Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Feb 16, 1860
THE DAY OF THE LORD.
By James Harvey Waggoner
Its Length, Nature, etc.
BY J. H. WAGGONER.
An effort has been made to sustain the Age to Come by first assuming that the day of the Lord is identical with the 1000 years of Rev. xx, and then quoting Zech. xiv to show a series of events transpiring on the earth "in that day," or during the 1000 years. But the Scriptures clearly show that the day of the Lord is longer than 1000 years, commencing before, and terminating after, that period. Peter does not give the length of that day, as has been inferred from 2 Pet. iii. In verses 8, 9, he refers solely to the faithfulness of God, and that his longsuffering withholds the execution of his judgments on the scoffers; yet this is no evidence of slackness, as his promise is as sure 1000 years hence as if fulfilled to-day. With man haste is necessary to the performance of his promise, as his life is but a hand-breadth; but not so with God who is from everlasting to everlasting.
The day of the Lord commences before the advent. It has been shown that the voice of God shakes heaven and earth before the Saviour comes. Pages 25, 26. And Isa. xiii, 13 shows that they are shaken in that day. "Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger." And verses 6, 9. "Howl ye; for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. . . . Behold the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and to destroy the sinners thereof out of it." The great battle is in that day. Eze. xiii, 5; Rev. xvi, 14. It is called the day of the Lord's anger, the day of his wrath, &c.; and as in the seven last plagues "is filled up the wrath of God" [Rev. xv, 1], and the battle of that day occurs under the seventh plague, and the heavens and earth are shaken in that day previous to the advent, it appears that that day commences with the pouring out of the plagues, at the termination of "the day of salvation." We have no more warrant to infer from 2 Pet. iii, that that day is just 1000 years long, than we have to infer that "the day of salvation" is of that length, and that day has already existed nearly two thousand years.
Again, should we admit that the saints reign on the earth during the 1000 years of Rev. xx, 4–6, the earth could not pass away or be melted till after the close of that time, for it is not melted till the judgment is executed on the resurrected wicked. But the wicked are not raised till the thousand years are finished; and Peter says that the heavens and earth which are now, are reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men: and that in the day of the Lord the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements melt with fervent heat. Thus we find that the resurrection of the wicked, the execution of the judgment, and the passing away of the heavens and earth, all take place in the day of the Lord, and after the termination of the 1000 years. Therefore, again, the day of the Lord and the 1000 years of Rev. xx, cannot be identical.
The descriptions of the day of the Lord as given in the Scriptures, and of the Age to Come as given by its exponents, are so different, that the reading of the texts should convince any one of their error. We will here copy a few scriptures on the subject, and would suggest to the reader to substitute the Age to Come for the day of the Lord, in these texts, and the difference between the Age to Come of the Bible, and that of J. Marsh's book will be quickly perceived.
Isa. xiii, 6, 9–13, "Howl ye; for the day of the Lord [Age to Come] is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. Behold the day of the Lord [or Age to Come] cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, TO LAY THE LAND DESOLATE," &c.
Jer. xlvi, 10. "For this is the day of the Lord God of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries; and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood: for the Lord God of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country, by the river Euphrates." See Rev. xvi, 12–21.
Eze. xiii, 4, 5. "O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the desert. Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord." Also to verse 16.
Chap. xxx, 2, 3. "Thus saith the Lord God: Howl ye. Woe worth the day. For the day is near, even the day of the Lord is near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time of the heathen."
Joel i, 15. "Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord [or Age to Come] is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come."
Chap. ii, 1, 2, 11. "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. A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness. . . . And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the Lord [or Age to Come] is great, and VERY TERRIBLE: and WHO CAN ABIDE IT." See verse 31.
Amos v, 18–20. "Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! to what end is it for you? the day of the Lord [Age to Come] is darkness and not light. As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall and a serpent bit him. Shall not the day of the Lord [Age to Come] be darkness and not light; even very dark, and no brightness in it?"
Obad. 15, 16. "For the day of the Lord [Age to Come] is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head. For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall the heathen drink continually; yea, they shall drink, and they shall swallow down, and they shall be as though they had not been."
