Part Two
No. 756
“And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed . . . and it shall stand for ever.” (Dan. 2:44)
In our July 2020 paper we discussed the three Greek words parousia, epiphaneia and apokalypsis and how they are used in the New Testament in relation to the Lord’s Second Advent. We noted the importance of keeping the thought of our Lord’s presence separate from the thought of His manifestation or revelation. We established the use of the term “Parousia” to refer to our Lord’s presence at His Second Advent and the term “Epiphany” to refer to His manifestation or revelation at His Second Advent. We discussed three of our Lord’s parables that foreshadowed His work during the period of His Parousia preceding the Epiphany. We then introduced the fact that specific scriptural prophecies prove that our Lord’s Parousia began in the autumn of 1874. We now continue our discussion of this topic by summarizing four of these prophetic lines.
NEBUCHADNEZZAR’S DREAM
We first look at the inspired dream of Nebuchadnezzar and its inspired interpretation by Daniel. (Dan. 2) The dream shows the four great universal Gentile empires which would rule over the earth during the interim between the overthrow of the typical Kingdom of God, whose last king to sit upon the throne of David was Zedekiah, and the installation of the true King, Immanuel, in His Millennial Kingdom glory. These four different empires or governments are pictured as parts of a great image which Daniel interpreted as follows:
(1) The head of gold represents the Babylonian Empire, Nebuchadnezzar’s government, the first universal empire of earth. (2) The breast and arms of silver represent the Medo-Persian Empire, the second universal empire. (3) The belly and thighs of brass represent the Grecian Empire, which overthrew the Persian and became the third universal empire. (4) The legs of iron and the feet represent the Roman Empire, which succeeded the Grecian and became the fourth universal empire. The two strong legs represent the earlier stages of the Roman Empire, with Rome and Constantinople each in turn as the capital. The feet represent the later development of the same Roman Empire, with the intermixture of papal influence represented by the feet, which were partly iron (representing civil government), and partly clay (representing ecclesiastical rule).
These four governments constitute the sum total of Gentile dominion, scripturally known as “the times of the Gentiles.” Afterward God Himself is to establish His Kingdom – the fifth universal empire: “And in the days of these kings [represented by the ten toes of the image] shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.” (Dan. 2:44) This is the very Kingdom for which we pray, “Thy Kingdom come!”
The Church is not neglected in this picture; she is shown as a stone taken out of the mountain “without hands” – by divine power. This stone represents God’s Kingdom, Christ and the Church. The inspired dream and explanation show that the disaster coming to the kingdoms of this world, represented in the image and in the toes of its feet, would be the result of the impact, or smiting of the image by the stone: “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 [kingdom], and filled the whole earth.” (Dan. 2:34-35)
Although it is evident that the human empire has nearly run its course and that the heavenly empire is needed to deliver the world from its own selfishness, the sure word of prophecy reveals more if carefully scrutinized. Not only does it show that the next universal empire will be the Kingdom of God’s dear Son, it reveals when “the times of the Gentiles” began (606 B.C.) and how long those “times” were to last. It shows that these times are “seven times,” and that each of the seven times is a period of three hundred and sixty years, and that consequently the complete period of the seven times is 2520 years. (Lev. 26:17-18, 24, 28) (See Studies in the Scriptures, Volume II, Chapter IV for a detailed discussion.)
Thus we may surmise that Gentile rule was to terminate and Immanuel’s rule be fully set up in 2520 years from the time the Lord removed the diadem from Zedekiah, saying: “And thou, profane wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come, when iniquity shall have an end, Thus 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. I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him.” (Ezek. 21:25-27)
The interval between the removal of the typical Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Israel, and the introduction of its antitype, the true Kingdom of God, must correspond to the period of Gentile dominion – 2520 years. Measuring this period from 606 B.C., we find that the 2520 years expired in 1914 and the lease of Gentile power to rule the world then began to expire. However, the time for the “stone” to smite the image upon its feet in preparation for its destruction was to precede its destruction and thus also precede the full establishment of God’s Kingdom. This smiting period is the Parousia – the period in which Christ is present, gathering His “jewels,” His “elect,” and in which He will smite the nations with the rod of iron dashing them in pieces as a potter’s vessel. (Psa. 2:9; Rev 2:27)
God began the selection of His Kingdom class in the days of civil Rome and has continued the selection throughout the Gospel Age. The setting up of His Church (Kingdom) in power was to come toward the close of Gentile power, but before its end, for it was to be “in the days of these kings” and not after their days. Note the similarity of the expressions “in the days of the Son of man” and “in the days of these kings.” They are the same days – the days before the lease of Gentile power began to expire – the days when the Son of Man was to be present establishing His Kingdom, which will destroy all these Gentile kingdoms.
