reign with him a thousand years." Rev. 20:4-6.
To this also witnesses the word in Daniel: "I beheld, and the same horn made
war with the saints, and prevailed against them; until the Ancient of days came,
and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that
the saints possessed the kingdom." Dan. 7:21, 22.
"Judgment was given unto them." What judgment is this? Bear in mind that
the wicked are, at this time, in the thousand years, all dead. They have not been
judged; their judgment is yet to come; for they "lived not again until the thousand
years were finished." It is true that, by their being wicked, and having been found
wicked at the coming of the Lord, this settles it that they can not be saved; but
that does not settle all the questions of the judgment as to them. Every man is to
receive according to the things done in his body, "whether. . . good or bad." 2
Cor. 5:10. Every man is to be judged according to his works. Rev. 20:12, 13. And
since God is not an arbitrary governor or judge, but governs only with the
consent of the governed, the judgment that shall come upon each of the wicked
must be such, and so well understood, that all, even the wicked themselves, will
acknowledge the perfect justice of it. Therefore the Lord, the righteous Judge,
takes into his counsels concerning the final judgment all these who have been
redeemed from the earth, who have been men among these other men who can
not be saved, who know all the circumstances among which these men lived,
sinned, and rejected salvation. The Lord Jesus himself came to this world and
became a man, and lived thus among men, in order that he might be a righteous
judge of those who must be lost, as well as a faithful high priest of all who shall
be saved.
And so it is written that not only the judgment is given to the saints, but: "Do
ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? Know ye not that we shall
judge angels? how muct more things that pertain to this life?" 1 Cor. 6:2, 3.
This is true, because the angels that sinned, as well as wicked men, are
reserved unto judgment. 2 Peter 2:4, 9; Jude 6-8. And this judgment is given to
the saints at the coming of the Lord; for it is written, "Judge nothing before the
time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of
darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts." 1 Cor. 4:5.
73
Thus, in the case of the righteous, the Millennium is in heaven. By the
righteous the Millennium is spent in the presence of God, in company with Christ,
in association with all the gladsome, heavenly host. They are priests of God and
of Christ, and reign with him a thousand years.
Thank the Lord. Who will not enjoy this blessed Millennium? All its blessings,
its glory, and its joy are for all. And in the Third Angel's Message the preparatory,
gathering call of this grand Millennium is now sounding to every nation and
kindred and tongue and people. Listen to the call. Accept the invitation. Get
ready, get ready, get ready.
"Studies in Galatians. Gal. 3:18" Advent Review and Sabbath Herald,
77, 5 , p. 73.
"FOR if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise, but God gave it
to Abraham by promise."
The Greek words are "ik nomos" "of law," not "ik tou nomos" "of the law,"
signifying law in general rather than any particular law. Thus the inheritance,
exactly as justification, is received altogether by faith, and not at all by the works
or deeds of any law.
It can not possibly be otherwise, because the inheritance is the first and grand
object in the call of Abraham. For, first of all, God said to Abram: "Get thee out of
thy country and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I
will show thee." Gen. 12:1. And in this "he was called to go out into a place which
he should after receive for an inheritance;" and when so called he "obeyed, and
he went out not knowing whither he went." Heb. 11:8.
And since this inheritance is altogether in the world to come, and includes the
whole world to come, it is absolutely impossible for any one ever to obtain it by
works. It was and is impossible for Abraham or any other man ever to work
enough to earn it; and so, since the inheritance is so utterly beyond all possible
reach of the works of any man, in the nature of things it must come only as the
gift of God, and can be received by men only by faith, altogether as the gift of
God.
And since the inheritance is the one great object in the call of Abraham,
everything else that came from God to Abraham was only contributory to this
great object; it was only to fit Abraham to enter upon and enjoy in all its fullness
that wondrous inheritance which is the original and settled object of the call to
him.
For instance, God said to Abraham: "I will bless thee." This blessing is
essential to entering upon the inheritance; for no one who is under the curse can
possibly have any part in the inheritance. Therefore, to be relieved from the
curse, and to be put under the blessing, of God, is an essential to any one's ever
having any part in the inheritance. And this blessing upon Abraham, relieving him
from the curse, and preparing him for the inheritance, was to be extended,
through him, to all the families of the earth, that these also might be relieved of
the curse and receive the blessing, and thus have a part in the grand inheritance.
Again, we have found that in the covenant with Abraham there was sacrifice
and a priesthood–the Melchisedec priesthood. This also was essential to the
entering upon the inheritance, because "all have sinned," and "without shedding
of blood is no remission." Therefore every one who will enter upon that grand
inheritance must be absolutely cleansed and purified from all sin. But this can be
done only by that great sacrifice which God made in the gift of his Son, and by
the ministration of that priest and priesthood of Christ unto which he was
ordained by God alone, "after the order of Melchisedec." Thus the sacrifice and
service of the priesthood are also essential in behalf of every soul who shall enter
into that inheritance, and are essential in order that he may enter into that
inheritance.
Righteousness is essential to the entering upon that inheritance. It is an
eternal inheritance; the righteousness, which alone can fit anyone to enter upon
the inheritance, must be eternal righteousness. But the only righteousness that is
eternal is the righteousness of God. To this no man can possibly attain by works,
or anything that he can do. It is only the righteousness of God, and it can come to
man only as the free gift of God, and can be received by man only by faith.
Again, as this inheritance is an eternal inheritance, whosoever enters upon it
must have eternal life in order to possess it. But all have sinned and "the wages
of sin is death." How then can these who are subject only to death ever obtain
eternal life by any works that they can do?–It simply can not be done. This life,
therefore, being eternal life, must come from him who is eternal–the only source
of eternal life, which is God. It can, therefore, come to men in no conceivable way
except as the gift of God, and can be received only by faith. And since only in the
way of righteousness is life, only in the way of eternal righteousness can be
eternal life. And these both being essential to entering upon the inheritance,
every soul who will ever enter upon that inheritance must have these. And they
can come only as the gift of God, received only by faith.
Thus the inheritance being the great and original object of the call of
Abraham; that inheritance being altogether the gift of God; and it being
impossible for man ever to have obtained it otherwise, it follows that everything
that can help man unto that inheritance, and fit him for the inheritance, must also
be altogether from God, as the gift of God, received by men only by faith. And
since the blessing of God, the sacrifice and priesthood of Christ, eternal
righteousness, and eternal life, are the essentials to receiving the inheritance;
and since all these are utterly beyond any possible reach of man by anything that
he can do, it follows that these all, in the nature of things, come as the gift of
God, and are obtained by men only by faith in God.
And, thank the Lord, he has given all these.
He has given the blessing; for it written: "Blessed be the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in
heavenly things in Christ;" and "sent him to bless you, in turning away every one
of you from his iniquities."
He has given his only begotten Son, the "Lamb of God, which priest, who
"ever liveth to make intercession" for us.
