PROPOSITION II.

WITH THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST THE SCRIPTURES ASSOCIATE THE END OF THE WORLD, THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD, AND THE GENERAL JUDGMENT WITH ITS

AWARDS.

It is unfortunate that, in two important cases, our translators of the Bible, to whom we owe such a debt for the general excellence of our version, have produced confusion by using the same English word for two or more Greek words, quite different in force. The cases

referred to are, first, the use of "hell" for both adŋs, Hades, and yéevva, Gehenna, which has led to serious misapprehensions; and, secondly, the use of "world" for the three words, oikovμév, inhabited land, earth, kóσμos, system of the material universe, and alóv, great system or cycle of time, age. The phrase "the end of the world" (or "of this world") occurs six times in our version of the New Testament, Mat. xiii. 39, 40, 49, xxiv. 3, xxviii. 20, Heb. ix. 26; and always as the translation of συντέλεια τοῦ αἰῶνος (or once, in the plural, Tŵv alάvwv), the completion of the age, i. e. the consummation or close of the great period in the world's history, preceding the establishment of the new kingdom

of the Messiah. The bold figurative language, however, in which this consummation was predicted, led to an early expectation of great physical changes in connection with this event; and there has since been a tendency, strengthened among ourselves by our English version, to magnify these changes from the mere costume or circumstance, into the essence, of the event. It is to be deeply regretted, that this important error has had so much influence in producing or fostering other errors still more serious. There is nowhere greater need of

the most cautious discrimination, than where two different things are closely related to each other, as type and antitype, or as circumstance and essence.

It will be seen, from the following extracts, how very intimately the Scriptures associate the four events mentioned in our proposition; so intimately, indeed, that they appear to form almost simultaneous scenes of one grand transaction, not so much separate events, as parts of one great event, the august consummation of a sublime drama in the history of the universe. These extracts associate,

I. The Second Advent and the End of the World.

Mat. xxiv. 3, " And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?"

2 Pet. iii. 3, "Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, (4) And saying, Where is the promise of his coming?... (10) But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also, and the works that are therein, shall be burned up."

II. The Second Advent and the Resurrection of the Dead, with a corresponding change of the Living.

1 Thess. iv. 15, "For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent [precede] them which are asleep. (16) For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: (17) Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air."

John v. 28," Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, (29) And shall come forth.". See VI., below.

Phil. iii. 20, “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ : (21) Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body."

1 Cor. xv. 22, "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. (23) But every man in his own order: Christ the first-fruits; afterward they that are Christ's, at his coming.... (51) Behold, I show you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, `(52) In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."

III. The Second Advent and the Judgment with its awards.

Mat. xvi. 27, "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."

Mat. xxv. 31, "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: (32) And before him shall

be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats (33) And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. ... (46) And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal."

2 Tim. iv. 1, “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge [roû μéλλovтos kpível, who is about to judge] the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom."

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2 Tim. iv. 7, " I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith (8) Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”

2 Thess. i. 6, “Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; (7) And to you, who are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, (8) In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ : (9) Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power, (10) When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.”

1 Cor. xvi. 22, "If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be. Anathema, Maran-atha [a curse; the Lord will come; i. e. let him be accursed, as he assuredly will be at the coming of the Lord]."

1 Cor. iv. 5, "Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts and then shall every man have praise of God."

Rev. i. 7, "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen."

Rev. xxii. 12, "And behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be."

Jude 6," And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. (7) Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. . . . (14) And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints, (15) To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him."

IV. The End of the World and the Resurrection.

John vi. 39, “And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. (40) And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life and I will raise him up at the last day."

John xi. 24, "Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day."

V. The End of the World and the Judgment.

Mat. xiii. 36, "Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.