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النشر الإلكتروني

CHAPTER VII.

THE FINAL OUTBREAK OF EVIL.

"Thus saith the Lord God, It shall also come to pass that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought: and thou shalt say I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, to take a spoil, and to take a prey."-EZEKIEL Xxxviii. 10--12.

THE LORD'S GREAT DAY, so rich in righteousness and peace, will (as we have seen) endure in its MERIDIAN SPLENDOR for "A THOUSAND YEARS." During this long period the world is to enjoy rest indeed. The day which dawned in fearful judgment, shall find good reason to rejoice because of universal piety-and undisturbed repose beneath Immanuel's sceptre. But the EVENING of this great and glorious Day must follow; for this world is not designed to be our everlasting home. Therefore the deep shadows which foretell approaching night, will be extended over all things earthly.

THE EVENING OF THE LORD'S GREAT DAY will afford subjects which are to occupy both this and the succeeding chapters.

In dwelling on the peculiar features of the Saviour's Reign of Peace, we were careful, I trust, to observe that, although the Word of God has said so much

concerning the extent to which true righteousness will prevail, yet it has revealed with perfect clearness, that the sinful nature of the fallen Adam will remain, 80 that there will be a tendency to do evil, as great as that which exists now. But inasmuch as Satan will be bound, and suffered to deceive mankind no longer, this tendency will be deprived of its most powerful instigator; and since faith will be in measure lost in sight, and incentives to perform the Will of God, will, in a peculiar manner be presented to the eye of man, the fleshly power of evil will be in great measure latent. None perhaps will be able to charge the converted people of the Lord with inconsistency; and those who may remain yet unregenerate, will walk orderly before the eyes of men. But all will be in readiness, so that if the Adversary should again be free from his imprisonment, sin would be aroused at once, and the whole world again would lie in wickedness. Thus sin and sinners would assume their old position, and peace would have the prominence no more, except, of course, the Lord were to be pleased to pour forth an amount of His constraining grace which hitherto has not been granted to the world.

Now, we are told in the twentieth chapter of REVELATION that "when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations." So then, it shall be. As, for want of any explanation being granted in the inspired word, we did not pause to ask what was meant by Satan being bound and cast into the bottomless pit; so, for the same reason, we will not stay to make inquiry as to his release therefrom. Let it

suffice; he shall again walk to and fro in this world, seeking whom he may sift and whom he may devour. The "LIAR," the "ACCUSER," the "DECEIVER" still, he will immediately prove himself to be. To overthrow the kingdom of the Lord, to engulf the souls of men in everlasting ruin, to spread sin and misery around, will be, as they have ever been, the base of his designs. So, he "shall go out to deceive the nations," and, as in all former time, he shall too well succeed.

What period will be allowed for this renewed attempt against the Lord's dominion is not stated, but, from the particulars which are given of the work of evil to be carried on, there is good reason to believe it will be brief.

Let us now carefully examine what is said concerning the sad work which Satan will perform.

Two verses only of the chapter to which we just referred (the twentieth of REVELATION) have described it. They tell us that Satan "shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the Saints about, and the beloved city." Certainly it appears by this that Satan will put forth much energy: and that he and his legions will be everywhere at work. The expression "the four quarters of the earth" appears to leave no land excepted; but to intimate that wheresoever there are people to be tempted, there the tempter's hand will be outstretched.

From the chapter now under our consideration we can obtain very little distinct information as to the extent or power of the last outbreak. But this is not the only place in Scripture in which this last display of sin is spoken of. We find it brought forward also, and far more explicitly, by EZEKIEL. This prophet— having spoken, in the thirty-seventh chapter, of the restoration of Israel, and of the blessings of the reign of David under the new covenant of peace, on which we dwelt particularly in our last chapter,-introduces a new subject in the thirty-eighth chapter; a subject quite inconsistent with the reign of quietness and holy calm which is to mark that happy age. It reads as follows:-"The word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of Man, set thy face against GoG, the land of MAGOG, the Chief Prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, and say, thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I am against thee, O GoG, the Chief Prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses, and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armor, even a great company with buckles and shields, all of them handling swords: PERSIA, ETHIOPIA, and LIBYA with them; all of them with shield and helmet: GOMER, and all his bands; the house of TOGARMAH of the NORTH QUARTERS, and all his bands; and many people with thee. Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them. After many days thou shalt be visited; IN THE LATTER YEARS thou shalt come into the land that is brought

back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: BUT IT IS BROUGHT FORTH OUT OF THE NATIONS, AND THEY SHALL DWELL SAFELY ALL OF THEM. Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm; thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou and all thy bands, and many people with thee. Thus saith the Lord God, It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought; and thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of UNWALLED VILLAGES; I will go to THEM THAT ARE AT REST, THAT DWELL SAFELY, ALL OF THEM DWELLING WITHOUT WALLS, AND HAVING NEITHER BARS NOR GATES, to take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land. SHEBA and DEDAN, and the MERCHANTS of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? Hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey, to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil? Therefore, Son of Man, prophesy and say unto GoG, Thus saith the Lord God, In that day, when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it? And thou shalt come from thy place OUT OF THE NORTH PARTS, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army: And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel as a cloud to cover the land; IT SHALL BE IN THe latter days."

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