E ask, then,
What meaneth this bitter opposition to our views of the promise and
oath of God to Abraham? Is it because the view is pernicious and
will work dishonor to God and evil to men? It certainly cannot be
the first; for no doctrine can be more honorable to God or better
vindicate the righteousness of His government over the children of
men. It cannot work evil to men. Pray tell us who it can harm? Will
it make you love God less? To say that, would be to say you do not
love Him now. Does it give encouragement to sinner to continue in
sin, because God’s grace does so abound? Let all such know their
"damnation is just," { Ro 3:3}; they have "the way, the truth and
the life" set before them; and if they "sin willfully after they
have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more
sacrifice for sin," etc. - Heb 10:26. Who then is harmed by
our view of the subject? It cannot harm the generations who have
gone in death; they are past the evil effects of the doctrine we
proclaim, if there by any evil in it. As it cannot work evil to the
living nor the dead, even it be an error, why all this hostility to
it, especially among those who have abandoned so many of the
traditions of men, and profess to be anti-sectarian? What is the
root of their hostility? Let them ask themselves, Is it not because
it interferes with some pet theory that they have espoused and are
unwilling to give up, or even to modify? What less is it than to
claim an infallibility that does not belong to man? Even Paul could
say, "We know in part... but when that which is perfect is come,
then that which is in part shall be done away." - 1Co 13:9,10.
That which is perfect has not yet come: so we may and ought to be
growing in grace and knowledge, and not get stereotyped or
petrified, but "follow on to know the Lord."
OUR FIRST THOUGHTS.
We have referred to an article we published in the Bible Examiner in
1844 on "Probation after the Second Advent." The following is an
extract from it:
It is said—"The parable of the ten virgins shows there is no
salvation for those who were not ready when the bridegroom came."
True. But who are represented by the foolish virgins? Not all the
inhabitants of the earth, if the Bible is the Lamp; for all the
inhabitants of the earth have not the Bible, and never did have it.
Admitting, then, that all who have had the Scriptures, and are not
ready when Christ comes, will be forever excluded, and their
probation cease, that does not prove that it will cease with all
others on the earth. But after all, that parable may have a more
restricted application, and in that sense be an awful warning to
those who have professed to believe that our Lord was about to make
his personal advent. They have taken their lamps, the Bible, and
gone forth to meet the Bridegroom; but now is the tarrying time: how
many are suffering their lamps to go out, or have no oil, not having
been careful to possess personal grace and piety; their sin will be
more aggravated than the sin of any other class of men, and they
will then understand the text, Heb 10:38, "Now the just shall
live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no
pleasure in him."
It will still be urged, "The Master of the house has shut the door
and none can enter." The foolish virgins cannot enter-to them the
door is shut; and to all who reject mercy offered the door will be
shut sooner or later, but to prove it is shut to all men at the
advent is another matter.
What the apostle says, 2Th 1:6-10, is supposed to form an
insurmountable difficulty to the idea that there is probation to any
one after the advent. We observe in the first place, this text must
not be interpreted as to make it contradict the plain and positive
testimony of the Bible, in other places; but must be harmonized with
the general scope of the Scriptures. We have already shown that
there are those who are "left" after the great battle that is
immediately to attend or follow the advent. But if it be insisted
that the text teaches the destruction of sinners living at the
advent, and their destruction at the time of the advent, then it is
clear, to our mind, that it is a particular class of wicked men.
First-They have "troubled" the saints; consequently they must have
lived among the saints, or about them, else they could not have
troubled them. Second-They appear to be marked as a class of sinners
who are inexcusably ignorant of God, where the gospel had shone.
They seem to be characterized not only as not knowing God, but as
having disobeyed the gospel, and consequently persons who had the
gospel, or an opportunity to have it if they had not willfully shut
their eyes against it; but this cannot now be said of multitudes of
the heathen; they have not yet "heard God’s fame, neither have seen
his glory;" but God says, it shall be declared among them that are
"left" of the nations, and that some, yea, "many" of them "shall
come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the
Lord." -See Isa 66:19,20; and Zec 8:20-33.
If it still be said that the expression, "them that know not God,"
includes all that are unconverted, wherever they are, why then
should it have been added," and that obey not the gospel," if it was
not designed to specify a particular class of the unconverted? The
first expression would have included all the unconverted, had not
the apostle qualified it by the expression following. The apostle
teaches that Christ will not always leave his saints in their
present state of "tribulation," but that he is coming again, and
will then appear, not as at his first advent to be despised, but to
vindicate his truth, gospel, and people; —revealed in such a manner
that his enemies might as well think to escape devouring fire as to
prevent his government and reign; and that under his government and
reign all who will not have him to reign over them will "be punished
with everlasting destruction from" his "presence, and from the glory
of his power."
