West Port Experiment

The following extract is taken from Jonathan Edwards’ magisterial History of the Work of Redemption.

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IV. That the state of things which is attained by the events of this period, is what is so often called the kingdom of heaven, or the kingdom of God. We very often read in the New Testament of the kingdom of heaven. John the Baptist preached, that the kingdom of heaven was at hand, and so did Christ, and his disciples after him, referring to something that the Jews in those days expected, and very much talked of, which they called by that name. They seem to have taken their expectation and the name chiefly from that prophecy of Daniel in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, Daniel 2:44, “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom,” together with that in Daniel 7:13-14.

Now this kingdom of heaven is that evangelical state of things in his church, and in the world, wherein consists the success of Christ’s redemption in this period. There had been often great kingdoms set up before, which were earthly kingdoms, as the Babylonian, the Persian, the Grecian, and the Roman monarchies. But Christ came to set up the last kingdom, which is not an earthly kingdom, but an heavenly, and so is the kingdom of heaven, John 18:36, “My kingdom is not of this world.” This is the kingdom of which Christ speaks, Luke 22:29, “My Father hath appointed to me a kingdom.” This kingdom began soon after Christ’s resurrection, and was accomplished in various steps from that time to the end of the world. Sometimes by the kingdom or heaven, is meant that spiritual state of the church which began soon after Christ’s resurrection. Sometimes that more perfect state of the church which shall obtain after the downfall of Antichrist. And sometimes that glorious and blessed state to which the church shall be received at the day of judgment, 1 Corinthians 15:50, the apostle, speaking of the resurrection, says, “This I say, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.”

Under this head I would observe several things particularly, for the clearer understanding of What the Scripture says concerning this period.

1. The setting up of the kingdom of Christ is chiefly accomplished by four successive great events, each of which is in Scripture called Christ’s coming in his kingdom. The whole success of Christ’s redemption is comprehended in one word, viz. his setting up his kingdom. This is chiefly done by four great successive dispensations of providence. And everyone of them is represented in Scripture as Christ’s coming in his kingdom. The first is Christ’s appearing in those wonderful dispensations of providence in the apostles’ days, in setting up his kingdom, and destroying the enemies of his kingdom, which ended in the destruction of Jerusalem. This is called Christ’s coming in his kingdom, Matthew 16:28, “Verily I say unto you, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” And so it is represented in Matthew 24:1-51. The second is that which was accomplished in Constantine’s time, in the destruction of the heathen Roman empire. This is represented as Christ’s coming, and is compared to his coming to judgment, in Revelation 6:1-17 at the latter end. The third is that which is to he accomplished at the destruction of Antichrist. This also is represented as Christ’s coming in his kingdom in Daniel 7:1-28, and in other places, as I may possibly show hereafter, when I come to speak of it. The fourth and last is his coming to the last judgment, which is the event principally signified in Scripture by Christ’s coming in his kingdom.

2. I would observe, that each of the three former of these is a lively image or type of the fourth and last, viz. Christ’s coming to the final judgment, as the principal dispensations of providence before Christ’s first coming, were types of that first coming. — As Christ’s last coming to judgment is accompanied with a resurrection of the dead, so is each of the three foregoing with a spiritual resurrection. That coming of Christ which ended in the destruction of Jerusalem, was preceded by a glorious spiritual resurrection of souls in the calling of the Gentiles, and bringing home such multitudes of souls to Christ by the preaching of the gospel. So Christ’s coming in Constantine’s time, was accompanied with a glorious spiritual resurrection of the greater part of the known world, in a restoration of it to a visible church state, from a state of heathenism. So Christ’s coming at the destruction of Antichrist, will be attended with a spiritual resurrection of the church after it had been long as it were dead, in the times of Antichrist. This is called the first resurrection in Revelation 20:1-15.

Again, as Christ in the last judgment will gloriously manifest himself, coming in the glory of his Father, so in each of the three foregoing events, Christ gloriously manifested himself in sending judgments upon his enemies, and in showing grace and favor to his church. And as the last coming of Christ will be attended with a literal gathering together of the elect from the four winds of heaven, so were each of the preceding attended with a spiritual gathering in of the elect. As this gathering together of the elect will be effected by God’s angels, with a great sound of a trumpet, as in Matthew 24:31, so were each of the preceding spiritual ingatherings effected by the trumpet of the gospel, sounded by the ministers of Christ. As there shall precede the last appearance of Christ, a time of great degeneracy and wickedness, so this has been, or will be, the case with each of the other appearances. Before each of them is a time of great opposition to the church. Before the first, by the Jews, in their persecutions that we read of in the New Testament, before the second, viz. in Constantine’s time, by the heathen, in several successive persecutions raised by the Roman emperors against the Christians, before the third, by Antichrist, and before the last, by Gog and Magog, as described in the Revelation. By each of these comings of Christ, God works a glorious deliverance for his church. Each of them is accompanied with a glorious advancement of the state of the church. The first, which ended in the destruction of Jerusalem, was attended with bringing the church into the glorious state of the gospel, a glorious state of the church very much prophesied of old, whereby the church was advanced into far more glorious circumstances than it was in before under the Jewish dispensation. The second, which was in Constantine’s time, was accompanied with an advancement of the church into a state of liberty from persecution, and the countenance of civil authority, and triumph over their heathen persecutors. The third, which shall be at the downfall of Antichrist, will be accompanied with an advancement of the church into that state of the glorious prevalence of truth, liberty, peace, and joy, that we so often read of in the prophetic parts of Scripture. The last will be attended with the advancement of the church to consummate glory in both soul and body in heaven.

