Preferring a robber, they rejected and crucified their
King and so the kingdom waits until they shall accept
Him,21 when the kingdom of the world shall become the
kingdom of our Lord's and of His Christ's and He shall
reign for the AGES OF AGEs.
Oh! Blessed "KING OF KINGS !" COME, and may "THY
KINGDOM COME."
The King there in His beauty,
Without a veil Is seen;
It were a well-spent journey,
Though sev'n deaths lay between,
The Lamb, with His fair army,
Doth on Mount Zion stand,
And glory, glory dwelleth
In Immanuel's land.
No. VI. The Kingdom Is Not Meat and Drink.
It is objected that Paul said, "The Kingdom of God
Is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and
joy in the Holy Ghost." Rom. 14:17.
Indeed it is not "meat and drink," or eating and drinking, or simply outward observances. Neither was the Kingdom of Israel meat and drink, nor the Roman Empire.
But the subjects of each did eat and drink, and Paul simply
taught that they should do so circumspectly and with
charity. So will the subjects of the kingdom of God eat
and drink. "Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God." Luke 14:15. "Blessed are they which are
called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb." Rev. 19 :9,
See the Feast of Isa. 25 :6-8.
Jesus himself said, "I will not drink henceforth of this.
fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with
you in my Father's kingdom." Mat. 26 :29.
And again: "I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my
Father hath appointed unto me; that ye may eat and drink
at my table in my kingdom." Luke 22 :29-30. This is the
strongest proof that the kingdom will be literal and material, though it shall be freed from the curse of sin.24
No. VII. Flesh and Blood.
It is objected that flesh and blood cannot inherit the'
kingdom of God.
- Certainly we do not INHERIT it through the flesh-the
unregenerate man. But through the Spirit we are born
again, created anew in Christ Jesus, and made "joint
heirs" with Him. The flesh profiteth nothing. The
Spirit quickeneth.
Paul in this chapter (1 Cor. 15) is treating of the subject of the resurrection which he proves to be so important,
that without it, we could not inherit, or become possessed
of the kingdom of God. "Flesh and blood" he says cannot
inherit it, and therefore he shows that at the resurrection,
our bodies of corruptible flesh and blood, which have died,
shall be raised in incorruption and immortality. And the
bodies of those who are living at that time shall be
changed and "fashioned like unto His glorious body."
Now, in our flesh and blood, we are bearing the image of
Adam, the first man, "which is of the earth, earthy."
But at the resurrection we shall be changed so as to "bear
the image of the heavenly" "the second man," "the Lord
from beaven."
And He who raised up Christ from the dead, and who
hath given us the Spirit of adoption (sonship) whereby
we become heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, will,
by His Spirit that dwelleth in us, also quicken (or make
alive) our mortal bodies. Then, and then only, can we
inherit, or come into possession of the kingdom, which
God hath promised to give unto us. Hence, we see the
vital importance of the resurrection, without which we could
not inherit the kingdom of God. The evident
purpose of this objection is to support the assertion made
by Post-millenialists that the kingdom is only spiritual and
that there is nothing literal or material in it. But Paul
says nothing of the kind and his whole argument is entirely
to the contrary. For he asserts that our (soma-body)
which is sown in corruption, dishonor and weakness,
will be raised in incorruption, glory and power, or if living,
will be changed in the twinkling of an eye. In these
glorified bodies we shall "inherit the kingdom prepared
for" us "from the foundation of the world." For Christ
the rightful heir of all things will be there and we shall
be there to reign with Him.
And He will have his glorified body, His body that was
raised and ascended and entered into heaven.
The glorified body which Stephen saw there, and which
Paul saw (Acts 9:5) and also John, Rev. 1:13.
The body which bears the scars of the cross ;44 "A Lamb
as it had been slain." Yes, He will return in the flesh.
Acts 1 :11. The true reading of 2 John 7, is, "who confess
not Jesus Christ coming in the flesh." See also Isa. 63:
1-6, and Rev. 19 :11-16. And "we know that when He shall
appear, we shall be like Him." 1 John 3 :2. Therefore it
is clear, that we, in these same bodies, changed into the
image of Christ's glorious body, shall inherit the Kingdom
of God.
No. VIII. The Work of the Holy Spirit a Failure.
It is objected that this doctrine disparages the work of
the Holy Spirit.
Not so! For what is the work of the Holy Spirit? He
is gathering the bride. He teaches, guides, and comforts
her, until she is presented to Christ.
At the same time he reproves the world of sin, and of
righteousness, and judgment. John 16 :8.
He may be grieved, resisted, and quenched now, but
He will not always strive with man. His present work
will be finished, and the King of kings and Lord of lords
will come forth with the armies of heaven to subdue His
enemies (Rev. 19) and finish the work.
