The Final Apostasy and the ‘Second Resurrection.’

A little before the end of the world, a great part of the world shall fall away from Christ and His Church. Accordingly we are told that when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison to go forth to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog. Gog and Magog indicate a resurgence of evil powers, hostile to the church of God. We also read, "But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished." (Rev. 20:5).

"But who are the ‘rest of the dead’? They are the wicked dead who lived not again until the thousand years were finished. They did not live in that time. Their views and customs during the thousand years were not triumphant. They are to live again when the thousand years are past. Their principles, etc., are to have a resurrection — this is the second resurrection, but there is no blessing pronounced upon those who have a part in this resurrection such as is pronounced upon those who have a part in the first resurrection. The wicked dead now live and reign with Satan. Here again the resurrection is figurative. Neither the first nor secondresurrection is of the body — they are of souls. There is not a word in these verses (4-6) which says anything about the coming of Christ nor about a bodily resurrection." (Rev. D. Beaton, Free Presbyterian Magazine, Vol. 39, p. 10).

‘They compassed the camp of the saints about and the beloved city.’ (v. 9). "The Church is likened to a military camp. This is a figure borrowed from the time of Moses and Joshua when the church even externally presented the form of a military camp. The twelve tribes with their banners surrounded the tabernacle on four sides. The camp was in the form of a square; of which the four sides were to be placed toward the four quarters of the compass. This was a type of the heavenly city as seen by Ezekiel 48:20 and the city foursquare of Revelation 21:16. The camp and the city are but different figures of speech to describe the church upon earth. The Church in heaven will never be surrounded by enemies such as are pictured to us in Revelation 20 (Revelation Twentyby Rev. I. Marcellus Kik). Commenting on the statement that fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them, Mr. Kik says, "Since nothing more is written in this prophecy concerning an intervening period and the resurrection of the just and the unjust at the last day, this must be the final destructive blow. It is the revealing of Christ as described in 2 Thessalonians 1: 7-9, "with His mighty angels, in flaming fire to take vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ" etc. The chapter closes with an account of the resurrection of the dead and the judgment of the great day.