Each of these comings of Christ is accompanied with a terrible destruction of the wicked, and the enemies of the church, the first, with the destruction of the persecuting Jews, which was amazingly terrible, the second, with dreadful judgments on the heathen persecutors of the church, of which more hereafter, the third, with the awful destruction of Antichrist, the most cruel and bitter enemy that ever the church had, the fourth, with divine wrath and vengeance on all the ungodly.

Further, there is in each of these comings of Christ an ending of the old heavens and the old earth, and a beginning of new heavens and a new earth, or an end of a temporal state of things, and a beginning of an eternal state.

3. I would observe, that each of those four great dispensations which are represented as Christ’s coming in kingdom, are but so many steps and degrees of the accomplishment of one event. They are not the setting up of so many distinct kingdoms of Christ. They are all of them only several degrees of the accomplishment of that one event prophesied of, Daniel 7:13-14, “And I saw in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of Man, came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” This is what the Jews expected, and called “the coming of the kingdom of heaven,” and what John the Baptist and Christ had respect to, when they said, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” This great event is gradually accomplished, or is accomplished by several steps. Those four great events which have been mentioned, were several steps towards the accomplishment of this grand event. When Christ came with the preaching of the apostles, to set up his kingdom in the world, which dispensation ended with the destruction of Jerusalem, then it was accomplished in a glorious degree. When the heathen empire was destroyed in Constantine’s time, it was fulfilled in a further degree. When Antichrist shall be destroyed, it will be accomplished in a yet higher degree. But when the end of the world is come, then will it be accomplished in its most perfect degree of all. Then it will be finally and completely accomplished. And because these four great events are but images one of another, and the three former but types of the last, and since they are all only several steps of the accomplishment of the same thing, hence we find them all from time to time prophesied of under one, as they are in the prophecies of Daniel, and as they are in Matthew 24:1-51, where some things seem more applicable to one of them, and others to another.

4. I would observe, that as there are several steps of the accomplishment of the kingdom of Christ, so in each one of them the event is accomplished in a further degree than in the foregoing. That in the time of Constantine was a greater and further accomplishment of the kingdom of Christ, than that which ended in the destruction of Jerusalem. That which shall be at the fall of Antichrist, will be a further accomplishment of the same thing, than that which took place in the time of Constantine, and so on with regard to each. So that the kingdom of Christ is gradually prevailing and growing by these several great steps of its fulfillment, from the time of Christ’s resurrection, to the end of the world.

5. And lastly, it may be observed, that the great provisions of God between these four great events, are to make way for the kingdom and glory of Christ in the great event following. Those dispensations of providence which were towards the church of God and the world, before the destruction of the heathen empire in the time of Constantine, seem all to have been to make way for the glory of Christ, and the happiness of the church in that event. And so the great provisions of God which are after that, until the destruction of Antichrist, and the beginning of the glorious times of the church which follow, seem all to be to prepare the way for the greater glory of Christ and his church in that event. And the provisions of God which shall be after that to the end of the world, seem to be for the greater manifestation of Christ’s glory at the end of the world, and in the consummation of all things.

Thus I thought it needful to observe those things in general concerning this last period of the series of God’s providence, before I take notice of the particular provisions by which the work of redemption is carried on through this period, in their order. And before I do that, I will also briefly answer to an inquiry, viz. Why the setting up of Christ’s kingdom after his humiliation, should be so gradual, by so many steps that are so long in accomplishing, since God could easily have finished it at once.

Though it would be presumption in us to pretend to declare all the ends of God in this, yet doubtless much of the wisdom of God may be seen in it by us, and particularly in these two things.

1. In this way the glory of God’s wisdom, in the manner of doing this, is more visible to the observation of creatures. If it had been done at once, in an instant, or in a very short time, there would not have been such opportunities for creatures to perceive and observe the particular steps of divine wisdom, as when the work is gradually accomplished, and one effect of his wisdom is held forth to observation after another. It is wisely determined of God, to accomplish his great design by a wonderful and long series of events, that the glory of his wisdom may be displayed in the whole series, and that the glory of his perfections may be seen, appearing, as it were, by parts, and in particular successive manifestations. For if all that glory which appears in all these events had been manifested at once, it would have been too much for us, and more than we at once could take notice of. It would have dazzled our eyes, and overpowered our sight.

2. Satan is more gloriously triumphed over. — God could easily, by an act of almighty power, at once have crushed Satan. But by giving him time to use his utmost subtlety to hinder the success of what Christ had done and suffered, he is not defeated merely by surprise, but has large opportunity to ply his utmost power and subtlety again and again, to strengthen his own interest all that he can by the work of many ages. Thus God destroys and confounds him, and sets up Christ’s kingdom time after time, in spite of all his subtle machinations and great works, and by every step advances it still higher and higher, until at length it is fully set up, and Satan perfectly and eternally vanquished in the end of all things.