Zeph. i, 7, 8, 14–18. "Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord God: for the day of the Lord is at hand: for the Lord hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests. And it shall come to pass in the day of the Lord's sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king's children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel. . . . The great day of the Lord is near, it is near and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord; the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day is a day [or age] of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, A DAY of WASTENESS AND DESOLATION, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness. A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord; and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land." Compare Jer. xxv, 15–33. See also Isa. ii, 10–12; xxxiv, 1–10; 1 Thess. v, 2, 3; 2 Pet. iii, 10, 11; Rev. xvi; compare Joel iii, 9–14; Rev. xiv, 14–20; xix, 11–21.
This divine description is as different from the modern theory of that age as wrath is from mercy, and darkness from light. In the Scriptures it is never called, as the present age is, the accepted time, or day of salvation, wherein God calls to repentance, and offers mercy to sinners. This scripture outline should be sufficient to open the eyes of those who are following false applications of prophecy concerning the day of the Lord, or great day of God's wrath, now commonly termed the Age to Come.
THE DAY OF THE LORD IS THE DAY OF JUDGMENT.
On this point we have no controversy with those who teach the Age to Come and future probation. They hold that the saints will judge the world in the future age, and so do we; but we differ with them very much on the nature and circumstances of the judgment. Their view is presented in the following extract from D. P. Hall on "the object of the present dispensation." He says:
"It is to gather out a peculiar people, a select and well-disciplined company to become Christ's associates in dispensing judgment and bestowing mercies upon the nations of earth. . . . The same is presented to the Corinthians by the apostle Paul, when he would shame them for referring their difficulties to an infidel tribunal. 'Do ye not know,' said he, 'that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?' 1 Cor. vi, 2, 3."
There are two points in the passage here quoted which show the fallacy of the view above presented. 1. The saints shall judge angels. We read of certain angels that sinned, that are "reserved unto judgment." 2 Pet. ii, 4. But we have not the remotest idea that they will be on probation98in the Age to Come, or that "bestowing mercies" is a part of the judgment work. We presume all will allow that these are the only angels that the saints will judge. 2. The judgment referred to is distinct from any judgment in matters of "this life;" which would not be the case if they were to dispense judgment and bestow mercies on mortal probationers. "This life" is not peculiar to any dispensation, but expresses the mortal life which all of Adam's posterity enjoy in common. This judgment, then, can only refer to the process by which is determined the punishment of fallen angels and the wicked world, whose period of probation having expired, nothing but the judgment and its final execution awaits them. This view is fully sustained by Jude 6. "And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness, unto the judgment of THE GREAT DAY."
We have said that we have no controversy in regard to the time wherein the saints will judge the world. We all agree that it will be in the future age—the age next subsequent to the present. But we deny that they will sit in judgment on nations then living on probation, or that mercy will be connected with this judgment, any farther than it is recognized in the degrees of punishment. Matt. x, 15; Luke x, 12–14. The Scriptures do not sustain the assumption of our opponents. The expressions quoted from the prophets relative to that day do not admit it. But one question remains to consider, whether the saints remain in heaven during the judgment of that day, or return to earth at its commencement. As it is represented to be "a day of wrath," and never a day of mercy, so it is "a day of wastiness and desolation;" and as the Lord comes with his saints to execute the judgment at the termination of the 1000 years, the conclusion is unavoidable that the saints continue in heaven during the 1000 years, leaving the earth desolate that length of time. And those whom Satan gathers to battle during that period, are not those who have submitted to Christ, and been constituted loyal subjects of his kingdom (as we must conclude from the writers on the Age to Come), but the wicked nations raised from the dead. It has been urged that they are already deceived, and therefore the expression of his deceiving them will not apply; but that is to say that they who have been deceived can be deceived no more! We consider that there is opportunity there for the greatest deception that has ever been practised. Many of them died in the full belief that they were naturally immortal, and as time cannot be counted by the dead, when they awake, and behold the Son of God arranging his glorious kingdom, and the city prepared for the reception of the saints on earth, to them it will appear as if they had but passed the transition which they believed death to be. All of them have denied the word of God on some points, and they may be easily led to think it may fail them; and to believe they may take possession of the "beloved city." How dreadful to think that the deceived will remain deceived, and confident in their opposition to God and his word, till the fires of destruction envelop them! We may imagine their unavailing regrets for their folly and their obstinacy. But he that believeth not the record which God hath given hath made him a liar, which is surely enough to sink any one to perdition. Then will the earth be made new; "the purchased possession" be redeemed; and the saints possess the kingdom "under the whole heaven."
