1877_Three Worlds and the Harvest of This World.pdf

T HREE W ORLDS ,

AND

THE HARVEST OF THIS WORLD.

A BRIEF REVIEW OF THE BIBLE PLAN OF REDEMPTION , WHICH

SPANS THREE WORLDS : “ THE WORLD THAT WAS ,” “ THE

WORLD THAT NOW IS ,” AND “ THE WORLD TO COME ;”

WITH THE EVIDENCES THAT WE ARE NOW

IN THE “ TIME OF HARVEST ,” OR

CLOSING WORK OF THE

GOSPEL AGE .

“And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of Man,

having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle; and he that sat on the cloud

thrust in his sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.” —Rev. xiv.

“The harvest is the end of the World.” —Matt. xiii :39.

PUBLISHED BY

N. H. BARBOUR.

C. T. RUSSELL.

ROCHESTER, N. Y.

1877.

PREFACE.

In offering this book to the people and Church of God, the writer, while freely acknowledging his

indebtedness for many of its best thoughts to friends of the cause, is aware of his inability to do

justice to the great subjects presented. If they are of any value, their importance should cover the

imperfections of the agents used in their dissemination. And may God in his infinite love, cause

that the book may accomplish the work of leading the Church into the truth concerning the Bible

plan of Redemption, and the Harvest of the Gospel Age.

N. H. BARBOUR.

CONTENTS.

PAGE

Three Worlds

Coming Forty Years Of Trouble

Seven Heads Of Rome

Manner Of The Coming Of Christ

Saint And Angel

The World To Come —Shall We Know Each Other There?

T HE K INGDOM O F G OD —Will It Be Seen By Mortals?

T HE N ATURAL A ND T HE S PIRITUAL

S OPHISTRY

P LAN O F R EDEMPTION

J UDGEMENT , T RIAL , P ROBATION —W ILL THE S AINTS BE B ROUGHT TO T RIAL ?

B IBLE C HRONOLOGY

T IMES OF THE G ENTILES

T HE T WO C OVENANTS , OR J EWISH AND G OSPEL D ISPENSATIONS

T HE J UBILEE

T HE H OLY P LACE

104

T HE R ESURRECTION

108

E LIJAH , THE P ROPHET

120

T HE H ARVEST , I TS B EGINNING AND ITS E ND

124

T HE F IVE K INGDOMS , AND THEIR L OCALITY

131

A NTICHRIST

134

T HE S EVEN T RUMPETS

136

T HE S EVEN S EALS

146

T HE S EVEN L AST P LAGUES

150

T HE C HURCH AND THE W ORLD

153

A P ARABLE

155

T HE T WO T HOUSAND T HREE H UNDRED D AYS

157

T HE E ASTERN Q UESTION

160

B ABYLON IS F ALLEN

163

T HE K INGDOM OF G OD

166

T HE T WO - HORNED B EAST

169

P ARABLE OF THE T EN V IRGINS

172

T HE S EVEN C HURCHES OF A SIA

176

S UMMARY

182

N OTES ON C HRONOLOGY

192

THE THREE WORLDS

and plan of redemption ,

A fourth world, or a fourth heaven, is nowhere named in the Bible or associated with the past,

present, or future, of man; but three heavens and three earths, are distinctly mentioned. And

in order to understand the language of Scripture, these three worlds must be recognized.—Not

the heaven, earth, and hell, of the catechism; but the world that was before the flood; “this

present evil world;” and “the world to come.” And all that God has revealed of man or his

destiny, is associated with one or more of these worlds. And they follow each other; that is, no

two exist at one and the same time; hence the Bible is a progressive science.

If the above is true, the whole of Revelation, when properly handled, will arrange itself into

one grand system. And the details, instead of being a confused mass of facts, commandments,

and promises, will prove susceptible of perfect organization, every part taking its true place.

If one would but admit the truth of the above, and it is sustained from Genesis to Revelation,

much of the obscurity connected with the plan of salvation would vanish; and harmony exist

among the many apparently conflicting texts of Scripture.

