The Coming Dispensation Of Judgment

  In his paper entitled “The Different Ages and Dispensations of God’s Dealings With Men,” Dr. E.W. Bullinger draws a rough outline of the history of God’s administrations. Bullinger states that when the present dispensation of grace ends, the “epoch of judgment” will begin.  This period will comprise the time covered by the Apocalyptic seals, trumpets, and vials.  It will start when the church is “caught up” to meet the Lord in the air, and will end with the destruction of Antichrist at the revelation of Jesus Christ with all His saints.

  While I don’t necessarily endorse all of Bullinger’s teachings, I do believe that there is a coming Dispensation of Judgment.  Furthermore, I believe that we are rapidly approaching this epoch, and that, because of this imminency of this time of judgment, it is incumbent upon all Christians to maintain at all costs fidelity to the “faith delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).  I think we will all agree that the world has reached a crisis, that we are at a turning point; and therefore we must pay attention to the “signs of the times.”

  There are many signs in the world that tell us the end is near.  We have only to open our eyes and ears in order to learn the truth.  As I see it, one of these signs is the rapid defection of Christianity from the truths of God’s word.  Paul predicted this, when He spoke of the “falling away” that would occur in the last days (2 Thess. 2: 3; 1 Tim. 4: 1; 2 Tim. 4: 3).  Peter also warned that a time should come when men would scoff at the doctrines of the Second Coming, and hold to a humanistic message of human progress (2 Peter 3: 3-4).  The time has come.

  Another sign that corresponds to this falling away is the re-awakening of Jewish nationalism.    Christ Himself said that Jerusalem would be trodden down until the fullness of the Gentiles had been brought in (Luke 21: 24).  As defection from the Christian faith spreads, it becomes increasingly evident that the fullness of the Gentiles has almost arrived.  It does not surprise me to see such a fervent worldwide interest centering around the nation of Israel.  Dispensationally speaking, this can be seen as collateral to the predicted apostasy.

 Pay careful attention to Paul’s words.  He writes: “For as ye (The Gentiles) have in times past not believed God, yet have not obtained mercy through their (Israel’s) unbelief; even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy” (Romans 11: 30-31).  Notice how Paul left out what should have been the corollary of his main proposition.  It almost seems that his argument should have run thus: “As ye the Gentiles have obtained mercy through Israel’s unbelief; so the time is coming when Israel shall obtain mercy through your unbelief.”

  In pointing this out, I trust I am not putting words into God’s mouth.  Only take time to ponder Romans 11: 20-21, and you’ll see what I mean. “Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith.  Be not highminded, but fear; For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest He also spare not thee.”  Wasn’t Paul implying that a day should come when the Gentiles would stand in danger of being cut off, just as Israel was cut off?  And doesn’t this doctrine give us a clue concerning the meaning of that “mystery of iniquity” to which Paul alluded in 2 Thessalonians 2: 7?  It seems indeed that the revival of Israel runs parallel with the defection of the Gentiles, both trends bringing the present dispensation to a close.

  As the day of the Lord rapidly approaches, we find increasing signs of tumult and unrest among the nations.  In many sectors of Christianity, a former optimism has been replaced by spiritual apathy, as the love of many daily grows cold.  Is not this surely the time to return to repent and do the first works?  As the clouds gather thicker and thicker, can any see that our eternal welfare may now be at stake?  Who knows but that today those who, like Enoch, walk with God may hear the the heavenward call?  To be safe with Jesus Christ, and sheltered from the coming judgments: is not this a prize worth striving for?

  Of course, I realize that in recent years many have pointed out, all too clearly, the fallibility of man when it comes to setting the exact time of the Lord’s return.  However, I fail to see how man’s fallibility can nullify the blessed reality that Christ will one day come back to gather His saints and to establish His Kingdom.  Let us not be skeptical, but believe.  For when the Dispensation of Grace closes, a new epoch will begin, and the Lord will not spare.  Now is the time to fill our lamps with precious oil (Matt. 25: 4).  Now is the time to get us safely into the ark; that when the Lamb begins to break the seven seals we may rest secure from His wrath. 

