"The King of Kings"

The Spirit, inditing things touching the King, through the Psalmist saith:

“Thou art fairer than the children of men: Grace is poured into thy lips, therefore God hath blessed thee forever: Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most Mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty. And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness.”…. “Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows” (Ps. xlv.).

“Truth, meekness, and righteousness,” in the time of suffering, trial and probation, will have been the basis of the King’s exaltation in the day of glory. The “Grace” characterizing His heavenly ministry upon the earth, in the name of Yahweh, establishes the groundwork for the overflowing fulness of that blessedness that is promised shall attend Him forever. Because He “loved righteousness, and hated wickedness,” the anointing Spirit sheds heavenly beams of joy and gladness upon Him, above all others. Wisdom’s crown of light and glory encircles His head. “Honor and majesty are before him, strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.” And because of bearing those glorious “attributes” pertaining to the name of Yahweh-Elohim, the splendor and magnificence of His Royal estate will exceed that of any other King that has ever ascended a throne.

According to the word of Jehovah, saying, “I will make him my first-born, higher than the kings of the earth.” For, saith the apostle, “In him were created all things: the things in the heavens, and the things on the earth: visible and invisible; whether thrones or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things on account of him, and for him have been created. He is before all things, and in him all things have been placed together. He is the head of the body, the congregation; who is the beginning, the first-born from the dead: that among all he might have the pre-eminence” (Col. i. 16, 18). These utterances of the Spirit concerning Him will then appear in all the power and distinctness of a real personal existence among men. And the words, “The Lord reigneth, he is clothed with majesty: the Lord is clothed with strength,—he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished that it can not be moved” (Ps. xciii.), will be realized in truth and verity by all people.

The great source and origin of all His power, strength, glory and blessing, is the Eternal Father. According to the testimony, saying:

“The King shall joy in thy strength, O Yahweh: and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice! Thou hast given him his heart’s desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips. Selah. For thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness: thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head. He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even length of days forever and ever. His glory is great in thy salvation: honor and majesty hast thou laid upon him. For thou hast made him most blessed forever; thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance. For the king trusteth in Jehovah, and through the mercy of the most High he shall not be moved” (Ps. xxi.).

Through the Spirit’s “ministration of righteousness,” memorialized in the name of Yahweh, the king’s throne will be established. For, unto the Son,Jehovah saith: “Thy throne, O God, is for the Age: a sceptre of righteousness, is the sceptre of thy kingdom” (Heb. i.). “Righteousness and judgment are the habitation of thy throne” (Ps. xcvii. 2). “Mercy and truth shall go before thy face” (Ps. lxxxix.). The “Great white Throne,”* to be established in Zion, will be compassed about, in every aspect, with the righteousness of the King, and His associate kings and priests. “Truth, meekness, and righteousness,” have formed the foundation of the glory of His Name. Outflowing from that divine wisdom to which the apostle makes allusion, as he saith,—“The wisdom which is from above, is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits.”

In attaining to the purity of that wisdom, the fire of trial and the “furnace of affliction” have to be passed through. The heritage of suffering, trial, and probation must precede the heritage of serene and peaceful glory. “Truth, meekness, and righteousness,” in the day of trial and probation, are fundamental elements in the wisdom and the purity pertaining to the name of Jesus. In the life of Christ upon the earth, these were abundantly exemplified. His patient endurance of misrepresentation and wrong, at the hands of His contemporaries, is plainly testified of in the record. The breathings of His grieved and sorrowful spirit are revealed in many of the Psalms. In the New Testament record, we are told how the chief priests and Pharisees sought to entrap Him, that they might find occasion against Him. “They watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, and so deliver him to the power and authority of the governor.” Through the Psalmist, the Spirit of sorrow finds expression, as he saith:

“Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up: he fighting daily, oppresseth me.”…. “Every day they wrest my words; all their thoughts are against me for evil.”…. “Thou tellest my wanderings; put thou my tears into thy bottle” (Ps. lvi.).

