annot wait to read through the book,
and take events in their order, but she turns to the last leaf to find
the destiny of her hero. So men, borne by passion and choice, skip by
several of the prophecies, and harp everlastingly on the last--the coming
of the blessed Jesus--"He whom the heavens must receive until the times
of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all
His holy prophets since the world began" (Acts iii. 21). The world is
not yet ready for Christ; it is yet too much upside down, too much
confused. But God is in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself. It
does not now look like God; so God and Christ, Providence and the Church,
must work on till the house is in order for His return. "_Hon dei
ouranon men dexasthai archri chronon apokataseos panton_," whom, indeed,
heaven must retain until the time of restoration of all things. If
things are not now restored or reconciled, or in order, why, then, Christ
cannot come. He will not come to put them in order; this He has left for
and with the Church to do, and has promised to be with His Church to the
end.

A few Sunday evenings ago, a brother kindly asked me where the Church
would be while Anti-Christ was reigning. I simply said anywhere and
everywhere, wherever it happened to be. He thought the Church would be
taken away by Christ; he referred me to several passages. I said, Come
next Sunday evening, as those passages will be partly considered in my
next sermon. He replied that he might be taken up by that time. All
right, I said, then we will excuse you. Now, in the name of common
sense, why have men, and why do men, down through the centuries, and now,
entertain such views? Because every Bible reader must see that there are
many prophecies that must be fulfilled before Christ can come--one of
which is the appearance of the two witnesses of the text. They will be
specially sent and commissioned to testify for Christ, as against
Anti-Christ.

Let us now ascertain who these two witnesses are, or are to be. I find
on examining the subject all manner of views set forth. And, as is often
the case in studying a subject of this kind, I find few that agree--so
much so, that at last I found relief in turning from what men said and
thought to what God in His Holy Word had written and said.

First. They are two men. Second. They are sent to Jerusalem which,
because of the wickedness of the city at the time of their visit,