opened and another book was found for any contrary system. We do not desire to interpret these things too strictly, nor to make too much of what may appear to some a minor circumstance; but we have no doubt the revelator had his mental eye on this metaphor of Daniel. Observe again Daniel's words: "The wind carried them [i. e., the broken elements of the earthly kingdoms] away, that no place was found for them; and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole The revelator's language, then, is very appropriate, under our view of the subject. He was describing the ascent of Jesus to the mediatorial throne, on which he was to reign until all opposing systems passed away, and the gospel filled the whole earth. How appropriate then to say, "I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them;" ver. 11. earth." 12. And I saw the dead. - These were the persons to whom the gospel was to be preached, and who were to be judged, and ruled, and governed by it. The dead are those who were buried in ignorance of God; who knew not his law; who obeyed him not, and were therefore represented as dead, until they believed the gospel. We have found this judgment of the "dead, small and great," mentioned once before in the Apocalypse, viz., xi. 18, in connection with the closing up of Judaism and the opening of the gospel reign; and there the revelator stated, "Thy wrath is COME, and the time of THE DEAD that they should be judged," &c. See the long note on that verse. This preaching the gospel to the dead, and judging them thereby, is mentioned in other parts of the New Testament. In fact, the living and the dead are both judged by the gospel. This is the meaning of Peter's language, 1 Epis. iv. 5, 6: "Who shall give account to opened, which is the book him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead. For, for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit." That by the dead here is not meant those who had passed out of the present into the immortal state, but the dead in ignorance and sin, is acknowledged by commentators of different sects, some of whom are of very high standing. Adam Clarke says, on 1 Peter iv. 5: "To judge the quick and the dead signifies, they shall give account of these irregularities to him who is prepared to judge both the Jews and the Gentiles. The Gentiles, previously to the preaching of the gospel among them, were reckoned to be dead in trespasses and sins; Eph. ii. 1-5; under the sentence of death because they had sinned. The Jews had, at least by their religious profession, a name to live; and by that profession, were bound to live to God."-(Com. on the place.) In addition to the opinion of Dr. Clarke, we give the following from Dr. Macknight: "To judge the living and the dead. From the following verse it appears, that by the dead the apostle meant the Gentiles, said in other passages to be dead through ignorance and sin. Consequently, by the living we are to understand those, who, by their profession in the gospel, are reputed to be alive; Rev. iii. 1. Thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. See, also, 1 Tim. v. 6. The living and the dead, therefore, are the Jews and Gentiles." See Macknight on the Epistles. Dr. Whitby, in his very valuable Commentary on the New Testament, speaks of this passage as follows: "The dead, in Scripture, doth often signify, not those who in a natural sense are dead by dissolution of the soul and body, but those who are spiritually so, as being alienated from the life of God, and dead in tres devil was not carried away from the earth to be cast into the lake of fire; the "great white throne" was on the earth, and was set up at the time "the earth and seas, and the old roll of life and the dead were judged out of those things passes and sins; as when the apostle four quarters of the earth, who saith, The widow that liveth in pleas-attacked the camp of the saints; the ure is dead whilst she liveth; 1 Tim. v. 6; and Christ unto the church of Sardis, Thou hast a name to live, and art dead; Rev. iii. 1. And when he speaks to one of his disciples thus, Follow thou me, and let the dead burying skies," [Watts,] passed away; their dead; Matt. viii. 22. This is a phrase so common with the Jews, that, as Maimonides informs us, they proverbially say, The wicked are dead even while they are alive for he, saith Philo, who lives a life of sin, is dead as to a life of happiness; his soul is dead, and even buried in his lusts and passions. And because the whole Gentile world lay more especially under these most unhappy circumstances, whence the apostle styles them sinners of Gentiles; Gal. ii. 15; it was proverbially said by the Jewish doctors, The heathens do not live; and they in Scripture are more peculiarly intended by that phrase. Hence the apostle saith to the Ephesians and Colossians, Eph. ii. 1, Col. ii. 13, they were dead in tresspasses and sins; and brings in God thus speaking to the Gentiles, Awake, thou that sleepest, arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light; Eph. v. 14." These, then, were the dead that were to be judged, and the judgment commenced to take place when "the great white throne was set up, and the earth and heaven fled away from the face of the Son of man, and at the time of the new heaven and new earth, and of the descent of the new Jerusalem to the earth; xxi. 1-4. There are very serious and weighty objections to giving any other interpretation to the passage before us. 1st. To place this judgment after the immortal resurrection would not agree with the whole drift of this chapter. The scene of the destruction of the dragon was laid on the earth; the reign of Christ was on the earth; after the thousand years had expired nations were found on the and why, then, should it be supposed that the judgment is not on the earth? 