In connection with these positive proofs concerning the day of the Lord we will notice the view of our opponents on Zech. xiv. We do not enter upon an exposition of this chapter, for the reason that we do not sufficiently understand the nature of the antitypical feast of tabernacles. We hold that it is no disparagement to our view that we are not able to fully explain every passage of scripture. It is enough if we give positive testimonies in favor of the doctrine; for the word of the Lord being yea and amen (not yea and nay), we need not fear that an obscure passage will contradict a plain one. Though we may not be able to give a full exposition of every text in the prophecies claimed in support of the doctrine of the millennium, yet we may feel the strongest assurance that they will not contradict the plain declarations we have quoted on that subject. So any number of disputed passages will not unsettle the testimony of the direct proofs we have given concerning the day of the Lord. And it will appear plain that our opponents have no ground for their assumptions on Zech. xiv, by the following points:
(1) We have shown that the day of the Lord is more than 1000 years in length: and the events of verse 4 are evidently at the close of that day, after the 1000 years, and not at the beginning as claimed by our opponents. Their claim being founded on the supposed identity of the day of the Lord and the 1000 years.
(2) At the time referred to, "there shall be no more utter destruction" [verse 11], which shows that there has been an utter destruction in the past. This is contrary to the view of our opponents relative to the Age to Come.
(3) We have shown the fallacy of their views on the re-institution of the types: hence, the feast of tabernacles is antitypical, whereas the arguments of the advocates of the Age to Come are on the supposition that it is the same as the former observance under the Levitical law; and therefore their view is erroneous.
NO PROBATION AFTER THE COMING OF CHRIST.
The proper method of investigating scripture subjects is to first notice the explicit declarations relative to them, and next ascertain what bearing the great leading doctrines of the Bible have on them, and let minor objections be an after consideration. And any objection to be valid must involve a contradiction between the doctrine objected to and plain declarations, or between it and other doctrines settled beyond a doubt. If an objection is based on a particular passage of scripture, and the objector fails to show the sense of that scripture, he does not show that any objection really exists.
When I speak of settling the main points, and removing objections, I do not mean that all must necessarily be convinced; that is altogether too much to expect. Some people will not be convinced of their errors. We have noticed with regret the disposition of some to cling to their construction of some portion of prophecy, which they themselves cannot fully explain, and apply it to favor their views of the Age to Come, regardless of plain texts opposing, or of the bearing of great leading truths on the subject. I have endeavored in the briefest possible manner to show that
1. The clearest and most definite prophecies point to the coming of Christ as the time of the destruction of all his enemies.
2. The prophecies of Daniel and John, given in symbols agreeing with the declarations of the other prophets, clearly show that all the nations of the earth will be "dashed in pieces" at that time.
3. The New Covenant mediation is in the present dispensation, and in the present only; hence its blessings can only be secured by obtaining an interest in them in this dispensation.
4. The Old Covenant did not and could not of itself secure the favor or grace of God to those with whom it was made; and of course their descendants can claim nothing under it.
5. The New Covenant holds out no hope of special blessings to the Jews, but its promises extend to all alike, through faith, and will be fully realized in the new earth.
6. There is no promise of the restoration or re-building of "Jerusalem which now is."
7. The kingly priesthood of Christ is entirely in the present dispensation.
8. The great work of subduing the enemies of Christ, claimed for the Age to Come, will be accomplished before the second advent.
From these and other considerations we conclude there will be no probation after Christ comes.
Besides those who are tenacious of their construction of the prophecies, regardless of the facts and principles which preclude the possibility of such construction being correct, there are others who are honestly striving for the truth, but have also imbibed erroneous views of the prophecies. And as we claim no infallibility for ourselves—nothing but an earnest desire to know the truth—we are liable to be found in this position. We discover that students of the Bible have arrived at far different conclusions on the same subjects, and we are led to conclude that on one side or the other there has been a wrong starting point; wrong premises have been laid; or an unjust process of reasoning adopted. Thus we see the importance of having something by which to test our views and the justness of our conclusions. And if there were no general principles, plain and well-defined, no definite facts or declarations on which we can and must agree, we could scarcely expect to come to the "full assurance of faith," any further than assurance is founded on confidence in our own imperfect judgments. We trust that in these pages our positions have been sustained by declarations of sacred writ, sufficiently plain and clear to satisfy the faithful lovers of God's truth. To silence cavils we do not pretend. God's word itself does not aim at this. He who is infinite in his resources could doubtless have accomplished such a purpose had he designed it, and made every truth as plain and undeniable as the shining of the sun at mid-day; but then faith would have been precluded. God would not have been honored in the belief of a truth so given. So we feel clear before God when we have presented proofs sufficient to convince those who love God and tremble at his word.
