue in authority because of death. But death was not in the original plan. Death entered the world by sin. "So death passed upon all men." II. JESUS CHRIST IS TO FILL THE PLACE OF THE FIRST ADAM. “The first man, Adam, was made a living soul; the last Adam, a quickening spirit." "The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven." 1 Cor. xv. 45, 47. The first Adam having lost the earth, together with his life, the second Adam came to purchase and restore both the one and the other. Thus the apostle, in Eph. i. 13, 14: "In whom also, after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the PURCHASED POSSESSION." Heaven, the heaven of heavens, was never under the dominion of any other but the God of heaven, that it should be purchased. But this earth was lost, and Jesus Christ has purchased and will redeem it. Adam's race were dead in law; Jesus Christ has tasted death for them, that he might bring them forth into second life from the grave; "they that have done good, to the resurrection of life; they that have done evil, to the resurrection of damnation." The one class will come forth to " everlasting life," the other to "shame and everlasting contempt." the dominion of Christ shall be from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth. Then III. THE GENTILES NOW HAVE THE DOMINION OF THE WHOLE WORLD. In the third year of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and the first year of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, (Jer. xxv.) began the famous 70 years' captivity of the Jews in Babylon. In the second year of Nebuchadnezzar, he had a dream, (Dan. ii.,) which none of his wise men could either tell or interpret. But Daniel, being divinely instructed, did both. He 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 threshing-floors; 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. "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." Dan. ii. 31-38. The universality of a kingdom could be no more strongly asserted in human language than is this dominion of the king of Babylon. No spot on the round globe, where an animate being dwells, that is not included in his ample dominion. The Jews had previously enjoyed an independent government from the world; but then the Jewish and all other governments were merged in this one government. Whatever historians may say to the contrary, it is certain that, according to inspiration, God looked on that monarchy as being the head and representative of all governments on the globe. The church has never, from that hour to this, either in her Jewish or Christian form, enjoyed an independent government, free from dependence on, or tribute to the Gentiles. Nebuchadnezzar was only the beginning of a series of just such universal monarchies. |