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image of Dan. 2: The word is still further limited in its usage in such a passage as
Acts 11: 28, for Josephus speaks of a famine in Judea at that time, and not to one of
world-wide extent. The "habitable world about to be" is set forth in Dan. 2: as a stone
which struck the image on its feet, and ultimately fills the whole earth.
The word is used three times in the Revelation:--
"I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation which is about to come on the
whole habitable world, to try those who dwell on the earth" (3: 10).
"Satan, the one who is deceiving the whole habitable world" (12: 9).
"Which go forth to the kings of the whole habitable world, to gather them together
unto the war of that great day of God Almighty" (16: 14).
These kings appear to be those which are connected with the Beast, and are kings of
the "civilized" part of the earth. Now what do we learn by thus restricting the meaning of
the word oikumenē? Surely this, that the great salvation, which is connected with
overcoming and being made perfect, has to do with the initial phase of the future
kingdom, when it will be necessary to rule the nations with a rod of iron (see
Rev. 2: 26, 27). Parallel also is the blessing of Rev. 20: 4, "they lived and reigned with
Christ a thousand years". The wonderful change indicated in Isa. 11: is at first limited to
Israel's land:--
"They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of
the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the seas."
Isa. 65:, which repeats part of Isa. 11:, links the creation of the new heavens and the
new earth with a newly-created Jerusalem. Isa. 60: makes a distinction too:--
"Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee, for
behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord
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."
What redeemed Israel will be in relation to the other nations, those who partake of the
"great salvation" will be to the remnant of Israel. Further teaching concerning this word
oikunmenē will raise out of chapter 3:
There is, possibly, a glance backward in Heb. 2: 5. If we put a little stress on the
"world to come" the question will at once arise whether angels ruled over the world in
any period of the past? We believe that Satan is called in Scripture "the prince of this
word", "the prince of the power of the air", and "the god of this age". There are others
also who are called "the world rulers of this darkness" (Eph. 6: 12). Michael the
archangel stands for Israel, and angels carry out Divine commissions right through the
Scriptures except during the dispensation of the mystery. There is evidence of an
inductive character which makes one feel that angels had much to do with this world
before man and the creation associated with him. Be this as it may, angels are not the
appointed rulers of the world to come:--
"But one in a certain place hath testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of
him, or the son of man, that thou visitest him?"