If the Scriptures afford us any evidence of the _third_ coming of
Christ, to raise the dead, for one, I must acknowledge my utter
ignorance of the fact. In John (chap. vi.) Jesus several times uses
the expression, "and I will raise him up at the last day." If others
contend that this has reference to "_the last day of the last
generation of the human race on the earth_," yet I must candidly
acknowledge, that I cannot see a shadow of evidence to prove this
position. The _last day_ in this instance, refers to the gospel
dispensation, which commenced at the destruction of the temple, and
involves the whole reign of Christ. It is synonymous with the "day of
Christ" and the "day of the Lord" mentioned in several places by the
apostles. Nor do I conceive it means, that Christ would raise them up
by his own immediate power, but that God would raise the dead
according to that doctrine, which he sent his Son to reveal to men,
and this would be fully established in the world, and be believed and
felt by Jew and Gentile Christians at the coming of Christ in his
kingdom, at the end of that dispensation. _Then_ and not till _then_
were the predictions of Christ fulfilled, and then were those
Christians, who had not seen Jesus after his resurrection, "made
perfect in faith."
The dead are to be raised at the _last_ trump; by which I understand
the _seventh_, for no other _last_ is revealed. This trump is
mentioned by our Saviour (Matt. xxiv. 31.) and is the gospel trump
which was to commence its sound at the destruction of Jerusalem. In
Rev. chap. viii, seven trumpets were given to seven angels, who are
represented as sounding them in succession, and increasing woes
following, till the sixth trumpet sounded. But when the seventh angel
sounded and the last dreadful wo passed away, a very different order
of things followed. Rev. x. 7. "But in the days of the voice of the
seventh angel when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should
be finished as he hath declared to his servants the prophets." Rev.
xi. 15. "And the seventh angel sounded, and there were great voices in
heaven, saying, the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of
our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever." Now
compare these woes and this subsequent order of things with the
tribulations Christ described in Matt xxiv chap. And the subsequent
life the righteous entered into, and you will readily perceive that
both refer to the destruction of Jerusalem and the commencement of
Christ's auspicious reign. (The Revelations were certainly written
before that event.) When the seventh angel sounded, Christ came in his
kingdom and began his reign; and that he began his reign when the
trumpet sounded, and the woes recorded in Matt. Xxiv. And xxv.
Chapters took place, will not be denied. This settles the point that
the _seventh or last_ trump was not to sound at the close of Christ's
reign, but at its commencement. And under this last sounding trump the
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account