  No need to discuss how long the Dispensation of Judgment will last.  Bullinger maintains that it may occupy a duration of as much as forty years.  I myself hold to the view that it will last seven years exactly, filling up the whole of Daniel’s seventieth week.  Yet regardless of the length of time in which the world will have to pass through its birth-pains, Christians must be always ready, as if this day were to be their last.  Regardless of what men may say, and knowing that many will scoff, the true disciples of Christ will, like Lot, take heed to get out of the city before it is too late.  It is my wish that before the epoch of judgment begins, those who are now wandering astray will return to the fold and follow their Heavenly Lord, Who alone can and will lead them unto the living fountains of waters.  Amen.

Studies In The Apocalypse (Part 17– Rev. 5: 1- 5: 7)

(5: 1) “And I saw in the right hand of Him that sat on the throne, a book written within and without, sealed with seven seals.”

 John now sees the Almighty Father with a book (or to be more precise, a scroll) in his hand.  The scroll is rolled up and sealed with seven seals.  This prevents John from descrying its contents; though he sees that it is written on the front and back.  What does this book contain?  Like Ezekiel’s “roll of a book” (Ezek. 2: 9), it contains “lamentations, and mourning, and woe” (Ezek. 2: 10).  It contains the series of judgments that will happen during Daniel’s 70th week, and which will bring about the worldwide reign of Jesus Christ with His saints.

  Let us take a moment and recall the words of Daniel 9: 24, in which Gabriel told the beloved prophet that the “vision and prophecy” would be sealed up until the expiration of the 70 weeks.  But once the 70 weeks were ended, “everlasting righteousness” would be brought in.  In order for redemption to be completed, Israel must repent and accept Jesus Christ as the Messiah.  In order for this miraculous “birth” to happen, there must be a preliminary sequence of birth-pangs.  These birth-pains are known as the “Great Tribulation.”  When the end comes, and the scroll is opened, the blindness lifted from the Jewish nation (Isaiah 29, whole chapter).

   So, then, the book which John sees God holding can be none other than the series of judgments required to bring about the salvation of God’s people, and the consequent redemption of the creation. 

  There is a great deal of correspondence between Daniel’s visions and those of the Apocalypse.  But while Daniel’s prophecies foreshadowed the things that John would see and write, Daniel was only able to make known the barest facts concerning the coming tribulation.  As the angel told him, “But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even unto the time of the end” (Dan. 12: 4).  And again, “Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up till the time of the end” (Dan. 12: 9). 

  It is our position that the Apocalypse contains an enlargement of the end-time prohecies recorded in the book of Daniel.  These prophecies have to do primarily with the “time, times, and half a time,” or three-and-a-half years of tribulation, mentioned by Daniel in chaps. 7, 8, 9, 11, and 12.  As our Savior refers to the same period in His Olivet Discourse, we see this special revelation given to John as a more complete delineation of the events which will involve that “time of the end.”

  This “time of the end” commences when Christ begins to break the seals– and not (as some claim) when John received the visions!  Remember, the unsealing is done by Christ, its effects taking place during Daniel’s 70th week.  As Christ breaks the seals one by one, we are shown in what manner our Lord will bring about the redemption of the purchased possession.  Only the actual breaking of the seals, however, can bring this about.  Remember that the visions recorded by John concern things which will be “hereafter.”  Hence, from our standpoint the breaking of the seals is yet future.  But when the time comes for the scroll to be opened, the consummation of the age shall have arrived. 

 To live in the times when those seals are broken will be harrowing indeed.  But the disciples that fail to keep God’s word will also fail to enter the “open door” extended to the Philadelphian church.

 (5: 2) “And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?“

  Some personal worth is required to open the book which the Father is holding.  That is because its unsealing issues in the redemption of the purchased possession.  Who is stand as our “kinsman redeemer” according to the Mosaic law?  In Leviticus 25: 25 the statutue is clearly given: “If thy brother be waxen poor, and hath sold away some of his possession, and if any of his kin come to redeem it, then shall he redeem that which his brother sold.”

