“During the long centuries of the Gospel age, the Church, as instructed by her Lord, has prayed, “Thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is done in heaven.” But, like drowsy children, because the time was long, many have almost forgotten the import of the words that now seem to die upon their lips. To all such whose hearts are still loyal to the Lord, we call in the words of the Apostle Paul, “It is high time to awake out of sleep; for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent; the [Millennial] day is at hand.” Yea, it is even at the doors. The kingdom of heaven is now at hand, not in its mere embryonic or incipient stage, as at our Lord’s first advent (Matt. 3:2), but in the sense in which he declared it was yet to come (John 18:36, 37)–“in power and great glory.”

“In the end of the age, which is the harvest time, much truth is due to be uncovered, which God did not make known in times past, even to his most faithful and devoted children. It was in the time of the end that the Prophet Habakkuk (2:3) declared that the vision, concerning the glorious consummation of God’s plan, should speak and not lie; and that to some of God’s children it should speak so plainly that they would be able, as directed, to make it plain on tables (charts, graphs and etc.); that through their instrumentality others might be enabled to read (to comprehend) it clearly: and then Daniel also (12:4, 9, 10) declared that knowledge should be increased, and that the wise (through faith) should understand the vision

Our object here is not to prophesy out of the abundance of human imagination, nor in any sense to be wise above what is written in the sacred Scriptures. Therefore, discarding all human inventions, we keep close to the fountain of divine truth, endeavoring to read prophecy in the light of prophecy and its manifest fulfilment; and to make plain upon tables that which God said would be sealed up, and which therefore could not be understood before this time of the end, but of which he gave assurance that it should then be understood.” (B13-15)

We have already dealt with one prophecy in particular (“The Seventy Weeks of Daniel”, Dan 9:24-27), which established for us a special key in the understanding of other prophecies, and that key was the “day for a year” principle (Compare with Ezek 4:6; Num 14:34). Now applying the same lessons taught there we are prepared to proceed on to our next prophecy involving time:

The Times of the Gentiles

This prophecy is recorded in Luke 21:24 (likewise alluded to in Lev 26)

“JERUSALEM shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.”

“The term “Times of the Gentiles” was applied by our Lord to that interval of earth’s history between the removal of the typical Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Israel (Ezek. 21:25-27), and the introduction and establishment of its antitype, the true Kingdom of God, when Christ comes to be “glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe in that day.”

During this interval, the dominion of earth was to be exercised by Gentile governments; and Israel, both fleshly and spiritual, have been and are to be subject to these powers until their time is expired. While God does not approve of nor commend these governments, he recognizes their dominion. In other words, he has for wise ends permitted their dominion for an appointed time.” (B73)

Understand this prophecy deals with who will control the Land of Israel. It is not a prophecy about the Gentiles; it is a prophecy about Jerusalem.

“God has determined to let the Gentile kingdoms take control and try the experiment of ruling the world, that thus the world might also learn the futility of its own efforts at self-government while in its present sinful condition. As he had given the dominion forfeited by Adam to the angels (during the first age or world 2 Pet 3:6), to demonstrate their inability to rule and bless the world, so too now he has delivered that dominion over to the Gentiles, to let them try their various methods, unaided by him. These various experiments God permits, as so many valuable and necessary lessons, filling the intervening time until the Lord’s Anointed, whose right it is, shall come and take the dominion and accomplish all his gracious purposes.”

Since Israel after the flesh was typical of spiritual Israel, the Gospel Church, which is also called in this higher sense “a royal priesthood and holy nation” (1 Pet. 2:9), and which in due time is to rule and bless all nations, so their kingdom was typical in some respects of the Kingdom of Christ. Consequently, when God’s time came to turn over the dominion of earth to Gentile rule, it was appropriate that he should first remove the typical crown (ruler-ship) from Israel, and that the typical kingdom should no longer be recognized.

This he did, declaring that they had proven themselves unfit for exaltation to universal dominion, having become corrupt, vain and idolatrous in proportion as they had attained national distinction. This was in the days of King Zedekiah; and the divine decree was expressed in the words of the prophet: “Thus saith the Lord God, remove the diadem and take off the crown: this shall not be the same: exalt him that is low and abase him that is high. I will overturn, overturn, overturn it; and it shall be no more until he comes whose right it is, and I will give it him.” Ezek. 21:24-27

This overturning of the crown, or dominion, has been accomplished. It was first turned over to Babylon, then to Medo-Persia, then to Greece, and then to Rome…This overturned condition of Israel’s dominion was to continue until Christ, the rightful heir to the throne of Israel and all the earth, who purchased it with his own precious blood, would come and take control…But unlike the preceding four dominions which were permitted for an appointed time, and therefore recognized, though not approvingly, this one will be approved and established by God, as his representative in the earth. It will be God’s Kingdom, the Kingdom of Jehovah’s Anointed. It will be established gradually, during a great time of trouble with which the Gospel age will close, and in the midst of which present dominions shall be utterly consumed, passing away amid great confusion.” (B75, 76)

Continued with next post.