The parable of the "wheat and tares" is also urged against the idea
that there is probation to any after the "end of this world," aoinos,
age, or dispensation, for so the term signifies. But if it proves
that there is probation to none after this dispensation, it proves
equally that there will be none "left of the nations;" but as it
cannot have that interpretation, for the reasons already given, we
must understand it in the same way that we do the apostle’s language
just considered. Besides, the parable warrants us in giving it such
an interpretation. The tares were sown "among the wheat," and "both
grow together," showing that it is a class of sinners under the
gospel, and possibly may refer especially to a class of professors
of religion, as some commentators have said the original expression,
translated tares, denotes "bastard wheat" —a spurious grain, looking
like wheat and known only by its "fruit when it is grown. A plenty
of such "bastard wheat" the devil has sown in these last days, and
they are ready to be bound, being already fast in sectarian
"bundles," nearly prepared for the burning, and if they do not
speedily repent they will be "cast into a furnace of fire." At the
end of this age, or dispensation, our Lord will fully separate the
tares from the wheat: he will "gather out of his kingdom all things
that offend, [all scandals —so the margin has it,] and them which do
iniquity;" [all these hypocritical professors, represented by the
tares, or bastard wheat,]" and shall cast them into a furnace of
fire; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the
righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father."
"Shine forth" upon what? Upon them that are "left" of the nations;"
because their "light has come, and the glory of the Lord is risen
upon thee;" then, " The Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings
to the brightness of thy rising." -See Isa 60$. Then, also,
"Ye shall be named the Priests of the Lord: men shall call you the
ministers of our God." - Isa 61:6. All the glory and efforts
of the true church has been hid and paralyzed by the bastard wheat,
but our Lord will thoroughly take it away when he comes, so that on
earth he will have a holy priesthood and royal nation, that shall
show forth his praise till the whole earth is full of his glory.
A main pillar, however, that probation ceases to all men at the
advent, is Re 10:7: "But in the days of the voice of the
seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God
should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the
prophets." This text is supposed to prove conclusively that there
are to be no more offers of mercy. It is claimed that "the mystery
of God," that is then to be "finished," is the gospel of salvation.
Suppose that should be admitted, it would not prove that there were
to be no further offers of mercy to any one; for, mark, it "should
be finished as he hath declared to his servants the prophets." The
question then, arises, has God anywhere, in "the prophets," declared
that there is to be no more offers of mercy to any one after the
advent? Nowhere, but just the reverse, as will appear in the further
examination of the subject. The term mystery signifies secret, or
hidden. In this 10th chap., appears the same angel that Daniel saw
in the 12th chapter, and nearly in the same attitude; and while the
direction to Daniel was to "seal the book; "the angel in 10th
appears with "a little book open." And, why, open? Because the
covering is not taken off-the mystery is finished—the time has come
for it to be understood, " as God declared to his servant" Daniel it
should be at "the time of the end." We might also say further—There
are many things in the Bible which are a mystery, more or less
hidden, which will not be fully understood when he shall begin to
sound," when that "mystery" shall be "finished" —made an end of—or
taken away. That there are many things in the Bible not fully
understood, yet, is evident from the fact that good men, men of God
differ in their interpretation of the Scriptures.. Paul says,
1Co 13:9,10,12: For we know in part, and we prophecy in part; but
when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall
be done away... For now we see through a glass darkly; but then face
to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am
known." But his darkness, and knowing in part—the mystery—is to be
finished, and knowing in part—the mystery—is to be finished—to be
ended "as he hath declared unto his servant," { Isa 52:8} "Thy
watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they
sing; for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again
Zion." Then the mystery is "finished as he hath declared to his
servant," { Isa 25:7} "And he will destroy in this mountain the face
of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread
over all nations."
But once more, "the mystery of God" may relate to another subject,
viz., God’s determination to have a "kingdom of priests," which was
first offered to the descendents of Jacob; which, if the rejected,
was to be filled up, "finished," or completed from among the
Gentiles was a mystery, or hidden.
The Lord determined the kingdom of priests should be filled up, and
the "mystery of God," that was kept hid till the apostle’s days,
was, that it should be filled up from among the Gentiles, and should
be done on the principle of all believers in Christ being united to
that kingdom as priests and kings. So Peter understood it. See
1Pe 2:9: "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an
holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the
praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his
marvelous light." Also 5th verse: "Ye also, as lively stones, are
built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer of a
spiritual sacrifice acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." They are
spoken of in Re 1:6: "And hath made us kings and priests unto
God and his Father." Again, Re 5:9, 10: "And they sung a new
song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the
seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hath redeemed us to God by
thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation:
And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign
on the earth."
Now, in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall
begin to sound, that mystery of God will be finished, and it will be
fully and clearly seen who this kingdom of priests are; and John is
told in the 10th chapter of Revelation, 11th verse ( Re 10:11), "
Thou must prophecy again before, many peoples, and nations, and
tongues, and kings;" which we think, will literally take place. The
mystery of God will then be finished; or his whole purpose
concerning this kingdom of priests will then be unfolded, and their
number completed, and we shall be brought to the "third day," when
Christ, in his mystical body, "the church of the first born," will
"be perfected." This, we conceive, is the mystery of God finished;
and Paul says, Eph 5:32, "This is the great mystery: but I
speak concerning Christ and the church." See the connection.
HOME
TOP
CONTENTS
|