An Age-to-Come Fallacy by J. H. WAGGONER

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Jan 4, 1877

An Age-to-Come Fallacy.

By J. H. WAGGONER

ONE of the ablest advocates of the Age-to-Come, discovered an argument for that doctrine in Dan. 7: 27. “And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High.”

The argument is this: The preposition of is possessive, and the people of the saints, are the people belonging to or possessed by the saints, and of course there are people in the coming kingdom distinct from the saints of the Most High. Over these the saints are said to rule, as kings and priests.

In this there is a double fallacy, as may be easily shown:—

1. To this people, said to be distinct from the saints, shall be given the kingdom and the dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole Heaven. Hence these are the ruling people instead of a serving people.

2. The use of the preposition by no means warrants the conclusion as stated. “The people of the saints” refers to the saints themselves, as the members of the church compose the church itself, and are by no means distinct from the church. In the expression, “The members of my body,” both a possessive preposition and a possessive pronoun are used, and yet those same members compose my body and are by no means distinct from my body.

The theory of the Age-to-Come is only upheld by a series of fallacies, some of them, specious, but only fallacies; the system itself is a fallacy, a gross delusion. Not a single valid reason can be given in favor of the doctrine of probation after the Lord’s coming, or after he leaves his Father’s throne in Heaven as a priest. It must then be said, “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Rev. 22: 11, 12.

The third angel’s message of Rev. 14: 9–12, is the last message given just preceding the appearing of the Son of man to reap the harvest of the earth, and that threatens the wrath of God “without mixture,” because no mercy can possibly be offered to man after Jesus leaves his priestly office. It is, then, not only a delusion, but a fatal delusion, to turn away from the message of “present truth” to the fallacy of future probation.

The warning of impending destruction is now being given, and they who turn away from it will die in their iniquity. Eze. 3: 18, 19.

J. H. WAGGONER,

Visalia, Cal., Dec. 25, 1876.