It was "the Spirit of God," which "moved upon the face
of the waters" in the beginning (Gen. 1:2), and we believe
He had a part in all the work of creation, Gen. 1 :26. He
strove with sinners before the flood, Gen. 6 :3. He spake
by the prophets, Acts 1 :16; 2 Pet. 1 :21. He was specially
granted unto Joseph and others. Gen. 41:38; Ex. 31:3;
Num. 11:17; 24:2; 27:18; 2 Kings 2:9, etc. In short,
He has been engaged in all the work of creation and redemption. We do not believe that His work is a failure
because of the flood, nor because the Jews have rejected
Christ, and as natural branches, have been broken off.
Rom. 11 :20. Neither do we believe His work will be a
failure, though the preaching of the gospel in the present
dispensation shall only result in the salvation of "some."
We feel sure that He shall have a part in the glory and
triumph of the millennial dispensation, for even the Israelites shall then have a new Spirit within them. And the
nations are to be ruled, in peace and righteousness, by
Him upon whom the Spirit of the Lord doth rest.
Let us then have no fear of jealousy on the part of the
Spirit, because of the triumphs of Christ. Rather let us be
sure that He seeks to hasten the presentation of the bride.
-which is being sealed by Him (Eph. 4:30), -unto her
Lord-who hath the Spirit without measure, that these
twain, united into one, may be the one perfect man, the
Holy Temple, built for the habitation of God in Spirit.
And who can estimate what shall be accomplished by the
Spirit, through this holy, living Temple, in which He shall
dwell. No wonder that He yearns to hasten its completion.
See the type of His haste in Gen. 24 :56. But this completion shall not take place until the Lord comes, when the
Head shall forever be united to the body. 1 Thes. 4 :18.
Therefore, in this we may realize, to some extent, the meaning of that yearning cry of the Spirit "EVEN SO COME
LORD JESUS." Rev. 22 :20.
No. IX. The Gospel a Failure.
It is said that it makes the gospel a failure.
But this is not so. Man is a failure. The gospel is the
power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth
(Rom. 1:16). It is not the incompetency of the gospel,
but the willful unbelief of sinners that prevents the conversion of the world. Jesus said: "Him that cometh
unto me I Will in no wise cast out." John 6:37. But He
also said "Ye will not come unto me that ye might have
life." John 5 :40. While we are to preach the gospel
everywhere, we are not to expect that all will receive it.
For, when He said unto them, "Go ye into all the world,
and preach the gospel to every creature," He also added,
"He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he
that believeth not shall be damned." Mark 16 :15-16. But
"what if some did not believe? Shall their unbelief make
THE TRUTH of God of none effect? God forbid." Rom.
3 :3. Salvation shall be revealed in the last time.
Jesus shall see of the travail of His soul and be satisfied
Isa. 53 :11.
"After this I beheld, and lo, a great multitude, which no
man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people,
and tongues, stood before the throne and before the Lamb,
clothed with white robes and palms in their hands, and
cried with a loud voice, saying: Salvation to our God
Which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb." Rev.
7:9-10.
Alleluia; Amen; Alleluia.
No. X. The Gospel Not Preached in All the World.
It is objected that the gospel has not yet been preached
in all the world, as Christ asserted it should be, in Mat.
24:14, and therefore we cannot yet look for Christ, nor the
end to come. Let us carefully examine this passage:
"This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the
world, for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the
end come."
1st. The end is unquestionably the end of the age
(tou aionos) of which the disciples asked in verse 3.
2d. The world (oikoumenee) means habitable, that is, the inhabited earth.
3d. The gospel of the kingdom is the good news, or
glad tidings of the kingdom to come.
These glad tidings, it is asserted, shall be proclaimed in
all the inhabited earth for a witness unto all nations and
then (tote) shall come the end of this age-or dispensation. It will be noticed that the time, during which
the preaching shall continue, is determined entirely by the
qualifying clause "for a witness unto all nations." When
the witness is complete, then shall the end come.
I When the Witness Is Complete.
Now, no finite mind can determine when the witness is
complete. If we could, the evidence is to the effect that
it has passed already. For when the gospel was preached
on the day of Pentecost, there were present "devout men
out of every nation under heaven." Acts 2 :5. Afterward
the disciples were scattered abroad and went about preaching the Word. Acts 8 :4. "And they went forth and
preached everywhere." Mark 16 :20. Paul says, in Rom.
10 :18, "Their sound went into all the earth, and their words
unto the ends of the world," (world here being from the
same word oikoumenee that is used in Mat.24:14).
And again he says in Col. 1 :23 that the gospel had
already been "preached to every creature which is under
heaven."
These inspired statements as to the universal preaching
of the gospel ought to be conclusive. Mighty as it makes
the work of the early disciples, I do not see how we can
refuse to accept it. (See Dr. A. Clarke on Mat. 24:14 as
to the special point of the universality of this preaching,
also the authorities previously cited.) Surely we must
give no broader meaning to the word (oikoumenee)
used by the Holy Spirit in Mat. 24:14 than in Rom.
10 :18, or than to the equally strong words used in Col. 1:6
and 23. If we limit the one, we can, with equal propriety,
limit the other. Because we have so full an account of
Paul's work, we are apt to depreciate what was accomplished by the other Apostles and Disciples. Peter was in
Babylon (1 Pet. 5:13), and tradition gives us account of
the preaching of the gospel in Parthia, India, Ethiopia,
Scythia, Spain and Britain.
