THE KING’ S BUSINESS But this rule of blessedness is preceded by judgments that come “ as a snare on all the earth” (Luke 21:29-36). According to Peter, “ seasons of refreshing” and “ the restitution of all things,” not an nihilation of the globe, will come with the return of Christ (Acts 3:19-21). According to John, the coming of Christ (Rev. 19) precedes the millennium. (Rev. 20). However great the divergence of views among students of prophecy may seem to be, and in spite of many varieties of opinion among the representatives of the two schools which have been men tioned in passing, the points of agree ment are far more important. The main difference is as to the order, rather than as to the reality of events. The great body of believers are unit ed in expecting both an age of glory and a personal return of Christ. As to many related events they differ; but as to the one great precedent condition of that coming age or that promised return of the Lord there is absolute harmony of conviction; the Gospel must first be preached to all nations (Matt 24:14). The Church must continue to “ make dis ciples of all nations. . . even unto the end of the age” (Matt. 28:19, 20).; This is therefore a time, not for un kindly criticism of fellow Christians, but for friendly conference; not for disputing over divergent views, but for united action; not for dogmatic asser tion of prophetic programs, but for the humble acknowledgment that “ we know in part;” not for idle dreaming, but for the immediate task of evangelizing a lost world. For such effort, no one truth is more inspiring, than that of the return of Christ. None other can make us to set more lightly by the things of time, none other is more familiar as a Scriptural motive to purity, holiness, patience, vigi lance, love. (Matt. 19:28; Luke 22:28-30).
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then be seen that these expressions are in-so-far figurative that the earth still continues with its life, its nations, its progress, after these judgments are over. Terrific convulsions, and governmental, social and cosmic changes, only intro duce a new and better age. So, too, "the day of the Lord” is a familiar phrase, and as we read Zech. 14 we see that while, in that day, the Lord comes amidst appalling portents, His coming and the day itself are followed by a scene of great blessedness on this same earth; the Nile is still flowing in its course and the nations are going up to Jerusalem to worship. (Note also that in II Pet. 3:10 the most ancient manu scripts do not read “ burned up” but “ discovered.” ) There are other positive statements of Scripture which intimate that the m illennium follows the coming of Christ. According to Daniel, it is after the Son of Man comes with the clouds of heaven that He is given “ dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations and languages' should serve Him, and the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven,” are “ given to the people of the saints of the Most High; . . . and all dominions shall serve and obey Him” (Dan. 7:13, 14, 27). According to the Psalms, the appearing of the Lord, in flaming fire upon His adversaries, pre pares the way for the establishment of His glorious kingdom, as “He comes to rule the world with righteousness and the people with equity” (Psa. 96, 97, 98, etc.). According to Paul (II Thess.l and 2) the advent described by Daniel is not to an earth which is enjoying millennial peace, but it is “ in flaming fire” to destroy an existing “ Man of sin” -whose career is the culmination of the lawlessness already manifest and to con tinue until the personal coming of Christ. According to our Lord Himself .His return is to bring “ the regener ation,” not the destruction of the world
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