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 HIS subject we
consider one of the greatest importance we have ever presented to
the consideration of our readers; because, if this promise and oath
are equivocal, or uncertain of fulfillment, what foundations have we
on which to stand in relation to any other promise supposed to be
made by God? All other promises are made doubtful, if this is proved
of uncertain meaning. No promise of God was ever made with greater
clearness or more solemnly proclaimed. To treat it, therefore, with
neglect or as if it might be explained to suit human theories, is to
undermine all faith in the words of God.
HAS THIS
PROMISE AND OATH
EVER BEEN FULFILLED?
Let us present the subject as it appears in the
Bible. God had called Abram out of his country to go into another;
"unto a land that I will show thee." He then told him, "I will make
of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name
great; and thou shalt be a blessing: and I will bless them that
bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all
the families of the earth be blessed." Ge 12:1-3.
After this, when Abram was ninety-nine years old, God appeared to
him, and said, "As for me, behold my covenant is with thee, and thou
shalt be a father of many nations: neither shall thy name any more
be called Abram, but thy name, shall be Abraham; for a father of
many nations have I made thee... I will establish my covenant
between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for
an everlasting covenant," etc. After this, when God was about to
overthrow Sodom and Gomorrah, He said, "Shall I hide from Abraham
that thing which I do, seeing that Abraham shall surely become a
great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be
blessed in him? — Ge 18:17,18.
At length Isaac is born, the heir of the same promises, and when he
was grown to some years, the LORD called Abraham to go to a certain
place and offer up his son Isaac "for a burnt offering." Abraham
made every preparation to carry into execution this command of God.
He had gone to the place pointed out, erected his altar, bound his
son and laid him on it. He then stretched forth his hand and took
the knife to slay his son. At this point, "The Angel of the LORD
called unto him out of heaven," forbidding him to proceed any
farther. Then followed a second call out of heaven saying, "By
myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this
thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: that in
blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy
seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the
sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; and
in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because
thou hast obeyed my voice." -Gen. xxii.
This promise was renewed to Isaac, Ge 26:4, as follows, "In thy seed
shall all the nations of the earth be blessed," etc. The same was
more fully confirmed to Jacob, Ge 28:14, "In thee and thy seed
shall all the families of the earth be blessed." Thus it is seen, by
the language used by the LORD, that all nations embraced all the
families of those nations. Peter, in referring to this matter,
Ac 3:25, says, "Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the
covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, and
in thy seed shall all the kindred’s of the earth be blessed." Here
all families of the earth are embraced. Paul, also, saith, "The
scripture foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through
faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee
shall all nations be blessed." - Ga 3:8. Here is no
limitation-"all nations," and of course "all the families of the
earth" are to be "blessed" with the gospel proclamation in order
that they may be "justified by faith," that is by believing the
message of God’s love to the world, or to all the families of the
earth. In order to believe it, they must have it proclaimed to them.
How can a man believe in that of which he has never heard? Have all
the families of the earth heard of the love of God, to "the world,"
in any age or dispensation past or present? Certainly no man living
can prove that they have, and the evidence is clearly against any
such assumption. If any age could boast of such a result it is the
present century in which we live; but what are the facts?
In a work of a late date by Mr. Shimeall, of this city, who has
written and preached much on prophecy, he gives the following
statistics:
"The
aggregate population of the earth is twelve hundred and twenty-five
millions. They may be divided into the following religious systems,
namely:
1. Of
Brahminical Pagans, in Asia-650,000,000.
2. Mohammedans, in Asia and Africa, .- 150,000,000.
3. Pagans in a purely savage state, .- 100,000,000.
4. Jews, the kingdom of Judah, dispersed, .- 14,000,000.
In Christendom there are:
1. Of the Western, or Roman Church, -170,000,000.
2. Of the Eastern, or Greek Church, -60,000,000.
3. of Protestants, throughout the world, - 80,000,000.
Total population, 1,224, 000,000"
He then adds: "It results from the statistics,
first, That less than one fifth of the earth’s population are
included within the pale of Christendom. Second, That of these
latter, only about one-third bear the Protestant name. Third,
computing, as we must, the real numerical strength of Protestant
Christianity by the communion statistics of all the various branches
of the Protestant Church, scattered over the world, they do not
yield a total of over 15,000,000, of the 1,224,000,000]. What a
picture."
All this, notwithstanding the promise and oath of God that in
Abraham all the families of the earth shall be blessed. From facts
like these, one of two things seem inevitable. First, there is an
age or ages yet to come, in which the promise and oath of God will
be fulfilled; or, Second that promise and oath of God does not mean
what it says, and it is impossible to tell what it does mean; and
so, the "two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to
lie" cannot be relied on to teach what truth is. No wonder if men
are made infidels under the teaching which involves the possibility
of the promise and oath of God meaning something entirely different
from what is expressed, or is never to be fulfilled at all.
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