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XI. 1. I have presented in this article that part of the chapters I discuss, in such divisions as I have supposed was best calculated to exhibit the order of the predicted events, and give the reader an opportunity to compare the evangelists with each other.

2. I have given a few rules of right exposition of this portion of the writings of the evangelists; rules, which I presume, no reader will call in question or dispute.

3. I have referred to some of the principal predictions given in this prophecy, embracing the two principal events, the destruction of Jerusalem, and the coming of the Son of man. The two classes. of signs that precede each event, and the important circumstances depending upon those events, or following them.

4. I have noticed that there are two different expositions of the predictions relating to the coming of the Son of man; one, making the language highly figurative, and referring to the destruction of Jerusalem for its accomplishment; the other, giving a literal exposition of the language of the predictions, and looking forward to the future for their accomplishment. I have given some of my objections to the figurative exposition, and some of the reasons which led me unhesitatingly to adopt the literal. I will here repeat them. I object to the figurative, because it is figurative. I can see no sufficient reason why, after a course of predictions which receive a literal accomplishment, the same events should be predicted again in language highly figurative.

I object to it, that it entirely deranges the order of the events as predicted, and that order, preserved by the three evangelists who record the prophecy. If this objection be founded in fact, it must require a weight of evidence to counteract it.

I object, that it plainly and positively contradicts the Saviour's express language, declaring the signs of his coming to be after the tribulation of the other event. This objection is to me insurmountable. I can see no way to question it; I can see no way to ob

viate it.

I object, that there is an entire failure of meeting the particulars of the prophecy in a satisfactory manner. Such as his being seen by all the tribes of the earth coming in the clouds of heaven, the gathering the people of God, (the elect,) from one end of heaven to the other, the redemption of the saints, and the approach of the kingdom of God.

That there are no other scriptures that connect his coming with the destruction of Jerusalem; no other scriptures that speak of redemption, or the gathering of the saints at that time. To adopt the figurative exposition, I must find a satisfactory answer to these objections, and many more. But when all these objections are obviated, were it possible to do it, and the figurative exposition established, what should we gain? We have still the certainty that every prediction there given is to receive a literal accomplishment in future time,

5. I have shown that the literal exposition agrees with the order in which the events are predicted, as recorded by. the evangelist. That it accords with the language of Jesus, Christ; that it answers all the predictions, fully and satisfactorily; and that it agrees with, and is fully sustained, by other scripture in every particular.

6. I have endeavored to answer the objections raised against the literal exposition, arising from several passages of scripture; and have designedly avoided no objection in my answer that I regard as of any weight. It is now for the reader to examine the subject, and I would entreat him to remember, whatever may be his view of this argument, that Jesus Christ is yet to come, and at that coming, every prediction here given is to receive its accomplishment. Are you ready? Let not preparation for that event be delayed a single moment.

ARTICLE III.

Illustration of Scripture.

"AND 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 ezesan, lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead, anezesan, lived not again till the thousand years were finished. This is the first anastasei, resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first anastasei, resurrection; on such the second death hath no power; but they shall be priests of God, and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years;" Rev. xx., 4-6.

Those who maintain the doctrine of the second advent, in 1843, contend that this passage teaches the doctrine of the literal resurrection of all the righteous, at the second coming of Christ, who are to reign with him on the earth in his everlasting kingdom, not merely for a thousand years, but for ever and ever. On the other hand, we shall attempt to show that the resurrection here spoken of, is not a literal, but a metaphorical resurrection, and that those who are the subjects of this resurrection will enjoy a spiritual reign, under Christ, of exalted piety and of great blessedness.

I. To sustain their position, they affirm that the word resurrection uniformly means, in the Holy Scriptures, a revival of the dead, and, consequently, to give it any other interpretation, in this place, is a violation of the analogy of Scripture. But this assertion is a

ment.

very great mistake. The original word, anastasis, here employed by St. John, and rendered resurrection, is derived from the verb anistemi, and which is rendered to raise, or arise from the dead. These two words are generally employed in the Scriptures to express the resurrection from the dead, especially in the New TestaSee Heb. xi., 35. Acts i., 22; ii., 31; iv., 33; xvii., 18-32; xxiv., 15—21; xxvi., 23. Mat. xvii, 9; xx., 19. John vi., 39–40, and many other passages, too numerous for reference. The simple question then is, is this the only sense in which these words are used in the Bible? Certainly not, as every man well knows who has properly examined the subject. These words are employed to express the idea of rising up from a seat, in opposition to sitting down. "Behold their sitting down, and their anastasei, rising up;" Lam. iii., 62. Here the same word is used in the Septuagint, which is employed by St. John. The verb anistemi, is frequently used in this sense in the New Testament. "And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom; and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he, anastas, arose, and followed him;" Mat. ix., 9. See also Mark i., 35, ii., 14, xiv., 60; the same original word is used in all these places; and, surely, it will not be contended that in these passages any literal resurrection from the dead is intended.

This word is also used to express a rising up, as in a civil insurrection. "Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the Lord, until the day that I rise up to the prey, for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them my indignation, even all my fierce anger; Zeph. iii., 8. The verb unistemi, is frequently used in this sense, in the New Testament. "After this man, aniste, rose up Judas, of Galilee, in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him; he also perished, and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed; Acts v., 37; see also verse 36. This word is also used in the following places; Acts ii., 30 ; iii., 22—26; vi., 9; vii., 18; xiii., 32. Mat. xix., 1; xxii., 24. Mark iii., 26; vii., 24; x., 1. Rom. xv., 12. Heb. vii., 11, 12. The verb anistemi, is used in all these places, not one of which has any reference to a literal resurrection.

