Vou. XXII ALLEGHENY, PA., MARCH 15, 1902 No. 6 TRUTH “WOUNDED IN THE HOUSE OF ITS FRIENDS” “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your plans my plans, saith the Lord; for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my plans higher than your plans, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”—Isa. 55:8, 9. Those who claim that the second advent of Christ means the end of probation, the burning up of this world, and the death-knell of hope for poor, fallen humanity, are responsible in a very large degree for the intense prejudice which exists on this subject, Amongst those who thus hold, are some who are thoroughly conscientious and are, after a fashion at least, Bible students, but study not according to knowledge. They love the Lord, not because of his character, exemplified in his plans, but in spite of their misconception of his plans and, therefore, of his character. They have looked at certain passages of Scripture from the wrong standpoint, and have failed to discern which are its symbolical and which are its literal statements. We hope that this paper will come to the attention of many of this kind, and that it will come also to the attention of many of those who, because of these misrepresentations of the divine plan are thoroughly out of sympathy with the promises of the second coming of the Lord, but desirous, rather, that he should not come at all, and especially that he should not come soon. We hope that all of this class who are carnest, honest, and spiritually minded, will, with the presentation we are about to make, be able to see the Lord’s character and plan from a different standpoint, and thenceforth to long for it and to pray in the language of the Apostle, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” realizing the blessings that are due to come with that blessed presence—flooding the world with the light of the knowledge of the goodness of God as it shines in the face of Jesus Christ our Lord, and bringing to mankind in general all the blessing which divine grace has prearranged, and which divine mercv and truth have declared for the consolation and encouragement of God’s people. “THE EARTH ABIDETH FOREVER’’ Notwithstanding the Scriptural statement that “The earth abideth forever” (Eccl. 1:4), all the creeds of Christendom take the same view of this subject that is entertained by our Second Adventist friends: except that the latter expect the burning of the world soon, while the majority of Christendom presume that it will be in the remote future. We do not charge intentional misrepresentation of the divine plan upon any of our Christian brethren. Rather, we say, in the language of our text, that their conceptions are not God’s conceptions, and their plans are not the divine plans—they have misunderstood, unintentionally, to their own detriment, the testimonv of God’s Word on this subject. They have read of the burning of the world, and have remembered in the same connection the account in the Lord’s parable, of the burning of the “tares.” and have entirely overlooked the fact that these fires are figurative and symbolical, as are the fiery trials which now try us, as God’s people, and the furnaces of affliction in which, by divine permission, we have sometimes been refined. (1 Pet. 4:12; Isa. 48:10) In the brief space at our command we cannot take up this subject thoroughly and discuss every text of Scripture bearing upon it, but we will briefly call attention to one, which will serve as a key to others. We quote from the Prophet (Zeph. 3:8): “Wait ve upon me, saith the Lord, until the dav that I rise up to the prey; for mv determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger; for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.” This is certainly as graphic a picture of the burning day as could be asked for, even by the most zealous advocates of that theory; and they consider that it is quite sufficient to overbalance the other statements of Scripture, to the effect that the “earth abideth forever.” They assume, of course, that this burning day will incinerate not only the earth, itself, but all of its inhabitants. But a careful reading of the Prophet’s succeding words will make clear to us that this is not the case; but that after the burning day has passed a population will stiJl remain in the earth, and that for a blessing. We read (Verse 9): “Then will I turn to the people [not consumed, but alive and capable] a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent.” Who could question, in the light of this further statement by the Prophet, that the fire and devastation previously mentioned are figurative —not, however, unreal, but real in another sense, in a figurative sense, instead of in a literal sense. This burning day, so frequently referred to in the Scriptures, will, to our understanding, be more than a twenty-fourhour day—the day of wrath will he a period of several years’ duration, so far as the intensity of its burning is concerned— [2971] a period whose burning will not entirely