  As man became poor through the sin of the first Adam, so he lost dominion over the creation.  There is needed to come forth a redeemer, a “brother” made after the law, to redeem the forfeited inheritance.  This is none other than Jesus Christ, the Second Adam, Who was the first-born among many brethren (Rom. 8: 29).  He alone can stand as our ”kinsman redeemer.”  Since the opening of the seven-sealed book secures  the repossession of our forfeited inheritance, the angel appropriately asks if there be anyone who can pay the redemption price.

(5: 3) “And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.”

  Not the glorified saints in heaven, nor yet any man on earth, has the ability to open the book, or even to read its contents.  This is a sobering thought.  No man is rich enough to stand in the place of the first Adam and pay that which he forfeited through his disobedience.  All have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Rom. 3: 23).  Neither Jew nor Gentile can fill this role.  The heavenly attendants watch as the angel cries for one worthy enough to open the book, and to look thereon.  In the heavenly temple there is a strained silence, as all wait.  But none comes forward.  This reveals man as without strength (Romans 5: 6).  He cannot fulfill the office of redeemer, nor can he claim special standing with God according to his own merits. 

(5: 4) “And I wept much, because no man was found to open, and to read the book, neither to look thereon.”

 This verse may be seen as a classic proof of the “total depravity of man.”  John weeps, being indundated with the sense of man’s own worthlessness before God.  Having been sold into sin by the first Adam, mankind must now be redeemed by a second Adam.  In light of this verse, how can anyone seriously preach a post-millennial Gospel, in which it is taught that the kingdom will come about through the social efforts of man?  Such teachers are far from the truth of God’s word.  Not only is man incapable of redeeming himself or humanity in general, but he is not even worthy enough to peer into those counsels of God which respect the establishment of His kingdom on earth. 

(5: 5) “And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.”

 There is cause to weep for our sins, but only if we are without hope.  The fact that there is a Redeemer, and that He has paid the redemption price to restore His fallen ones and redeem the forfeited inheritance, is rather a cause for joy.  The angel tells John, “weep not.”  Christ has prevailed to open the book!  Our Lord is here called by two names.  The Lion of the tribe of Judah indicates His power to defeat enemies, especially death, hell, and the grave (see Genesis 49: 9).  The name Root of David implies that Christ was the source of David’s sovereignty over Israel.  He is the heavenly antitype from whence David derived his kingship.

 (5: 6) “And I beheld, and lo, in the midst of the throne, and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns, and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.”

 Christ will surely prevail as the Lion of the tribe of Judah.  When at Christ’s second coming all enemies are subdued and He establishes His presence in Jerusalem, all knees will bow to Him.  Satan will be bound, death will be in abeyance, and the kingdom shall once again be the Lord’s.  However, Christ did not first come as a Lion, but as a Lamb.  While His second advent will be with power and great glory, His first was meek and lowly. 

   It is through the merits of His sacrificial offering that He has been accounted worthy of taking the seven-sealed scroll held by the Father.  Because Jesus Christ knew no sin, His death was entirely voluntary, and undergone for our sakes alone.  His resurrection and ascension at the right hand of the Father certfied Him as the Son of Man mentioned in Daniel 7: 13-14, Who received the kingdom from God.  His opening of the seven seals is, of course, preliminary to His taking the kingdom to Himself, which will only happen when the “Kingdoms of this world” are smashed and broken by the advent of Divine government.

  The horns of the Lamb speak of Christ’s power, seven being the number of Divine perfection.  Thus Christ is evinced as all-powerful.  For the Biblical meaning of the horns, see 1 Sam. 2: 1; 2 Sam. 21: 3; Psalm 75: 4; Psalm 132: 17; Psalm 148: 14; Lam. 2: 3; Ezek. 29: 21; etc.).