2d. In those parts of the New Testament in which the immortal resurrection is unquestionably spoken of, there is no mention made of the setting up of the great white throne, or the passing away of the heavens and the earth, or the judgment of the dead, small and great, according to their works. We reäffirm, that nowhere, in all the Bible, are these things mentioned in connection with the resurrection of the dead into the immortal state, unless it is in the passage before us. If we should interpret this passage as having reference to the immortal existence, the interpretation would stand alone, unsupported by another passage in all the Bible. Should not a fact of so vast importance make us hesitate in regard to such an interpretation? 3d. Did not Christ commence to judge the nations when he ascended the great white throne? Read the 11th and 12th verses in connection. See again the words of Jesus, Matt. xxv. 31, 32: "When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, THEN shall he sit upon the throne of his glory and before him shall be gathered all nations," &c., &c. In the parable from which this last extract is made, Jesus represented the nations as being judged by his gospel according to their works, not their faith, or baptism, or professions, but their works. See Matt. xxv. 31-46, especially verses 35, 36, and 42, 43. Now, when did the judgment here described take place? Answer. When the Son of man came in his glory. See the which were written in in the proof; it follows: "When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, THEN shall he sit upon the throne of his glory;" Matt. xxv. 31. When did the Son of man come in his glory? We have already proved, beyond all dispute, that it was during the lifetime of some of those who had attended personally upon his ministry. See the proof: "For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father, with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom;" Matt. xvi. 27, 28. Christ commenced to judge the nations according to their works when he ascended "the great white throne." If, then, the judging of the nations is in the future state, Christ Jesus will not ascend "the great white throne" until all men have entered the future state. And in that event, there is now no Mediator, no kingdom of heaven among men. To such absurdities are we driven by the common interpretation of the passage before us. It is of the utmost importance to be remembered, that the judgment of the nations under the gospel commenced when Christ commenced to reign, and shall not be discontinued until he shall resign the kingdom to the Father. That Christ will resign the kingdom to the Father at the immortal resurrection, Paul shows, 1 Cor. xv. 24-28. The judgment began when Christ assumed the kingdom; but if we suppose the judgment will be postponed until the immortal resurrection, we make the judgment begin not until Jesus shall resign the kingdom. This is most singular, that the judgment should commence not at the time the Lord Jesus ascended the throne, but at the time he shall leave it! There are no two books in the Bible more nearly books, according to their works. related in point of style than those of Daniel and the Apocalypse. The former is the Apocalypse of the Old Testament, the latter of the New. And we have already shown that the revelator had his eye on the prophecy of Daniel when he wrote the section of the Apocalypse which we are considering. Now Daniel clearly shows that the judgment of the nations commenced simultaneously with the commencement of the reign of Christ. Let the reader consider attentively the following facts. The kingdom of Christ, as all know, commenced in the days of the Roman Empire. "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever;" ii. 44. That the judgment commenced at the same time with the commencement of the kingdom, is fully evident from Dan. vii. 9, 14: "I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: HIS THRONE was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him : THE JUDGMENT WAS SET, AND THE BOOKS WERE OPENED. I saw in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." Does not this show, that the judgment was established and the 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and books were opened at the same time time the old heavens and earth passed that the kingdom was given to the away, xx. 11, and was simultaneous Son of man; at the same time that with the descent of the New Jerusahe came in the clouds of heaven? lem from heaven to men; xxi. 1—4. One fulfilment of the description is Are these things yet future? Surely enough. If it has been once fulfilled, they are not. And why, then, we we need look no further; we should ask, should the judgment be thought be satisfied. We quote the words to be future, which is indissolubly which Prof. Stuart utters, not on this linked to them by the sacred writers? precise passage, but on the Apoca- 6th. The judgment of the nations lypse in general: "What John de- according to their works, if we may clared would take place shortly, hap- rely on our Lord's words, (and surely pened according to his prediction; HE is the highest authority,) was beand if so, the dispute whether it is all gun before the close of the natural to happen over again [the italics are lives of some of those who were on his] after so many centuries, cannot the earth, during his personal minbe a dispute of much interest or im- istry; Matt. xvi. 27, 28; Mark viii. portance. One fulfilment is enough." 