The Prophetic Revelations.

Observe also that Isaac is the allegorical representative of the Shiloh of Israel in the substitutionary sacrifice, and figurative resurrection, detailed in Genesis xxii. Jacob refers to Shiloh's death by Levi—Genesis xlix. 6; and in verse 10th, he foretells his dominion over the world.

Such was the Faith and Hope of the Gospel believed from Adam to Abraham, and to Moses, Gal. iii. S—but which that generation of the Israelites did not believe whose carcases fell in the wilderness of the Land of Egypt; and on account of their faithlessness, Jehovah swore in his wrath that they should not enter into his rest. These things appeared so improbable that those who believed them were esteemed by their contemporaries as worthy of reproach. This was styled the "Reproach Concerning page 3 the Christ," to which was and is attached the recompense oi' the reward on account of "The Christ." Moses refused to be called the Son of Pharaoh's daughter, and cast in his lot with a nation of slaves; let us, therefore, also go forth unto him, bearing his reproach.

II. Having acquired an understanding of the promises made to the Fathers, become acquainted with the history of their descendants:

1. In their deliverance from Egypt—Exodus i. to xix.

2. In their organization as a body politic during the forty years in the wilderness—Exodus xv.; Deut. xxiv.

3. In their conquest and settlement in Canaan—Joshua i. to xxiv.

4. Under judges for life—Judges, to 1st Samuel x.

5. As a united nation under kings—1st Samuel xi. to 1st Kings xii. 15.

6. As two separate nations and kingdoms—the one under the house of David, the other under Jeroboam, the son of Nebat—1st Kings xii. 16 to 2nd Chronicles xxxvi.

7. As to the overthrow of the kingdom of the Tem Tribes by the Assyrians, 390 years after their revolt from the house of David, and in the sixth year of Hczekiah—2nd Kings xvii. 5 to xviii. 12. Here it should be noted that the Ten Tribes have been in dispersion ever since. Hence all prophecies relating to their restoration and future glory remain to be fulfilled.

(The history of these two kingdoms should be well understood, or great mistakes will be made in the interpretation of the Prophets. It should also be remarked that David's kingdom and throne have never been restored since the overthrow by the Chaldeans, but numerous prophecies declare that they shall be in more than their former Glory when Solomon occupied them. Therefore this remarkable event remains to be fulfilled.)

10. As to the restoration from Babylon, especially concerning the decrees of the Persian Kings—Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther.

The commonwealth of Israel continued in vassalage to Babylon, Persia, and Greece, till before Christ, 165, being 430 years from the desolation of the city, B.C. 505. It then became independent under the Asmonean dynasty during 129 years, when it became subject to the Romans, who set up the Idumean or Hcrodian race of Kings. Under these the Shiloh was born. Afterwards Judea was converted into a procuratorship.' The sceptre had departed from Judah and been transferred to the Romans. The Leviticol authorities arraigned the Christ before Pilate, for confessing that he was the King of the Jews, and extorted the sentence of death against Him. He was crucified through the voice of the Jewish rulers and people, and died according to the Scriptures, and in about 37 years afterwards the Romans took away the daily sacrifice, cast down the place of its sanctuary, destroyed the city, cast down the truth to the ground, destroyed the mighty and the holy people, and carried them away captive into all nations, where they still remain, waiting for the "restitution of all things" belonging to their nation—Daniel viii. 11-22-24, and ix. 26; Luke xxi. 24.

In studying the records of Israel, the covenant made with David recorded in 2nd Samuel vii. 12 17, is essential to the right understanding of the, truth. The promises contained in it are styled "The sure mercies of David" in Isaiah lv. 3, and Acts xiii. 34. These are the gracious promises made to David. These are offered to Shiloh and the Saints. They are the nucleus of "the joy set before Him" and them, on account of which "He endured the Cross and despised the shame." They promise

a	A Seed to David who should be the sovereign of a kingdom.
b	That he should build a temple for Jehovah—Zechariali vi. 12-13-15.page 5
c	That his throne should be everlasting. d That he should be Son of God as well as Son of David. That he should suffer for the iniquity of men, but mercy should not forsake him.
f	That David's house, throne, and kingdom should be established for ever before him—(that is)—David himself should be a living witness of its perpetuity (the gift of eternal life).
g	That therefore he should rise from his sleep with his fathers, and live for ever. David styled this "The Jaw of the ascending Adam," which related to his house for a great while to come—2nd Samuel vii. 19. In his last words—2nd Samuel xxiii. 3—he informs us that God spake to him about this personage laying down this general principle in relation to the kingdom he had promised, namely, that "He that Ruleth over Men Shall be a Just one Ruling in the Righteous Precepts of Elohim."

