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THE TIME WILL COME

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The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 11, 1866

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 29, No. 1.

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“THE TIME WILL COME.”

By Roswell Fenner Cottrell

WHAT time will come? A glorious time—a good time—we hear it said. A time when the pure doctrines of the gospel will prevail universally; when not only church-members will come up to the high and holy standard of the religion of Christ, but the unbelieving world will be converted to God. A golden age is coming, when the whole world will submit to the mild sway of Prince Immanuel, and a spiritual reign—a reign of peace and holiness—will prevail throughout all the earth.
That would be glorious indeed; but the question is, will it certainly be realized? Is there a promise that such a state of things will ensue, before the coming of Him who is the resurrection and the life, and before He that sits upon the throne shall make all things new?
The apostle was speaking of the last days of the present age; and he gives us a description widely differing from the view so prevalent at the present time. Instead of affirming that the world would be converted, he says, “The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine.” Who will not endure sound doctrine? Those who wholly deny the doctrines of religion—the non-professors? No; they are those that are extremely religious, as would seem by the abundance of their teachers. Says the apostle, “They shall heap to themselves teachers.” Their ears itch to hear teaching. What kind of teaching? Fables. Such as that all men are to be converted, peace and safety are in the future, and a good time is coming—the golden age of the world. The words of the apostle are certainly being fulfilled. There are a multitude of teachers, and they are teachers of fables. And this doctrine of the world’s conversion is not the least. While Paul says, “In the last days perilous times shall come,” They say that in the last days glorious times shall come. But they agree with the apostle in one point, at least. He foretells the preaching of fables; they are preaching them. The apostle tells us they will “say peace and safety;” they are saying it. The apostle assures us that swift destruction will follow. This of course they deny. They still cry peace. To admit the approach of swift destruction would spoil their song of peace.
R. F. COTTRELL.