Lamb-like meekness and gentleness characterized the whole career ofJesus. When arraigned before the bar of Pilate’s judgment-seat, and questioned concerning His claims to be “the King,”—the wisdom of “truth, and meekness, and righteousness,” illumined the darkest hours in the life of Christ. “Truth, meekness, and righteousness,” Christ most perfectly fulfilled, in being obedient to the Father’s will, even to the death of the cross: and in bearing testimony to the truth unto the end. The truth concerning His kingly station He did not evade: though the acknowledgment of it, at that time, would bring certain condemnation. When Pilate asked Him, saying, “Art thou the king of the Jews?” Jesus replied, “Thou sayest it” (Luke xxiii. 3). The spirit of faith fully revealing that the Father would raise Him up from the death state and establish His promises in the appointed time. The Spirit-word testifies of the Father’s overshadowing care. “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say ofYahweh, He is my refuge and my fortress: myGod, in him will I trust.” “He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth, thy shield and buckler.” The Father’s promise is full of comfort, as He saith, “I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation” (Ps. xci.).

In the resurrection and glorification of Christ; His ascent to theFather’s right hand,—deliverance and “honor,” “long life,” and “salvation,” were granted Him. But this is only the earnest of the great deliverance and honor that is awaiting the Lord’s Anointed in the future Aion of glory when His “enemies shall be made his footstool,” and “all kings shall fall down before him.” The Spirit-word, contained in the 2nd Psalm, predicts concerning the hostility of the kings and rulers of the earth againstJehovah, and against His anointed king. A primary fulfilment of it appeared when “Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the children of Israel, were gathered together against Christ” (Acts iv.). They “intended evil, and imagined a mischievous device”: but their evil designs were only permitted to succeed so far as to accomplish a certain purpose, which the Father had predetermined. The full signification of the words of the prophet still remains to be fulfilled: when the kings and rulers of the earth shall assemble their armies against Jerusalem to battle: And shall “make war with the Lamb.” But “the Lamb shall overcome them”; for He is made, “Lord of lords, and King of kings” (Rev. xvii.).

“The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against His anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh; theLord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.”

Notwithstanding all their efforts, the decree ofJehovah will stand fast forever: According to the word that He hath spoken, saying, “Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.”

A kindly warning is given to the kings and rulers of the earth, in the words of the prophet, as he saith: “Be wise now therefore, O ye kings; be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve theLord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss theSon, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him” (Ps. ii.).

An appeal unto Yahweh, the Spirit, through the prophet utters, in view of the adversary’s work, as he saith: “Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud” (Ps. xciv. 2). The people of the Lord are led to rejoice in contemplation of His character as “the Judge of all the earth.” “For,” saith the prophet, “the Lord will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance. But judgment shall return unto righteousness; and all the upright in heart shall follow it” (v. 14, 15).

The people described as “the upright in heart” are those who will be privileged to “follow the Lamb”: The “Called, the chosen, and the Faithful” (Rev. xvii. 14). The Spirit, through the prophet, addressing this people, saith: “Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law” (Isa. li.). This is the people who will have the “righteousness which is of Faith.” Having rendered the obedience of faith, they are brought into that “Constitution of righteousness” which is inChrist Jesus; and come to be clothed with His righteousness, through His name.

An illustration of the unity and oneness of this relationship between Christ and “the people in whose heart is his law” is given in His teaching concerning Himself as “the Vine.” Discoursing thus, He saith:

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me, that beareth not fruit, he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine: no more can ye, except ye abide in me: I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me, ye can do nothing…. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you…. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love: even as I have kept myFather’s commandments and abide in his love” (John xv.).

To “know righteousness,” therefore, is not merely an intellectual apprehension of the doctrine and precepts of Christ (though this is essential to its reception). It can only be attained through that genuine “Faith that works by love and purifies the heart.”