The members of David's house were not so with God; yet God having made with him this covenant (of a hidden period) ordered in all things and sure, such a character must arise out of his family to "rule the world in righteousness." Therefore, said he, this Covenant"is all my salvation, all my desire," although appearances at present do not indicate its accomplishment. Read Psalms lxxxix. and cxxxii. 2-18; and Acts ii. 25-31.

"The Kingdoms of this World shall become our Lord's and His Christ's; through the execution of the written judgments at the Christ's appearing and kingdom; and He shall Reign unto the ages of the ages."

—Rev. xi. 15.

And the Lord shall be king over all the earth; in that day shall there be one Lord, and His name one—Zech. xiv. 9. Then will follow a reign of peace and righteousness, and wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of the times, and the nations of them that are being saved will Rejoice in their King, and in his coheirs, the glorified saints who will possess with him the dominion of the world—Dan. vii. 14-18-27. Rev. v. 9-10.

III. To Advance still further in the doctrine of the page 6 Christ, we must proceed to the unsymbolical prophecies, such as the Psalms, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Micah, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. Their contents may be arranged as to generals under the following heads, namely,

The Apostolic Testimonies.

IV. These Things being understood, the personal testimony of the Apostles, evidential of the rightful claims of Jesus to the Messiahship, or regal, imperial, and pontifical sovereignty over Israel and the world, may be next proceeded with. This testimony is contained in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John's writings. They were written that men "might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing, they might have life through his Name."

They show,

1.	That Jesus is the hereditary descendant of David and Aaron, in whom is vested the sole right to His Kingdom and Crown, as well as to the High Priesthood of the Kingdom, and page 7 that he will, therefore, be a King and Priest on his throne after the order of Melchizedec.
2.	That He is the acknowledged Son of God, by paternity of first birth, and by being born again of His Spirit after his resurrection from the dead.
3.	That he possessed two natures: first, that of sinful or mortal flesh; secondly, that of his present one, which is holy or spiritual flesh, "the Lord, the Spirit."
4.	That without the shedding of blood there can be no remission of sins—Hebrews iv. 22.
5.	That the blood of animals cannot take away sins—Heb. x. 4.
6.	That for a Sin Offering to be an efficient atonement, it must not only he slain, but made alive again, which constitutes it a living sacrifice.
7.	That Jesus was such a sacrifice, holy, acceptable to (rod, and without blemish, that is, without sin—Hebrews iv. 15—through a voluntary obedience in thought and word and deed to the will of his Heavenly Father—and a living faith in the covenants of promise.
8.	That the blood of Jesus is "the blood of the New Institution, shed for many, for the remission of sins"—Matthew xxvi. 26-28.
9.	That He rose from the dead, and entered into the Holy-place with his own blood, and was accepted and perfected by a spirit-birth in the fulness of the Godhead, and was taken up to the right hand of the Majesty in the Heavens, and that He will return in like manner as He departed, and to the same place—Acts i. 11—without blood unto Salvation—Heb. ix. 28.
10.	The attributes of Jesus constitute His name.
11.	That through this name, repentance, remission of sins, and eternal life are offered to all intelligent believers of childlike disposition.
12.	That if men would receive the benefit of the name, they must believe in it, and put ic on.
13.	That this name is inseparably connected with the institution of Immersion; so that if a believer of the Gospel would put it on, he must be immersed into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—the doctrinal Name of the Christ of God—Acts ii. 38; x. 44-48page 8
14.	That the Gospel is the Glad Tidings of the Kingdom in the name of Jesus the Christ. If therefore a man would he saved, he must believe this Gospel and obey it—Mark xvi. 15, 16.
15.	That if an angel preach any other Gospel than this, he is accursed—Galatians i. 8, 9.
16.	That all who obey not this Gospel shall be punished—2nd Thessalonians i, 7-10.
17.	That it is the law (embodied in the Gospel faith and practice) by which man shall be judged—Romans ii. 12-16.
18.	That the unrighteous or the despisers under the law shall not inherit the kingdom of God—1st Corinthians vi. 9-11—which is the Kingdom of Israel at the epoch of its latter day restoration to its first dominion under its Covenant King and princes.