  The seven eyes are an allusion to Zechariah 3: 9 and 4: 10.  John tells us that they are the “seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.”  Although the meaning is not entirely clear as to what these seven spirits signify, the corresponding verses in Zechariah tell us that they play an important role in the final salvation of God’s Old Covenant people, Israel.  Perhaps these spirits are those “watchers,” or special angels, who give orders for the carrying out of God’s judgments  (see Dan. 4: 13, 17, 23, 26). 

 (5: 7) “And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne.”

  Jesus Christ now shows Himself worthy of taking the book and unfolding its contents.  He is our “kinsman redeemer;” the Second Adam.  It is He who shall receive all kingdoms when He comes to reign with His saints.  “Ask of thee, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.  Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel” (Psalm 2: 8-9). 

  No revision of the Gospel, no message of social progress–be it framed never so diligently as to accomplish its ends–can bring about the appointed time when “the kingdoms of this world” shall “become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ” (Rev. 11: 15).  We must await the opening of the scroll, which will herald our Savior’s return.  In the meantime, we are taught to pray daily: “Thy kingdom come” (Matt. 6: 10).  And this petition has always been the one great hope of all Christians.

Studies In The Apocalypse (Part 16- Rev. 4: 1- 4: 11)

(4: 1) “After this I looked, and behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was at it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be hereafter.”

 After John received the messages to the assemblies, he was given miraculous visions which relate to the last days of the present economy.  He looks and sees a door opened in heaven.  Then Jesus Christ, Whose voice sounded as a trumpet in chap. 1: 10, calls Him up to heaven where he receives revelations through the Spirit.  

   His trance or “ecstasy” must have been similar to that of Paul, when he was caught up to the third heaven (2 Cor. 12: 2) and heard unspeakable words, which it is unlawful for man to utter (2 Cor. 12: 4). 

   The things which John saw and heard were (with the exception of the “seven thunders”) to be written down and sent to the seven assemblies.  Christ called John upward to show him those things which must needs come to pass.  As we’ll find, these visions involve events relating to and issuing from the seven-year Dispensation of Judgment.

(4: 2) “And immediately I was in the Spirit: and behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.”

 John sees a vision similar to that seen by Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel.  In all three instances, the visions were prophetic of a coming judgment.  This one is no exception.  The One sitting on the throne can be none other than God the Father.  Compare with Isaiah 6: 1 and Daniel 7: 9.  As what John sees in heaven is gradually unfolded to our view, we find ourselves looking into the temple of the New Jerusalem, even that heavenly sanctuary which will come down to earth during the Millennium, and comprise the central point of Ezekiel’s “holy oblation.”  A glance at Isaiah’s vision will suffice to show that it is the heavenly temple here pictured.

(4: 3) “And He that sat was to look upon as a jasper and sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne in sight like unto an emerald.”

   Unlike modern stones, the jasper was clear as crystal.  See Rev. 21: 11.  According to Victorinus, it was the color of water; whereas the sardius or “sardine stone” was the color of fire.  Coupled with the emerald rainbow about the throne, we have a depiction of universal judgment about to take place.

  The world was once deluged with water, the Lord afterward placing His bow in the cloud as a token that no more would all flesh be destroyed by a flood (Gen. 9: 11-17).  At the second coming of Christ the world will be deluged by fire; and this will cleanse the world of the curse which has so long rested upon it.  To complete the work of redemption, all things must be purged with fire and water.  See Numbers 31: 23.  Hence we have two baptisms: one by water, the other by fire.  Read 1 Cor. 3: 13-15, and compare with 2 Peter 3: 7.

(4: 4) “And round about the throne were four and twenty seats; and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.”

 The identity of these twenty-four elders is a matter of dispute.  Bullinger writes: “These are evidently heavenly beings, a ‘pattern’ after which David arranged his twenty-four courses of the sons of Aaron (1 Chron. 24: 3-5).”  Frankly, I find this a bit far-fetched.  A better interpretation is one that views the elders as an ideal representation of the church in glory.  This is the opinion to which I myself lean.  