TYPICAL ISRAEL’S PARALLELS
A second line of prophecy showing that we are living in the Parousia is provided by the parallels of fleshly Israel and spiritual Israel. The Scriptures show that fleshly Israel and its typical sacrifices and arrangements foreshadowed spiritual Israel and its better sacrifices and arrangements.
After receiving God’s blessing, Jacob’s name was changed to Israel, which signifies “Prince with God.” (Gen. 32:28) His descendants were therefore called Israelites – the people of the Prince with God. The antitype of Jacob is Christ, the true Prince with God, and His house is spiritual Israel. Jacob’s twelve sons inherited his name and blessing, and through them it descended to all the fleshly house of Israel. Christ’s twelve Apostles inherited His name and blessing, and through them it has descended to all the spiritual house of Israel.
The typical fleshly house had a high priest, Aaron; the antitypical spiritual house has a greater high priest, Christ Jesus our Lord, the “High Priest of our profession.” The fleshly house had a priesthood under Aaron; the spiritual house has a “royal priesthood” under Christ, to whom the promise is made that they shall be kings and priests unto God. (Heb. 3:1; 1 Pet. 2:9)
While we could list every detail pertaining to fleshly Israel and find it duplicated on a higher plane in spiritual Israel, suffice it to note that the Jewish Age or period of fleshly Israel’s favor ended with a “harvest” period of forty years. The harvest began with our Lord’s baptism in 30 A.D., with the three and a half years of His ministry being a national test of Israel. When Israel as a nation was rejected at the time of our Lord’s crucifixion, the main part of the harvest work began – the separation of the wheat from the chaff. Those who were “Israelites indeed” were gathered out of that rejected nation before the great time of trouble came upon it, resulting in the utter destruction of its national polity in 70 A.D. All of this is likened to a “harvest” season, with its garnering of the wheat and subsequent burning of the chaff.
Our Lord taught through parables that the Gospel Age of spiritual Israel’s favor will likewise end with a time of harvest, gathering the wheat together and ultimately destroying the tares. (Matt. 13) In the harvest of the fleshly house our Lord in the flesh was the Chief-Reaper, and His Apostles were co-laborers. In the harvest of the spiritual house our Lord as a spirit being is also to be present as the Chief-Reaper and members of the spiritual house are also to be reapers, with some on each side of the vail.
Given these parallels, it should not surprise us to find that the period of divine favor to fleshly Israel foreshadowed the period of divine favor to spiritual Israel, and that the length of the Jewish Age corresponds exactly with the length of the Gospel Age. (See Studies in the Scriptures, Volume II, Chapter VII.) The Jewish Age, from the death of Jacob to the death of Christ, was 1845 years long. The harvest of the Jewish Age began with Jesus’ baptism, 3½ years before His death, meaning it began 1841½ years after the death of Jacob. It lasted forty years until A.D. 70, or 1881½ years after the death of Jacob.
Notice how the Gospel Age corresponds to this. The Gospel Age did not begin with our Lord’s birth or with His baptism. His work during the three and a half years of His ministry was the offering of the Kingdom to the fleshly house, testing them and proving they were unready to receive it. The Gospel Age began in 33 A.D., after our Lord’s death and resurrection, when He commissioned His disciples to preach the gospel to all nations. (Matt. 28:19; Matt. 24:14)
Applying the measurements of the Jewish Age to the Gospel Age, 1841½ years from the Spring of A.D. 33 is the autumn of 1874. The 1845 years measuring from the spring of 33 A.D. would reach to the spring of 1878. The 1881½ years from the spring of 33 A.D. would bring us exactly to autumn 1914 – the very year and time shown by Daniel’s prophecy to be the full end and limit of the “Gentile times.” This cannot be accidental – it is by design. The eye and ear of faith could not ask for stronger testimony. Anything plainer or clearer would be actual sight and leave no room for faith.