The people that “know righteousness” (the saints) are referred to by the Psalmist in these words:

“Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound; they shall walk, OYahweh, in the light of thy countenance. In thy name shall they rejoice all the day; and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted. For thou art the glory of their strength; and in thy favor our horn shall be exalted. For the Lord is our defence; and the Holy One of Israel is our King” (Ps. lxxxix.).

Christ, as the “king of righteousness,” desires to be honored by the righteousness of His people. When He shall return to establish His throne and kingdom upon the earth, He will be fully manifested in this glorious character. Appearing first as the “Righteous Judge,” He will investigate the righteousness of His servants. His future coming, and the work attendant upon it, is the subject of the following testimonies:

“The Son of man shall come in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (Matt. xxiv. 30, 31).

“Our Elohim shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people. Gather my saints together unto me: those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice” (Ps. l.).

“For the Son of man shall come in the glory of hisFather, with his angels; then shall he reward every man according to his works” (Matt. xvi.).

“To them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality: eternal life. But unto them who are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness; indignation and wrath: tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil: of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile. But glory, honor, and peace, to every man that worketh good: to the Jew first and also to the Gentile” (Rom. ii.).

The time for the accomplishment of the things contained in these testimonies is that designated as “the time of the dead, that they should be judged” (Rev. xi. 18). Before the dead can be judged, they must be “caused to exist.” The time of their anastasis rising, or standing up again, is referred to by Job, when he says concerning himself:

“I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand in the latter day upon the earth: and after I shall awake, though this body be destroyed, yet from out of my flesh shall I seeELOAHH: whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not a stranger” (ch. xix. 25).

This is one of the wonderful testimonies in the Old Testament Scriptures teaching the resurrection of the dead. Its import is plain and unmistakable. The apostle Paul gives certain interesting details concerning the rebuilding of those who shall be the subjects of anastasis or standing up. Replying to the inquiry of certain in his day, saying, “How are the dead ones rebuilded? And for what body do they come forth?”—he has favored theLord’s people with a grand testimony concerning the resurrection of the body, and the appearing before the “judicial throne,” or “judgment-seat of Christ.” According to the account which each shall render there will be the sentence of the Judge concerning them.

The word and spirit-power of the Eternal Father is vested in the King for His people. Through Him, and for Him, all things will be caused to exist. The body that by His word and power is caused to “spring forth” from the dust of the earth is the natural body. The same body, by His word and spirit-power, will be raised, reared, built up—a spiritual body. The correct rendering of the words of the apostlePaul in 1 Cor. xv. 42, exhibits in a wonderful light the distinction between the body that springs forth and the body that is raised up to a spiritual, glorified existence. It is thus given inAnastasis:

“The resurrection-body, speiretai, springs, is sprouted, or born, in corruption: egheiretai, it is built, reared up, or raised, in incorruption: it is sprouted in dishonor: it is reared up in glory: it is sprouted in weakness: it is built up in power: it is born (of the earth) a natural body, it is reared up (or transformed by spirit into) a spiritual body.”

This is the sense of the passage, and in strict harmony with the “form of sound words” used by the apostle Paul (p. 37).

The approved character, on record in the Lamb’s book of life, will, when the process is completed, be invested with a body that is incorruptible, glorious, powerful, spiritual. “Mortality shall be swallowed up of life”: immortal, unending, spirit-life from heaven.

Being thus “clothed upon with our house which is from heaven” (2 Cor. v. 2), “the body of our humiliation” will be “fashioned anew, and conformed unto the body of his glory” (Phil. iii. 21). “That which is born of the Spirit isSpirit,” saith Jesus.

The “golden Stephan,” which Christ will confer upon the approved, appears indicated by the apostle Paul, when speaking of the “crown of righteousness,” which “the Lord, the righteous judge,” will give to him “at that day” and to “all them that love his appearing” (2 Tim. iv. 8). They, in the fulness of their gratitude, worship and adore the Lamb: and do homage unto Him, as the “King of saints.” They are described as singing a new song, saying:

“Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation: And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth” (Rev. v. 9, 10).