So then we may rest confidently on the plain statement
of Col. 1 :23, as being such fulfillment of Mat. 24 :14, that
the Church from that day to the present has not had,
neither can have, in this, any sign or prophesied event
'standing between believers and the Lord's coming. If we
take it upon ourselves to judge that the witness is not complete, or more presumingly, that it cannot be complete for
centuries to come, then are we foolishly assuming a prerogative which belongs to God only.
Only God Knows.
Surely, only God can judge when the witness to all nations is complete, and here lies the essence of this entire
question. If the Church is the agent which is to proclaim the gospel until the witness is complete, no mortal
can judge but what the witness shall be completed this
moment. But we have no evidence that the Church is the
only agent, and it is quite probable that she is not, for
we read of another agent in Rev. 14:6.
Therefore the witness may not be completed, until after
the Church is taken away, and this other heavenly messenger proclaims the everlasting gospel to them that dwell
on the earth, even unto every nation and tribe and tongue
and people. Rev. 14:6 (see Greek). In this case it is not
the Church which shall complete the witness and it evidently can be no sign to her.
We conclude then that like the "day and hour," it is
known to God only, and the Church can have no definite
sign in it. Therefore nothing is left for us to do, but
faithfully to continue proclaiming the glad tidings of the
coming kingdom while we watch momentarily for the Bridegroom.
No. XI. Some Here Live to See Kingdom.
It is objected, that we are taught in Mat. 16 :28; Mark
9:1, and Luke 9 :27, that the coming of Christ, and of the
kingdom, should occur during the lifetime of some of the
multitude ( Mar. 8 :34) to whom Jesus spake, and that
therefore His coming 'and kingdom can only be interpreted
spiritually, viz.: the establishment of the power of the
gospel by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, on the day
of Pentecost, or as some hold, figuratively, viz.: the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish polity by the Romans,
and the establishment of the Church. That is, as they
say,-Christ came, by His Spirit, on the day of Pentecost
and manifested His power through the disciples, in the
preaching of the gospel, performing of miracles, etc.,-or,
He came through the Roman army, destroyed Jerusalem
and overthrew the Jewish polity,-and that His Kingdom'
is the Church over which He now reigns, or (as some say)
in which or through which He now reigns over the nations
of the earth.
We answer-The Holy Spirit is a distinct person, not to
be confounded with the person of Christ. The Savior expressly said: "I will pray the Father and He shall give
you another comforter" (John 14:16), and if it be another,
it cannot be Himself. He, the Holy Spirit, came according
to the promises,67 and it is entirely inconsistent to confound this event with Christ's return, which latter is in
accordance with other promises, that He should Himself
come again. They are two events, as distinct as the births
of Moses and John.
It is true that Christ is spiritually with, or in, believers, and it is just as true that He always has been,
and that in this sense He has never left them, for He
said: "Lo, I am with you always," Mat. 28:20. Mark
the language: "I AM with you always!' He was with them
during those days of prayer previous to the day of Pentecost, and He has been with His people all the time. But
suddenly the (Parakleetos) Comforter came, another person and for a special and glorious purpose. It IS, therefore,
conclusive, that this coming of the Holy Spirit is a manifestation of the Divine presence, entirely different from,
and superadded to, the spiritual presence of Christ, which
latter, according to His own language, has never been withdrawn from His people. He never went away spiritually,
but He did go bodily and visibly, and in like manner shall
He return.
Again, after the day of Pentecost, the disciples continued
to talk of the coming of Christ, which they surely would
not have done if His promise to return was fulfilled on that
day. And after the destruction of Jerusalem (about A. D.
71), St. John wrote the book of Revelation (about A. D.
96), in which he repeatedly speaks of the coming of Christ
as being yet future, clearly showing that it could not have
been fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem.
Again, as we have before shown, the Church is not the
kingdom, but the body of Christ? She is not to be reigned over but to suffer and reign
with Christ. She is "to be 'counted worthy of the Kingdom of God for which she suffers," and therefore Paul
exhorts the disciples (members of the Church) "that they
must through much tribulation enter into the Kingdom of
God" (Acts 14:22), and Peter stirs us up, putting us in
remembrance to add the Christian graces and give all diligence to make our calling and election sure, for so an entrance shall be ministered unto us "into the everlasting
kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ." 2 Pet.
1 :5-11.
Surely this language plainly distinguishes between the
Church and the kingdom, and as plainly asserts that the
kingdom is yet future. So we see that both the spiritual
and figurative interpretations of the coming of Christ are
without foundation.
Another theory has been advanced, viz.: that the coming of Christ in His Kingdom (Mat. 16 :28) was fulfilled
in what they term the spiritual coming on the day of
Pentecost,-and that His coming in the clouds of heaven,
in the glory of His Father, with the holy angels, etc., is
his real, personal, visible coming at the end of the gospel
age (which they also hold to be the end of time and of the
world).