THE JUBILEE PROPHECY
A third line of prophecy is similarly hidden in type in the Mosaic Law: Israel’s Jubilee Year. To understand this line of prophecy one must first understand that the Second Advent of our Lord is not for the purpose of destroying the world, but for the purpose of blessing it according to the promise made to Abraham that in his Seed all families of the earth will be blessed. (Gen. 28:14) No one can see the beauty or significance of Israel’s Jubilee without first learning of God’s glorious provision for restitution. (Acts 3:19-23)
Israel’s Jubilee year, in which every person and family had every lost possession and all personal liberties restored to them, was a type of the coming “Times of Restitution.” The human race will then have a full opportunity to attain freedom from sin and Satan, and from the hereditary weakness of the flesh. After being lost through Adam’s transgression, the dominion of earth will be restored to the human family for whom it was created, and for whom it was redeemed by Christ.
The Scriptures show that Israel’s Jubilee was a system of fifty-year cycles and that a Great Jubilee cycle, a Jubilee of Jubilees, was comprised of fifty cycles of fifty years – 2500 years. Such a cycle began to count after fleshly Israel had observed her last typical Jubilee, which we find from the Scriptures was her nineteenth Jubilee year, in the year 626 B.C. (See Studies in the Scriptures Volume II, Chapter VI for a detailed discussion. Our paper No. 723, November 2017 also gives more on this.)
The Jubilee was a part of the Law and no feature of that Law, not one jot or tittle, can pass away without reaching a fulfilment, or antitype. Accordingly, when we measure the Great Jubilee cycle of 2500 years from the date of the last typical Jubilee (626 B.C.), we find that the antitypical Great Jubilee of Jubilees should have begun in October 1874. The 625 years B.C. plus the 1875 years A.D. are 2500 years, which would include the Jubilee year; consequently, with the year 1875 (which began in October 1874 according to Jewish reckoning), the antitypical Jubilee of 1,000 years was due to begin.
Note carefully how this corresponds with what we learned from the two lines of prophecy already examined which showed us that this very same date, October, 1874, was the time when the “harvest” of this age was due to begin and when the Lord Himself, as the Chief Reaper, was due to be present. The only thing necessary to connect this Jubilee prophecy with the others is the statement of the Apostle Peter that our Lord must be present (at His Second Advent) at the beginning of “the times of restitution of all things.” (Acts 3:20-21) These restitution times are the Antitypical Jubilee times typified by Israel’s Jubilees.
THE DAYS OF WAITING ARE FULFILLED
A fourth line of prophecy referred to as “the days of waiting” is set forth in Daniel and corroborated in Revelation. These “days” (a day represents a year – Ezek. 4:6) consist of: (1) the 1260 days ending in 1799; (2) the 1290 days ending in 1829; and (3) the 1335 days ending in 1874. (Dan. 12:7, 11-12; Rev. 12:6, 14; Rev. 13:5) (We cannot here go into the details concerning these time periods. See Studies in the Scriptures, Volume III, Chapter III.) Second Adventists once attempted to apply these “days” as we do here but abandoned them when 1874 came and passed and they failed to see Jesus with their natural eyesight, in a body of flesh and with Calvary’s scars. They have abandoned these “days” of Daniel entirely, because they find no way of applying them which would prolong them beyond 1874.
The fault does not lie with the interpretation as presented above but with wrong expectations. Like so many others, Second Adventists erred in expecting that the Gospel Age, which has been a spirit and faith epoch, would end with a visible fleshly manifestation. They expected the invisible spiritual kingdom of Satan to be followed by a visible fleshly Kingdom of Christ. Thankfully, those who are watching (among the Adventists as well as in other denominations) are getting the eyes of their understanding opened by the anointing of the promised “eyesalve.” (Rev. 3:18)
It was concerning the last period of 1335 days that the angel declared to the Prophet, “Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.” (Dan. 12:12-13) This blessing to he who waits is the rejoicing and joy felt by those who are watching.