  The elders (twelve patriarchs and twelve apostles) stand for the “general assembly and church of the firstborn,” that is, the whole company of redeemed saints, who are in heaven at the time of John’s vision, waiting to receive their resurrection bodies. 

  Read Hebrews 12: 22-23 very carefully, as it contains an interpretation of the imagery used in Revelation 4 and 5.  The white linen reveals the elders as having been redeemed by the Lamb’s blood.  The crowns they are wearing shows that they are overcomers.  The fact that they are about the throne, before which stands a “glassy sea” (v. 6, see below) informs us that they are the “spirits of just men made perfect,” who have now been received up to heaven at the beginning of Daniel’s 70th week.  See my article The Thrones of Revelation and Daniel for more information.

 (4: 6) “And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.”

 The glassy sea recalls to mind the brazen laver which stood between the altar and the Mosaic tabernacle (Exodus 30: 18).  It was a perpetutal statute for Aaron and his sons to wash at this laver before approaching the altar or going into the tabernacle (Exodus 30: 19-21).  As the brazen altar represents the Cross (Heb. 13: 10), so the laver represents the work of sanctification, effected through regeneration of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3: 5). 

  The twenty-four elders are now seated about the throne, showing that they have been cleansed by the blood and sanctified in the Spirit, whereby they have attained entrance into the sanctuary.  This accounts for their white raiment and crowns. 

  The four beasts about the throne are the cherubims (cf. Ezekiel 10: 20), of whom we read little in Scripture, but enough to know that they are representative of the creation (ktisis).  When Ezekiel saw them, they were four in number (Ezek. 1: 5, 10).  So here also.  The number four always denotes creative works, having reference to the material creation and things “under the sun.” 

   We’ll recall that upon Adam’s exile from Eden, the cherubims were placed at the threshhold of the garden and made custodians of the Tree of Life (Gen. 3: 24), hereby showing that restoration of Edenic privileges is bound up with the redemption of the creation.  The association of the cherubims with the twenty-four elders reveals that creation-redemption is bound up with that of the people of God.  See Romans 8: 20-21.

 (4: 7) “And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast was like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.”

 Ezekiel’s vision of the Cherubim, which he received by the river Chebar, is nearly identical (read Ezekiel 1, whole chapter).  This vision was preparatory to the prophet’s reception of the word of God concerning coming judgments (Ezek. 2: 3-10).  In the similar vision recorded in Isaiah, the prophet saw the Lord of Hosts sitting in His temple amidst the seraphims (Isaiah 6: 1-2) and this too was preparatory to predictions of judgment.

 There is probably some significance in the fourfold nature of the cherubims.  Representing as they do the terrestrial creation, they are expressive of animate life in its totality.  The appearance of the third cherubim is like unto a man, for the Gentiles (nations) are included in God’s redemptive plan (see Rev. 21: 24). 

(4: 8) “And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.”

  Here we find some differences between Ezekiel’s and John’s respective visions.  In Ezekiel’s vision, the wings of the cherubims were four in number, and they each had four faces (Ezek. 1: 6; 10: 21).  But the seraphims seen by Isaiah had six wings a piece (Isaiah 6: 2).  We have then, in John’s vision, what appears to be a composite picture of the holy attendants that minister before God’s throne. 

  In this chapter (Rev. 4) the cherubims and elders sing the Song of Creation; whereas in the next chapter (Rev. 5) they sing the Song of Redemption.  In Isaiah the seraphims sang, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6: 2).  In the Apocalypse, the cherubims ascribe praise to the Lord for His eternal glory and the coming judgments which will issue in the redemption of the creation.

