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judgment of the servants occurs before the judgment of the nations. Mat. 25:31-46. See also 1 Pet. 4:17-18.25

II. The Judgment of the living nations, who are upon the earth at the Revelation. Jesus is Judge of the quick (or living) and dead.2

26

The Church or Saints, having been before caught up in the Rapture, come with Christ to execute judgment27 upon the world or living nations.28 This is the judgment of the quick, or those who are living upon the earth, when Christ comes at the Revelation. He separates the sheep from the goats, gathering out all things that doth offend (Mat. 13: 41-42), and sets up His kingdom (verse 43). The third party, His brethren, are the Israelites,29 who are never to be reckoned among the nations.30

Then follows the Millennium, which is one continuous day of Judgment (Acts 17:31), when the righteous Judge will be upon earth (2 Tim. 4:8), and when judgment shall

(25) 1 Pet. 4:17. For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey hot the gospel of God?

(26) Acts 10:42. And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.

Also 2 Tim. 4:1; 1 Pet. 4:5.

(27) 1 Cor. 6:2. Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?

Also Jude 14-15.

(28) Mat. 13:40. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.

41. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;

42. And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

43. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

(29) Psa. 122:8. For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee.

(30) Num. 23:7. And he took up his parable and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel.

8. How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the Lord hath not defied?

9. For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.

be laid to the line and righteousness to the plummet. Isa. 28:17.

III. The judgment of the dead at the Great White Throne.31

IV. The Judgment of angels,34 into fire "prepared for

(31) Rev. 20:12. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God: and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

13. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

14. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

15. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

2 Pet. 2:9. The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.

Also Mat. 10:15; 11:21-24; 12:41-42; Rom. 2:15-16.

(32) 1 Thes. 4:15. 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 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: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

18. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

(33) Rev. 19:11. And I saw heaven opened, and behold

a

white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

12. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.

13. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

14. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

15. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

16. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

19. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.

20. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miraclés before which him, with he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

(34) 2 Pet. 2:4. For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment,

the devil and his angels." The ungodly go there first. Compare Rev. 19:20 with Rev. 20:7-10; 2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6.35

Such events, requiring intervals of time, preclude the idea expressed in the term, "general judgment."

The "Day of the Lord" has two aspects, to-wit: Judgment on God's enemies, and deliverance and blessing on God's people.36

So we have the Judgment:

Of believers, as to their character, on the cross.

Of believers, as to their works, at the Judgment seat of Christ.

Of the living nations at the Revelation.

Of the ungodly at the Great White Throne.

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.

the

Also 1 Cor. 6:3; Rev. 20:10. (35) Rev. 19:20. And beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

Rev. 20:7. And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,

8. And 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.

9. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.

10. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. And 2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6.

(36) Isa. 2:2. And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

3. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

17. And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.

Also Isa. 4:1-6; Joel 2:2127, 21; 3:12-17; Dan. 7:914; Zech. 14:1-21; Zeph. 3:8-9; Mal. 4:1-3.

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CHAPTER XIL

Antichrist.

This name introduces to us one of the most solemn and foreboding subjects in the Word of God. An antichristone absolutely opposed to Jesus Christ-we are told, shall come.1 The spirit of antichrist is already in the world, denying the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh, either in the past2 or in the future."

This spirit of antichrist, now possessed by many, will culminate in one person, the Antichrist, who will deny both the Father and the Son.*

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That he is a single individual is plainly taught in 2 Thes. 2, where he is called "that man of sin” "the son of perdition"-"that wicked," or properly, "the lawless one."

As Christ is the express image of God," so it appears that antichrist is the culminating manifestation of Satan, "the prince of this world."6 His coming is "after the working (energy, or inward working) of Satan, with all power and signs and lying wonders and deceivableness of unrighteousness."

(1) 1 John 2:18. Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

(2) 1 John 4:3. And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

(3) 2 John 7. For many, deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh.

This is a deceiver and an anti-
christ.

(4) 1 John 2:22. Who is a
liar but he that denieth that Je-
sus is the Christ? He is anti-
christ, that denieth the Father
and the Son.

(5) Heb. 1:3. Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.

(6) John 14:30. Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.

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He will be a "strong (or inward working) delusion," to them who believe not the truth."

This mystery of Lawlessness (so the Greek) already worked in the days of the apostle, but there has been a hindering power, which, we believe, is the Holy Spirit, in His present manifestation, or office, viz.: as the reprover of the world and gatherer of the Church. When He, the restraining one, is taken out of the way (or out of the midst), at the rapture of the Church, then shall the mystery be unveiled, and the Lawless one be revealed. (Verses 7 and 8).

He will be received, even by the Jews, who, having returned to their own land and rebuilt their temple, will make a treaty with him, called by the prophet "a covenant with death and an agreement with hell." And antichrist

(7) 2 Thes. 2:3. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

4. Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

6. And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.

7. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

8. And then shall be revealed the lawless one, whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the breath of his mouth, and bring to nought by the manifestation of his coming;

9. Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders.

10. And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

11. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

12. That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

(8) John 5:43. I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.

(9) Isa. 28:14. Wherefore hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.

15. Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves.

16. Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.

17. Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall

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