But this word is employed to express a spiritual resurrection from the death of sin. "Wherefore, he saith, awake thou that sleepest, and anasta, arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light" Eph. v., 14. That the phrase to arise from the dead, here means a resurrection from the death of sin, will appear evident, by comparing it with the following passages. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall live;" John v., 25. “Even when we were dead in sins, he hath quickened us together with Christ, and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus;" Eph. ii., 5, 6. "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which

are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God;" Col. iii., 1. Surely, it will not be contended that the word is here employed to express any literal resurrection from the dead.

Nearly allied to this passage is one in St. Luke, where the same word is used; "And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and anastasin, rising again of many in Israel;" ii., 34. That part of the Jewish nation who rejected the Messiah, are said to fall, in allusion to a prophecy of Isaiah. "And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling, and for a rock of offence, to both houses of Israel; for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many among them shall stumble and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken;" viii., 14, 15. And while this part of the Jewish nation should stumble, and fall, and be scattered, those who embraced Jesus as the promised Messiah, should be raised from the death of sin, to a holy and heavenly life.

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The deliverance of the people of God from a state of the lowest depression, is expressed by images plainly taken from the resurrection of the dead. In this sense we are to understand the language of Isaiah, where he says anastesontai oi nekron ; “ Thy dead shall arise, and be raised out of their tombs ;" xxvi., 19. In the same language, God speaks to the Jewish nation by their prophet Ezekiel; "I will open your graves, and cause you to come out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel;" xxxvii., 13, 14. The prophet Hosea uses this metaphor in the same language; "In three days we exenastesometha, shall rise up again, and we shall live before him ;" v., 2. And the apostles Paul, speaking of the conversion of the Jews to the Christian faith, says, "It shall be even to the Gentiles zoe ek nekron, as life from the dead;" Rom. xi., 10. Here, then, is a resurrection of the church of God, agreeable to that which our interpretation of this passage of the Revelation imports; nor is there any more reason to say the words of St. John refer to the literal dead, and not to the churches, than to say the same of many of the passages cited.

St. John, in this passage, uses another word ezesan, rendered lived, of similar import to anastasis. This word zao, although sometimes employed to signify to recover to life, to raise the dead, as in Rev. ii., 8; 2 Kings, xiii., 21; Job, xiv., 14; yet this is by no means its only signification. This word is frequently employed in the Scriptures, as a strong metaphor to represent the restoration of the church, or people of God, from a low and affected state, to a state of prosperity and happiness. Such a change in the condition of the people of God, is frequently represented as a new life, a life from the dead, a revivification of the church and people of God. When God moved the Persian kings to let the Jewish nation return to their own land, he is said by Ezra to give them a revivification. "And now for a little space, grace hath been showed from the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant to es

cape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little zoopoiesin, reviving in our bondage. For we were bondmen, yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a zoopoiesin, reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judea and in Jerusalem;" ix., 8, 9. The Psalmist, speaking of the people of God, says: "Thou, which hast shewed us great and sore troubles, shall quicken us again, and shall bring us up again from the depth of the earth." And the church is represented as speaking thus to God; "Thou zooseis, wilt quicken us, and we shall call upon thy name;" lxxx., 18. Again," Thou wilt return kai zooseis emas, and revive us, and thy people shall rejoice in thee;" xxxv., 6. See also Isa. xxvi., 19; Hosea, vi., 2, 3; xiv., 17. The son of Syrach says, at the coming of Elias, "zoe zesometha, we shall live again" xlviii., 11. In the thirty-seventh chapter of Ezekiel, we have a very striking example of this metaphor. God is here introduced as inquiring of the Jews in Babylon, “ei zesetai, can these bones live?" and promising to put into them "pneuma zoes, the breath of life," and saying, "I will put my spirit into you, kai zesethe, and ye shall live," and bidding the prophet blow upon them, “kai resatosan, that they may live," and declaring that when he had done so," breath entered into them, kai ezesan, and they lived again, and stood upon their feet;" in all which places, the very words which St. John uses to express the first resurrection, is here employed to express the return of the church from her obscurity and thraldom, to a glorious and happy state. The same word is used twice, at least, in the same sense in the New Testament. It is applied by the father to the return of his prodigal son, in that delightful parable of our Lord: "It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad; for this thy brother was dead, kai anezese, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found;" Luke xv., 30. It is also employed by St. Paul, who declares that the conversion of the Jews to Christianity, shall be even to the Gentiles" as zoe ek nekron, life from the dead;" Rom. xi., 15. Seeing then, that this word is employed both by the writers of the Old and New Testaments in a metaphorical sense, there can be no good Scriptural reasons why it should not bear the same sense in the passage under consideration. The very words then, which are here employed by St. John to express the first resurrection, are used by prophets, apostles, and even by Christ himself, in a metaphorical sense, so that we have the highest possible authority for the interpretation we have given to his language.

It is generally agreed by those who believe that the prophets and apostles have foretold the conversion of the Jews to the Christian faith, that this event is not to begin to be accomplished, till after the destruction of the beast, or the downfall of anti-christ, mentioned in the eighteenth chapter, and, therefore, in the following

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