REMARKS

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 3, 1872

From the foregoing article it appears, as it has also from many previous articles, that the greatest objection Bro. G. can find to our application of those texts that speak of the coming of Christ, the day of the Lord, &c., is that these events must have transpired in that generation because they are spoken of by the apostles as then near and at the door. We have already sufficiently shown how the attempt to govern certain texts by such a principle of interpretation destroys the harmony of the Scriptures, arrays text against text, and Bible against facts, and exposes the word of God to the scoffs and scorn of unbelievers.

There were certain prophecies given in the Old Testament, the fulfillment of which is recorded in the New. Respecting these there is no room for controversy with those who believe the Bible. But let us see how Bro. G., on his principle of interpretation, would have applied them. Isa. 9: 6: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.” This and the following verses show that this prophecy refers to Christ as he was born in Judea, seven hundred years afterward. But Bro. G. would have said No, the prophet uses the present tense; therefore the child was born when Isaiah wrote. We see how far from the mark his principle of interpretation would have led him in this case. It leads him equally astray in his interpretation of New Testament prophecies.

Again, Jer. 31: 15: “Thus saith the Lord; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping; Rachel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not.” When the mothers in Israel were bewailing their children whom Herod slew when he sought to destroy the infant Saviour, Matthew says this prophecy was fulfilled. Matt. 2: 17, 18: “Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, In Rama there was a voice heard,” &c. No one can object to this application on account of the tense used; for the Spirit of God gives us the interpretation. But Bro. G. would have said, “Nothing can be plainer than that this weeping and lamenting was all in the past when Jeremiah wrote, because he uses the past tense, ‘A voice was heard.’” Besides, it was Rachel who wept, and she died over eleven hundred years before these words were written. But although the past tense is used, we see from Matthew that the prophecy applied to a time over six hundred years in the future.

In Ps. 16: 10, David says, “For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell.” In Acts 2: 25–28, Peter says that David spoke these words concerning Christ, and on them he bases an argument to prove Christ’s resurrection. Bro. G. would have said, David referred to himself, because he said, “My soul.” It is equally erroneous to say that the apostles referred to themselves and their own generation, because they use the terms “we” and “our” when they speak of the coming of Christ, or call it near at hand relatively to other events which are elsewhere plainly predicted to take place in the last days. Thus Paul, in 1 Cor. 15: 51, says, “We shall not all sleep; but we shall all be changed at the last trump.” By sleep, he means death, according to verse 6. What he says, then, is simply this, that we shall not all die, but be changed at the last trump. By “we,” does he mean himself and his cotemporary Christians, according to Bro. G.’s rule? If so, we ask, Have his words proved true? Did any of that generation escape death? We know they did not. Then Paul does not refer to them. He refers to the whole line of Christians from his day to the end, the last generation of whom are not to die, but be translated to meet their Lord. Paul says this change takes place when the dead are raised; and in 1 Thess. 4: 16, he connects this event with the coming of the Lord; and then says that “we which are alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” In verse 15 it is, “we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord.” Interpret this in accordance with the view that the coming of the Lord is death, and see what nonsense it makes of the apostle’s language. “We which are alive and remain unto death shall not prevent [this word here means to go before] them which are dead.” That is, we which live till we die shall not go before them which are already dead! “For the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God,” that is, we shall die, “and the dead in Christ shall rise first”—first, before what? This rising is said to take place immediately at death, but yet they rise first, before some other event. What is it? On this view such language is nonsense. “Then we,” continues Paul, “which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them,” that is, these raised ones. But we are to die, or if by we the apostle meant himself and brethren, they were to die, yet they were to be caught up “together with” those who had died and were raised. Were all who had died before the apostles held somewhere in waiting till the apostles died to be caught up with them? Shall we accuse Paul of teaching this? No; such inconsistencies belong to man-made theories, but never to the Bible.

An attempt is made to explain the language of 2 Thess. 1: 7, 8 by referring to the poetic and figurative language of some portions of the Old Testament. This is altogether illogical. No one can show that 2 Thess. 1 is either poetry or figurative language, but a statement of literal facts in plain prose, that “the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God.” There is nothing in death to suggest, or answer to, such language.

1 Thess. 5: 4: “But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.” This is applied to death. But is not the Christian just as much in darkness respecting the approach or manner of his death as any one? Does it come on the wicked as a thief, any more than upon the righteous? We need no more than ask such a question. With all due respect to those who hold the view, nothing can equal the absurdity of applying the coming of Christ, the day of the Lord, the last day, &c., to death.

We prefer to follow the disciples on this question, who instead of believing that death was the coming of the Lord, believed that if a person remained till the Lord came, he would not die at all. On a certain occasion the Lord said of one of his disciples, “If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee;” and the saying went immediately abroad that that disciple should not die. John 21: 21–23.

Adventists “have found themselves in error especially as regards the time of Christ’s advent,” Seventh-day Adventists set no time for the advent; how then can they find themselves in error in this respect? We believe we have reached the time to which the declaration applies that Christ is at the door; and all the prophecies, and all the signs of the time bear testimony to this solemn fact.