478. The mystery of God shall be finished; as He hath declared to His servants the prophets, signifies that then it will appear that it is foretold in the Word of both Testaments, but has hitherto been hidden, that after the Last Judgment is executed upon those who have devastated the church, the Lord's kingdom will come. By "being finished" is signified to be fulfilled, to have an end, and then to appear. By "the mystery of God declared to the prophets," is signified that which is foretold by the Lord in the Word, and hitherto hidden. By "declaring" (evangelizing) is signified to announce the Lord's advent and His kingdom, for the Gospel is a glad messenger. That this will come to pass, after the Last Judgment is executed upon those who have devastated the church, is also foretold in the Word, therefore this also is signified. From this it may appear, that all these are meant by these words. [2] Something shall first be said of what is foretold in the Word of both Testaments, concerning the coming of the Lord, and His kingdom. In the Word of the Old Testament, which is called prophetic, in the spiritual sense, and also where this sense shines forth, in the natural sense, the Lord alone is treated of, that is to say, His advent in the fullness of time; which is, when there is no longer any good of charity and truth of faith in the church, which state of the church is called the consummation, devastation, desolation, and decision. It also treats of His combats with the hells and victories over them, which likewise constitute the Last Judgment executed by Him; and afterwards of the creation of a new heaven, and the establishment of a new church, which are the Lord's kingdom that is to come. These things are also treated of in the Word of the New Testament, which is called apostolic, and particularly in Revelation. [3] That it is the Lord's kingdom, that "will be declared in the days of the voice of the seventh angel," appears plainly in the next or eleventh chapter from these things:
And the seventh angel sounded, and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of the world have become our Lord's and His Christ's, and He shall reign for ages of ages; and the twenty-four elders fell upon their faces, and adored God, saying, We give Thee thanks, O Lord God, who art and who wast and who art to come, that Thou hast taken to Thee Thy great power, and hast entered into the kingdom (Rev. 11:15-17). [4] This mystery is described in Daniel almost in the same manner as here in Revelation, where are these words:
I heard the man clothed in linen, that he lifted up his hands to heaven, and swore by Him that liveth forever, that it should be unto the stated time of stated times and a half, when all these things should be finished: but he said, Go, Daniel, because the words are shut up and sealed even to the time of the end (Dan. 12:7, 9). "Even to the time of the end" is even to this time. That then the Son of man will take the kingdom He foretells in these words:
I saw in the vision of the night, and behold, there was one like the Son of man coming with the clouds of heaven; and to Him was given dominion, and glory, and a kingdom; and all peoples, nations, and tongues shall worship Him. His dominion is the dominion of an age which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not perish (Dan. 7:13-14). [5] That "to declare good tidings" [evangelize] signifies the Lord's coming and His kingdom at that time is manifest from these passages:
O Zion, that declarest good tidings, get thee up upon the mountain: O Jerusalem, that declarest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; say, Behold your God; behold the Lord Jehovih cometh in strength, and His arm shall rule for Him (Isa. 40:9-10). How delightful upon the mountains are the feet of him that declareth good tidings, that maketh us to hear peace, that declareth good tidings of good, that maketh us to hear salvation, that saith to Zion, thy God shall reign (Isa. 52:7, 8; Nahum 1:15). Sing unto Jehovah, bless His name, declare the good tidings of His salvation from day to day; for Jehovah cometh (Ps. 96:2, 13). The spirit of the Lord Jehovih is upon me, therefore Jehovah hath anointed me to declare good tidings to the poor, to preach liberty to the captives, to proclaim the year of the good pleasure of Jehovah (Isa. 61:1-2). The angel said to Zechariah, Behold, thy wife shall bring forth a son, who shall go forth before the Lord God in the spirit and power of Elias, and to prepare the people for the Lord. I am Gabriel, and I was sent to declare to thee this good tidings (Luke 1:13, 17, 19). The angel said to the shepherds, Fear not; behold, I declare to you good tidings of great joy; for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:10-11). The Lord declared the glad tidings of the kingdom of God (Matt. 4:23; 9:35; Mark 1:15; Luke 7:22; 8:1; 9:1-2). John the Baptist also (Luke 3:18). Jesus also said to the disciples, Go into all the world, preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15). This also is "the everlasting gospel" which the angel had that was flying in the midst of heaven, "to declare to them that dwell upon the earth" (Revelation 14:6). [6] It is said that "the mystery of God shall be finished"; by which is meant that now will be fulfilled that which has not been fulfilled before, which is that the kingdom will be the Lord's. For it was not fulfilled by the Jews, because they did not acknowledge the Lord. Nor was it fulfilled by the Christians, for neither did they acknowledge the Lord as the God of heaven and earth even as to His Human; for they make this like the human of another man: wherefore they do not go immediately to Him; when yet He is Jehovah, who came into the world.
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