cease until the close of the Millennial age, by which time it shall have destroyed, root and branch, everything that is evil—everything contrary to righteousness, truth and goodness. This fire of God’s jealousy or zeal for righteousness will, we understand, burn in a very natural manner as regards humanity and its affairs. In the present time God is letting the hght of truth shine in the world marvelously; not that light only which is shining upon the path of the just, leading God’s people onward to the perfect day, but a light is also being reflected now upon the path of the world, opening its eyes to human rights and prerogatives, liberties and privileges, to which formerly it was blinded through ignorance and superstition. As the light now comes in, the result is unrest; and thus the Lord seems to purpose, that the very blessings of this time, the end of this Gospel age, the very condition of things which, rightly received, should be bringing men happiness, is bringing more and more of discontent, and thus leading them step by step into the great period of anarchy, which the Scriptures distinctly show will be the fire of trouble in the end of this age, which will consume church and state, religious, political and financial institutions, and reduce the whole world to a general level -—“‘a time of trouble such as was not since there was a nation.”—Dan, 12:1, This trouble is coming as the direct result of the blessings of our day, the increased enlightenment which we enjoy, and which selfishness does not permit to take its proper course and to bring proportional blessings for the world as a whole; but, rather, attempts to corral and to apportion merely to the great, the wise, the efficient, allowing the burdens of life to fall with disproportionate weight upon the masses until the groaning creation shall not only cry out in despair but will also arise in despair bringing in the anarchy and disarrangement foretold—the fire of God’s jealousy which shall consume the whole earth (society in general in its every department). After this symbolical fire shall have consumed present institutions, on their ruins shall arise the triumphant kingdom of God so long foretold—the same for which the Master himself taught us to pray “Thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is done in heaven.” The Prophet as we have seen declares that then the Lord will turn unto the people, “a pure language’’—literally a pure word. In the past and at present the people as a whole have been unable to discern the pure Word of God. They have heard various creeds and theories more or less reasonable and the effect of so many “voices” has been to them as a Babel in which they were unable to discern the voice of God. But when the promised day shall have come and present institutions, religious as well as secular, shall have succumbed to the fierce burning wrath of the people with all of its attendant miseries and injustices the mists and fogs of prejudice and superstition will clear away and the bright orb of truth will shine forth to give mankind a clearer and a better comprehension, not only of the divine character and the divine plan, but of the rights of men, and of the proper course of action and dealing one with another. The results will be blessed, however awful will be the cup of divine wrath which the world will have drunk to its dregs previously; figuratively called “the fire of God’s jealousy.” Altho, as thus seen, the fire of God's jealousy will burn itself out quickly in the close of this age, other Scriptures give us to understand that it will not entirely cease until the close of the Millennial age—that it will burn against everything that is contrary to the pure, the good, the true, the right. the just. Evil of every kind shall be burned up root and branch. so that ultimately “all the proud, yea, all that do wickedly, shall [figurativelv] be as stubble and as ashes under the feet.” in full subjection to the righteous, who, shalJl then have been brought into full accord with the Lord and have his blessing unto eternal life. THE REAL OBJECT OF OUR LORD’S RETURN If the real object of our Lord’s return could be clearly understood by all of his true people, unquestionably every sincere Christian would be longing and waiting for that event, as the glorious realization of their best hopes and desires, the one without which all others would be valueless, meaningless. The second coming of our Lord is closely related to the first advent as respects the divine plan of salvation. The entrance of sin into our world six thousand years ago (commonly called “original sin”) brought to us as a race mental, (83-84)
Folosim fișiere de tip cookie pentru a vă oferi o experienţă mai bună online și pentru a îmbunătăți acest site. Continuând să utilizați acest site, vă dați consimțământul asupra utilizării cookie-urilor. Dacă doriți mai multe informații sau nu acceptați folosirea acestor fișiere când utilizați site-ul nostru, vă rugăm să accesați paginile Politica de ConfidențialitateCondiții de utilizare.