835. PROGRESS OF REDEMPTION. CHRIST'S COMING TO JUDGMENT.
See No. 803. The state of the world of mankind will especially call for Christ's appearance to judgment, at the time when he will appear. For not only shall the world of mankind be probably many hundred times more numerous than they are, and the greater part of them wicked, and sinners against great light, etc., but then shall the wicked world be far more combined in wickedness than ever before.
Before the rise of the four great empires, almost all the world was wicked, but there was very little of a communication between one part of the world and another. Afterwards, under the Roman Empire especially, there was a great communication between many of the nations of the world, by their being united under the Roman government, and by the flourishing of arts and sciences that were then brought to such a height.
And then God saw it a proper time for Christ's first coming.
Of later times, the communication between distant parts of the habitable globe has grown exceedingly, through the flourishing of arts and sciences, and the art of navigation in particular; but yet there is not such a communication as to make way for a combination of the wicked world.
But this communication is daily growing, and without doubt the long continuance of the glorious times MS: "of the church."—wherein there shall be such a union of the whole earth, and wherein all useful arts and the arts of communication shall be carried to the highest perfection—will have wonderfully established a universal communication between all parts of the world of mankind; so that, when the world apostatizes, the way will be open for an universal combination of the wicked world against Christ and his church.
As before the first destruction of the world by water, the earth was filled with violence and there were but few godly, and there seemed to be imminent danger of the church's being lost, so will it be before the second destruction of the world by fire.
'Tis fit that, after God has granted to the world such great means and glorious advantages for spiritual good, as he will do in the expected glorious times of the church, in that great light which shall then be enjoyed, those great works of God's providence which shall then be seen, the many great and excellent examples, etc., and after he has also given for so long a time together such glorious success of these means:
I say it is fit that after all this there should be, before the world comes to an end, something to show the insufficiency even of such means and advantages in themselves, that they can effect nothing without the sovereign influence of God's Spirit; and something to show the desperate corruption of man's nature, which, if left to itself, breaks over all these restraints, makes blind in the midst of such glorious light, and conquers the world when furnished with all these advantages.
'Tis fit that there should be a remarkable manifestation of the evil of the world, just before it comes to an end; and that it should remarkably appear how worthy it is of destruction and the curse that God has denounced against it, just before its final destruction comes upon it and the denounced curse is most fully executed.
'Tis fit that there should be something remarkable to make the church of Christ willing that the world should come to an end, and to long for Christ's last appearing, just before he actually appears.
But if the happy glorious times of the church on earth were continued till the very time of Christ's appearing, it would not be so.
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