Christ takes on Himself the government of the nations of earth. He is now to reign forever and ever. He does this in the midst of the anger of the nations. God will here give reward to His servants.

Observe how this lecture strengthens those preceding it. In the one on the sign of the coming of Christ, we showed that the great tribulation spoken of by the Savior was that sign. That when these things begin to come to pass, then the end was near. In the lecture on the subject, "When shall Christ come?" it was shown that the pouring out of the seventh vial of the wrath of God would end the world's history. And now we see from this lecture that this tribulation or the seventh vial of wrath will last not less than three years and a half. At the end of the 1,260 years, so often mentioned, the beginning of which we date from the rise of the Papacy, the witnesses will have finished their "prophesying in sackcloth," and then will begin that "perplexity and distress of nations, the sea and the waves roaring.” The powers of wickedness will all combine against the truth. The beast will make his last great effort in concert with the other powers of the old divided Roman empire. The contest will be greater than any that has ever been waged on earth. For the earthquake at that time shall be greater, such an one as has never been. In that strife the beast will gain the victory. The two witnesses will be slain. The Bible will be burned; and men will not be permitted to use it at all. The ministry will be the shining mark that Satan's armies will delight to oppose. They will be

overthrown in the convulsions of that hour. Their names will be a reproach and a byword. Their dead bodies will lie for these three years and a half unburied; or exposed to the greatest contempt.

Now, our Lord told us that immediately after the tribulation of those days He would come. "And they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory." And here, after the three and a half years of tribulation are finished, the Spirit from the Lord comes into these witnesses. They are caught up into the heavens to meet the Lord in the air. And then, immediately after that, the last trumpet sounds. The nations are full of anger against God. The end of the age has now come. The Son of God has returned. The wickedness that was foretold will exist in the world, and will correspond to the prophecy. And the last woe will be the anguish of spirit that will come on every ungodly soul that will be found on the earth at that time. For they will feel that they have contributed to slay His witnesses. They will realize then in a moment that they are the enemies of God. And they will be willing to suffer anything rather than fall into the hands of the Lord. For then shall all classes, the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men and the chief captains and the mighty men, and every bondman and every free man, "hide themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains, and say to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of His

wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand?" This, then, will be the third and last woe. The Bible does not tell us when this last woe will be finished; for the plain reason, that when these things are past, the end has come.

It is the general impression that the world is preparing for this very state of things. And when it begins, it will run rapidly to a conclusion. The word of God will be a dead letter. The ministry will have ceased. Still further, the letting loose of all the vile passions of human nature unrestrained will inaugurate a state of excitement or state of things highly incompatible with that cool reflection necessary to repentance. You, if living, will be carried away in that storm. Some may remember when our late civil war broke out in the land. The people were so carried away by the exciting events transpiring around them that they forgot they had souls. So will it be in that day. Therefore, lest that day come upon you and find you like the foolish virgins, turn to the Lord at once and secure your soul's salvation.

LECTURE VIII

THE HISTORY AND PRESENT CONDITION OF THE JEWS

Evidence of truth of Christianity. Their peculiar history. Pales tine their home. Blinded till the fullness of the Gentiles. Destruction of Jerusalem, and dispersion of the Jews. Foretold by Moses. Fulfilled, as given by Josephus. Plucked off the land. Desolation of her cities and country. The Jews many days without a king; a proverb and a taunt. Promise of restoration.

THE fulfillment of the prophecies in regard to the Jews of the present day, is one of the strongest evidences of the truth of Christianity, and that the Word of God is divinely inspired. Moses foretold the history of this wonderful people about 3,500 years ago, and published it to the world, giving the minutiæ of their treatment by the nations, their spoliations, robberies, persecutions, banishments from the countries in which they dwelt, and the brutal and inhuman abuse they should everywhere undergo. It reads more like a chapter in modern history than the most ancient record now extant. This people stands to-day as the most powerful argument against all infidelity and skepticism; and is a living testimony against higher criticism as the latest enemy of God and His divine Word.

There is probably no more interesting people in the world than the Jews. Their history for thousands of years has been interwoven with almost all the leading nations of earth. Their name has been closely connected with the whole Christian system. Therefore

anything bearing on their past, or present condition, or future destiny, will be received by the Bible-loving and God-fearing people as so much light on religious knowledge.

We read of great nations that arose, conquered, ruled and fell. They were soon swallowed up in some other mighty empire, and now they only exist in name. Their country was peopled by another race and they became extinct. Where is the Carthaginian in this day? Proud Carthage stood the mistress of the seas. Her armies threatened the total overthrow of that colossal power that ruled over the cities of earth. But she fell. Her proud fabric came to the dust. And the Carthaginian is no more. He wan

ders nowhere in earth.

Go look for the inhabitants of the once opulent Babylon and Nineveh. The voice that went forth from their palaces made kings tremble. But Time's ruthless decree tore the crown from their heads and snatched the scepter from their hands. Their power long since sank beneath the waves of other victorious peoples.

Of all the nations who were synchronous with the ancient Jews, only the Persians, who delivered them from captivity, remain to this day. The rest are only known as of the past. Were it not for history they would long since have been forgotten.

But not so with the Jew. Over 1,800 years ago Jerusalem was captured by Titus. Their whole territory was overrun by the Romans Not one city throughout all their country was left to them. Their