38; ix. 1; Luke ix. 26, 27. 7th. -(Hints, 2d ed., 1842, pp. 141, 142.) The judgment of the nations by the That Christ commenced the judgment Lord Jesus is not a personal judgof the world when he set up his king- ment, [except in the metaphorical dom, is evident further from the sense,] but a judgment by the princifollowing considerations. 1st. God, ples of his gospel; John xii. 48. See under the Old Testament, judged men our remarks on this topic under xiv. in the earth; see Psa. lviii. 11. 6, 7. 8th. The judgments of the "Verily, he is a God that judgeth in Apocalypse are all represented as the earth." See, also, Prov. xi. 31; being near at hand, present, already Isa. xxvi. 9. When he sent his Son, known, and manifested on the earth. he did not inform men that the scene They are said to be "on the earth;" of the judgment was to be removed vi. 10; "the time of the dead, that they to some other world, but the contrary. should be judged," IS COME; xi. 18; 2d. The prophets preässerted, that the "the hour of his judgment Is COME;" judgment of Christ should be in the xiv. 7; "thy judgments ARE made earth. "He shall not fail nor be dis- manifest;" xv. 4; the seven vials in couraged, till he have set judgment which was filled up the wrath of God, in the earth;" Isaiah xlii. 4. 3d. and which contained the seven last Jesus himself declared that he came plagues of the Apocalypse, were all into this world for the purposes of to be poured out on the earth, not judgment. "For judgment I am excepting that which was to be poured come into this world;" John ix. 39. out on the seat, throne, or place of the 4th. He affirmed, when on the earth, beast; xv. 1; xvi. 1; see, also, 5that the time of his judgment had 7; the judgment of Rome was cercome. "Now is the judgment of this tainly on the earth, because it conworld;" John xii. 31. We inquire, sisted of death, mourning, famine and in the words just quoted from Prof. conflagration; xviii. 8-10; see, also, Stuart, is it all to happen over again? xix. 2. Whether men shall be sin"One fulfilment is enough." 5th. ners in the post-mortem state, it is not our purpose here to discuss. If they shall be sinners there, they will surely be miserable. But that the judgment of the nations under the gospel is on this earth, seems to us so It has been proved that the judgment commenced simultaneously with the gospel reign, at the same time that Jesus ascended the mediatorial throne. Compare xx. 11, 12. It was at the death and hell delivered up the clear, from the evidences we have advanced, that it would appear almost impossible to make it more so. dead which were in them: and and the skin covered them above; but there was no breath in them. Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds. O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost; we are cut off for our parts. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel;" Ezk. xxxvii. 7-12. Now here the metaphor of literal and absolute death was employed to represent the lost and undone condition of the nation of the Jews. And so, in the revelator's fancy, "the dead, small and great," were used metaphorically to represent the nations in darkness and sin, standing before God, to be judged by the gospel, at the time it was introduced into the world. But when the It was a very important event that the revelator undertook to describe in the language before us. It was no less than the ruling and governing of the world by Jesus Christ. It was about to commence in his day. His fancy supplied him with a splendid image of the august epoch of the gospel. The scene was spread out before him like a panorama. He saw the nations all buried in sin, in darkness, in unbelief. It had been a custom of the Hebrew prophets to employ the state of natural death to represent the state of ignorance, unbelief and sin. The revelator availed himself of the same figure. He saw the dead, [not the raised,] small and great, stand before God. He saw the judgment begin; the books were opened. So Daniel had said: "Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the judgment was set and the books were opened." The regions of hades were searched to bring up a fitting metaphor to represent the state of the nations at the time the reign of the gospel begun. When men fall into sin and darkness, they are said to fall into hades, the state of the dead. While they remain in sin and dark-gospel shall have done its work, and ness, they are said to remain in that state. And when the gospel came to the world, all men were regarded as being in that state. The figure of the dead, small and great, standing before God, is very similar to the allegory of Ezekiel -the vision of dry bones. The people were not merely represented as being dead, but their flesh was consumed, and their bones were dry. The prophet was commanded to prophesy, and he did so. Christ shall resign the kingdom to the Father, then men will not be dead, but "alive through Jesus Christ our Lord." Our Lord himself employed a similar metaphor when he spoke the parable of the "rich man and Lazarus." He drew his images from the under world; and that parable is founded on the notions which had prevailed among the heathen respect"Iing hades, or the state of the dead, and which the Jews had partially received. Yet our Lord did not adopt those heathen notions as true; he used them metaphorically, as one who lived earlier had done the idea of the trees going forth to choose a king. prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, |
