THE DUTY OF WATCHING by C. P. B.

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Apr 8, 1889

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 15, No. 14.

THE DUTY OF WATCHING.

By C. P. B.

WHEN the subject of the second advent is presented, and the duty of watching for the coming of Christ is urged, some seek to excuse themselves from giving heed to it, saying that it is no more a duty, or no more important, now than it has been ever since the days of the apostles. But that this is an error has already been shown in our examination of the prophecies of Daniel. And not only so, but it is contrary to the general trend of the teaching of both the Old and New Testaments.

The second coming of Christ is not presented in the Scriptures as a vague something about which nothing is revealed, and which might have taken place at any time in the last eighteen hundred years. On the contrary, it is presented by Inspiration as a most stupendous, awful, glorious, well-defined, and clearly-revealed event which will follow closely the complete fulfillment of certain prophecies which will be well understood by the people of God living in the last days. That this is so is universally recognized by the inspired writers. 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.

The apostle had evidently preached to the Thessalonians from the time prophecies of Daniel. He had shown them how Christ came in exact fulfillment of the prophecy of the 2,300 days, how he was anointed in fulfillment of that prophecy at the end of the sixty-nine weeks, and how he was crucified in the midst of the seventieth week. He also told them of the "man of sin," the Papacy, and of the long period of persecution which we now know ended in 1798. He understood the prophecy, and taught that it would be understood by those who should be alive in the last days. The same is true of other inspired writers. 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. On the other hand, however, now that it does apply, as is abundantly shown by the Scriptures, it is the duty of God's watchmen to sound the alarm, and it is not less the duty of his people to heed the warning.

As we have seen, 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.