The spiritual affairs of His household being set in order, Christ, together with His hosts of immortalized redeemed, go forth as the “Rainbowed angel,” upon His mission of war and conquest. The latter portion of Psalm xxi. will then find its accomplishment in the retribution to be meted out to the enemies of the King. “Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies: thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee: thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger: the Lord shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them.”…. For they “intended evil against thee: they imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform.” The “arrows” of Yahweh will be “sharp in the heart of the King’s enemies, whereby the people fall under him.” His “right hand shall teach terrible things” (Ps. xlv.). The command on record will be most perfectly obeyed, that the Spirit hath said: “Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty. And in thy majesty ride prosperously, because of truth and meekness and righteousness.”

Yahweh-Elohim will then appear as a “Man of war.” He will “execute the judgment written, this honor have all his saints” (Ps. cxlix. 9).

A vision of these executors of the hour of judgment upon the nations is thus described by the apostle John:

“I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood; and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword that with it he should smite the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron; and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. He hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written,KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (Rev. xix.).

Concerning him, the Spirit through the prophet saith: “He shall not fail, nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law” (Isa. xlii.).

The Spirit-word, describing the power of the Eternal Father in unity with the Christ in that day, saith: “He hath made my mouth like a sharp sword: in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me. And he said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”…. “Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of Jehovah, and my God shall be my strength. And he said it is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth” (Isa. xliv.).

As the “Lion of the tribe of Judah,” the King will enter upon the work of restoring the preserved of Israel. He will “save the tents of Judah first”—saith the prophet. This is the tribe nearest to the King. He will be “unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah”: saith the testimony,—“I will take away and none shall rescue” (Hos. v. 14). Israel also is likened to a lion in the day of deliverance, because they will receive power from the King. “The remnant of Jacob,” saith the prophet, “shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people, as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver” (Mic. v.). “For the Lord of hosts hath visited his flock, the house of Judah, and hath made them as his goodly horse in the battle. And they shall be as mighty ones, which tread down their enemies in the mire of the streets in the battle: and they shall fight, because theLord is with them.” “And,” saithYahweh, “I will strengthen the house of Judah, and will save the house of Joseph, and will bring them again to place them” (Zech. x.).

When Jerusalem shall be delivered from the great army that is to lay siege to the city, the word of the prophet saith: “The governors of Judah shall say heartily, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in Yahweh, Tz‘vahoth theirElohim’” (ch. xii. 5). And because “the Light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame,” the governors of Judah in that day are likened to “an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf: and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem.”

Then will be accomplished the word of the prophet, as it is written:

“In Judah is God known: his name is great in Israel. In Salem also is his tabernacle, and his dwelling-place in Zion. There brake he the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle. Selah. Thou art more glorious and excellent than the mountains of prey.”…. “Thou didst cause judgment to be heard from heaven: the earth feared and was still. When God arose to judgment, to save all the meek of the earth. Selah” (Ps. lxxvi.).

A recognition of the presence and power and wondrous works ofJehovah in that time is expressed in this testimony; and also in these words of the Spirit:

“The Lord of hosts is with us: the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. Come, behold the works of theLord, what desolations he hath made in the earth. He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth: he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder: he burneth the chariot in the fire” (Ps. xlvi.).

Then, as the “Prince of Peace”—“theLord will bless his people with peace.” “He will speak peace unto his people and to his saints” (Ps. lxxxv.). The word of the Spirit thus addresses all that love Jerusalem: “Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her”…. “For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream” (Isa. lxvi.). In view of the reception of the blessing, the people are represented as supplicating the Lord, saying:

“Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock: thou, inhabiting the Cherubims, shine forth.”…. “Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.”…. “Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself. So will we not go back from thee: quicken us and we will call upon thy name” (Ps. lxxx.).

To Israel, the Spirit speaks comfortably, saying, “My kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed”…. “Great shall be the peace of thy children: In righteousness shalt thou be established” (Isa. liv.). “And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever” (Isa. xxxii. 17).