This seems to us to be founded upon a mere distinction
of terms, where there is no difference in fact. For is it not
at His coming in His Kingdom that He shall be manifested in His glory? History proves:-and all our ideas
of the glory of Kings coincide with the fact-that such
glory is identical with the majesty and manifestation of
their kingdoms.
It is in Christ's Kingdom that He shall rule all nations
with a rod of iron, and it is in His Kingdom that He is
to be manifested as "the Blessed and only Potentate, the
King of kings, and Lord of 10rds." Therefore His coming in His Kingdom and His coming in His glory are
synonymous, and both are yet future.
Some of Them Did See the Kingdom.
Then what do the passages mean, to wit: Mat. 16 :28,
"verily I say unto you, there be some standing here which
shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of Man coming
in His Kingdom,"-or as in Mark 9 :1, "till they have seen
the Kingdom of God come with power,"-or as in Luke
9:27, "till they see the Kingdom of God."
death" may have the deep signification, in which sense the
true believers, who were standing there, shall never experience it. This is certainly the signification the same lan-
guage has in Heb. 2 :9,78 and if we understand it likewise
in these passages, then we have all eternity for the fulfillment. However we only suggest this. We do not rely
upon it, for we believe the word "till" more than intimates
that the "some" should taste of death, and that therefore
natural death or separation of soul and body was meant.
Peter Saw It.
But now let us mark well what the "some" standing
there were to see, and then let us go up the Mount of
Transfiguration, and gaze through the favored eyes of
Peter, James and John upon the scene which is recorded
immediately after the passage we are considering. Behold
His face shining as the sun and His raiment white and
glistening as the snow, or as the light. See Moses and Elias
as they appear in glory with Him, and listen to the communings of this exalted trio. Then bow in silent awe, as
the cloud of surpassing glory overshadows them, and reverently listen to the voice of God, the Father, saying "This is
my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, hear ye Him."
No wonder that even the favored and beloved disciples
trembled with fear beneath this supernatural majesty and
effulgent glory. Surely this was I AM spanning the
centuries and giving these apostles a view of His coming
and kingdom.
So they understood it and Peter especially confirms it.
"For," he says, "we have not followed cunningly devised
fables, when we made known unto you the power and COMING of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eye witnesses of His
majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and
glory, when there came such a voice to Him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard,
when we were with Him in the holy mount." 2 Pet. 1:16-18.
We cannot tell how much of the future they saw in that
enraptured hour, but doubtless they had a specific vision of
the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in His kingdom and
glory.
John Saw It.
We have only to turn to Revelation, where we find
that He "which is and which was, and which is to come"
permitted John to see (Rev. 1:2, 11, etc.) it most definitely.
His enraptured vision swept the centuries. Time, to him,
was annihilated and he gazed upon the literal facts. He
actually saw them. Thirty-six times does he say "I saw,"
seven times "I beheld," and five times "I looked," besides
many similar expressions. And he saw the very things
mentioned in the passages.
"And I SAW heaven opened, and behold a white horse;
and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and Truth.
and in righteousness He doth judge and make war. His
eyes were as a flame of fire and on His head were many
crowns,. . . . and He was clothed with a vesture dipped
in blood: and His name is called the Word of God. And the
armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white
horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.. . . And
He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written,
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
He saw the beast and kings of the earth gathered and
taken and cast into the lake of fire. He saw Satan bound,
and he saw Christ and His saints reigning for a thousand
years. He saw it all in perfect fulfillment of the statements
in the passages we are considering. Rev. 19 :20.
Paul Saw It.
Paul also saw Christ in His glory and doubtless he saw
all that John did, and probably more, for he saw things
that it was impossible for a man to utter. (2 Cor. 12 :4,
margin.) Surely these are an absolute and literal fulfillment of what Jesus promised "some" should see, and satisfactorily explain the passages in question.
Ye Shall Not Have Gone Over the Cities of Israel
Another passage is cited in support of the above theories,
viz.: the spiritual coming on the day of Pentecost or the
figurative coming, in the destruction of Jerusalem, etc., and
that is Mat. 10 :23, "verily I say unto you ye shall not have
gone over (or finish) the cities of Israel, till the Son of
Man be come."
In regard to this we answer, that this was spoken to the
twelve disciples, when Jesus sent them forth two by two,
with a message especially for and exclusively to Israel. We
find from Mark 6 :30, and Luke 9 :10, that they returned
to the Master, of course, without finishing the cities. And
there is no evidence that they ever, in like manner, renewed
the visitation preaching the message "the kingdom of
heaven is at hand." Indeed they could not, for Israel
had rejected their King, and the kingdom had become
like a nobleman which went into a far country to receive
for himself a kingdom and return.
But from the force of the word "till" we believe that
the message will be renewed (perhaps by the "two witnesses" after the Church is taken away), to the unbelieving Israelites, who shall yet return to their land Imd restore Judaism, and before they shall have gone over the rebuilt cities, the Son of Man shall appear again.
No. XII. Gloomy View of the Future
It is objected that this doctrine presents a gloomy view
of the future; that "it is the philosophy of despair,"
that it stands opposed to the popular idea, viz.: that the
world is growing better, and "if it is true," it is sarcastically said, "we might as well fold our hands and wait for Christ to come."