The principles that remain to be considered in their relation to each other, and bearing directly on the point in question, are more general than any that have been considered. They are the bases of all revelation, and all the purposes of God towards man; the foundations on which the superstructures of both testaments are erected. These all-controlling principles are
"THE LAW AND THE GOSPEL."
The truths relative to these great fundamental principles are stated in plain terms; and there can be but little chance for an issue in regard to either premise or conclusion. We argue that all the unconverted (all who are not justified by faith) will be cut off at Christ's coming, and the consequent impossibility of subsequent probation from
THE UNIVERSALITY OF THE LAW.
This truth is so easy of demonstration, yes, so evident of itself, that we feel that we have a right to use the words of the apostle to every Bible believer: "We write no other things unto you than what ye read or acknowledge." The universality of the law we urge: (1.) on the acknowledged supremacy of God; and (2.) on the authority of plain declarations99of scripture. To deny it is to deny both the scripture and God's sovereignty.
Rom. iii, 19: "Now we know that whatsoever things the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law; THAT EVERY MOUTH MAY BE STOPPED, AND ALL THE WORLD MAY BECOME GUILTY BEFORE GOD."
God is supreme—"his kingdom ruleth over all;" his law is binding on all, and all are amenable to him as the one "Law-giver." Not only so, but all are transgressors of his law. The scriptures are very plain on this subject, yet it is virtually denied by some to sustain their theories, who assert that the heathen have not now a sufficient opportunity to obtain salvation. And that there is an absolute necessity for a new system of probation under more favorable circumstances to be established in the future, to give them a more reasonable chance for life, and thus to vindicate the justice of God! Monstrous as this appears in the light of God's revealed plan of salvation, I have heard it publicly advanced by a teacher of the Age to Come.
Every one possessed of the Spirit of the gospel must entertain feelings of pity for the heathen, as for all others under the dark and blighting influences of sin. The apostle felt for them, and was willing to lay down his life for the privilege of laying the offer of life before them; but having the mind of Christ, he "knew what was in man," and faithfully described his natural state. See Rom. i, 18–32; iii, 9, 19.
Missionaries, and all who have dwelt in heathen lands, and authentic history, assure us that wickedness of the most abominable kinds, and to an awful extent, prevails and has ever prevailed among the heathen. Of a truth it is said, "The dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty." We are informed by those who have resided among them, that their ignorance of right is not so great as their hatred of right. Those who claim another probation for them attribute their wickedness to their blindness and ignorance; whereas the Scriptures attribute their blindness to their wickedness. Rom. i, 28. "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind." See also verses 22–26; compare Isa. xxix, 15, 14; Rom. xi, 7–10, 20; 2 Thess. ii, 11, 12. Of the very best of the heathen, their sages and philosophers, Melancthon observed, "I admit that there were found in Socrates, Xenocrates, and Zeno, constancy, temperance, chastity. Those shadows of virtue existed in impure minds, and sprang from self-love; and therefore ought they to be regarded not as genuine virtues, but as vices." Of this expression the celebrated historian D'Aubigné says: "This may seem a harsh judgment, but only when Melancthon's meaning is misapprehended. No man felt more disposed than he was to own that the Pagans had virtues worthy of human esteem; but he maintained that great truth, that the supreme law given by God to all his creatures is, that they should love him above all things. Now, should man in doing God's commands, act from love to himself, not from love to God, could God ever approve of his thus daring to substitute himself in the room of his Infinite Majesty? And would there not be vice in an act involving express rebellion against the supreme God?"
It must be confessed that all whose minds have not been renewed by grace through faith (which, of course, includes the heathen), are considered carnally minded. But "the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God." This justifies the sentence that "to be carnally minded is death." To the same intent, and of the same general application are the words of Paul in Gal. v, 19–21. "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft,
hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strifes, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like." These are placed in opposition to the fruits of the Spirit; and as surely as the fruits or graces of the Spirit abound where the Spirit dwells, and the Spirit cannot dwell where these are not, so do those prevail in all flesh, where the flesh with its affections and lusts is not crucified, or subdued by the grace of God. Not that all have outwardly committed all these crimes, but they inhere in the carnal mind, and are very often more restrained by circumstances than by the will. That which is perfectly subject to the law of God is perfect in love, for "love is the fulfilling of the law." But that which is enmity against God, and not subject to his law, is complete in hatred to God, and a transgressor of his holy law in every respect. That all are by nature the children of wrath, and have carnal minds, will not be denied; and therefore all who are not justified by faith and made at peace with God through Christ, are in the deplorable condition described by the apostle.