Then the prayer of the Psalmist, as he saith, “Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king’s son,”—will find its full accomplishment. “The mountains” (of theLord’s house) “shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills by righteousness.”…. “In his days shall the righteous flourish: and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth” (Ps. lxxii.). Not only will His “peace be upon Israel,” it will be extended to all the nations: according to the word of the prophet, saying, “He shall speak peace unto the heathen (or nations), and his dominion shall be from sea, even to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth” (Zech. ix. 10). And as “king of Salem,” which is “king of peace,” will be fully established as king and priest upon his throne—after the order of Melchizedec.

As the “Great Shepherd,” who “shall stand and feed in the strength of Jehovah, in the majesty of the name of Yahweh-Elohim,” the prophet saith:

“This man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces,—then shall we raise against him seven Shepherds and eight principal men.”…. “He shall deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders” (Mic. v.).

Christ and the saints, in their perfection of unity and oneness, will exercise protection and guardianship, overshadowing all people: thus appearing in the character of the Shepherd. This would appear to have been typically represented in the lives of theFathers of Israel, their occupation having been that of shepherds. “He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds;—he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance” (Ps. lxxviii.). Shepherds were the selected auditors of the angel choir, as they announced the birth of Jesus, and praisedGod, saying,—“Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, good-will toward men.”

The scene there presented appeared typically prophetic of the glory and blessedness and peace that should obtain when Christ should be revealed as the “Great Shepherd of the sheep.” The word through the prophet saith, “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd; he shall gather the lambs with his arms, and carry them in his bosom” (Isa. xl.). How beautiful the illustration of the loving tenderness and protecting care which will attend the ministrations of Christ to His people! His Shepherd care, though now unseen, is not the less real on behalf of His saints. It follows His people to a great extent all along their journeyings through the present life. As we learn from many testimonies: such as these, “Seek ye first the kingdom ofGod, and his righteousness, and all things shall be added unto you” (Matt. vi. 33). “Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you” (1 Pet. v. 7).

In the spirit of that full assurance of faith, expressed in the words of the Psalmist, as he saith:

“The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want: He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake” (Ps. xxiii.).

The “green pastures” and the “still waters” to which the sheep are first led are those precious truths of the word of God that lead into “the paths of righteousness, for his name’s sake.” This appears from the teaching of Jesus, when He saith: “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved; and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”…. “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd” (John x. 9-16).

The hearing of the voice of Christ, in this testimony, has reference to the hearing of His word. The word is also the voice signified in the following testimony: “He is our God: and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To-day, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your heart, as in the provocation, the day of temptation in the wilderness” (Ps. xcv.). To the voice of His word the angels bow in perfect obedience—according to the testimony of the Psalmist: “Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word” (Ps. ciii. 20).

The tender supervision and guardianship of the “good Shepherd” is also conveyed in the following testimonies: “TheLord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.”…. “The Lord preserveth all them that love him” (Ps. cxlv.). “O love the Lord, all ye his saints; for the Lord preserveth the faithful.”…. “Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord” (Ps. xxxi.). “The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.”…. “The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.”…. “TheLord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit” (Ps. xxxiv.). “TheLord taketh pleasure in his people, he will beautify the meek with salvation” (Ps. cxlix.). “The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy” (Ps. cxlvii.). “The Lord loveth the righteous” (Ps. cxlvi.).

The “good shepherd” will defend his sheep when they are attacked by any ravenous beast. An instance of this occurs in the life of David:

“And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: and I went out after him and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God” (1 Sam. xvii.).

The part which David there enacted appears typically illustrative of the deliverance which the “Great Shepherd” of all the sheep will extend over Israel when “theAssyrian” shall “come into their land, and tread within their borders.” The “Assyrian” there we understand to be the representative Gog power of the latter days: when he shall form a confederacy of nations and invade the land of Israel, and besiege “the city of the great king.” “For, in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said; and in the remnant whom theLord shall call” (Joel ii. 32). For “He that scatteredIsrael will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock: For the Lord hath redeemedJacob and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he” (Jer. xxxi. 10).

