Bible Readings for the Home Circle Part 84

How long, O Lord our Saviour, Wilt Thou remain away?

Our hearts are growing weary Of Thy so long delay.

O when shall come the moment When, brighter far than morn, The suns.h.i.+ne of Thy glory Shall on Thy people dawn?

How long, O gracious Master, Wilt Thou Thy household leave?

So long hast Thou now tarried, Few Thy return believe.

Immersed in sloth and folly, Thy servants, Lord, we see; And few of us stand ready With joy to welcome Thee.

O, wake Thy slumbering people; Send forth the solemn cry; Let all the saints repeat it,- "The Saviour draweth nigh!"

May all our lamps be burning, Our loins well girded be, Each longing heart preparing With joy Thy face to see.

Great Lines of Prophecy

*The Great Image of Daniel 2.* This prophecy, written over twenty-five hundred years ago, is one of the greatest, briefest, and most comprehensive prophecies in the Bible. Under the symbol of a great metallic image, the rise and fall of nations is outlined till the end of time and the setting up of G.o.d's everlasting kingdom. See reading on page 204.

*The Four Beasts of Daniel 7.* This line of prophecy covers the same ground as that of Daniel 2, but with additional features introduced, especially that concerning the development and work of the "little horn"

power of the fourth beast, under which G.o.d's people were to be oppressed until delivered and placed in possession of the kingdom "forever and ever." See reading on page 213.

*The 2300 Days of Daniel 8.* This prophecy, after tracing the course of empire down through Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome, introduces the longest prophetic period in the Bible, reaching from the beginning of the movement to restore and build Jerusalem before Christ's first advent, to a similar work to be performed by G.o.d's people in the last days preparatory to Christ's second advent. See reading on page 230.

*The Seventy Weeks of Daniel 9.* This prophecy fixes the date of the beginning of the 2300 days, of which the seventy weeks are a part; definitely marks the time of Christ's first advent; and briefly refers to the "consummation" and the overthrow of the last of earthly kingdoms. See pages 232-236.

*The Standing Up of Michael-Daniel 11 and 12.* A literal prophecy tracing the rise and fall of kings and kingdoms from the early rulers of Persia in the sixth century B.C., to the overthrow of Turkey, the "king of the north," and the "standing up," or reign, of Michael, the Great Prince, which is Christ. See page 296.

*The Prophecies of the Revelation.* These are supplemental to the prophecies of Daniel. Under the Seven Churches, the Seven Seals, the Seven Trumpets, the Great Red Dragon, the Leopard Beast, and the Two-Horned Beast, the history and experience of the church and of earthly kingdoms are traced during the Christian era, to the end of the age. See pages 301-310.

*Christ's Great Prophecy.* Christ's claim to being a prophet, and the greatest of all prophets, is fully established by His prophecy recorded in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. In this He depicts minutely the destruction of Jerusalem, the great tribulation of the Dark Ages, and the signs that were to herald His second coming. See pages 311-325.

PART VII. COMING EVENTS AND SIGNS OF THE TIMES

[Ill.u.s.tration.]

Siege Of Jerusalem, A.D. 70. "When ye shall see Jerusalem compa.s.sed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh." Luke 21:20.

Our Lord's Great Prophecy

[Ill.u.s.tration.]

Christ Foretelling The Destruction Of Jerusalem. "When shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world?" Matt. 24:3.

1. How did Christ feel concerning Jerusalem, as He was about to make His final visit to the city before His crucifixion?

"And when He was come near, He beheld the city, and _wept over it_, saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes."

Luke 19:41, 42.

2. In what words did He foretell its destruction?

"For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compa.s.s thee round, and keep thee in on every side, and shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation." Verses 43, 44.

3. What pitiful appeal did He make to the impenitent city?

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!" Matt. 23:37.

4. As He was about to leave the temple, what did He say?

"Behold, your house is left unto you _desolate_." Verse 38.

NOTE.-That which was to fill up their cup of iniquity was their final rejection and crucifixion of Christ, and their condemnation and persecution of His apostles and people after His resurrection.

See Matt. 23:29-35; John 19:15; Acts 4-8.

5. Hearing these words, what questions did the disciples ask?

"Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world?" Matt. 24:3.

NOTE.-Christ's answers to these questions are worthy of the most careful study. The destruction of Jerusalem and the overthrow of the Jewish nation attending it are a type of the final destruction of all the cities of the world, and the overthrow of all nations.

To some extent, therefore, the descriptions of the two great events seem to be blended. When Christ referred to the destruction of Jerusalem, His prophetic words reached beyond that event to the final conflagration when the Lord shall rise out of His place "to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity," and when the earth "shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain." Isa. 26:21. Thus the entire discourse was given not for the early disciples only, but for those who were to live during the closing scenes of the world's history. During the discourse Christ did, however, give definite signs, both of the destruction of Jerusalem and of His second coming.

6. In His reply, how did Christ indicate that neither the end of the world nor of the Jewish nation was immediately at hand?

"Jesus answered and said unto them, _Take heed that no man deceive you_.

For many shall come in My name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: _for all these things must come to pa.s.s, but the end is not yet_." Verses 4-6.

7. What did He say of the wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes which were to precede these events?

"All these are _the beginning of sorrows_." Verse 8.

NOTE.-These were to precede and culminate in the great calamity and overthrow, first, of Jerusalem, and finally of the whole world; for, as already noted, the prophecy has a double application, first, to Jerusalem and the Jewish nation, and secondly, to the whole world; the destruction of Jerusalem for its rejection of Christ at His first advent being a type of the destruction of the world at the end for its rejection of Christ in refusing to heed the closing warning message sent by G.o.d to prepare the world for Christ's second advent.

8. In what language did Christ briefly describe the experiences of His people previous to these calamities?

"Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for My name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold." Verses 9-12.