Each of these three worlds is spoken of in 2 Peter 3rd, as a distinct “heavens and earth” “The

heavens were of old, and the earth, standing out of the water, and in the water; whereby the

world that then was being overflowed with water, perished; but the heavens and earth which

are now [clearly spoken of as distinct from the former] by the same word, are kept in store

unto fire.…Nevertheless, we, according to his promise, look for a new heaven and a new earth

wherein dwelleth righteousness” (vers. 5-13). Notwithstanding these various worlds are said

“perish,” or “pass away,” this planet isthe basis of allthree; passing away meaning nothing more

than a change of dispensation; as is proven, not only by the facts connected with the flood, but

also by positive Scripture testimony. Atthe flood the waters rose until the hills were covered, and

then the mountains; and when the waters subsided, the tops of the mountains and the hills

appeared again. And even the trees were not uprooted, for if they had been floating onthe water

the dove could have found rest for the sole of her feet. And when sent out the second time she

returned bearing an olive leaf, plucked off , “so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off

the earth.” If the olive tree had been floating, the plucked-off leaf would have been no sign of the

waters having abated. Thus it appears there was little or no change of the earth, or heavens, but

simply a great destruction of life. And yet the language, taken literally, would imply a total

annihilation of both heavens and earth; and the one “that now is,” is mentioned as another

heavens and earth, which, in turn, is to “pass away,” not with a great flood, but with “a great

noise.” And yet the general teaching of Scripture is that the “passing away” of this present

heavens and earth, is only a change of dispensation, attended with great national destruction.

“Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works

of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou remainest; they all shall wax old as doth a garment, and

as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed; but thou art the same, and thy

years shall not fail” (Heb. 1:10).

This is in harmony withPs. 93:1, “The world is established that itcannot be moved.” “While the

earth remaineth, seed-time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and nightshall

not cease;” and “the earth abideth forever. ” And “the righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell

therein forever.”

The former dispensation was called “the old world” (2 Peter 2:5). And this, “the world that now

is;” and that which is to follow, “the new heavens and new earth;” or “world to come.”

The order of succession may be illustrated to the eye, thus;

There are also three subdivisions of the world that now is, viz.

THETHREE WORLDS

the Patriarchal age, reaching from the flood to the death of Jacob; the Jewish age, reaching to the

death of Christ; and the Gospel age, reaching to the first resurrection, and end of this world. Then

follows “ages to come” (Ephe. 2:7); the first of which is the millennial age; or rather the age of

conquest , for in it Christ is to “reign until he has subdued all enemies; and death is the last enemy

that shall be conquered” (1 Cor. 15:26).

In the world that was before the flood, man was without law or national government; and the

result was utter corruption. In the world that now is, a system of gradual development has

obtained. Under the patriarchal age a people were called out; after which, “the law was a

schoolmaster to bring us to Christ.” Then the gospel was given that the “seed,” with the Great

Captain of our salvation, “might be made perfect through suffering.”

The “Seed,” means one complete Christ; in other words, the head and body; “He saith not, and to

seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy Seed, which is Christ” (Gal. 3:16). “And if ye be

Christ’s then are ye Abraham’s seed [not seeds], and heirs according to the promise” (ver. 29).

Thus the object and work of the gospel is to perfect this “seed,” those who are to take the name

of Christ, and become one with him. And this agrees with Acts 15:14; “Simeon hath declared how

God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. ” And this is the

sole object of the gospel to the Gentiles; not to convert the world, that work belongs to the

millennial age, but to perfect the second Adam and the second Eve, Christ and his wife. And the

millennial age is introduced by the marriage of the Lamb; “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give

honor to him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready” (Rev.

19:7).

This world ends with the second coming of Christ and the resurrection of this “seed;” just this

number who make up the body of Christ, “Christ, the first fruits, afterwards they that are Christ’s,

at his coming.” And then it is, the work of the salvation of the world begins.

All that was lost in Adam, is to be restored in the second Adam. And this “restitution of all

things,” begins only at the second advent: “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins

may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord, and he

shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you; whom the heaven must receive until

the times of restitution of all things; which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets

since the world began” (Acts 3:19-21).

A restitution of all things, must include a resurrection of the

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