When the day of Palm-bearing shall have arrived, and all the redeemed ones shall be assembled before the throne: the tender love and care of the Great Shepherd will be still more fully and gloriously revealed toward them. They are described as:

“They which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more: neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For theLamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: andGod shall wipe away all tears from their eyes” (Rev. vii.).

The Great Shepherd speaks comforting words untoZion: to the people and the city of the great King: as he saith,—“Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion; for lo I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto thee. And theLord shall inherit Judah, his portion in the Holy Land, and shall chooseJerusalem again” (Zech. ii. 10-12). Concerning the cityYahweh saith,—“The Lord hath chosenZion: he hath desired it for his habitation. This is my rest forever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it.”…. “There will I make the horn of David to bud” (Ps. cxxxii.). “Then will the heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory.” “Zion heard and was glad: and the daughters ofJudah rejoiced because of thy judgments, OLord” (Ps. xcvii.). “His foundation is in the holy mountains. The Lord loveth the gates ofZion more than all the dwellings ofJacob. Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city ofGod.” Selah. “I,” saith Jehovah, “will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory” (Isa. xlvi.). “For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth” (Isa. lxii.).

The “righteousness,” the “brightness,” and the “salvation” all belong to and emanate from “the King” and his bride. “The Queen” in golden array, shining in the light, the brightness, the salvation that has been provided for her by the King, is described as standing “upon his right hand” (Ps. xlv.). The “Holy City,” the “New Jerusalem,” having “descended from God out of heaven,”—“having the glory of the Deity,”—then, in the perfection of unity and oneness with his Royal majesty, the “King of kings,” will together with him be the “righteousness,” “the brightness,” and “the salvation” of the “natural branches,”—the literal city and people, now “trodden down of the Gentiles.” Thus willYahweh “place salvation in Zion,” for it is the chosen dwelling-place of His glorious King. The “glorious things that are spoken” of her can only be realized through Him. “For with thee,” (“Yahweh-Elohim”) “is the fountain of life; in thy light shall we see light” (Ps. xxxvi.). “The Queen” is indebted to Him for all the glory and beauty of her royal estate, and is called upon to render homage, adoration, and worship. In the words of the Spirit: “So shall the King greatly desire thy beauty: for he is thy Lord: and worship thou him” (Ps. xlv.). “The daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift; the rich among the people shall entreat thy favor.”

The Tyre of the latter days has been shown to be theBritish Power: That it is to form alliance with the King and place her fleet at his disposal. The Spirit through the prophet saith: “Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships ofTarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them unto the name of Yahweh thy Elohim, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee” (Isa. lx.). In view of all the favor and glory that is to be revealed in Zion, the Spirit, addressing her, saith:

“Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory ofYahweh is risen upon thee. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: butYahweh shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising” (Isa. lx.).

Moral and spiritual darkness will prevail over all the earth. And the luminaries of the political and ecclesiastical heavens of the world will be darkened and totally eclipsed by the light of Zion’s Sun. According to the word of the Lord, saying, “Then the moon shall be confounded and the sun ashamed, when ‘Yahweh Tz‘vaoth’ shall reign in mountZion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously” (Isa. xxiv. 23).

“Behold, a King shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment. And a man shall be as an hiding-place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land” (Isa. xxxii.). Those whose characters shall be able to stand the test of trial are addressed in these words: “Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities: thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down: not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken. But there the glorious Lord will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams” (Isa. xxxiii.). “There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city ofElohim, the holy place of the tabernacles of theMost High. God is in the midst of her: she shall not be moved; God shall help her and that right early. The heathen (or nations), raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.”

When these prophetic utterances shall be fulfilled, then, in the fulness of that glorious manifestation of the Name “Yahweh-Elohim” will appear these words: “The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.” Selah (Ps. xlvi.). “The Lord reigneth: let the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved. The Lord is great inZion: he is high above all the people. Let them praise thy great and terrible name: for it is holy” (Ps. xcix.).