p. 124 | SCOFFERS by R. F. C.

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Sep 2, 1858

SCOFFERS.

By R. F. C.

KNOWING this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. 2 Pet. iii, 3, 4.

This scripture is now having its fulfillment, as may be seen by the following paragraph, clipped from the Buffalo Christian Advocate.

"MILLERISM REVIVED.—Some of the leading Second Adventists have again set a period for the destruction of the world—professing to have discovered the errors of their former calculations, and to have finally ascertained the exact truth. They regard the recent financial depression and the prevailing religious excitement as among the signs of the last days. By the next arrival from Europe they expect to hear of the destruction of the city of Rome, and this will portend the conflagration of the world next Summer. But the Summer will come and go, and Winters, and years, and ages, and the work of God will go on, sinners will be converted to God in glorious revivals of religion, followed by decline, and Second Adventists will prophesy the end of the world at hand, as they have done for thousands of years past, and successive generations will be born and prepared for heaven, while the earth rolls on in her orbit just as quietly as if her destruction were not so frequently foretold.—Observer."

It is true that there have been individuals, professing the Advent faith, who have been engaged in setting a great number of times for Christ's coming and the end of the world, from 1844 down to the present year. Such are justly exposed to censure; their folly is manifest to all. But I would gladly be informed, if any one can tell, who the "leading Second Adventists" are, that are preaching definite time, since the present "financial depression." Perhaps the observer was not so well informed as he should have been, when he made the statement. It is true that an individual in Philadelphia published a book, fixing the time for the first resurrection in April 1858. And yet the Summer has come and almost gone, and honest souls still have time to hear and heed the Third Angel's Message, and scoffers to mock on.

It was the purpose of the Most High that the second coming of Christ should be preached in the last days. The persons scoffed at must be contradicting the desires of the scoffers, by preaching the coming of the Lord; else they never would think of raising the question, Where is the promise of his coming?

These scoffers walk according to their own desires. From this we may reasonably infer that they are of a class that profess to be walking after the Spirit, and not fulfilling the desires of the flesh. They are professors of religion. They profess to love Christ, but they do not desire his coming; they love him a great way off. They desire that he will not come at present; and so they walk and talk according to their own desire. They give no reason from scripture why the advent is ages in the future; because they cannot. But they desire that "the Summer will come and go, and Winters, and years, and ages." They desire that sinners may be converted to their creeds in "glorious revivals of religion, followed by decline," and this is all the reason they can give that it will be so. Their motto is, "All things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation," and this is their proof that all things will continue the same for ages to come. "Millerism" itself is nothing new. "Second Adventists" have prophesied "the end of the world" "for thousands of years past," and it never has come, therefore it never can come. Thousands of years in the past! who were Second Adventists so long ago? I recollect. There was "Enoch, the seventh from Adam," who prophesied saying, "Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgment upon all." But this prophecy has never come to pass, and let each successive generation, professing christianity, have their own desires, and it never will.

This very state of things proves that we are in the "last days," according to the text. In former days christians prayed with a sincere heart, Thy kingdom come, even so come, Lord Jesus. But though this prayer may now be uttered by the lips, yet but very few put up this petition from the heart. They do not desire it; if they did, they would learn from the Word and its fulfillment, that the day is at hand. This they willingly are ignorant of. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, to such. Their unbelief will not defer it. While they shall say, Peace and safety—that "successive generations will be born and prepared for heaven, while the earth rolls on in her orbit just as quietly"—then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape.

But to the faithful it will not be so. "Ye brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief." The faithful will be expecting that day when it comes, and consequently will not be taken by surprise. Isaiah, one of the ancient "Second Adventists," prophesied that it should be said in that day, "Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us; this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation." None but believers in the advent at hand can say thus in truth in that day. That servant, to whom the Lord shall come "in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of," will be cut asunder, and have his portion with the hypocrites. Then let every soul that desires salvation, learn a parable of the fig-tree, and know that the Lord's coming is near, even at the doors.