shedding of the blood of the nations by the false prophet. But the Prince of Peace shall sit on the throne of the world and shall rule in righteousness all nations. This is the grand consummation of all things. The ancient people of God will return to their allegiance and render homage to Jesus, their King. The Gentile world will have received the fullness of God's

promise to them. And then may we shout, the Millennium has come; Jesus is King for evermore. "Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things. And blessed be His glorious name forever: and let the whole earth be filled with His glory; Amen, and Amen." Ps. 72:18, 19.

A desire for rest.

LECTURE XVI

THE MILLENNIUM

Post-Millennial and Pre-Millennial views. The mistake of the apostles. The government shall be a theocracy in the Millennium. Scriptural proofs of this state of things. Satan bound and cast into prison for a thousand years. The saints are to judge angels, and reign with Christ. The first resurrection. How long shall the Millennium continue? Satan loosed for a little season at the end of the Millennium. The Judgment. Christ surrenders the kingdom to His Father.

ALL human beings are impressed with a desire for rest. The great reward to the Christian for obedience to Christ is that there is a "rest unto the people of God." The ungodly have chosen the world for their portion, and they are looking forward to the acquisition of the riches of this life for their reward. This constrains them to make every sacrifice to obtain wealth, that they may cease from labor and enjoy themselves. For no man looks forward with any pleasure to a whole life of toil. The world then longs for, and looks forward to, a time when the curse of sin shall be removed, and holiness shall prevail. That state of righteousness is commonly called the Millennium. It takes its name from the promise given in the Bible that Satan, who is the author of sin and ruin, shall be bound for a thousand years. The word Millennium is derived from two Latin words which mean a thousand years. Then, according to the commonly received view, Satan will lose his power on earth, and righteousness will reign. Such a period in the world's

history is clearly revealed in the Word of God. However vague and indefinite their ideas may be on this subject, all classes believe in the doctrine.

But there is great diversity of views as to the manner of its introduction. There are two leading opinions on this point. They are what theologians call "PostMillennial and Pre-Millennial"; or that Christ will come after, or before, the Millennium.

The first is held by a large class of people who think that the world will all be converted to Christ by the preaching of the gospel. Their idea is that the power of truth on the masses will be so great that it will force by its moral power all flesh to embrace salvation. "Truth crushed to earth will rise again,' is a beautiful theme on which they delight to sing; but an admitted point without authority, for "truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter," says Isaiah. We often find truth depressed, and never able to rise. It has been in some places entirely extin

guished. But such are the opinions held by many as to the success of the gospel. They think that the great power in the Word of God will be irresistible in the conversion of the nations. Not only so, but there are innumerable other agencies which will be brought to bear on the popular mind to carry on this work. Here is the powerful influence of a system of education. Here are tracts, and missionary and temperance societies, all of which are so many aids to the work of the Lord. There is a large part of the Christian world who think all these agencies will be brought against the strong

holds of sin with such power that they will be finally overthrown. After a while all evil influences will yield, until all men will become righteous. Thus the whole world will be brought to Christ. Nation after nation will give up their opposition to God and will submit themselves to the gospel. The banner of truth shall carry its blessings to the whole human family. All nations and tribes shall enter upon that period of Millennial happiness, so long desired.

All this is very plausible. By this theory all the great societies, the reform movements of the day, and the progress of education, are regarded as great suns in the moral sky. Such a view is especially lauded by a great many in these days. But is there one sentence in the Bible that teaches any such doctrine? If so, I have never been able to find it. No; educate a bad man and you make his power for evil so much the greater. Let any of these great movements fall into wicked hands, and how soon they become engines of destruction! The Bible nowhere teaches that the world will grow gradually better and better until all shall become righteous.

The Post-Millennial theory is that when all nations are converted, then Christ will reign spiritually over all flesh. Then there will be a thousand years of unalloyed happiness and cessation from wars and trouble. According to this view Christ will not come until the end of that period. But if this were so, would not the Savior have given the Millennial reign as the sign of His coming? He would have told us to look for Him at the end of that thousand years.

But instead, He has foretold that there will be widespread apostasy and wickedness immediately preceding His coming. Not only so, but the "Man of Sin" is to continue in the world until He comes. All of which is incompatible with the Millennial glory, and therefore impossible.

Let us consider the Pre-Millennial view. Christ is to come before that reign of righteousness foretold in the Bible, and His coming will usher in the Millennium. He will find the whole earth, save a small flock, in rebellion against Him. He will destroy all the great centers of wickedness and will overthrow the "Man of Sin," that great apostasy. He will cast the false prophet into the pit, with all superstition and false systems of religion, and the beast and all who worship his image shall be hurled to perdition. The remnant of all nations will serve the Lord. And He will reign for a thousand years. This is called His personal reign. Now this, in brief, is about what the Bible teaches on this subject. This view is not very flattering to man, but is rather humiliating. Still this seems to be what the Word of God has made known to us. These are the two views as held by the Church on this interesting theme. The former has been the more popular, but the latter is unquestionably the more scriptural.

I may note in this connection an error into which many Pre-Millennialists have fallen. It is this: They look for the coming of our Lord at a time before the conditions He laid down have been fulfilled. All men ought to be ready for His second great advent, come