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Chapter XII

The Week of Human Probation

Its Times and Seasons. - Its Glorious Hope. - "How Long, O Lord, How Long?"

"Watch ye therefore, for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing or in the morning: lest coming suddenly, he find you sleeping."

"But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep as do others; but let us watch and be sober."

"For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth." Mark 13:35, 36; 1

Thes. 5:4-6; Luke 21:35.

We have seen that the week of human probation, each one of whose days is a millennium, beginning with the creation of man, terminates in a millennial Sabbath, which is further characterized as "the day of the Lord" and "the day of Jesus Christ" - when his victorious church shall reign with him on the earth. It was to the dawn of this blessed day that our Lord Jesus pointed his disciples when he said, "I will come again and receive you unto myself." John 14:3. "Watch," "wait," "be ready": ready to sit with him in his throne as joint-heirs of his kingdom and sharers in its blessed work of restoring all things. Rev. 3:21; 20:6. To the day described as "times of refreshing," "times of restitution of all things" (Acts 3:19-21), and the restoration of Israel's glory (Isa. 1:25, 26): The day of which the Psalmist wrote saying, "Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad before the Lord, ... for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity." Psa. 96:9-13; 98:4-9.

From the time of the promise on - even from the first intimation of it in Eden, believers have scanned the heavens for the signs of the dawn of that day, and the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ in power and great glory.~

What are the signs of its approach? and how shall we know them? The apostle Peter says we shall know them by taking heed to the sure word of divine prophecy which shines as a light in a dark place until the day dawn. 2 Pet. 1:19. Then he shows that, that word of prophecy spans three great epochs of human history: epochs so distinct as to be termed three separate worlds - the world that was before the flood, the world that now is, and the world to come wherein dwelleth righteousness. 2 Pet. 3:6, 7, 13. To illustrate, as follows: -Creation: The World that was. Flood: The world that now is. Second Advent of Christ: The World to come.

The first of these periods - "worlds" - extending from the creation to the flood in the six hundredth year of Noah's age is shown by the genealogical records of Genesis V to be 1,656 years, according to the original 199

Hebrew text, accepted and followed by Archbishop Usher as noted in our English Bibles and other learned chronologists.

From that date on (1656 A.M.), to the second advent of Christ, is "the world that now is." Paul speaks of it as "this present evil world." Gal. 1:4. It is the period or "world" in which we are living: a world (a) which, like the first world, is doomed to destruction - not by water, as the first world but "by the fire of God's jealousy." Eph. 1:18; 2 Pet. 3:6, 7; Gen. 9:9-17. "The heavens and the earth" - the ruling powers and the ungodly masses of humanity, constituting the civilization of the first world, perished together; and likewise "the heavens and earth which are now" constituting the present civilization, perish in the fiery calamities of the last days of this world. All unconsciously, heedless of the prophetic warnings yet with ominous foreboding, even today, the fiery armament of all nations is preparing for this, its Armageddon conflict. 2 Pet. 3:5, 7; Rev. 16:16.

With the second advent of Christ begins the third period - "the world wherein dwelleth righteousness." This third world is characterized by the resurrection of all the dead - the blessed and holy of the first resurrection (Rev. 20:6) and afterward "every man in his own order" (1 Cor. 15:23), and over this resurrected host - "the just and the unjust" - the reign of Christ is established.

It will be the office of this righteous Judge, the Prince of Peace, "to bring in everlasting righteousness" (Dan. 9:24) through the great restoring, renewing work of his millennial reign wherein "he will lay judgment to the line and righteousness to the plummet" (Isa. 28:17). "And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance for ever." Isa. 32:17. Which effect will mark the consummation of his glorious millennial reign on earth, as Paul shows, saying, "Then cometh the end when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father ... For he must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet." 1 Cor. 15:24-28. "The end" - not of the world to come wherein dwelleth righteousness, but the end of that millennial period of righteous judgment, of refreshing and restoring all things, which terminates man's week of probation in the glory and triumph of everlasting established righteousness - "world without end." Amen! Eph. 3:21.

Our present inquiry then is - How near are we at the present time to the end of "this present evil world" and the dawn of the world to come at the glorious appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ? The word of prophecy on this line is both chronological and circumstantial. We are far removed from its beginning at the Flood in Noah's day, and while chronology is carefully preserved in the divine records down to the time of authentic secular history, with only a few brief intervals of uncertainty, leaving the exact date indeterminate, as God for wise reasons evidently intended, coupled with this circumstantial historic and current evidence in fulfillment of divine prophecy is luminous and eloquent in these last days, wherein all the lines of prophecy, both chronologic and circumstantial converge.

Let us consider first this circumstantial prophecy, which subdivides "the world that now is" into three distinct ages or dispensations of God's overruling providence. Beginning with Noah after the Flood - and yet preceded by worthy ones of former ages in the 1,656 years before the Flood, only a few of whose names are recorded, such as Abel, Enoch, Seth and Noah - we observe a marked selection of individual characters, through whom God was preparing to carry forward his wonderful plan for the subsequent redemption and final deliverance of the fallen human race. Abel had the testimony of acceptance with God, and though he died without offspring his later brother Seth, in his stead (Gen. 4:25), is the link supplied in the line of succession from Adam to Noah, and thence to the promised deliverer, Jesus Christ, while the unworthy Cain, though the first born, is ignored. Gen. 5:1, 3. Compare Gen. 4:1, 2. Enoch walked with God for 365 years with the testimony that he pleased God, Noah's faith and righteous character had the divine approval and blessing and after the Flood, Abraham became the heir of wonderful promises. Human life in those early generations stretched on into centuries, yet never went beyond the time limit announced to Adam - "In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." One day of man's week is 1,000 years. Adam lived 930 years, Seth 912, Enoch 365 (then translated) Methusaleh, grandfather of Noah 969, Lamech, father of Noah 777, Noah 600 years before the Flood and 350 after, or 950 years; Shem 602, Terah, Abraham's father 205 years, Abraham 175 years. After the Flood there gradually came a notable shortening of life.

During those long lives with others, their contemporaries, the race was rapidly multiplying and history -God given at the beginning (Gen. 1), and subsequently in the making, was easily and naturally handed down from fathers to sons and daughters and progress made in subduing the earth. And though soon the masses of the world were forgetting God and were heedless of his righteous requirements, there were always some of his witnesses (Acts 14:17) and teachers of righteousness 2 Pet. 2:5. But notwithstanding, corruption increased, until only eight persons - the family of Noah - remained faithful to God and his righteousness in the closing days of that first epoch, or "world." Then judgment fell. But the work of God was resumed after the Flood through the family of Noah - his three sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth and their descendants.

At the death of Noah the special prophetic blessing descended first upon Shem and in a lesser degree upon Japheth (Gen. 9:26, 27). In the line of Shem came Abraham "the friend of God." Down to the call of Abraham and the special promises made to him, may be regarded then as the Patriarchal Age, when the outstanding figures in the world's civilization, such as it was, were the fathers, the heads of families and of tribes. But the Patriarchs failed: they could not stem the tide of evil in the world and often themselves fell under its power.

With the call of Abraham a new dispensation of divine providence is manifest. God called this faithful Patriarch and established his covenant with him, promising to make of him a great nation, which he did after four centuries of growth and discipline in the land of Egypt and forty years of training in the wilderness of Sinai. So that when they emerged from the wilderness into the promised land of Canaan they entered the land as an organized host, a homogenous people - "a nation" - i.e., a people of one common inheritance of ideals, usages, customs and laws; in other words, of one civilization, and thenceforth to be of one country. And the Lord himself, to whom they were bound in solemn mutual covenant relations, and who thus established them nationally, was ever after to be recognized as their rightful Sovereign, their officers of state being his representatives, and always by his appointment.

To that nation, thus divinely organized, he said, "You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth." (Amos 3:2; Deut. 10:15). They were chosen to be "a holy nation," "a royal priesthood," through whose instrumentality under divine providence all the families of the earth were to be blessed, according to the promise made to their father Abraham. But Israel as a nation, like the Patriarchs that preceded them, failed in their mission, and again, only a remnant remained true to their covenant. In the line of this remnant in due time (the time foretold by Daniel - chap. 9:24-27) came the long promised "seed of the woman" and the "seed of Abraham" - the "Son of David," the incarnate "Son of God."

As a nation, Israel degenerated in its stubborn willful blindness, rejected even this divine condescension - the glory of that favored people. And again, only a true and loyal remnant received him "and the rest were blinded." Rom. 11:7. The nation rejected the Son of God, and with that national rejection of Him, God's favor to that people as a nation was withdrawn - the Jewish Age of special favor ended. And Jesus, beholding its long revered capital city, wept over it, saying, "If thou hadst known, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now, they are hid from thine eyes. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! Behold your house is left unto you desolate. And verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." Luke 19:41, 42; 13:34, 35. That national blindness will continue until their rejected Messiah comes again his glory, when their blindness will be turned away.

With the worthy believing remnant of Israel, accepted of God, filled with his Holy Spirit, and led by his beloved Son at his first advent and onward, a new dispensation of divine favor began, which thereafter included not only the worthy remnant of Israel but also Gentile believers of all nations, the collective body of which is divinely recognized as "the church of the living God," and which, as a chaste virgin espoused to Christ, awaits the promised day of his second coming to become his glorious bride, and joint-heir with him of his kingdom and glory. These children of Abraham by faith thus supplant the rejected nation of Israel, the fleshly seed of Abraham, as heirs of the promise made to him in its highest sense as previously shown. See chapter Mystery of God.

The period devoted to this selection is thus seen to extend from the first advent of Christ to his second advent. It is the Gospel or good-news age wherein the good news of the high calling to joint-heirship with Christ is offered to all believers, of whatever nation, and the present year A.D. measures our advancement in it. Thus we see the whole period of "this present evil world" subdivided into three marked periods, as follows:

"This Present Evil World"

Insert Maria's graph on her page 10

But there are yet other, and even more explicit, notes of time in the circumstantial records of the sure word of prophecy. Our Lord mentions a prophetic period which he calls "the times of the Gentiles," saying "Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." Luke 21:24. The term is used in contradistinction from the times of Israel's national favor and consequent supremacy. Israel's times began when "God took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt," organized them as a nation in the wilderness of Sinai and took them into covenant relations to himself. Jer. 31:32; Exod. 19:1-8. Thenceforth they were his people, his peculiar treasure, his nation, and eventually, through long experience and training, they must become the divine agency of blessing to all the families of the earth, under the leadership of their promised Messiah and King. "Which covenant," however, "they brake." In consequence, there followed a long period of national subjection and debasement under Gentile powers, which was permitted and even timed to endure until, as a nation, they should be brought to repentance and contrition. Then Israel's times are to be resumed and again they become God's recognized people, under a new covenant, when they shall recognize Messiah their Savior and King Jer. 31:31-34. Then they shall see him coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

That national humiliation of Israel began with their subjection to Babylon and, through the prophet Daniel, God foretold that it should be continued under the successive Gentile kingdoms of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome. When the first advent of Christ occurred they had lived under all four of those overruling Gentile powers and it was under the Roman power, at the instigation of rebellious Israel, that Messiah was crucified. But beyond this Gentile power, Rome, there is no other successor prophetically indicated to precede the coming of earth's rightful king, Messiah. Then Israel's blindness shall be turned away and through the prophet Isaiah, God calls again to his people Israel - "Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For behold darkness shall cover the earth and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising." Isa. 60:1-3.

Hence "the times of the Gentiles" end at the second coming of Christ. They began with an era including the gradual rise of the Babylonian power and the gradual subjection of Israel to that power. They end in a corresponding era of the decline of Gentile power and the renaissance of Israel as a nation. The time features of this long period are thus seen to be the political features and their successive development as historically recorded become markers of the approaching end. This manner of foretelling the time does not indicate beforehand the exact date - the year or day or hour of the advent of Messiah - but when the events of the last era transpire they tell us plainly that it is nigh, even at the doors.