V. To Understand what genuine Christianity is, in its Associational and Individual Relations, we must make ourselves thoroughly acquainted with the Acts of the Apostles. It contains an illustration of the manner and order in which they executed the commands of Jesus, the Christ, to teach all the nations the Word of the truth of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God in his Name.

VI. The Next Step, in the course, must be to study the Apostolic Epistles. From these and the Acts may be-learned the origin of the Great Apostacy from primitive Christianity, which constituted the superstition of Europe and Asia; and styled by the Apostle "A Strong Delusion." Its elements are termed by Paul "the mystery of iniquity," which, were secretly at work in his time, but openly from that of Constantino, until they brought Europe to what we now find it, in all its mischievous and debasing forms of impiety and page 6 spiritual absurdity. In its beginning this mystery of iniquity was concocted out of

A 1. A combination of Judaism with Christianity—Acts xv. 1-5—teaching that the Immersed Believers must also be Circumcised, thereby showing that "Immersion in the Room of Circumcision." was not thought of in the Apostolic age (the proper type being the washing or immersion of Aaron and his sons for the priesthood).

B 2. A further combination of Gentilism with this Judaised Christianity, from which resulted a compound of the three—a fourth something unlike either of its constituents, in the addition of the mysticisms of Pagan philosophies and the idolatrous fables of Pagan mythology, adapted by the cunning craftiness of men to corrupt the simplicity of "the truth as it is in Jesus."

VII. Lastly, we may proceed to the investigation of the Symbolic Prophecies—such as those of Daniel, and the Apocalypse. To master these, we must acquaint ourselves with

VIII. (The Apostles' Fellowship.) To have fellowship with the Father, and his Son, Jesus the Christ, we must have fellowship with the Apostles, by believing and doing the truth promulgated by them.^* This is styled "walking in the light of God,"—in the light by which we have fellowship one with another.—1st John i. 3-6-7.

We might be in approved fellowship with all Christendom—Papal and Protestant, Church and Dissenters—and yet have page 10 no fellowship with God; "for if we say we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness (ignorance), we lie, and do not the truth;"—because Papalism and Protestantism, while claiming fellowship with God, are mantled in the darkness of human tradition, and pervert and persecute the truth, teaching for doctrine the commandments of men. It is the duty, therefore, of all who would embrace the Christianity of the Bible to lay, hold of the things we have already indicated by man's faith and obedience, and separating themselves from all Papal anal Protestant sects, either to maintain their own individuality, or, if sufficiently numerous, associate themselves together as a community of witnesses, "who keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus the Christ."—Revelations xii. 11-17. Such an association would be entitled to the scriptural appellation of

"The Lame's Bride,"

which is called upon to prepare herself for the approaching consummation—Rev. xvi. 15; xix. 7, 8. She must be "sanctified and cleansed in the laver of the water by the word,"—that she may be "holy and without blemish." Such a body must "edify itself in love "—Ephesians iv. 16—and meet every first day of the week to commemorate His death and resurrection; to show forth the praises of God, and make their united requests known to Him through Jesus the Christ, the High Priest of their profession; and must also proclaim to the children of men the word of the truth of the Gospel of the kingdom of God in the name of His Christ, for grace of salvation; and in doing this the duty and privilege of such an association is—

Such an Association "will be presented holy and unblamable and unreprovable in His sight if they abide in the faith grounded and settled; and be not moved away from the Hope of the Gospel which was preached (by the Apostles) to every creature under heaven"—Col. i. 22, 23; and "patiently continue in well doing" and so "seek for glory and honour and incorruptibility"—Rom. ii. 7.

For "Faith" is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things unseen. The just shall live by faith—Hab. ii. 4; Rom. i. 16, 17. Without faith it is impossible to please God—Heb. xi. 6.

Faith conies by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God—Rom. x. 17.

Faith works by love, and purifies the heart, Acts xv. 7; Gal. v. 6.

And "The Faith" is "the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus the Christ"—Acts viii. 12.