The Hope of Salvation by G. V. Kilgore

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 29, 1877

The Hope of Salvation.

By G. V. Kilgore

BY G. V. KILGORE.

This hope has been the encouragement of all the people of God since the world began. It encouraged the ancients, when they were persecuted by wicked rulers, to stand firm for the Lord. When Daniel was threatened to be cast into the lion’s den for praying to the God of this salvation, this hope was more precious to him than the unchangeable laws of the Medes and Persians. It kept him on his guard, and he ceased not to do his duty. When the other Hebrews, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, were commanded to violate the second commandment, they also trusted in the God of salvation; and thus they were shielded from sinning. By that, also, they proved that this hope is not a vain hope; for, because they trusted in God, he delivered them from being burned in the fire, into which they were cast because they would not bow to an image. This hope filled the hearts of the patriarchs and prophets of old, so that they were willing to endure all the afflictions and trials that Paul names in the eleventh of Hebrews. They all believed that God would turn their troubles into joy. But they looked not for this to be done in this present world, but at the appearing of Jesus. Paul, in Titus, tells how all men should live who look for this blessed hope. And here he connects this hope with “the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.”

All the people of God, in Bible times at least, looked forward to this glorious appearing of Christ with the hope of receiving eternal salvation at that time. They did not expect to receive it before that day. They knew they would have to lie down and rest together in the dust until that time. Job 17:13–16; 14:12–15. And they knew that during this resting time, they would be unconscious, and could not praise the Lord. Ps. 6:5; 115:17. But with this knowledge they did not lose faith in God. They were satisfied with the plan of salvation just as the Lord devised it. David said, “I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness.” Job was willing to lie down and wait in the grave, for said he, “I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth; and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God” (after I shall awake, &c., margin).

This shows when these men were looking for salvation—at the resurrection, which is to take place at the appearing of Christ. 1 Thess. 4:16, 17. There is where their hope lay. This resurrection was Paul’s hope, and the hope of all the apostles. Acts 26:6–8. But we to-day hope not only for the resurrection, but many of us hope to rejoice in the salvation of our God without seeing death. And this is not a vain hope with many of the true believers of this generation; for there is abundance of proof that we live immediately prior to the coming of that salvation, and the word of the Lord declares that there will be a company that will be alive when it comes, and that this company will rejoice to see their Lord bringing them salvation. 1 Thess. 4:15; Isa. 25:9. Taking the words of Christ as evidence, it is certain that we live in the time when this company should be upon the earth alive, preparing to meet their Lord, preparing to stand in his presence, unspotted by sin. Like Enoch and Elijah of old, they must stand ready for translation.

Have we reached such a time as this? Can we reasonably hope for salvation in this manner? Hear some of the evidence: “For there shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” These are words of Christ. To what time is he referring? Certainly, not merely to the destruction of Jerusalem, as Universalists believe; for that alone was not the greatest tribulation the world has ever seen, or will see. The flood was greater. And the indignation that God has determined upon all nations (Jer. 25) will be far greater. But the tribulation of which Christ speaks was greater than any other that ever had been or would be. When can we look for such a trouble? The next verse will tell: “And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.” This explains to us what tribulation Christ meant. It was the one upon the elect (God’s chosen people) that was greater than any before, or any that should be after it.

Where was such a tribulation? God has provided us with the means of knowledge on this point. Long ago he described all the leading, persecuting powers of the earth that should come. He did this through the prophets Daniel and John. He said there should be four main divisions of these powers,—Babylon, Persia, Grecia, and Rome. Now, we, to-day, live after the working of all these powers. The strength of the last one is broken. Our inquiry now is, Which one of these persecuted the people of God the most? which caused the greatest tribulation? Whichever did, inflicted that tribulation of which Christ speaks in these verses before us. Well, everybody that knows anything about this knows that Rome did this very thing. It destroyed wonderfully the mighty and holy people. Dan. 8:24. It was ruling when Christ spoke the words before quoted. But then its most bloody career had not commenced.

