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BEFORE OF OLD ORDAINED TO THIS CONDEMNATION

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Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Sep 14, 1869

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 34, No. 12.

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“BEFORE OF OLD ORDAINED TO THIS CONDEMNATION.”

“For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.”
“And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.” Jude 4, 14–16. These texts are worthy of careful study. They mutually explain one another. Men who love sin desire to fasten upon God the responsibility for its existence. They catch at the expression, “before of old ordained to this condemnation,” as though God, by a decree, had appointed certain men to do the wicked work here named. Yet this is the height of folly. The sense appears to be exactly this:
  1. God did of old foresee that this class of wicked men would exist in the last days, and, under disguise, creep in among his people.
  2. He announced, as far back as Enoch, the seventh from Adam, their awful condemnation which they should meet in the Judgment.
  3. It is thus only that God ordained these men of old to condemnation. He did not ordain them to wickedness. He solemnly forbade that; but as he foresaw that this class would exist, he appointed their awful doom, and made public announcement through Enoch of what it would be, and when it would be inflicted. He forbids all men from belonging to this ungodly class. None need belong to it; but those who do, will find that their judgment appointed of old, now of a long time, lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.