We come to the final section of this chapter copied from Benjamin Wills Newton’s quite wonderful book: “Prospects of the Ten Kingdoms”. I truly hope it has been a great help to you all.
The topic of the ten Kingdoms of the Antichrist will become increasingly important for God’s people to study and understand since any who become entangled with it will pay a dreadful price.
“And all that dwell upon the earth (i.e. the ‘the old Roman Empire’) shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world . . . And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name,” Revelation 13:8, 14:11.
Damnation is the price that will be paid by any deceived into an allegiance with the kingdom of anti-christianity.
Given the blindness that is abroad today regarding the errors of the liberal and modernistic ‘gospel’ eagerly embraced by the main denominations and the zealous pursuit of money and the spirit of the merchants that is everywhere, the vast majority of people are more than ripe for the plucking by the devil and his agents!
God’s people must ‘take heed’ and ‘watch and pray’ ‘and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching,’ Hebrews 10:25.
“We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:,” 2 Peter 1:19.
The Lord bless you all.
Ivan Foster.
We conclude with our extracts from Benjamin Wills Newton’s book, Prospects of the Ten Kingdoms, the chapter 14 —
“ORDER OF EVENTS CONNECTED WITH THE APPEARING OF CHRIST AND HIS MILLENNIAL REIGN”
We come to Part 14, which covers from the bottom of page 365 and 366.
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How different the thoughts with which we contemplate the old, and the new history of man. The Scripture, which had commenced with the first day of his first history, concludes with the first day of this — his new history. We know not all that is beyond; but we know that He who hath made us for ever kings and priests unto God, has not restricted us even to the New Heavens and New Earth, but will give us to behold and to share His own glory above the heavens; and that He who is His Father, and our Father in Him, has promised to show, in the ages to come, the exceeding riches of His grace, in His kindness towards us through Christ Jesus.*
* The contrast between the new and the first earth; and between the heavenly and the earthly Jerusalem is so plainly marked in Scripture, that it seems wonderful that it should have been overlooked by any. For example, it is expressly said, that “the first heavens and the first earth pass away, and no place is found for them,” before the New Heavens and New Earth are created. In the New Earth, there is to be no sea-in the millennial earth, the sea is continually mentioned. In the new earth, there is no more sickness or death-in the millennial earth, remedial means are used against sickness and death; the last enemy is not destroyed until the close. In the New Earth, there is no sin, nor any liability thereunto -in the millennial earth, sin remains in the flesh of man ; Satan can never enter into the new earth, nor into the Heavenly City: but he will re-enter the millennial earth, at the close of the Millennium, and will effect a great apostasy.
The contrast between the heavenly and the earthly Jerusalem during the Millennium, is no less marked. In the heavenly there is to be no Temple – but we read much of the millennial Temple of Israel. In the heavenly city, there is to be no succession of day and night. There shall be no night there. But whilst the first earth remaineth, seed time and harvest, day and night shall not cease.
Difficulty has been occasioned to some, by not observing that the ninth verse of Rev. xxi. should be made the commencement of a new chapter. The first eight verses of the twenty-first chapter, describe the relation of the heavenly city to the new earth – whereas, the subsequent part of the chapter retraces, and describes its relation to the millennial earth.
The twentieth chapter should commence at the eleventh verse of the nineteenth chapter — beginning “I saw heaven opened,” and be continued to the end of the eighth verse of the twenty-first chapter: for the subject of all this passage is strictly consecutive. It begins by a vision of the glory of the heavenly Bridegroom, with which He is prepared to meet His enemies, and subdue the earth — next the destruction of Antichrist and his armies – then the binding of Satan — then the millennial reign — the concluding apostasy-the passing away of the first heavens, and the first earth — the judgment of the dead — the creation of the New Heavens and the New Earth, and the descent of the heavenly city into the new earth. These events are spoken of consecutively as they will really happen; and therefore the passage which treats of them continuously, should of course be read as one chapter.
That the latter part of the 21st chapter after the 8th verse, and the commencement of the 22nd chapter refer to the relation of the heavenly city to the earth during the Millennium, is manifest from this, that means are thence employed for “the healing of the nations.” In the new earth, there are no nations that need healing. The words, “and no curse shall any longer be,” are of course to be restricted to the subject spoken of — that is, the heavenly city. They will not be applicable to the earth, until all in the earth is made like the heavenly city.