About sixty years after this, John was banished by this power to Patmos, and there he beheld, in vision, the worst form of this wicked power. Listen to his description of it: “And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.” John was then under pagan Rome, the power that destroyed Jerusalem, and he seemed not to wonder that such a heathen power should persecute the followers of Jesus; but when he beheld that woman (papal Rome, the same power, only that it now professed Christianity) drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the martyrs of Jesus, he says, “I wondered with great admiration.” This, then, must be the power that inflicted that “great tribulation.” When did it exist? It began to work in Paul’s day; 2 Thess. 2:7; but its most horrid persecutions were not seen until long after John was on Patmos. And he was not there till twenty years after Jerusalem was destroyed. This proves clearly that Christ did not mean the Jews’ tribulation at Jerusalem, but the tribulation of the people of God under papal Rome.

This was shortened just as Christ said it should be. Had it not been, papal Rome would not have let a single man or woman live, who obeyed God rather than the pope. But God brought about things to shorten the tribulation. This was accomplished by the reformation of the sixteenth century. The influence of that reformation spread so far over the dominion of papal Rome that it put a stop to the persecutions about 1776. And Christ, in answer to, “What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” said, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heaven shall be shaken; and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven,” &c.

The papal persecutions continued up to within four or five years of 1780. And in that year the sun was supernaturally darkened, thus clearly giving to the world the first great sign of the end. The moon was darkened at the same time, and the stars fell in 1833, only about forty-three years ago. Christ says we are to know that he is near, even at the door, when we see these things come to pass. He even said that those who should see them begin to come to pass, might look up, for their redemption would then be drawing nigh. Luke 21:28. If redemption was drawing nigh a hundred years ago, is it not very near to-day? It is. The generation that saw the last sign are still alive to-day. They are the first that ever lived who could see that all the signs had come. And to them Christ says, “Verily, I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.”

Now, I say we have reached the time for that company to be upon the earth, who are to be “alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord,” and who are to be caught up together with the resurrected saints to meet the Lord in the air. 1 Thess. 4:15–17. Therefore, we may hope for salvation without seeing death. But judging from past examples of translations, and from what the Bible says to this company, we understand that thorough work must be done by us in cleansing ourselves from sin. Enoch walked with God. He pleased God in his ways. Heb. 11:5. Elijah had so much of the Spirit of God that he could call down fire to prove that his God was the God of creation. 1 Kings 18. These men were holy; and we who are saved when Christ declares that eternal decree (Rev. 22:11) must also be holy, or righteous, or else we shall lose everlasting life. Speaking to the brethren who are not to be overtaken by the day of the Lord as by a thief, Paul says: “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thess. 5:23.

Blameless! Can any one live that way? There must be a way in which this can be done, or Paul prayed for something that is impossible. But he certainly knew better than to pray for impossibilities. He distinctly tells us that the carnal mind cannot obey God; but, “to be carnally-minded is death,” he says. Rom. 8:6, 7.

Death is not what we want. We want life, everlasting life. But those who live to see Christ come and save them, must become blameless. They must, then, have some kind of a mind that can obey God. If we follow Paul’s directions, in the chapter in which he prays for us to be blameless, we will most surely obtain such a mind. He says, “But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet the hope of salvation.” “Pray without ceasing.” “Abstain from all appearance of evil.” In the last part of the previous chapter, he speaks plainly of that company that shall be alive when Christ comes; and in this he is very earnest, and urges us to prepare fully to meet Christ. He tells us how to do this in the words just quoted, and in all the chapter.

The hope of salvation he would have us put on for an helmet, or for a defense—a defense against sin. And that is just what will indeed help us. Every time we are tempted, let the hope of soon receiving salvation come into our minds, and it will be a great shield against sin. We may have this hope kept in our minds by the grace of God if we follow Paul’s admonitions. For this hope the twelve tribes of all Israel instantly served God. Acts 26:7. If they, so long before they could possibly see salvation, instantly served God, we, who expect soon to see it, certainly ought also to serve God instantly. We must do it, or we never can become blameless. Let us not deceive ourselves. Let us make thorough work.