Perhaps none would claim exceptions to general declarations of this kind. Yet should they do so, we find scripture declarations sufficiently particular to meet every objection. Having noticed the testimony respecting the world of mankind, we next hear it said of the classes, "We have before proved both Jews and Gentiles that they are all under sin." Rom. iii, 9. Then of the individuals "it is written: There is none righteous, no, not one: there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips; whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and misery are in their ways; and the way of peace have they not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes." Rom. iii, 10–18.
The following plain statements lead to our conclusions on this point:—
Therefore all are under condemnation to death. Verse 19.
These truths need neither confirmation nor comment; if any would deny them we have only to say, "Who art thou that repliest against God?" But they might as well deny the statements at once as to deny the conclusions to which they unavoidably lead. As surely as these scripture statements are true, so surely are they fatal to the position we call in question. They would be a sufficient vindication of the justice of God should he at this instant destroy them all from the face of the earth. And they must and will be so destroyed when the judgments of God fall on a guilty world. See 2 Thess. i, 8; Ps. ii, 8, 9; Eze. xxx, 3; Joel iii, 9–13.
Having thus shown the universality of the law of God and the extent of the condemnation incurred by man, it only remains to examine
THE MEANS AND CONDITIONS OF THE GOSPEL.
The means by which we receive justification, remission of sins, and eternal life, are the death and mediation of Jesus Christ; and the conditions on which we receive them are "repentance towards God," whose law has been transgressed, and "faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ," who redeems us from the curse of the law. Acts xx, 21. His death was necessary, because "without shedding of blood is no remission" [Heb. ix, 22; Lev. xvii, 11–14]; his mediation is necessary to present that blood to his Father and make intercession for us. And we further find that the manner and place of making the atonement are definitely revealed in the plan. In manner it is conformable to the example given in the type; its place is the heavenly sanctuary. Heb. viii, 1–5; ix, 23, 24. I have before quoted the scriptures to show that this is a unit work; that Christ himself is the only offering acceptable100to God in the sinner's behalf; that his blood is offered but once; that his intercession is in but one place; that there is but one mediator; and that he resigns his mediatorial office before his coming. The important question then arises, What is required of the sinner, in order that he may have an interest in the work of the Saviour, and be able to "stand in the battle in the day of the Lord," and escape those plagues which are coming on the earth when "the wrath of the Lamb" is manifested against the ungodly? A few quotations from the word will show this.
John iii, 16. "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish."
Luke xiii, 3. "Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish."
Heb. xii, 14. "Follow peace with all men, and holiness without which no man can see the Lord."
Rom. viii, 9. "Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his."
1 Cor. xvi, 22. "If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be an accursed creature."
Gal. iii, 22. "The scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe."
1 Pet. iv, 18. "And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and sinner appear?"
The promise is only to those in whose characters are developed faith, repentance, holiness, spiritual mindedness, who are pure in heart and righteous, at the coming of Christ. Such will be redeemed and have the glorious boon of immortality or eternal life conferred on them "when Christ who is our life shall appear." What of those who are not holy? They must surely perish, for they are even now under condemnation according to the scriptures we have quoted. And there is no middle ground between them that are saved and them that perish. Said the Saviour: "He that is not with me is against me, and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad." Matt. xii, 30. There is no neutral ground. It is either gathering or scattering; righteous or wicked; life or death. Not the bare absence of inveterate or openly avowed hatred, but active, perfect love is required. Not merely abstinence from great outbreaking sins, but holiness of heart, and walking in the Spirit.
I ask all, and entreat them to answer in the fear of God, and in humble reverence for his word, is there any medium between those "under the law," and those "under grace?" There cannot be; for as "all have sinned," all are originally under the law; and none can be brought from under the law except by being placed under grace, or redeemed from the curse of the law by Christ. If they could, the cross of Christ would be of no effect. There can be no ground between condemnation and justification. All who are not justified necessarily remain condemned; and those who are not condemned are only freed therefrom by being justified. If there will be a class who will escape the judgments of God without availing themselves of the benefits of the gospel of Christ, then the gospel is local and limited in its application.