Rome, the last of the four great Gentile powers, covers the major part of the Jewish age and all of the Gospel age, as outlined in the preceding diagram. A study of the career of each as foretold by Daniel is beyond our limits here. Suffice it to say that Rome's dominion in the world was first animated by Pagan philosophy and later, by antichristian Papal philosophy. Jews and Christians have suffered under both; the former under divine displeasure, the latter in the spirit of martyrdom.

Thus briefly viewed we see all the lines of prophetic circumstantial evidence of the near end of "this present evil world," the near end of this Gospel Age and the near end of "the times of the Gentiles" converging in our day. Rome, the last of the four great world powers, is still in existence and is in the condition so aptly symbolized in "the toes" of the symbolic image of Nebuchadnezzar's prophetic dream (Dan. 2:33,40-43) - in the nations of Europe that have grown out of the old Roman Empire. Iron was the symbol of Rome's strength: the legs were of iron but the democratic tendencies among all peoples in modern times is figured in the brittle clay of the feet and toes. Yes, the modern nations of Europe have much of the strength of the iron still, yet the brittleness of the clay - partly strong and partly brittle - hence breaking and forming again and again - for the iron and the clay will not mix: "they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay." Dan. 2:41-43

In the great World War (unparalleled in all human history) the Image of Gentile power was struck a stunning blow - not on the head (Babylon) nor on the breast (Medo-Persia) nor on the thighs (Grecia) nor even on the iron legs of Rome - these as world powers have passed away (Dan. 7:14) - but on the feet and toes (Dan 2:34). Hence we see the fragments of broken governments and peoples lying all over Europe today. It was struck by a power beyond human control - and in judgment on the nations as such. And the end is not yet though it is hastening on to its Armageddon conflict; the final result of which shall be as foretold by Daniel, the end of Gentile dominion in the earth and the firm establishment of the millennial kingdom of Christ. For he, the "Stone," taken out of the heavenly "mountain" kingdom to whom is committed all judgment, both national and individual. He is the stone of stumbling and rock of offence - to nations as well as to individuals. The nations, stumbling at that stumbling stone are broken, and shall be carried away as foretold. Compare Isa. 8:14, 15; Matt. 21:44. And that stone, in glory and in power becomes a great mountain (kingdom) and fills the whole earth (Compare Dan. 2:33-35 and 41-45): For it is "in the days of these kings" - of these Gentile powers: that is, while they are still standing, however broken, crippled and "shaken" - that the God of heaven is setting up his kingdom which shall by and by become a great mountain and fill the whole earth. Dan. 2;34. 35, 45, margin.

In the perplexities of readjustment since the shock of the terrible blow, the statesmen of all nations are making desperate efforts to accomplish the impossible task - the mixing of the iron and the clay - to bring about harmony and cooperation among the factions composing the feet and toes - and so to save the present civilization from the threatened collapse which all fear Luke 21:26. Italy's Premier Mussolini hopes to restore the ancient glory of Papal Rome's tyrannic power and to extend it to world limits again, which is the declared purpose and endeavor of the Papacy. An attempted league of the nations involved is seeking by multiplied counsels and treaties to bolster up the shaking, tottering walls of the old civilization but every effort only reveals the hopelessness of the task, as our world Press Agents constantly report.

And is it not a hopeless task? when God has said, "Yet once for all, I will shake not only the earth (the peoples of the world) but the heaven (the ruling powers, the governments) also." And the apostle Paul explains, "Now this 'Yet once for all' denotes the removal of the things shaken, as things made (temporary things) that those things that cannot be shaken - "the kingdom which cannot be moved may remain" - being established upon the sure foundation of righteousness. "For our God is a consuming fire," and sin whenever found, or however entrenched in power is always inflammable Heb. 12:26-29; Hag. 2:6, 7.

The final collapse of Gentile power in the world will necessarily spell what divine prophecy foretells - a time of trouble such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. Matt. 24:21.

