Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1879-08-09
The Coming Stone Kingdoms.

When the disciples Inquired of our Lord
what would be the sigos OF His Second Coinipr
| and OF the lad Of the Present Dspeasaiiep.
He replied Nation shall rise scGlost ra.lon
and kiogdom against kingdom. acd there shall
be earthquakes in divers places, aud there shall
be famines and troubles: these are the begin
Mug ofs?rrows." Mark l3: s.
We see many Of those events cow takiac
place before our eyes; it cannot therefore be
otherwise thar pref. liable to ask what they
mean, and what they should lead us to expcct.
Ao answer is to be found 10 Luke u: 81, ,
wv hen ye sec these things come to pgss, kaow
ye that the kingdom Of God is nigh st hsud."
This Is reply which will readily presgDt itself
to the minds OF all who are looking for those
things which arc coming on the earth: but NC
would now wish to draw attention to the cues
tiCu CT what ismeent by the Kingdom Of g 3D."
aud how and in what firm we may expect it to
appear.
The Jews rejected the Messiah because His
appeaTance Gia not coiOcide with their cxpecta
tons, and they were disappointed ia His not
at oooe establishing the Kingdom Of Israel
Christians Of the present day arc apt to run 10.
TO the opposite extreme of error, and refuse to
believe 10 klDgiom of Israel at all.
After our Saviour rGsUrrcc.i1u His ,2sci pies
put TO Hin the question, lord, wilt Thou OF
this tlmo restore again the kingdom to Israel
Aud our Lord 81 far from disonuragiag the
belief IN the possible existence Of sny snca king.
dom, IN His rLpiy distinctly implies it's iuturi
ty. Acts /: CT.
Oh Testament evidence this sui jac is 50
c,n."us TINT our chief difficulty IS 90 cheese
that most apphcAble. We viii, however take
tire image 10 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS dram. DanieI
= as establishing our poat; at The sarne t!ma.
to all who are Inclined 70 disbelief in the i,c
raj tuii!ment OF the prophecies made to Is-a,
we would recommend q pcrusal If j .rcmi.h 33;
liz ;k'e! 81: 20 81. 3G and rcuai1lus chapters.
10 he last phase of the image of N3bucbsi.
ntzzaT's vision We havs tcu kiogdouas AMI q
stone, the particular tuactioo Of which stone"
IS to break 10 pieces the ten Kingdoms, after
which 1t becomes mountain aud 6i5 The whole
earth. This stone, W, hold, typi6es tho king
dom OF God, apd It's earthly dual the king
dom OF Israel. lo Daniels inter Tpratatioo O.
the dream, aud 10 reference to the stone, VIC
find, verse Al 'lo the days o! these kings shall
the God Of heaven set UP kingdom which
shall never be desrogcd.' This is evidently
identioa! with Daniel 7: II. His doa.inioa is
az everlasting dominion aGd His king.
dom that which shall not bo destroyed" s.
far the kingdom Of God.
The "s,ooe," then, is co existent with .hg
ten Kingdoms it is set up in their days, and
1t evidently also means 3 nation snd kiog.
dom, but which, TO keep up the distraction
made 10 Numbers %, 9. is f1cetold u1dcr 40
emblem distinct from the Others
l. breaks ln pieces the ten nssions, who b.
come like 'the chaH Of the summer tbresbins
floors" which the Tiud clrrIes away. Bn: this
is precisely the mission torotod OF Israel. Is
racl. 10 the last days, is to b. an Instrument is
Gods hands TOR tho punishment Of the apos-
tate natous of tine world. See and compare
Isaiah Al, l4-IG Joromilh 81. 70, 90; Eze.
kiel 80; Micah 4, II, l3 aud u ,chariah l3 10.
Whether it will bo the restoration OF the
Jews TO Palestine, the discovery OF proofs cs
labIishing the identity Of lost Israel, or the
aualgamation OF thess with Judah, whatever
Ii may be. the re- reostablishment OF the Hebrews
as political power on the earth is insepsrabe
frou the kingdom Of tho future. That P.les-
tine is again TO be occupied by I'rael nationally
is to be fuod 10 Ez .kicl &c, "tbc desoare
land shall be tilled, aud is TO become like the
Garden of Eden Is 81 25)
The re- establishment of the kingdom Of Is
rael, however. will not be allowed without op
position ftom the powers Of evil, aud thea
comes that period Of ,rlbulation, the reign Of
the personal Antchris'; the gathering together
of the nations; his and their destruction and
vcrlhrow; sud the Advent OF the L,r,i j osus,
followed by the uaiversa! establishment OF His
kiugdom to be found iu Isaiah >: 10 22; Ez K.
| IS aud 80; Dauicl ,: S5 Al; S. il ~; Joel
| 2, 3: Micah 4: II. Is; Il ch. ~, II II; Nal.
| 4; Rev. 49, II. u, and other pessagcs
Having discussed tho manntr of the end,
we will conclude with few words oo the time.
| when sc Sec these things come to pass, know
that it ia uigh," Marx l3: 80, these th;ngs"
| being wars, earthquakes. f,lnlues apt pcst
lances. The woriu has been s,mewhat farnii-
| iariz I'd With each OF these caamtles st ttH ~
eut times dutiUg the last tWeutY years. but at
! the close OF the present dl5penSh!ou they msy
| be expected to occur, both collectively aud iG
greater intensity tnau at any previous period
| These are the beginnings OF sorTows.' This
| is the reading to be found in ST. Matthew :
| Gospel, for which reason 1t appears to have
been adopted by the transstors into 81. Mark ;
version, but the more correct readltg OF the
latter is given 10 marginal nole-"the palus
of woman is travail.
ST Peter was one Of the four di:cipes to
whom OUT Lord cll6d ID the events uf the las;
days; il is PROBABLE, therefore, that this slmle
was &C ualIy used by our Saviour end must be
allowed its full significance.
ST. Paul makes use of slmlisr figure O.
speech when he says "the HhoIc cveailoa gTo1n
eth aud trsvaileth." Briefly. therefore. tbs
kiogdom of God must follow p2rlod when the
fur calami,ies indicative of ils approach are
universally impress d On mems minds.
Recently war and famiue have been pvomi
nenty before the uotoe Of the world, aod, let
terIy, typhus fever aud other msladies have
followed 10 the track OF the war, pestieuco in
lesser degree, while ear hq1okes have beer
felt 10 various places, though the shocks have
been so far mild that they have not attracted
attention beyond the localities of their lnlnedl
ate occurrence. S i'll it would appear that TIE
time is nigh, even at the door.
Afw words before ne coDclude as to dates.
As regards the prophecies in Scriptures regard