(Continued-Chapter XII)

If they fail to heed the admonition He will be angry and they will perish in the way. Who is the one referred to by the pronoun "he"? It is impossible for one to be dogmatic in answering this question. If it refers to the Lord (verse 11), He will be angry if they do not both serve Him and worship the Son; if it refers to the Son the same thing is true. "For His wrath will soon be kindled." The one who fails to serve God and to worship the Son is in danger of God's wrath. Dear Hebrew friend, may the writer from the depths of a sincere heart plead with you to make your peace with the Son in order that you may escape the wrath of God.

"Blessed are all they who take refuge in Him." This passage taken in the light of others, doubtless, refers to one's taking refuge in the Son Who is without doubt the King who shall reign in righteousness (Isa. 32:1,2) and Who is the Man Who "shall be a hiding-place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest, as streams of water in a dry place, as the shade of a great rock in a weary land." There is safety and blessing only in taking refuge in this Man, Who is the same One mentioned in Isa. 9:6,7, namely, the God-Man.

IX. AUTHOR'S TRANSLATION WITH EXPLANATORY NOTES
THE REIGN OF KING MESSIAH

In the time of the end when atheism and lawlessness become the order of the day, there will be held local gatherings throughout the world sponsoring the spirit of irreligion and of man's self-sufficiency. These meetings will lack order and decorum. Such predictions are made by the Psalmist, who said: Why do the nations tumultuously assemble, and the people in these meetings deliberate upon that which will fail? In such a time as that when both the democratic and autocratic spirits are striving for the mastery, there will be called a world-convention to settle the question of the religion set forth in the Bible over which the nations will be at white heat. The delegates to said conference are the kings of the earth who set themselves, and the rulers who take counsel together, against the Lord, and against His Anointed. After much discussion the following resolution will be put forth for adoption: "Let us break their, i.e., God and Messiah's, bonds asunder, and cast away their cords from us." The motion will carry. The religion of the Bible being discarded as out of date and insufficient to meet the needs of the modern man in a scientific age, a new religion, which will probably be similar to that demanded by Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 3), will be inaugurated.

Against such a defiant godless attitude and action God at the time being takes no drastic action, biding the psychological moment when He will take the situation in hand and mete out the proper punishment, which prediction is contained in the following statement: He that sitteth in the heavens will laugh: the Lord will mock at them. Then will He speak to them in His anger, and in His wrath will He dismay them. Notwithstanding the action of the Conference in renouncing God and His Messiah, affirms the Psalmist, God will enthrone Messiah in Jerusalem, as the Prophets declare, for it is in the Eternal Plan which is set forth in the statement, "Nevertheless have I firmly established my King upon my holy mountain of Zion."

To prove that King Messiah is to reign in Mount Zion, the Psalmist repeats the words of Messiah which the latter affirms God spoke to Him. Thus spoke Messiah, to the Psalmist, as the latter declared, "I will recount the decree: The Lord said to Me, 'My Son art Thou,' which language was spoken in view of His coming to earth and becoming the God-Man; I today have begotten Thee which statement refers not only to His coming in human form but also to His Resurrection from the dead according to Psa. 16, which event brings Him forth into a new position and relation to the entire universe so that this day is appropriately called a birth-day. Since He is the Son brought forth into a new position, God promises to give Him the entire world as His inheritance, for He said to Him, Ask from me, and I will give the nations as Thy inheritance, and the ends of the earth as Thy possession. This promise of universal dominion is in accordance with statements of other Prophets (Psa. 72:8; Isa. 9:7). He will shepherd them with a rod of iron; like a vessel of the potter will He dash them into complete destruction when the year of His Redeemed comes."

Now, O kings, act wisely; receive instruction, ye Judges of the earth before you go so far as to attempt to throw off the authority of the Messiah by putting His religion under the ban. Serve the Lord, Who first revealed Himself to Abraham, et al., with holy reverence, and rejoice with trembling which is caused by the surging of waves of spiritual ecstasy over the soul. Kiss the Son, Who is King Messiah, the God-Man; lest He be angry, and the Lord also, at the failure of men to worship the Messiah and ye perish in the way, for in a short time His anger will be kindled; but blessed are all those who take refuge in Him, King Messiah.

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