We candidly think that many who raise these objections
have altogether mistaken the spirit and work of pre-millennialists.
We do Not Despair.
We neither despair, nor fold our hands to sleep. On
the contrary, we are filled with a lively (Greek-living)
hope (1 Pet. 1:3), the most "blessed hope" (Tit. 2:13),
while we strive to save some from this worldly. sinful and
adulterous generation, which is nigh unto cursing and
whose end is to be burned.
We would not deceive them with the hallucination that
they are "growing better," for, as the apostle has said,
"we know that we are of God and the whole world lieth
in wickedness" (Greek-in the wicked one), 1 John 5:19-
and therefore we would tell them in the plain words of
Scripture, that they are in the broad way that leadeth to
destruction (Mat. 7:13), and that they must repent or
perish. Luke 13 :3. And further, that this same world,
once overflowed by the flood, is now "stored with fire
against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly
men." 2 Pet. 3:5-7.
We rejoice over every one of those, who, by believing
the gospel, the good news of the coming kingdom, are
saved from this awful fate and made "joint heirs with
Christ" (Rom. 8:16-17) "to an inheritance. . . reserved in heaven for us," and "who are kept by the power
of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed
in the last time," and who "hope to the end for the grace
that is to be brought unto" us "at the revelation of Jesus
Christ." 1 Pet. 1 :4-5-13.
Surely this positive conviction of coming doom is a
mightier incentive to action than can be the quieting fallacy that things are moving on prosperously and that EVEN
THE WORLD IS GETTING BETTER.
And this is clearly proved by the zeal and faithful work
of the ministers, evangelists and laymen, who hold and
proclaim this doctrine of the pre-millennial coming of
Christ.
It is true that they do not expect the conversion of the
world in this present evil age* (Gal. 1:4), but they do
believe that a millennial age of peace is coming, and they
do strive "in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation," to :'shine a lights in the world holding forth the
word of life" (Phil. 2:15-16), that they may snatch some
brands from the burning (Mal. 4:1; 1 Cor. 3:13-15; to increase the godly company who shall be ready to welcome the Bridegroom.
Why, then, should they be so bitterly opposed for pro.
claiming this scriptural doctrine' Are they not all members of the body of Christ' And, as such, do they not
merit the warmest sympathy and prayers of the Church?
Shall they be condemned because, like the early Church,
they are holding the traditions (or teachings handed down)
of the apostles, and looking for Jesus? God forbid!
But let us remember that "we be brethren," strangers and
pilgrims (Heb. 11 :13), whose "citizenship" is in heaven
(Phil. 3 :20). And let us speak "the truth in love," be
built up in love (Eph. 4:15-16), and "walk in love" (Eph.
5:2), "redeeming the time, because the days are evil."
The Days Are Evil.
Yes, THE DAYS ARE EVIL, and we freely admit that this
doctrine does present a gloomy future in the present evil
age, for this world of sinners, who are full of unbelief
and radically opposed to Christ, His people and His salvation. They are rejecting God's gracious entreaties for
reconciliation, and rushing madly on toward the day of
wrath. Rev. 6 :15-17.
But there is no gloom in the future for those "who have
fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before us,"
and "who have received the Spirit of adoption," become
"children" and "heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ
. . . For I reckon that the sufferings of this present
time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that
shall be revealed in us." Rom. 8 :15-18.
There seems to be a prevailing disposition to balance
up the good and the bad in the world by a process of general average, in which the triumphs of art and science,
the progress in inventions, discoveries, etc., are counted as
moral goodness, and it is concluded that the world, on the
average, is growing better.
But this is utterly fallacious and, we fear, a grand deception of Satan.
The Church and the World.
First, there is no such thing as averaging together the
true church and the world. There is no possible consanguinity. The one is "from beneath,"-the other "from
above." The one "is of this world,"-the other "not of
this world." John 8:2 They must not be yoked together, for there is no fellowship, communion, concord,
part or agreement between them. They are and always
must be separate. The true church is in the world, but
not of it, There are three parties in the world, viz.:
the Jew, the Gentile and the Church of God, As the
Jews were a separate, called-out and peculiar people,
not to be reckoned among the nations, so is this true
church a separate and peculiar people, called unto cleansing and holiness, sealed by the Spirit of God, unto the day of redemption (Eph, 4:30), no longer darkness, but
"children of light," and exhorted to "have no fellowship
with the unfruitful works of darkness" (Eph. 5 :8-11), They
are of God, while the whole world lies in the wicked
one. There is an irrepressible conflict between them - no possible harmony exists. On the contrary, their principles and tendencies are absolutely opposite. It is therefore entirely inconsistent that they should be spoken of
as forming one general mass.
Art, Science and Invention.
Second, the triumphs of art and science, the progress
in inventions, discoveries, etc., by no means argue an increase in godliness.
Many of the acknowledged leaders today in science and
philosophy-yes, even those who rank the very highest
among them, are positive infidels. And very many more,
who disclaim absolute infidelity, deny the divinity of Jesus
Christ.
