p. 291 | Not Always a Duty by C. P. Bollman

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · May 20, 1886

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 12, No. 19.

Not Always a Duty.

By C. P. Bollman

WHEN the subject of the second advent is presented, and the duty of watching for the coming of the Lord is urged, some excuse themselves from giving heed, by saying that it has always been the duty of Christians to look for the second coming of Christ; and that it is no more important now than it has ever been since the days of the apostles. But that this is an error will appear from an examination of a few texts of Scripture.

In his first epistle to the Thessalonians the apostle Paul speaks thus of the coming of the Lord:—

“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” “But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.” 1 Thess. 4: 16–18; 5: 1–4.

In this scripture the apostle plainly teaches that when the day of the Lord comes some will be overtaken as by a thief; but he adds, “Ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.” But why will they not be thus overtaken? Evidently because they are watching—expecting the return of their Lord. “Yes,” you say, “that is just what I thought; the brethren are Christians; and as Christians are always watching, as a matter of course they will not be overtaken as by a thief.” But have Christians always been watching for the second coming of Christ? Let us see what the apostle says about it in his second letter to the Thessalonian brethren. It seems that some, taking advantage of the expression in Paul’s first letter, “Then we which are alive and remain,” etc., had taught and written, in his name, that the Lord was to come in their day; but the apostle did not wish to be so represented, for he had taught no such doctrine, as appears from the following text:—

“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means; for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?” 2 Thess. 2: 1–5.

Here the apostle plainly told them that they could not look for the coming of the Lord in their day, for there must come a falling away first, and the “man of sin” must be revealed; and, he adds, almost reproachfully, “Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?”

By the “man of sin” the apostle means the Papacy (see any Protestant commentator), which was not fully established till A. D. 538; so it was clearly not the duty of any Christian to look for the second coming of Christ prior to that date. Indeed, Paul warned the church against it.

It will be noticed, however, that not only was the man of sin to be revealed, but he was to sit in the temple of God, showing himself to be God; and, according to Dan. 7: 25, this blasphemous power was to hold sway for “a time and times and the dividing of time”—1260 years (cf. Rev. 12: 6, 14; 13: 5), which, added to 538, brings us down to A. D. 1798, prior to which date no one could scripturally look for or expect the coming of the Lord. Therefore all scriptures which enjoin the duty of watching for the second coming of Christ must apply this side of A. D. 1798, or at least this side of the 1260 years of Papal supremacy.

That this view is correct appears also from other texts. In Joel 2: 1, 15–17 we read:—

“Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain; let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand.” “Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly; gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts; let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them; wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?”

This is a prophetic commandment which must be fulfilled or else the scripture fails. But this alarm could not go forth in the days of the apostles, for Paul said that the day of the Lord was not then at hand; this message then could not go forth till after the events had taken place of which the apostle wrote; and, as already seen, those events bring us down this side of 1798; therefore, Joel 2: 1, 15–17 could not apply earlier than the present century; and until such time as that scripture did apply it was not a Christian duty to look for the second coming of Christ, nor to regard it as an event near at hand.

But the apostle’s prohibition has expired; the “man of sin” has been revealed and has sat in the temple of God “showing himself that he is God,” the long, dark night of Papal persecution is in the past; and for years the solemn message has been sounding forth, “Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand.” Shall we not, in view of these things, heed the admonition of the prophet:—

“Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired, before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you, before the day of the Lord’s anger come upon you. Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness; it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger.” Zeph. 2: 1–3.