Bible Readings for the Home Circle Part 81

(5) In the same year Turkey lost possession of Servia and Bosnia.

(6) In 1878 the Treaty of Berlin granted autonomous government to Bulgaria, and independence to Roumelia, Roumania, and Montenegro.

(7) In 1912 Tripoli was taken over by Italy.

(8) In 1912 and 1913 the Balkan States and Greece dispossessed Turkey of nearly all of her remaining territory in Europe.

11. Under this plague, what incites the nations to war?

"And I saw _three unclean spirits_ like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are _the spirits of devils_, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, _to gather them to the battle of that great day of G.o.d Almighty_." Verses 13, 14.

12. At this time, what event is near at hand?

"_Behold, I come as a thief._ Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame." Verse 15.

13. To what place will the nations be gathered for battle?

"And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue _Armageddon_." Verse 16.

NOTE.-Armageddon consists of a great triangular plain in northern Palestine, twelve by fifteen by eighteen miles, extending southeast from Mt. Carmel, otherwise known as the plain of Esdraelon, or valley of Jezreel. It has been the scene of many great battles, such as that of Gideon's overthrow of the Midianites (Judges 6, 7), when "the Lord set every man's sword against his fellow;" of Saul's defeat by the Philistines (1 Sam.

29: 1; 1 Chronicles 10); and of Josiah's defeat by Pharaoh Necho (2 Kings 23:29, 30; 2 Chron. 35:20-24): and, as this scripture indicates, it is the place where, under the influence of evil spirits just preceding Christ's second coming, the great armies of the world will be gathered for their final struggle and utter destruction under the seventh plague.

14. When the king of the north comes to his end, what, according to the prophecy, is to take place?

"And _at that time shall Michael stand up_, the great Prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and _there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation_ even to that same time: and _at that time thy people shall be delivered_, every one that shall be found written in the book." Dan. 12:1.

NOTE.-The expression "stand up" occurs eight times in this line of prophecy (Daniel 11 and 12), and in each case means _to reign_.

See Dan. 11:2, 3, 4, 7, 14, 20, 21; 12:1. Michael is Christ, as will be seen by comparing Jude 9, 1 Thess. 4:16, and John 5:25.

When the Turkish Empire is brought to an end, therefore, the time will have come for Christ to receive His kingdom (Luke 19:11-15), and begin His reign. This great change will be ushered in by the downfall, not only of Turkey, but of all nations (Rev. 11:15); by the time of trouble here spoken of; by the seven last plagues described in Revelation 16; and by the deliverance of all G.o.d's people,-those whose names are found written in the book of life (Rev. 3:5; 20:12),-which shows that probation and the investigative judgment will then be past.

15. What will take place at this time?

"And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." Verse 2.

NOTES.-At the resurrection of Christ there was a special resurrection, when many of the saints were raised from the dead, were seen of many, and were taken to heaven with Christ at His ascension. Matt. 27:52, 53; Eph. 4:8. So, just prior to Christ's second coming and the general resurrection of the righteous, many of the sleeping saints, and some colossal sinners (those that "pierced Him," Rev. 1:7), it seems, will be raised to witness His coming, and hear G.o.d's covenant of peace with His people.

This line of prophecy, therefore, brings us down to the resurrection of the righteous, which takes place at the second advent.

16. What false message will go forth before destruction comes upon those unprepared for Christ's coming and kingdom?

"For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. _For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them_, ... and they shall not escape." 1 Thess. 5:2, 3.

NOTE.-The so-called Christian nations will not go to Palestine merely to expel the Turks from the land. As in the crusades of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, the idea will be to rescue the Holy Land from the Mohammedans, and make Jerusalem the center of a glorious kingdom, with Christ as king. The Papacy itself, it is thought by some, will at this time remove its seat to Jerusalem, and issue a great peace proclamation, directing the nations to beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning-hooks, and calling upon all to come up to the mountain of the Lord, as described in Isa. 2:2-5 and Micah 4:1-5. Infatuated by the doctrine of a temporal millennium, many nations will join in the call, and say, "For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." Isa. 2:3. But this will be but the signal for the battle of Armageddon and the "sudden destruction" that is to overtake the world and bring to an end the present order of things. See Rev. 19:17-21; Eze. 38:14-23; 39:17-22. Toward this consummation pa.s.sing events all indicate we are rapidly hastening.

Watchman on the walls of Zion, What, O tell us, of the night?

Is the day-star now arising?

Will the morn soon greet our sight?

O'er your vision shine there now some rays of light?

Tell, O tell us, are the landmarks On our voyage all pa.s.sed by?

Are we nearing now the haven?

Can we e'en the land descry?

Do we truly see the heavenly kingdom nigh?

The Seven Last Plagues

[Ill.u.s.tration.]

Marshaling Of The Nations. "And he gathered them together into a place called ... Armageddon." Rev. 16:16.

1. What is G.o.d's final warning against false worship?

"If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, _the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of G.o.d, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation_; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb." Rev. 14:9, 10.

NOTE.-During probationary time G.o.d's wrath is always tempered, or mingled, with mercy. Thus the prophet Habakkuk prays, "In wrath remember mercy." Hab. 3:2. G.o.d's wrath unmixed with mercy is visited only when mercy has done its final work and evil has gone to the limit, so that there is "no remedy." See Gen. 6:3; 15:16; 19:12, 13; 2 Chron. 36:16; Matt. 23:37, 38; Luke 19:42-44; 2 Peter 2:6; Jude 7.

2. In what is the wrath of G.o.d filled up?

"And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having _the seven last plagues_; for _in them is filled up the wrath of G.o.d_." Rev. 15:1.

3. How does Joel describe the day of the Lord?

"Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come." "For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?" Joel 1:15; 2:11.

4. What has Daniel said of this time?

"And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book." Dan. 12:1.

See Eze. 7:15-19.

NOTE.-The seven last plagues will be the most terrible scourges ever visited upon man. As Ahab accused Elijah of being the cause of Israel's calamities (1 Kings 18:17, 18), so, in the time of trouble, the wicked and those who have departed from G.o.d will be enraged at the righteous, will accuse them as being the cause of the plagues, and will seek to destroy them as did Haman the Jews.