It is strange, indeed, that the Christian optimists, in
their noisy trumpetings of the strides of science, should
lose sight of this momentous fact. And history bears a
similar testimony. The power, splendor and wisdom of
David and Solomon were followed by the idolatry and
innocent blood of Ahab and Manasseh, resulting in the
overthrow of Jerusalem and the Babylonish captivity.
The temple, built by Herod, was one of the grandest
works of art. It fairly flashed with splendor, and the
temple service was conducted on a magnificent scale. The
Jews of his time enjoyed great privileges in literature and
learning, and yet they crucified the Lord Jesus.
The Greeks rose to a pinnacle of triumph in literature,
poetry and art, and yet they failed by wisdom to find out
God. To them he was the unknown God. See how
plainly this is brought out in 1 Cor. chapters, 1, 2 and 3:
"For after that, in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of
preaching to save them that believe" (1 :21). The trouble
is not with the heads, but with the hearts of men. No
matter how great the learning, man must have "a new
heart, and this is obtained not by education, but by the
operation of the Spirit of God. It was not many wise men
after the flesh who received the grace of God in Corinth,
but the simple and the despised. "I thank Thee, 0 Father,
Lord of heaven and earth," said Jesus, "that thou hast hid
these things from the wise and prudent (discerning ones)
and hast revealed them unto babes." Luke 10 :21.
The world, then, by "wisdom" or "philosophy" (Col. 2:
8), or "science falsely so called" (1 Tim. 6:20), can never
find out God. Indeed, we have a clear evidence of this in
the rationalism, infidelity and atheism of our day. No
matter how refined and polished is their garb or the delicacy with which they may be set forth, still they are only
the poisonous deceptions of him who can appear as "an
angel of light." I The truth is that Satan is the arch
enemy of God, and the world, in this present evil age (Gal.
1:4), is in his power (1 John 5:19), so that he besets the
people of God with his "wiles," and arrays against them
"principalities. . . . powers. . . . and the rulers of the
darkness of this world." '.. Eph. 6 :11-13. Therefore the
Christian must "love not the world, neither the things
that are in the world. If any man love the world, the
love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the
world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and
the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world."
1 John 2 :15-16.
The World Not Growing Better.
Surely, then, this wicked world, which is so radically
opposed to God, and under the present control of His
arch enemy, is not growing better. On the contrary,
judgment, fire and perdition are before it.l03 Perilous
times are coming.104 "Evil men and seducers shall wax
worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived." The
tares, which naturally grow much faster than the wheat,
shall continue up to the harvest. Mat. 13 :40. "The mystery of iniquity" which already worked in the days of
the apostles, shall culminate in "the man of sin," the personal antichrist, whom even the mass of the Jews will receive; and who will be so great and rule with such universal authority that he is to be destroyed only by the
personal appearing of the Lord Himself.
There is no hope, then, for the world, but in the coming
of Christ the King. And, praised be God for the promises, the Lord will come at the end of this age. Antichrist
will be destroyed. All things that offend shall be gathered out and the Millennial Kingdom of righteousness shall be established on the earth. So, while there is
a gloomy prospect for the world during this evil age, there
is a bright and glorious prospect during the coming millennial age.
Civilization and Beneficent Institutions.
But perhaps it is still insisted that the world has made
great progress in civilization and refinement, in benevolence, in personal liberty, international fraternity, Christian work, etc. In proof of this, the abrogation of slavery
is cited; also the cessation of the inquisition and martyrdom, the establishment of charitable institutions, the great
postal and commercial means of communication, built upon
the agencies of steam and lightning; the right of trial by
jury, international arbitration, missionary triumphs, etc.
Well, first of all we answer that Civilization and Refinement are not the Source of Holiness. They may elevate the head, while the heart is untouched. The gilded
palace of sin is as certainly the gateway to hell as the
darkest den of vice.
The cultured and scientific atheist is as surely in the
service of Satan as the thief or the murderer. Jesus Himself classed them all together when He said, "He that is
not with Me is against Me." Mat. 12 :30. So it matters
not how much more like an angel of light the serpent may
appear, nor how civilized and refined the world may be.
Satan is the devil still.
And the world is still the world.
His manifestations and methods may be changed, but
the spirit of darkness is the same. And accordingly we
see that while slavery is disappearing, communism, socialism and nihilism are lifting their godless, headless forms.
And darker are their forebodings than were even the days
of the inquisition and martyrdom. Oppressing monopolies, systematic peculation and fraud are parallel with
charitable institutions. The mails, so useful for news and
correspondence, afford a most convenient agency for disseminating the flood of obscene literature which is blasting
the morals of the young. Trial by jury has too often
proved a mere farce, in which the criminal escapes. The
nation which opened the way for the missionary also
forced upon the teeming millions of China the awful
curse of opium.
While missionary efforts have been greatly blessed
abroad (and praise God that they have), infallibility,
ritualism, skepticism and desecration of the Lord's day
have more than equally triumphed at home. And let it
not be forgotten that the monstrous assumption of infallibility has triumphed in what was once an apostolic church
of Christ.
