Pre-Millennial Advent: Canons of Interpretation by Charles Beecher

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Feb 3, 1874

Pre-Millennial Advent: Canons of Interpretation

By Charles Beecher

PRE-MILLENNIAL ADVENT.—No. 4.

I have in a previous number stated the necessary canons of interpretation by which to avoid the doctrine of the pre-millennial second advent.

1. All passages in which either the advent, resurrection, Judgment, or conflagration, stand connected with millennial descriptions, must be spiritualized, BECAUSE THEY UNIFORMLY PLACE THE MILLENNIUM LAST.

2. All passages in which either of these events stand alone, disconnected from any millennial descriptions, ARE TO BE TAKEN LITERALLY, BECAUSE IN THEM THE MILLENNIUM CAN BE ASSUMED TO BE FIRST.

I am now showing that these canons are practically indispensable to those who deny the pre-millennial advent.

A striking illustration of the application of these canons, may be found by comparing the different treatment given to equally plain language.

There is a Coming and a Judgment described in Psalm 50. There is also a Coming and a Judgment described in Psalms 96, 97, 98. Let now the eye glance at the parallel columns which follow, and see which uses the most literal style of description.

Psalm 50.	Psalms 96, 97, 98.
“Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined.”	“His lightnings enlightened the world; the earth saw, and trembled.”
“Our God SHALL COME, and shall not keep silence.”	“Rejoice before the Lord; FOR HE COMETH, FOR HE COMETH TO JUDGE THE EARTH.”
“A fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him.”	“A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about.”
“He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people. Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice. And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself.”	“Clouds and darkness are round about him; righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne.” “The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory.” “Confounded be all they that serve graven images; that boast themselves of idols, worship him, all ye gods.”

Would not any mind which should examine these parallel columns without any theory to maintain, say that the “Coming” and “Judgment” described in the right hand column, is as likely to be literal as that in the left?

And yet, the 50th Psalm I have had presented to me by a clergyman opposing the pre-millennial advent, as an unquestionable prophecy of the Lord’s final coming to judgment, while the 96th, 97th, and 98th, were denied any such meaning.

I had urged upon him the fact that, if consistent, he must eradicate every “promise of his coming” from the Old Testament, and challenged him to produce one. He alleged this 50th.

Now I ask any candid reader to ponder on this a little. Is not the language in the two columns very much alike? Why is the coming and judgment literal in the one, figurative in the other? For no other reason that I can discern than that presented in the CANONS at the head of this article, viz.: The 50th Psalm contains no very distinct allusion to millennial times, but the 96th, 97th, 98th, DO. These latter Psalms, from their whole structure, and from the use made of them by St. Paul, Heb. 1:6, are incontestably pre-millennial, and hence it will not do to understand the Coming and Judgment literally. But the 50th Psalm, containing nothing to

identify the time, it will do to understand the Coming and Judgment literally.

And here I remark another thing to be much pondered. The passages like Psalm 50, which it will do to take literally are few, very few. Indeed I am at a loss to find so good an instance. But the passages like Psalms 96, 97, 98, which it will not do to take literally, are so abundant that I am oppressed with them. The Scripture is verily crowded with the strongest descriptions of “his coming” to Judgment that St. Peter could desire, all of which, owing to some unfortunate millennial item interwoven into the description, we must sprinkle with allegoric narcotine, while a few struggling, sorrowful, forsaken passages, free from any millennial taint, we must baptize with literal fire. Here are some specimens of what it will not do to take literally, as any one may see by examining the context, and noticing the unfortunate millennial connection. Isa. 30; 31; 33, &c.:

“Jehovah shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall show the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, and with scattering, and tempest, and hail-stones.” Like as a “young lion roaring on his prey, . . . so shall Jehovah of hosts COME DOWN to fight for Jerusalem and for the hill thereof—as BIRDS FLYING, so will Jehovah of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also he will deliver it; and PASSING OVER he will preserve it.” “THINE EYES SHALL SEE THE KING IN HIS BEAUTY.” Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Come quickly. —Charles Beecher, in Letter to Henry Ward Beecher.