The Apocalypse is contained in Malachi as well as in all the rest of the prophets; that is, the same development of the divine purpose is exhibited in Malachi’s predictions as in the Patmian revelation. Malachi informs us that “from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same Jehovah’s name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered to his name, and a pure offering: for his name shall be great among the nations, saith Jehovah of hosts.”
John testifies the same thing in saying, “every creature which is in the heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for the Aions of the Aions.”—Apoc. 5:13. This is a universal ascription, which ascends from every place as incense and a pure offering to his name, which is “dreadful among the nations” at that time.
This name is not dreadful now, but a by-word in the lips of the profane. This, however, will not always be. Malachi directs our attention to “the day of the coming of the Messenger of the Covenant” as to a day that few will be able to abide. “Who,” saith he, “may abide the day of his coming? And who shall stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fuller’s soap.” In this day men will be taught to venerate this name, and not to take it lightly into their lips. The Apocalypse treats of this same great and terrible day of the Lord’s coming, and of its effect upon the wicked: “Behold he comes with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they who pierced him, and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.”—Apoc. 1 : 7. And, “behold I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.”—ch. 16 : 15. And again, “Behold I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”—ch. 22 : 12. And when this coming is manifested, “the Ark of God’s Testament” is seen; and there are “lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.”—Apoc. 11: 19. These judgments make the day a dreadful one; and, as Malachi testifies, a day burning as an oven, in which the proud and wicked doers of the epoch shall be destroyed as stubble, and neither root nor branch of them be left behind. This total and utter extirpation of the world-rulers is attributed to the saints both by Malachi and John in their postresurrectional operations. Malachi predicts their resurrection in these words, saying, “Unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in his beams; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.” Being thus raised, the work they have to do is expressed in the words, “and ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do, saith Jehovah of hosts.” The Apocalypse teaches the same doctrine. It sets forth the preregnial resurrection of the saints, and their postresurrectional judgment of the world-rulers and their hosts. “Blessed and holy is he that hath pa it m the first resurrection * * * they shall he priests of the Deity and <>l the Anointed; and shall reign with him a thousand years.” Having part in the first resurrection, “they sit upon thrones, and judgment is given to them.” The execution of the judgment appointed puts them in possession of the thrones; and in executing the judgment written, they bind the Dragon, cast the Beast and the False Prophet into a lake of fire, overthrow Babylon, and torment with famine, pestilence, and sword, the worshippers of the beast and his image, and the receivers of his mark in their forehead, or in their hand. Thus apocalyptically “they tread the wicked as ashes under the soles of their feet,” as foretold by Malachi; and by conquest establish their right to rule all nations as kings of God, seeing that they will have subdued them by his spirit energizing them with the might of omnipotence.
Thus, then, from this summary of the prophets, it must be evident to the reader, I think, that the doctrine of Messiah’s reign on earth for a long season did not originate with the Apocalypse; but is a doctrine of far greater antiquity, being the teaching of the Spirit from the beginning, and consequently, the faith of God’s elect in all ages of the world. When the spirit in the prophets revealed the contents of their writings, he signified in what he inspired them to write, more, or deeper things, than they were able to fathom. They did not see into all that was testified about the sufferings of the Christ, and the glory that should follow those sufferings; nor did they comprehend “what manner of time” it was they noted down in the periods they recorded concerning them. This was unquestionably the truth of the matter from what Peter says in 1 Ep. 1 : 8, and Paul in Rom. 16 : 25. These deep things of the Spirit, though written in the prophetic Scriptures, constituted “the wisdom of the Deity in a mystery hidden” from the prophets, and the angels likewise. This mystery pertaining to the sufferings of the Christ, and the glory that should follow, was unfolded by the Spirit in the preaching and writings of the apostles; and constitutes, in its exposition, “the Revelation of the Mystery." But while the apostles had full comprehension of this mystery, they did not understand “what manner of time" was to divide “the sufferings of Christ” from “the glory that should follow.” They thought the glory and kingdom were immediately to follow the resurrection of Jesus; hence the question they put to him: “Wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?" But they were told that “it was not for them to know the periods, or fixed times, which the Father had put in his own power.” With the exception of John, they never did know them. It was reserved to him in Patmos to be made acquainted with them apocalyptically. The ‘manner of time” hidden from both prophets and apostles is exhibited in the Apocalypse, which embodies both the mystery of the sufferings, the mystery of the glory, and the mystery of the time. These are all exhibited, or indicated, by sign or symbol. the sufferings of the personal and corporate Christ are represented by “a Lamb as it had been slain,” and slain souls under the altar. The glory is symbolized by the four living ones in the midst of the throne, and by the New Jerusalem; and the time during which the sufferings are to continue, antecedent to the manifestation of the glory, are typified by 1260 days, 42 months, “a time, times, and a half,” “three days and a half,” “five months,” “an hour, a day, a month, and a year,” “half an hour,” “a third part of a day,” “a third part of a night,” “an hour.” These are times in miniature, in which the less is representative of the greater, which is the real or true time.
Hence, then, I should define the Apocalypse to be a symbolical revelation of the hidden mystery of the Deity originally declared to the prophets. It was declared to them as an enigma which they could not unravel. The Apocalypse is preeminently the solution of that enigma, especially in regard to the “times and seasons, ” which, since it’s communication to John, are no longer reserved by the Father in his own power. By his revelation to John he has put them in the power of his servants, for whose benefit they were specially revealed. These servants have believed the glad tidings, and obeyed the law of the faith, which exhibits to their minds the kingdom and glory of the Deity. How long to the appearing of that kingdom? This is a question in which they are greatly interested, for their redemption from this evil world is dependent upon its judicial manifestation. To this inquiry a testimony from the Apocalypse responds, that “in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall sound, even the mystery of the Deity shall be finished, as he hath declared the glad tidings to his servants the prophets.”—Apoc. 10:7. This seventh and last trumpet will not cease to sound until the things 1 have summarized from the prophets shall all be accomplished. They are the glad tidings, or, as Paul expresses it, “the gospel of God, which he promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures.” Study the prophets, then, for the Apocalypse reveals the mystery they contain, and is therefore enrooted deeply in all the ramifications of their testimony.