The past century has had its full share of war and carnage. Numerous, dark and fearful have been the fields
of blood up to this very year. In short, Satan is on the
alert and fully up to the times, multiplying his deceptions
on either hand, as he will continue to do, until chained by
tne angel at the beginning of the Millennium.
Is the Church Progressing?
Lastly, it is argued that, as Christians are the light of
the world and the salt of the earth the greatly increased number of professed Christians must certainly have
augmented the light and the salt, and consequently have
made the world better.
Jesus was indeed the light of the world, but He shone in
the darkness and the darkness comprehended it not. Men
loving and clinging to the darkness, because their deeds
were evil, would not see the light, and were not made better by it. So true Christians, reflecting the light from
heaven, only intensify the darkness about them. The dark.
ness is still darkness and cannot be improved. The sinner
must forsake it and come to the light, or he can never be
saved.
Losing the Saltness.
Let us notice carefully that Jesus speaks of the salt
losing its saltness and becoming good for nothing, and He
also intimates that the light may be hid under a bushel.
And therefore He exhorts, "Have salt in yourselves." Mark
9 :50. Evidently the Jews lost their "savour" (Mat. 5 :13)
and "were broken Off." This leads to the solemn query,
is the professing Church progressing or declining in faith
and spiritual life?
The kingdom in mystery or the state of Christendom
until Christ comes again, is taught us, we believe, by the
parables of Mat. 13.
The Parables.
"The parable of the Sower shows the varied and imperfect reception of the Word. The parable of the Tares
shows the early and continued effects of Satan's presence
among the saints. The parable of the Mustard-seed shows
outward growth sheltering evil. The parable of the Leaven
shows the gradual and utter corruption of the truth. The
parable of the Treasure hid in a field shows what Israel
is to be in the world. The parable of the Pearl of great
price shows what the Church is to Christ. And the parable
of the Dragnet shows the cleansing of the kingdom at His
second coming."
The Leaven.
There is, perhaps, but little opposition to this interpretation of the parables, excepting that of the Leaven, which
has quite extensively been interpreted to teach exactly the
opposite, viz.: that the power and influence of the gospel or
Christian life is to permeate the masses of the world,
until the whole is leavened into holiness. The inconsistency
of this is seen when we consider that precisely the contrary
is taught by the parable of the sower and the tares, each
of which most undisputedly shows that evil is to continue
and grow up to the end of the age. This is surely the most
sufficient and scriptural reason for assigning the same
typical meaning to the Leaven, in this and the correlative
passage, which we find it to bear in the numerous other
passages, where the same word is used, viz.: the corrupting
influence of evil and the symbol of death. See carefully
Mat. 16 :6-12.
Here then we 'are most emphatically taught not only that
the world is growing no better, but that the professing
Church itself will lose its saltness, becoming nominal and
lukewarm, fit only to be spued out of the Master's mouth.
The entire teaching of the Word of God, we believe, agrees
with this.
And we have but to take an unprejudiced survey of the
Church even now, to see the truth of it. The loss of spiritual power in the different branches of the great nominal
Church has not resulted from the casting out of truth,
but from the imbibing and internal workings of false doctrine, which, like leaven, has fermented the mass. Little
by little the ordinary bishop of. Rome has developed into an
infallible Pope. Image worship, the confessional, world
conformity and post-millennialism have all worked out their
enormous growth like the little leaven in the meal.
How do the great Papal and Greek churches, in their
stateliness, formality, popularity and spiritual weakness of
today, compare with the despised Nazarene and his followers, or with the persecuted, consecrated and godly congregations (ekkleesias) of the first two centuries?
And are not the present evangelical denominations, by
worldly conformity and increeping doubts regarding the
inspiration of the Word, etc., dangerously tending in the
same direction? How very few of the members in them are
to-day crying out for separation and holiness. Surely, no
one can fail to see the corrupting influences of the leaven
permeating them.
We realize that this is an awful fact. It is not even
pleasant to state it. But, while Noah's preaching was not
pleasant to them that heard it, still it was true and the
flood did come. Likewise the prophesying of Jeremiah
was exceedingly unpleasant, but it was true and was followed by the terrible fate of the city, and the Babylonian
captivity. The preaching of Jesus was at times of fearful
severity, but was it not true? So would we humbly yet
faithfully proclaim the Word of God. We would "cry
aloud and spare not," fully believing that, upon an apostate church rebellious and murderous Israel, and a
sinful world, the day of darkness is coming.
The Faithful Remnant.
But even in the darkness, so gloomy for the ungodly,
there is hope-bright, glorious hope for the faithful.
For God always has had, and ever will have a faithful
remnant. There were those, in blind unbelieving Israel,
who waited for and accepted the Messiah. Luke 2, etc. So
there will be those in the Church who will wait for (1
Thes. 1 :10) and welcome the coming Bridegroom. Mat.
