CLASHING VOICES CONCERNING THE COMING OF THE LORD.
By W. N. Glenn
At the weekly meeting of the Methodist Preachers' Association, held in San Francisco on the 5th ult., the subject under discussion was the “Second Coming of Christ.” Rev. R. E. Wenk, who presented the paper which led the discussion, is reported to have said:— The fact being settled that he will come, we are brought at once to the oft-repeated question, When will he come? There is great danger in prophetic interpretation. Prophecy is a most inviting field of study, but no man dares be dogmatic in advance, as to the meaning of prophecy. Christ did come as king; he did sit upon the throne of David, and yet not according to expectation. Scripture outlines, however, three distinct conditions that must be accomplished; there is no mistaking them, and until they have been fulfilled I do not believe that we can hope for the reappearance of the Lord on earth. Although the paper was entitled “The Scriptural View of Christ's Second Coming,” it would be a very difficult task to prove that “Christ did come as a king,” and that “he did sit upon the throne of David.” Any assumed proof of such an assertion must come far short, in face of the fact that he positively declined to be made a king (John 6:15), declared that his kingdom was not of this world (chapter 18:36), and “went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return” (Luke 19:12). The taking of the throne of David is not a temporary arrangement, for “the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David; and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” Luke 1:32, 33. But the utter ignoring of the Scripture testimony on the subject was left to Rev. F. D. Bovard, who is reported as follows:— I believe that we should no longer preach concerning the spectacular glories of the coming of the Lord, which, in my opinion, has been done far too often and unwisely. I do not believe in holding to the old idea of the literal appearance of Christ, coming upon a great white throne, signaled by the blowing of trumpets and the heralding of angels, and at which time all the dead shall rise from their graves. The kingdom of God has come; it is here now; the Gospel has been preached to the heathen, and at this very time we are experiencing the millennium. No, the doctrine is an erroneous one, and7when I enter heaven I expect to go in just as though I were taking off my coat to enter another room from this one. In the record of our Lord's ascension into heaven, as told in the first chapter of Acts, it is said that “while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” And this is in direct harmony with what Christ himself had told them in regard to his coming. After giving them certain signs that should precede that event, he added, “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” Matt. 24:30. “As the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Verse 27. Again, if “the kingdom of God has come,” if “it is here now,” if “at this very time we are experiencing the millennium,” what means the wonderful increase of crime of every grade? what means the annual increase in the consumption of intoxicating liquors, of tobacco, opium, morphine, and other death-dealing poisons? What means the growing skepticism in regard to the plain word of God, both in and out of the churches? Rev. W. S. Matthews, however, decidedly dissented from the unscriptural views of Mr. Bovard. He “responded very warmly,” says the report, which quotes him, in part, as follows:— I can not agree with my esteemed brother. The teaching of the Scripture is explicit upon the point to which he takes exception. The old and long-revered doctrine, so dear to the Christian, has lost none of its truth or force. The trumpets shall sound; the dead shall be raised from their graves. Christ will come in person and in glory, and, with other Christians, I shall see him, whether my brother on the right does or not. Thus we see the divided opinion of ministers of the same denomination in regard to this very important subject,—a subject concerning which our Saviour warns us to “take heed that no man deceive you,” concerning which he says “many false prophets shall arise, and shall deceive many.” Where the testimony of ministers is so at variance, is it not clear that some are deceived? Being teachers in Israel, is it not clear that the deceived ones are deceiving others? “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.” 1 Tim. 4:1. But how shall the common people know the truth when the preachers so disagree?—The Lord has given us an infallible rule: “To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” Isa. 8:20. And Paul commended the Bereans because, when he preached to them, they “searched the Scriptures daily, whether these things were so.” Acts 17:11. In a matter of so great importance that the Lord gives repeated warnings lest we be deceived in regard to it, it is surely worth while for every one to know for himself what the Spirit of God teaches.