 (4: 9) “And when those beasts give glory, and honor, and thanks to Him that sat on the throne, Who liveth for ever and ever,

 (4: 10) “The four and twenty elders fall down before Him that sat on the throne, and worship Him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

 (4: 11) “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honor, and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”

  In the Song of Creation the four cherubims sing first, and the elders respond.  The elders cast their crowns before the throne, for it is by Jesus Christ alone that have become overcomers.  Thus all that we possess in glory will belong to Him.  He is the “author and finisher of our faith” (Heb. 12: 2).  We can boast nothing of ourselves, but owe all to Him and to His redeeming grace.

 In this verse we are given a reason why the creation must ultimately be redeemed.  For all things were created for God’s pleasure.  As God can have no fellowship with sin, so His pleasure will not be fulfilled until all creation is released from the vanity to which it was made subject (Romans 8: 20-21).  The crown of thorns placed upon Christ’s head previous to His crucifixion reveals that His blood purchased the entire creation, and not just mankind. 

   Hence we believe that when He returns, He will free creation from the bondage of sin, and remove the curse. Of course, the curse will not be completely removed until after the final judgment and creation of the “new heavens and earth” (Rev. 21: 4). Yet there will be such a renewal of the world at Christ’s coming that the beasts of the field, and the trees of the wood, and even the hills and valleys, shall shout for joy.  It is this renewal of the creation that takes up the theme of the present song.

The Sign Of The Prophet Jonas

 Pre-Millennialists are often taxed by Preterists for their reluctance to adhere to what are called “timing texts.”  According to Preterists, these texts all imply the imminency of Jesus Christ’s second coming, the resurrection of the dead, and the judgment.  Perhaps one reason why most Pre-Millennialists disregard the issue is because everyone knows that there was no second coming of Christ in A.D. 70.  Nevertheless, a close study of the timing texts will be beneficial to the reader, inasmuch as they help to prove one thing and one thing only: that the second coming was imminent in the first century.

 Yes, I say WAS imminent.  In other words, the Lord’s coming was “at hand” in the first century, when the inspired apostles issued the Gospel call, to the Jews first and then to the Gentiles.  But does God ever postpone His judgments? And if so, why? In this brief study I’d like to look at the “sign of the prophet Jonas,” which helps to prove my position that the then-imminent coming of Christ preached during the first century was put off, due to the repentance of the Gentiles.

  Let us remember that Christ promised the Jews that no sign would be given them except the sign of the prophet Jonas.  “This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet.  For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of Man be to this generation” (Luke 11: 29-30). 

  In order to learn the nature of this “sign,” we ought to go back to the Book of Jonah.  The book contains the prophetic types that unlock Christ’s words, revealing what would happen during the first century.  Jonah, after emerging from the belly of the whale (which in his prayer he equates with hell) entered into Ninveh and cried: “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown” (Jonah 3: 4).  This was warning of an imminent judgment upon the people of Nineveh.

 But look at how the city responded to his preaching. The people believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth (Jonah 3: 5 ff.).  They repented, and when the Lord saw their repentance, judgment was deferred.  “And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil that He had said that He would do unto them; and He did it not” (Jonah 3: 10).  Because of the repentance of the people, mercy overruled judgment.

 Now, we all recognize that Jonah was a type of Christ.  “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matt. 12: 40).  Christ’s resurrection, then, was the antitype of Jonah’s deliverance from the belly of the whale.  And what happened next?  After our Lord arose, “He showed Himself alive after His passion, by many infallible proofs, being seen of them [the apostles] forty days, and speaking of things pertaining to the kingdom of God” (Acts 1: 3). 

  This forty days of oral instruction corresponds to the forty days of probation given the city of Nineveh.  And according to prophetical usage (Numbers 14: 34; Ezekiel 4: 6), a year was given for each day– issuing in a forty year period of grace extended to “that generation.”  For the first fifteen years after our Lord’s ascension, the sign of Jonas the prophet (i.e., the resurrection of Christ) was preached exclusively to Jews and proselytes.  “Unto you first,” said Peter, “God, having raised up His Son Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities” (Acts 3: 26).

