that Babylon must be rebuilt.  The development of Iraq is going

on before our eyes, and with modern technique a new city could

spring up in the briefest of time (Zech. 5:11; Rev. 18:3 -7; Isa.

13 -14; Jer. 50 -51).

God never leaves Himself without witness, and so throughout the

three years and a half, two especially endowed Witnesses will

bear their testimony, and only cease when the antichristian Beast

shall eventually be permitted to put them to death (Rev. 11:3 -

The hope of the Church of the Mystery is to be manifested with

Christ in the glory that belongs to the place where He now sits

at the right hand of God, and must not be confused with either

the hope of Israel or of the Church called into being during the

Acts of the Apostles and before the setting aside of Israel, and

their hope at Acts 28.  This phase, the hope of the Church of the

Mystery, lies outside the scope of 'Prophecy'.  The Coming of

Christ to the air as revealed in 1 Thessalonians 4 is associated

with Israel by the reference to the 'Archangel' who is none other

than Michael and stands for Israel (1 Thess. 4:16; Jude 9; Dan.

12:1).  This company belong to the heavenly calling, who are

Abraham's seed, as Galatians 3:9,27 -29 reveals, and who are

associated with 'Jerusalem which is above' (Gal. 4:26), the

heavenly Jerusalem.  At this coming of Christ, living believers

will be changed, the sleeping saints raised, and SO, and in no

other way, will they be for ever with the Lord.  In connection

with the purpose that envisages a kingdom on the earth, Matthew

24 must be studied, its time factors (24:15,21, 29,30,33) given

full place and believed, which will link Matthew 24 with the hope

of Israel, and not with the hope of the Church of the present

At this time Israel will look upon Him Whom they have pierced and

be converted, and enter into their long -deferred destiny as a

kingdom of Priests (Zech. 12:10 -14; Rev. 1:6).  The Church as

ministered to by Paul is never so -called.  Peter who ministered

to the circumcision rightly uses this title (1 Pet. 2:4 -10).

Thus will be ushered in the 'Millennium' or that initial part of

Christ's reign which will last for 1,000 years (Rev. 20:1 -10).

The reign of Christ, however, is infinitely longer than

this initial Millennial reign.  (See article The Thousand

Generations page 67).

After the thousand years, a period must elapse to fulfil the

promises associated with the Day of God, which follows the Day of

the Lord, and which leads on to the 'new heaven and a new earth,

wherein dwelleth righteousness' (2 Pet. 3:10 -14).

The Great White Throne, contrary to general opinion, is not the

judgment of all the ungodly that have ever lived, it is the

second member of a pair of which the 'first resurrection' is the

other member (see articles Millennial Studies, pp. 12 to 125, for

this and other features of Rev. 20:11 -15).

The seed plot of all prophecy is Genesis 3:15, the utmost goal is

given in 1 Corinthians 15:24 -28, where we read: