Suppose the "Age to come" theory true, and that a few of the nations are left after the great destruction, and a probationary time should be given to those nations after the Lord comes, what possible benefit can it be to those who neglect to keep the commandments of God and obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, in this present age? We believe it best to attend to the "Present Truth," in the present age, and let the age to come, take care of itself.
If there should be any such age of probation during a thousand years in which there should be a gospel ministry, a temple and sacrifices of beasts offered, the feast of tabernacles kept, mortals and immortals mingling together on earth during this length of time, we can say we would raise no objections to such an age to come if it was God's revealed plan. But then, we conclude that we will wait until we get there before we have anything to do with it if there should be anything for us to do.
But we are in serious doubt of any such "Age to come" as some are fondly looking for, for the following reasons:—
1. Because there is nothing but inferential proof, that there will be probation, and consequently salvation for any after Christ comes; when there is much plain proof to the contrary. Those places which speak of the few left of the nations, say nothing, as we can see, of their being preached to, seeking mercy and finding it; nothing of that kind; but it appears like this: rocks and mountains fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb.
Prov. i, 28. Then shall they call upon me but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me. The reason is clear. Rev. xxii, 11, 12. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still. Behold I come quickly, &c. If probation ends just before Christ comes, how can any one believe it will extend after he comes? Luke xx, 34-36. The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage; but they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage; neither can they die any more; for they are equal unto the angels and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection. This shows that those who obtain that world, can die no more, therefore are immortal; so this puts an end to probation in the Age to come.
2. The thousand years' "Age to come" probation, is mostly built upon an inference drawn from Rev. xx, 2, 3, where the devil and satan is to be bound a thousand years, in the bottomless pit that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled.
The inference is, if satan is bound, there must be nations on earth during the thousand years that he might deceive; when the fact is, the earth is the bottomless pit, out of which the nations will be destroyed which binds the devil; for he will have no nations to deceive during the 1000 years. For the devil will be cast out into the earth and his angels with him. Rev. xii, 9; Dan. vii, 2, 3; Rev. xiii, 1; xvii, 7, 8; xx, 3. The beast of seven heads and ten horns rose up out of the sea, or bottomless pit. (Great Abyss.) That is, governments coming up out of the nations. So when the nations are all destroyed from the earth, the bottomless pit, or this dark world, and the devil is then confined by the angel to this earth a thousand years, he then cannot deceive the nations any more, till the thousand years shall be fulfilled; and after that he must be loosed a little season, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are (then raised from the dead: the wicked) in the four quarters of the earth. After the beloved city has come down from heaven upon the earth, then will the wicked be devoured by fire which will be the second death. That we are not mistaken in our view of this subject, see Matt. xxiv, 37. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came and took them all away, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Luke xvii, 28-30. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
Question. After Christ comes and takes them all away and destroys them all, as in the days of Noah and Lot, how many probationers think you can be left during the thousand years?
3. In the destruction of the world by the flood, and Sodom by fire, there were eight saved in one instance, and three in the other. Isa. xxiv, 1, 3, 5, 6. Behold the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. The land shall be utterly (completely) emptied, and utterly spoiled; for the Lord hath spoken this word. The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant; therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate; therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned and few men left. These few men left we consider to be the saints, when the land will be utterly or completely emptied of its inhabitants. But where are the probationers? 2 Esdras xvi, 22, 24, 32. For many of them that dwell upon earth shall perish of famine; and the other that escape the hunger, shall the sword destroy; there shall be no man left to till the earth, and sow it; and the earth shall be laid waste, and the fields thereof shall wax old, and her ways and all the paths shall grow full of thorns; because no man shall travel therethrough. Jer. xxv, 20-33; xxx, 7, 11, 24; Zeph. i, 2, 3, 14, 18; iii, 4, 6; Matt. xiii, 39, 40. The harvest is the end of the world, (or age.) As therefore the tares (the wicked) are gathered and burned in the fire, so shall it be in the end of this world. All things that offend, and them that do iniquity shall be burned. This does not look much like probation.
We now see the great mistake that many are in, in respect to the literal return of the Jews to build up their city and cultivate that land. Also the false theory of the Age to come (so called) in applying texts to this earth, which belong to the new earth; and in the application of conditional texts as if unconditional.