Manifestly this, our day, is the day of national judgment, when God is having a controversy with the nations, as such (Jer. 25:31); when he is calling the nations to his bar, saying, "Come near, ye nations to hear, and hearken, ye people. Let the earth hear and all things that come forth of it. For the indignation of the Lord is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies." Isa. 34:1, 2. Is it not indeed the day when the hidden things of secret national diplomacy and intrigue are being revealed? 1 Cor. 4:5. "For there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed; neither hid that shall not be known." Luke 12:2. "Eventually, every work shall be made manifest, for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire." 1 Cor. 3:13.

Thus the world wide political features of this long period of "the times of the Gentiles" as foretold by the prophets and as fulfilled and fulfilling in our day, mark our present proximity to the end of the old long established Gentile dominion and the dawn of a new order of things under the reign of Christ.

This circumstantial evidence of fulfilled and final fulfilling prophecy in our day is of itself conclusive evidence that we are now living in the closing era of the world that now is and the dawning of a new and better day. It fixes our present location, though it does not and was not, intended to fix an exact date. Like the dawning of the natural day, so the dawning of the day of Jesus Christ is first amid clouds and darkness and that darkness deepened by storm and tempest and then a gradual illumination, growing brighter and brighter unto the perfect day as the Sun of Righteousness rises higher and higher to his meridian glory Matt. 24:21. It is an era of transformation through national judgments, which however severe, when accomplished, will be "the desire of all nations" (Hag. 2:6, 7) bringing such satisfaction to the weary world as no efforts of its own could ever achieve; "For when his judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness." Isa. 26:9.

The chronological data of this long period of Gentile times, a period of 2,520 years (the threatened "seven times" of Dan. 4:25, 32 fulfilled on the year-day principle, typically indicated in Nebuchadnezzar's seven years of debasement - 360 days to a year, lunar time, seven times or years are 360 x 7 = 2,520 yrs.), dating from the era of Israel's gradual subjection to Gentile power and extending to the era of their gradual rising again, which event we are witnessing today is a subject, the satisfactory treatment of which, would be beyond the limits of this book. The author therefore is satisfied to refer the reader to a valued work on the whole subject of prophetic time by the late Rev. Grattan H. Guinness, a volume of more than seven hundred pages, entitled The Approaching End of the Age. This masterly work is in full harmony with all the circumstantial evidence herein cited. A condensed statement of the subject would be unsatisfactory to careful students, hence is not attempted here.

Briefly, then, we are in the last times in every sense. Behind us is the "world that was" before the flood. So also the Patriarchal Age and the Jewish Age of "this present world," while the Gospel Age has well nigh run its appointed course and accomplished its great work of bearing the message of salvation (not to all individuals but) "to all nations for a witness," and of taking out from among the Gentiles a people for his name - a remnant of the nations which, together with the remnant of Israel, shall be associated with their Lord and Head in the great work of the new dispensation, the work of restoring all things.

Politically we now see the foretold events which mark the closing of the times of the Gentiles. God's controversy with the nations is on and the Armageddon judgment is impending. We are witnessing the shaking "once for all" of all nations, preparatory to the final removal of the Gentile powers and the setting up of Messiah's kingdom, while the renaissance of Israel and the restoration to the land of promise, begun in our day and rapidly proceeding, is the great event to which our Lord pointed as indicating that the end is in sight - "even at the doors" Luke 21:24-31; Matt. 24:32, 33. Amen! Is it not enough to comfort and hearten all those who love the Lord's appearing and long for his righteous orderly reign to heal the broken-hearted peoples of the earth: enough to stimulate the hope of all those who walk by faith? But it is not enough to warn the nations, who walk in darkness heedless of the divine counsel and steadily ignoring the sure word of prophecy, while they resort to human devices only, in seeking to establish, at least a measure of that peace and harmony, without which the world cannot endure Ps. 2:1-12. Therefore it is imperative that judgment must fall, as our Lord foresaw and foretold.