To those who yet claim that it is necessary for God to place the Jews and heathen on a new probation in order to vindicate his justice, I would ask, Has not the present generation of Jews and heathens as good opportunities to know God's will as the past generations have had? If so (and indeed it has better), has God been unjust to past generations? And if a new probation is necessary for these, would it not be equally necessary that these be raised from the dead and put on a new probation also? We should rather think that they who thus teach are charging God foolishly. Such vain reasonings and inferences will not settle so great a subject. Three things will be required of them: to show by plain Bible declarations, (1) that future probation is a scripture truth; (2) the means and conditions on which it will be based; and (3) the class or classes who will then and there be placed on probation. Direct proof on each of these points to sustain that theory is altogether lacking.
A letter written a few years since by J. M. Stephenson on this subject contains the following remarks:
"As for your quotations I can make no issue. I believe every one, when placed just where the Bible places them, namely, in the Jewish and Christian dispensations; but they prove nothing either for or against probation in the Age to Come, because they have no reference whatever to that dispensation. To prove that probation, in the present dispensation, will close when Christ comes, and to prove that there will be no probation in the future age, are very different things."
The above may, with propriety, be called a play upon words. We have never thought it necessary to prove that "probation in the present dispensation will close when Christ comes," for it is universally admitted that the dispensation itself closes at that time; and of course probation in this dispensation could not possibly continue after the dispensation terminated. One truth is undeniable, to wit: that all are on probation in this dispensation; and that the probation of all ceases before Christ comes is evident from the proofs adduced that all are under condemnation, or "subject to the judgment of God" [Rom. iii, 29, margin], and I have never yet heard of any method by which condemned probationers of this age may be shoved over and given a new and different probation in another age. Reason, justice, and scripture all show that they will be held to account under the claims of the present age, in which they are already under condemnation. The judgment of all classes is clearly revealed, and the time given in Rom. ii, 12–16. Any system to give them another probation in another age would do violence to revealed principles.
Again Mr. S. said in the same letter:
"God's mode of saving men may change without change in principle. It was not the same in the Jewish dispensation it is in the Christian."
In these quotations it will be noticed there is an acknowledgment that probation terminates with this dispensation, though he thinks it will be renewed in another; and that the mode of salvation would be different from that of this age. But the latter declaration, in this connection is somewhat ambiguous; for, if by the "mode of saving men" he merely refers to positive institutions, his statement does not reach the case as will be shown; but if by it he would embrace the plan of salvation, he is in error. This plan has never changed. It has ever been the same, though there have been different methods of illustrating and enforcing its saving truths on the minds of his people. Each shadow of the Jewish age was equivalent to a promise; and these promises are now in process of fulfillment, and the work will be finished when the sanctuary is cleansed, prior to Christ's coming, and not one declaration of the word of God can be produced to show that its conditions will apply to any in a future age.
A reference to a change of "mode" and a change of dispensation is of no avail, as there was no termination of probation at the close of that age, nor did the judgment then set upon the transgressors of that age, as will be the case at the close of this. Hence, there is no analogy; it is reasoning from unlike to unlike. The question is not properly in regard to a change of types, memorials, or positive institutions, but to the duration of the gospel system on which all these depend for their existence.
Positive institutions are only relative in importance; those of the Jewish dispensation looked forward to the work of Christ in his death and mediation [Heb. viii, 1–5], and without this they would have been of no importance whatever. The positive institutions of this age refer to the same things. But here again we note a difference: those of the Jewish age all looked beyond that in-
to the present age, while those of the present do not look into the future. The close of this age is the last link in the chain. All past dispensations have been clearly connected, but there is no connecting link between this and any future time of probation. As this departs, the judgment of the great day of God's wrath opens before us. The Saviour's work in the heavenly sanctuary will then be finished: he has entered heaven once as a priest after the order of Melchisedec: when he leaves that station the saints will be sealed with the seal of the living God, and the filthy and the unjust will be so still.
It is easy to perceive how a change of positive institutions has taken place in the past, in strict conformity with established principles, as they all refer to a work now being done. "Things hoped for" are symbolized in this manner, but when his intercession ceases—when the atonement is fully made, they can have no further efficacy, as no remission can be granted after that time except on the principle of granting indulgence for future sins, by pardoning the crime before it is committed.