25 :10. And there shall be a remnant in Israel, who, passing through the darkness and fire (Zech. 13:9), will yet
accept their King. Zech. 12 :10; Rom. 9 :27; 11 :25-26. And
there shall even be a remnant (residue or remainder)
among the Gentiles (ungodly world) who shall seek after
the Lord.
Glory to God! the darkness shall yet flee away before the
Sun of Righteousness, arising with healing in His
wings, when He comes to sit in the throne of His
glory. The mountain of the Lord's house shall be established and all nations shall flow unto it (Isa. 2 :1-6; Mic.
4 :1-5, please read it) during that bright millennial day of
peace and glory, which shall follow "this present evil
age" (Gal. 1 :4) and in which even the creature "shall be
delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious
liberty of the children of God." Rom. 8 :21. "They shall
not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth
shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters
cover the sea." Isa. 11 :9.
"A better day is coming, a morning promised long,
When girded Right. with holy Might, will overthrow the
wrong;
When God the Lord will listen to every plaintive sigh,
And stretch His hand o'er .every land, with justice by and by.
The boast of haughty Error no more will fill the air,
But Age and Youth will love the truth and spread it everywhere;
No more from want and sorrow will come the hopeless cry;
And strife will cease, and perfect peace will flourish by
and by.
Oh! for that holy dawning we watch, and wait, and pray.
Till o'er the height the morning light shall drive the gloom
away;
And when the heavenly glory shall flood the earth and sky,
We'll bless the Lord for all His Word, and praise Him by
and by."
No. XIII. Cruel to the Unsaved.
It is objected that it would be cruel for Christ to come
in Judgment upon the world, while there are so many millions unsaved.
We answer, Is not such a declaration a presumptions
criticism of God's motives? Was the flood an expression
of cruelty, or rather was it not a manifestation of God's
love and mercy, toward them who should live after, in that
He swept away the great overflow of wickedness? Surely
it was done in mercy. And now let us remember that this
world DIES every thirty-three years. The average of human
life is even a little Iless than this. The world is in the power
of the devil, and he has the power of death. He has
slain this world with the sword of death, over fifty times
in the present dispensation.
Think of it! more than fifty worlds gone down in the
whirlpool of death. Each generation brings on to the
scene an entirely new world. And how few out of these
are converted. How few are reached by the gospel lifeboat, and how few of those reached heed the message of
salvation. The great mass sweep on, like a wrecked vessel,
in darkness and unbelief, to the Judgment.
The coming of Christ will inaugurate a far better state
of things. For, when He comes, all things that offend shall
be gathered out and the kingdom shall be established in
righteousness And even though the subjects of the kingdom (not the reigning ones) may die during the millennial age, yet shall they die in a good old age, the child
even a hundred years old and' their death shall be
blessed, and though the Millennium is not the perfect
state, yet Judgment will speedily follow the sinner of that
day, or the nation which shall swerve from serving God.
Surely, then, His speedy coming cannot be counted an
unmerciful event. The wonder is rather at the long-suffering of God, which now (as before the flood) waits in
such patient pleading. But He will fulfill His promise, and
the Coming One will come and cut short the work in
righteousness. Rom. 9 :28.
Then let us not look upon Christ's coming as cruel or
unmerciful. He has said "SURELY I COME QUICKLY," and
let us have the mind of the Holy Spirit, who replied "EVEN!
SO COME LORD JESUS." Rev. 22 :20.
"Then welcome, thrice welcome, ye tokens of God.
What else but His coming can comfort afford?
What presence but His set this prisoned earth free?
O Star of the Morning, our hope is in Thee!"
No. XIV. This Generation.
Jesus said: "This generation shall not pass away till
all be fulfilled." Lu. 21 :32. See also Mat. 24 :34; Mar.
13:30.
Some have construed "generation" to mean a time of
thirty or forty years; and, as Jerusalem was destroyed
within forty years after Christ spoke, they refer all he said
to that event.
Israel the Generation That Passes Not Away.
We believe "generation," as there used, means the whole
existence of the Israelitish race. Compare the following
passages where the same Greek word is used.
In Psa. 22 :30, we read: "A seed shall serve Him; it
shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation." And in
Psa. 24:6: "This is the generation of them that seek Him."
In Prov. 30 :11-14, the generation of the righteous and
the generation of the wicked are clearly distinguished.
Hence we conclude that the generation of the Israelites
were not only to see the destruction of Jerusalem, but the
COMING of Christ (at the revelation) and the end of the
age. Mat. 24 :3.
And their wonderful preservation, as a distinct people,
through all the persecutions, vicissitudes and wanderings of
the past eighteen centuries down to the present moment, is
a standing miracle, attesting the truth of God's word, and
assuring us of His purposes in their future history.
Said Frederick the Great to his chaplain: "Doctor, if
your religion is a true one, it ought to be capable of very
brief and simple proof. Will you give me an evidence of
its truth in ONE WORD ", The good man answered, "Israel."
Other nations come and go, but Israel remains. She
passes not away. God says of her, "For a small moment
have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather
thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a
moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy
on thee, saith the Lord, thy Redeemer." Isa. 54:7-8.
