Thousands of Millions
By T.H. Salmon
Genesis 24:60 contains, we believe, a very wonderful
prophecy, the fulfilment of which is not seen till we reach
the last book of the Bible. "The mystery of God" has its beginning in
"Genesis" and is finished in the "Revelation" (Gen. 3:15,
Rev. 10:7). And it seems that the whole 66 books of the Bible
are needed to unfold this great mystery.
Naturally, the blessing given to Rebekah seems a strange
one, and it can only be understood
with the light of the New Testament where the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the world began is now
made known to all nations (Rom. 16:26).
From that wonderful "allegory" in
Gal. 4 we learn that
what Sarah said to Abraham about
casting out the bondwoman and her son is "Scripture" (verse 30). Exactly the same can be said concerning Gen.
24:60, What saith the Scripture, "be thou the Mother of thousands of
millions and let thy seed possess the gate of those which thee."
Practically the same blessing was given to
Abraham by God Himself in Gen. 22:17.
Now, seeing that the Scripture cannot be broken,
where are those "thousands of millions"
of children to be found? "To Abraham and his Seed were the promises made,
He saith not, and to seeds, as of many; but as of One, and to thy Seed, which is Christ." (Gal. 3:16). Thiss should be kept well in mind for it
makes very clear the important truth that Christ only
could fulfil the promise given to Abraham. Isaac is a type of Christ, and
Rebekah is a type of the Church. Abraham is the "father" of all who are
"in Christ," and Sarah is our "mother" (Rom. 4:16, Gal.
4:26, I Pet. 3:6). And the number of
Abraham's spiritual seed and Rebekah's children, are seen in that great multitude which no man could
number of Rev. 7:9.
It is during this long day of salvation that God is fulfilling His
promise to Abraham concerning the number of
his spiritual children being as the stars of heaven for multitude. And it is from this same day of
salvation that the great multitude of Rev. 7 are gathered.
In saying this I am not overlooking the
statement that they come out of the great tribulation. When
the question is settled as to WHAT the great tribulation really is this difficulty will vanish quickly. But as long as one clings to the
idea that it is only a short period of 3 1/2 years at the
end of this age just so long will this difficulty remain.
In Rev. 9:16 we find a number mentioned
which can be numbered, and which if taken literally
is two hundred million. So that of chapter 7 which no man could number, and which come out of the great tribulation must be much more
than two hundred million. If that great multitude does not correspond to
Abraham's innumerable seed, and Rebekah's
"thousands of millions" of children who are they? and where do they come from? To say that they are
to be saved in 3 1/2 years after the
translation of the Church is altogether untenable.
What a wonderful tribulation it would be if
that were true. Would it not be the best bit of gospel
work that the world has ever known? A glorious "revival" indeed, and that too after the day of gracce has closed after the fulness of the
Gentiles has come in, after Bridegroom has come, and after the departure
of the Holy Spirit!
Let any student of the gospel just think this out carefully and surely it will not take long to see how utterly
impossible it is to make that innumerable multitude to be saved in any other period
than this present age of grace in which God is visiting all
nations to take out of them a people for His Name.
This great multitude comes out of "all nations," and is the
result of the gospel being preached to all nations during this day of
salvation. It is now that repentance and
remission of sins is being preached among "all nations" (Luke 24:47).
And we
have no scriptural authority for
thinking that there will be the slightest hope of anyone getting saved after this long day of salvation is
suddenly closed at the coming of the Lord. I doubt if there would be enough
people living on the earth to fulfil Rev. 7:9 in 3 1/2 years after the removal of the Church.
Instead of the great tribulation being only a short period at the close of this
age, it began with the Roman invasion of Palestine, and especially with
the siege of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.
That seige was
unexpectedly "shortened," or no flesh would have been saved, that is,
every Jew in Jerusalem would have perished.
The great tribulation covers the whole period during"' which Jerusalem is trodden down of the Gentiles,
and the Jews are scattered among
the nations.
It is wrong views about
what and where The great tribulation really is that causes so much confusion, and raises so many difficulties
concerning the conversion of that great
multitude of Rev. 7. If this was clearly seen there would be neither room nor need
for the useless and profitless questions as to whether the Church will or will not pass through the great tribulation. It should
be clearly understood that the great tribulation of Rev. 7 is not the
day of wrath of chapter 6. I cannot find one word of Scripture to warrant us in belieeving that anyone will be saved during
the coming day of wrath. Concerning those days we are told that
"they repented not" (Rev. 9:20-21,
16:11).
In conclusion I would ask special attention to
this one thing, namely, that if the great
tribulation were to be only a short period of 3 1/2 years at the end of this age,
after the translation of the Church, and if the great multitude which no man
can number are to be saved then, it means that a number far greater than that
of Rev. 9:16 will be saved during that
short time after this age of grace has closed. In plain English, it means that "thousands of
millions" will be saved during that 3 1/2 years.
Surely it only needs a
little careful thought to see how false such a theory really is. And as Dr.. R.V. Bingham recently stated in the
Evangelical Christian — "Only the effort to sustain a theory would ever have invented the idea that the
innumerable company of -washed ones gathered out from every nation and
brought up out of "the great tribulation are not part of
the Church."
We remember reading in a
prophetical monthly something like this: "The is in the wronng place. It is in the world and ought
to be bound. The Church is in the wrong place. It is in the world and ought to
be in the heavenlies. It is now in the
way, and is hindering the fulfilment of Jewish prophecy. The Jews are in the wrong place. TThey are scattered. They should be in
Palestine awaiting their Messiah. The Holy Spirit is in the wrong place. He is now hindering the revelation
of the anti-christ."
This popular tteaching is 's latest attack
against the Trinity.
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