  Then, after Peter had used his keys to grant Gentiles access into the Kingdom, the sign of Jonas was preached under the ministry of Paul, for an additional sixteen years.  The Gospel was preached to both Jews and Gentiles alike; though during this period, Jews were still given the priority of hearing the message (Acts 13: 5, 14, 42-43; 14: 1; 17: 1, 10, 17; 18: 4, 7, 19, 26; 19: 9).  When they rejected the good news, the Gospel was then offered to the Gentiles (Acts 13: 46; 18: 6; 28: 25-28). 

   What was the substance of this message?  According to Acts 17: 18, it was “Jesus, and the resurrection.”  According to Acts 19: 21, it was “repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.”  In other words, it was the sign of the prophet Jonas!  It was a message which spoke of the necessity of repentance, the salvation wrought by Christ through the resurrection, and an impending judgment of the habitable world (see Acts 17: 31, Greek text).

  According to the prophetic type contained in the Book of Jonah, we find that every element of Jonah’s ministry thus far has a first-century antitype.  And most Preterists will generally recognize this. But when they get to the issue of repentance and postponement of judgment, they stop, and can proceed no farther.  They are unable to find an antitype, inasmuch as they believe the Second Coming, resurrection, and judgment happened in A.D. 70!  But yet, as the facts stand, only Jerusalem was destroyed at the end of the forty years of probation (A.D. 30-70). 

   Why?  The answer is quite simple.  Because the Jews rejected the sign of Jonas, whereas the Gentiles repented and accepted it.  Therefore, the second coming of Christ, which would have occurred in the first century had the nations failed to repent, was postponed, along with the resurrection and judgment.  This was the antitype of Nineveh’s repentance. When the Jews had finally rejected the sign of Jonas in 62 A.D., Paul said: “Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent to the Gentiles, and that they will hear it” (Acts 28: 28, italics mine).

  A little later, Paul praised God, writing that the Gospel preached in all the world, “bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you” (Col. 1: 6).  And where was this fruit coming from?  Certainly not from the Jews, who forbade the apostles to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved (1 Thess. 2: 16).  The fruit was being borne by the Gentiles.  And because the Gentiles repented, and the Gospel prevailed over the hearts of so many, God could not bring the world into judgment.  Hence, He postponed the second coming in accordance with His established principles of mercy (see Genesis 18: 23-32).

  Remember that when the Son of Man is revealed, the conditions of the world will be “as in the days of Noah” and “as in the days of Lot” (Luke 17: 26-30).  Not when the Gospel is bearing fruit among all nations, but after a “falling away“– when few at all believe the Gospel.  As Christ Himself asked: “When the Son of Man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18: 8).  And as Paul, speaking to the Gentiles, affirmed: “That day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and the man of sin be revealed” (2 Thess. 2: 3, italics mine).

  It is clear that Preterists have not “rightly divided the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2: 15) concerning the sign of the prophet Jonas.  It is up to them now to accept these blessed truths, and to realize that God did not fail to produce the fruits of repentance in the nations that heard the Gospel.  The word did not return unto Him void (Isaiah 55: 11).  It accomplished the repentance of those to whom it was sent, thus fulfilling the antitype of God’s forgiveness of the Ninevites.

  In conclusion: The timing texts used by Preterists only show that the second coming was imminent when the words were first spoken or written.  Since these words were issued during the forty year period of probation (A.D. 30-70) there was a possibility that the Gentiles might repent, and that judgment would be put off.  I submit that this is precisely what happened, and is why the early church knew nothing about any invisible, hypothetical coming of Christ in the first century.

  To say that there was a worldwide judgment in A.D. 70, after the Gospel had been preached with power to the Gentiles (1 Thess. 1: 5), and believed on in the world (1 Tim. 3: 16), is to hold a pessimistic “doom and gloom” Christianity which makes God an unjust exactor of revenge upon those who turn unto Him in faith and repentance.  Moreover, it breaks the typology of Jonah’s “sign,” rendering “fulfillment” without any effect whatsoever.  Let Preterism once more stand condemned.  Maranatha!