A great blessing has come to the watchers Since October 1874 – when Daniel’s 1335 days indicate a great blessing was to begin, when the Jubilee types indicate “the restitution of all things” was to begin (implying the second presence of the Great Redeemer), and when the parallels of the two houses of Israel show the second presence of our Lord as the Great Reaper was due. Since then the Word of God has opened before us in a most marvelous manner. Since then the sure word of prophecy as a lamp to our feet has shown us many evidences that we are in the end of the age. Since then the day-star has been rising in the hearts of the watchers, and has illuminated our minds, releasing us from the terrible nightmare of the error of the eternal torment doctrine.
Since then the true character of our heavenly Father has been revealed to us. The necessity for the great atonement for sin has been made plain and the object of the permission of evil has been distinctly shown. Various features of the divine plan have been revealed, including the high calling of the Church to the divine nature and joint-heirship with Christ, and the resulting blessing of restitution to human perfection for the world of mankind in general. All who have been brought “out of darkness into his marvelous light” can appreciate the words of the Lord: “But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. . . . many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.” (1 Pet. 2:9; Matt. 13:16-17)
THE PROPER ANNOUNCEMENT
“Behold, the bridegroom!” (Matt. 25:6, ASV) This is the proper announcement; it is not “Behold, the bridegroom cometh,” as given in the King James Version. (The oldest Greek manuscripts omit the word translated “cometh.”) He has been present since October 1874, saying “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” (Rev. 3:20) This message intimates very clearly that the “knock” and “voice” will be inaudible to natural ears, and heard only by the ears of the understanding, the hearing of faith. It shows that it will not be a knock or call heard by a denomination (Adventists, Presbyterians, etc.), but rather it will be a knock that must be heard individually and responded to individually. Anyone who hears the “knock” or “voice” may exercise faith, open the door of his understanding, and realize his Lord’s second presence.
One who never hears the “knock” is evidently not counted worthy to hear it, but those who hear are also not compelled to respond. Only they who recognize the knock and respond by faith – opening the door to the Lord and receiving Him as their present King – only they are blessed “to sup” with the Lord, receiving the spiritual nourishment, the feast of “meat in due season,” which the Master promised to strengthen the faithful for the judgments, tests, trials and siftings which must “begin at the house of God.” (1 Pet. 4:17) “Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.” (Luke 12:37)
It is not with any hope of arousing the world to faith in the Lord’s presence that we announce “Behold the Bridegroom!” The world is not worthy of the knowledge now and would only misuse it. They will know in the Lord’s due time during the period of the epiphaneia and apokalypsis of the Son of Man – the Epiphany. They will be awakened by the great crash of the day of trouble. We make the announcement, however, with the confident expectation that the justified and consecrated will hear the message and examine the Scriptures, investigating the subject.
PRESENCE GRADUALLY REVEALED
We have drawn a clear distinction between the Parousia, the Lord’s presence, and the Epiphany, the manifestation of the Lord’s presence. While the “bright shining” of the Lord’s manifestation was due to begin not long after the Parousia began, it has begun only with His people and will gradually extend to the world in general. It is just as it was at the Lord’s first advent: “And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” (John 1:5) Only the faithful watchers have yet discerned the Parousia and until the worst of the trouble breaks out, they only will appreciate the bright-shining of the Lord’s Epiphany. The increased brilliancy of the Word of Truth is an ever increasing joy and pleasure to the watchers, and they will not be caught unawares: “But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.” (1 Thess. 5:3-4)
Our Lord declared that this day of His presence would bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and make manifest the secret counsels of the heart: “For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.” (Luke 8:17) Christ’s “harvest” work during this period of His presence is opening people’s eyes to justice and injustice, righteousness and sin. The shining light is awakening the world to a realization of its rights and its wrongs, to a realization that the earth belongs to mankind in general and not exclusively to a few who have seized and exploited it. This same light is exposing the corruption and falsity of many long-venerated theories and institutions – religious, political, social and financial. Let us also not overlook the Apostle’s declaration that Satan’s power to deceive the world through Antichrist is to be consumed by the bright-shining (epiphaneia) of His presence (parousia). (2 Thess. 2:8)
The bright-shining of the Lord’s presence is causing great joy to the faithful, illuminating their hearts (2 Pet. 1:19), but it is affecting nominal Christians, and the civilized world in general in a totally different manner. Among many of the worldly, it has the effect of increasing their selfish propensities, producing discontent. It is thus preparing the world for the great climax of catastrophe predicted in the Word of the Lord as the consummation of this age – the overthrow in anarchy of all governments and institutions of this present order of things, “a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation.” (Dan. 12:1)
THE FIFTH UNIVERSAL EMPIRE
As we have seen, it was predicted through the Prophet Daniel that “in the days of these kings” (the representatives of the fourth universal empire, Rome), God would cause His Kingdom to smite the image upon its feet (the iron and clay representing its civil and ecclesiastical conglomeration), utterly crushing it. We have seen that God’s Kingdom, represented by the stone, would then grow great and fill the whole earth.
