these words." For "we shall be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump."2 6 "Gather my saints together unto Me, those that have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice." Here the Lord gives us a brief, yet very comprehensive, description of the saints, or holy ones. They are they, and they only, who on earth have "made a covenant with Him by sacrifice." In other words, they have been deeply convinced of sin by God the Holy Ghost, and have seen that they have broken the holy law of God, and have fallen under its awful curse.3 They have therefore rejected their own righteousness as any ground of hope or confidence before God; and having had revealed to them by the same Spirit that the blessed Son of God took their nature upon Him in order that He might fulfil the law of God for them as the Righteous One ; and also die in their place and stead under its curse; and thus not only work out a Divine righteousness for them, but also "bear their sins in His own body on the tree: " they have gratefully and thankfully accepted this great salvation; and having thus been "reconciled to God by the death of His Son" they have received the full benefit of His sacrifice through the sprinkling upon their hearts and consciences of the precious blood of "the everlasting Covenant;" and having likewise been "born again" of the same Spirit, they have been made partakers of the resurrection life of Jesus,10 and have thus been "saved" also "by His life."" Christ's righteousness has been imputed to them for their justification before God; and the Spirit has been given to them for their sanctification. And now they are the Lord's "saints," or holy ones, "who have made a covenant with Him by sacrifice," whom He will have to be "gathered together" unto Him at His coming, perfect at last as well in body, as in spirit and in soul. After which the Psalm proceeds, "And 11 Thes. iv. 16-18. 21 Cor. xv. 51, 52. 3 Rom. iii. 19; Gal. iii. 10. 5 Gal. iii. 13, 14; 2 Cor. v. 21. Rom iii. 20-22. 71 Peter ii. 24. 1 Peter i. 2. 11 Rom. v. 10. the heavens shall declare His righteousness: for God is judge Himself." It will be so with the Lord's dealings with the wicked. God says, "every mouth shall be stopped," and "all the world" shall be brought in "guilty before God." At present, however, the wicked cavil and dispute about the justice of God, and the equity of His dealings with the children of men: but it will not be so for ever. Now the wicked is "driven from light into darkness, and chased out of the world"-shewing the utmost unwillingness and resistance possible on his part. In Hades, likewise, before the coming of Christ, we find him still disputing, "Nay, Father Abraham, but if one went unto them from the dead they would repent."3 Nay, even before Christ's own tribunal, we are told that the unconverted professor will say, "Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?" Ah! but after the judgment, no more disputing now, no more driving now! "These shall go away into everlasting punishment."5 "This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow." Like King Uzziah, when he "went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense," "the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord," "and they thrust him out from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because the Lord had smitten him:"7 so shall it be with these, as an accomplished profligate once said, "O thou blasphemed, but most indulgent Lord God! hell itself is a refuge if it hide me from Thy frown!" If then the righteousness of the Lord's dealings with "the wicked" will be so fully manifested, how much more so will they be manifested in the case of the righteous! O yes! "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is 1 Rom. iii. 19. Matt. xxv. 46. 2 Job xviii. 18. 3 Luke xvi. 30. Matt. xxv. 44. 7 2 Chron. xxvi. 16, 19, 20. even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." "Surely, shall one say, in the Lord have I righteousness and strength: even to Him shall men come; and all that are incensed against Him shall be ashamed. In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory." "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Jehovah, and their righteousness is of Me, saith the Jehovah."3 O yes, "God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have shewed toward His name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister."4 "And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever."5 "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him."6 "Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Thy law is the truth." Yea, "the heavens shall declare His righteousness: for God is judge Himself." This shews us that the judgment will in itself be so equitable and glorious, and will so more than fully satisfy every individual saint of God, that "the" whole "heavens" will then as it were, burst forth in one united transport of praise and glory unto the Lord! And now this Dispensation having closed; and the Gentiles having been "cut off; "s the "saints" come forth" with Jehovah Jesus, as "an army with banners:" and the Lord again deals with Israel as a nation, whom He had cast off, as such, during "the times of the Gentiles "10 and thus addresses them :11_"Hear, O My people, and I will speak; O Israel, and I will testify against thee: I am God, even thy God. I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices or thy burnt offerings, to have been continually before Me. I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he goats out of thy folds. For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains and the wild beasts of the field are Mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is Mine, and the fulness thereof. Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? Offer unto God thanksgiving: and pay thy vows unto the Most High: and call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me." From other passages of Scripture we learn, that these words will be addressed to Israel, when brought back again to their own land, and after the re-establishment by them of the Temple services and our Lord's reasoning here with them seems to be this. How vain is it for you to imagine to please Me by offering never so many bullocks and goats in sacrifice unto Me, (as if you would make Me your debtor, when every bullock and every goat you offer is Mine, and not your own;) while you disobey Me and reject My word by still cleaving to rites which I have abolished; and thereby reject Me Whom those rites typified and set forth. Israel is exhorted to put away the law with its appendages, which was only "a shadow of good things to come," and to embrace the substance, even the glorious Being foreshadowed thereby, Jehovah Jesus Himself, "their King and their God.” Israel, in consequence of her idolatry, was to be "cast out of God's sight," a prediction which has been remarkably fulfilled but Judah, on the contrary, for her pre-eminent sin in "crucifying the Lord of glory," was to be "punished in the sight of all the nations," a prediction which has received an equally remarkable fulfilment : for a Jew may be known all the world over. Now the prophets tell us in the clearest language, that both Israel and Judah shall again be restored to their own land, and shall there become "one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel." They are to be brought back as a nation in an unconverted state; and, after they have been brought back, subjected to the fiercest persecution at the hands of Antichrist, which they have ever yet endured-a subject which I shall have to take up afterwards. This is the period referred to as "the great tribulation :"2 which is called by the prophet Jeremiah, "the time of Jacob's trouble."3 And the prophet Zechariah tells us that this fearful trial will culminate in the last siege of Jerusalem, when all nations shall be gathered together against it to battle. "Then shall the Lord [i.e., Jehovah Jesus,] go forth, and fight against those nations, as when He fought in the day of battle. And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east. . . . . And the Lord my God"-called in the Psalm under review, “The mighty God, even the Lord"-" shall come, and all the saints with thee."4 We see then that these verses are a part of our Lord's address to Israel as a nation at His second coming. "Hear, O My people, and I will speak; O Israel, and I will testify against thee: I am God, even thy God." Israel has nationally rejected Jehovah Jesus as their God: but although He has on this account "cast them away" for a time, "for the reconciling of the world;" yet He has not finally rejected them from being His people. For although, "as concerning the Gospel," Paul says, "they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance," or change of mind on His part, and He can still say of them, "I have given the dearly beloved of my soul into the hands of her adversaries." They are still His people, and He is still their God, their covenant-keeping 1 Ezek. xxxvii. 22. 3 Jer. xxx. 7. * Daniel xii. 1; Matt. xxiv. 21, 22; Rev. vii. 14. € Jer. xii. 7. |