We have shown that we are now in the time when the Kingdom of God is exerting its force against the kingdoms of this world: the King Himself is present as He must be before He can destroy present kingdoms and take their power. He is already exerting the influences which will eventuate in their destruction. He is prepared, backed by all the power of God, to quickly establish upon their ruins His own glorious Kingdom, consisting of Himself the King, and His faithful ones of the Gospel Church as His Bride and joint-heir.
The influence exerted by the Light – the Truth emanating from our Lord’s presence – is already breaking the power of ignorance and superstition, which for long centuries has held the masses of mankind subservient to Papacy. The same bright-shining is likewise dissolving the lighter shackles of ignorance and error forged by the various sects of Protestantism. Ultimately, all superstition and false reverence will be dissolved, and false institutions will fall. Then it will be manifest that error, falsehood and fear never truly sanctify the heart. With the world of mankind released from servitude to fear, it will further manifest its true character of selfishness and ungodliness, speedily precipitating the great trouble predicted.
It would be a mistake, however, to suppose that the Parousia of our Lord is merely or chiefly in connection with the world and its preparation for the chaos of the present order of things. On the contrary, the chief work of the Lord during His Parousia is in connection with His Church. As we saw in the parables of the pounds and talents, He foretold that on His return He would first reckon with His servants, to whom He entrusted the pounds and talents, before manifesting His wrath against His enemies, slaying all who would not have Him to reign over them. That slaughter time, in which all who do not accept the reign of righteousness will be destroyed from among the people, begins with the burning of the “tares” in the end of this age, when there will be great trouble, “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” To some extent it will continue throughout the Millennial Age. To the very end of the age, all who willfully oppose the Lord will perish. (Isa. 65:20; Acts 3:23; Rev. 20:8-9)
The Kingdom we are expecting is not an earthly kingdom, but a heavenly one; not a fleshly kingdom, but a spiritual one; not a kingdom visible to the natural eye, but an invisible yet powerful kingdom. We believe it is now in process of establishment and will soon smite the kingdoms of this world and supplant them, We find nothing in the Scriptures to corroborate the thought entertained by some that this Gospel Age, having begun in the spirit, is to culminate in a reign of Christ and His Church in the flesh, with an earthly throne, etc.
On the contrary, the King and His joint-heirs, the Church as spirit beings, will have a spiritual empire. Their subjects, to whom they will offer the blessings of restitution purchased at Calvary, will be men in the flesh, whose highest hope and ambition will be restitution to the grand perfection of the human nature lost in Eden and redeemed at Calvary – an earthly image of the Heavenly Father. During the Millennial Age, Christ and His saints will be no more visible to mankind than Satan and His associates have been during the Gospel Age. Here we have the spiritual Kingdom of Messiah, with all power, displacing the spiritual kingdom of Satan.
We have given here only the briefest possible summary of the Scriptural evidences that we are living in the Parousia, the presence, “the days of the Son of man.” We have shown the consistency and harmony of Scriptures which have never been harmonized in the past, and which cannot now be harmonized from any other standpoint or with any other interpretation.
(Based on Reprint 2972. Continued from our July 2020 paper.)
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