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Tract Number 187
Audio download at bottom of page
_______________
THAT BLESSED HOPE
A Conversation Between Brother Seeker
and Brother Faithful On Christ’s
Second Coming
* * * * * * * * * *
By F. G. Smith
“Looking for that blessed hope, and the
glorious appearing of the great God
and our Savior Jesus Christ.” Titus 3:13.
Brother Seeker: Good morning, Brother Faithful. I could scarcely wait for this opportunity to drop in to talk religion with you again.
Brother Faithful: I am certainly glad to see you, Brother Seeker. But what has happened to make you so enthusiastic today?
Brother Seeker: Well, you know about that new tabernacle erected down on Main Street. I went to the tabernacle last night to hear the new evangelist, and he preached a wonderful sermon on “The Blessed Hope.”
Brother Faithful: What did he mean by the “blessed hope”?
Brother Seeker: The second coming of Christ. I was surprised when the preacher intimated that many Christians do not believe in the second coming, and because of this they are about as bad as infidels. He talked about, the “hope of Israel”; about dispensations, rapture, tribulation, anti-Christ, return of the Jews to Palestine; restoration of Judaism and the temple, with blood again flowing in sacrifice on the Jewish altar; of the rebuilding of David’s throne, with Christ sitting on it and, through the Jews, ruling the world for a thousand years during the millennium. It was wonderful.
Brother Faithful: Brother Seeker, you should stop to consider carefully before being entirely carried away with these pleasing theories. Christians generally believe, and always have believed, in the second coming of Christ. What many of these Christians do not believe is the particular detailed program that a group of modern millennial teachers have mapped out as sure to take place when Christ comes.
Brother Seeker: But the evangelist gave many scriptures to prove his points.
Brother Faithful: Certainly; that is to be expected. Propagators of ingenious theological theories always seek to sustain their views by free use of texts. But, Brother, we must observe the difference between what the Scriptures naturally teach and what they can be made to teach by arbitrarily pulling them out of their context and fitting them into some ingeniously devised theory of doctrine.
Brother Seeker: You are throwing cold water on all of my new-found joy.
Brother Faithful: But, Brother, only truth will endure. Enthusiasm based on speculative, fanciful interpretations of Scripture will perish. Only facts and truths can be depended on.
Brother Seeker: Then how am I to know what to believe?
Brother Faithful: Go to the Word of God yourself, my Brother. Read what the Scriptures really state. If you will observe carefully how the apostles Paul, Peter, and others preached and wrote, you cannot help but see a great difference between them and the teaching of these modern millennialist.
Brother Seeker: I confess I am not very familiar with the Scriptures. I am willing to sit down and quietly listen if you will take the time now to preach me a little sermon covering some of the main points.
Brother Faithful: I shall gladly do so; but since my time this morning is limited, I cannot discuss all of these scriptures one by one. Here is a tablet; if you will take your pencil and make some notes as I talk, you can examine the scriptures and points more carefully afterward.
In the first place, I should like to call your attention to the fact that this modern premillennial emphasis is not the standard teaching of the historic Christian church. For long ages only a few persons, here and there, were premillennialists, but during the last [eighty] years premillennialism has been spread far and wide by modern propagandic methods. But the main idea is not modern or new; it is a revival, with slight modifications, of the ancient Rabbinism. It is based largely on a particular interpretation of certain Old Testament Messianic prophecies. These prophecies of the coming Messiah were for the most part stated in terms of a restored, prosperous Israel—the popular concept of that time. The Rabbis always interpreted them in literalistic style; hence they pictured the Messiah as gathering Israel, and restoring the Davidic throne and reign in Jerusalem. To all the Jews this was “the hope of Israel.”
But when Christ came, He made no effort to carry out this literal program, and for this reason He was rejected by the Jews. Whenever He or His inspired apostles quoted Old Testament prophecies they invested them with a higher, spiritual meaning, and applied them NOW. Not once did they create a future age, or millennium, in which to carry out on the plane of the natural these Old Testament prophecies. Let me call your attention to specific instances: In Luke 4:16:21, Jesus quoted part of the prophecy given in Isaiah 61:1-5, but He spiritualized it and applied it now. Read it for yourself.
In Acts 15:13-17, the Apostle James quoted Amos 9:11, 12, concerning the rebuilding of David’s tabernacle, but he spiritualized it now, in the gospel age.
In Acts 26:6, 7, Paul, on trial before Agrippa, declared that it was because of the “hope” of Israel that he was accused of the Jews; and in Acts 28:20 he says, “For the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain.” It is evident that Paul taught a different “hope of Israel”; that is, he interpreted differently than did the Jews the Old Testament prophecies concerning Israel. In Acts 13:27, he says further concerning the Jews: “Because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every Sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him.” So Paul declares the Jews did not understand their prophets, and that for this cause they crucified Christ, and sent him [Paul] in chains to Rome. Modern premillennialism is but the revival of Rabbinism; the substitution of an earthly political program for the quiet, peaceable, spiritual reign of the Messiah, which is the very essence of the gospel.
In 1st Peter 1:9-12, the apostle declares that the Old Testament prophets in their predictions referred to the things “now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel.” On Pentecost the same apostle quoted the prophet Joel, and applied it now, saying, “This is that . . .” (Acts 2.) In the same chapter, verses 29-36, he quoted the prophecy of David concerning Christ being raised up to sit on his throne, and he applies that now—in this age—not to some future millennial era. Then in Acts 3:24, the same apostle makes the sweeping declaration: “And all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold OF THESE DAYS.” He says they were all talking about the gospel age—every one that spoke—and that Holy Ghost ministers preach it that way, when they “preach the gospel with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven.” But modern millennialist throw most of these texts over to some fancied future age. The apostles never did so; hence this latter-day emphasis and teaching is Rabbinical, not apostolic.
Brother Seeker: It is difficult for me to keep still. You are getting me into deep water. But what about the twentieth chapter of Revelation and the binding of the dragon?
Brother Faithful: I haven’t time this morning to deal with involved prophecy. I have here a book entitled The Revelation Explained, If you will read this book, which I am going to leave with you, it will help you to understand these prophecies and many others.
But Brother Seeker, you should consider plain texts first. Did you ever notice that four times in one chapter (John 6:39, 40, 44, 54) Jesus declared that He would resurrect the righteous at the last day? That repeated statement does not fit in with premillennialism; for they teach that the righteous will be resurrected at least a thousand years before the last day; that the righteous will be raised before the millennium, but the wicked not until a thousand years later.
Take down, then study later, the following eight scriptures, all of which speak of Christ’s second coming. You will notice there is judgment in each one of them; Christ represented as making final disposition of all men, both good and bad: (1) Matthew 13:30, 40-43; (2) Matthew 16:27; (3) Luke 17:26-30; (4) 2nd Thessalonians 1:7-10; (5) Revelation 19:11-16; (6) Matthew 25:31-46; (7) Revelation 1:7; (8) 2nd Peter 3:10-14. These scriptures leave no place and no time for an earthly millennium after Christ comes.
Brother Seeker: Brother Faithful, I must interrupt you again. The evangelist at the gospel tabernacle said that there are to be two resurrections of the dead; that the millennium is to come between the two; the righteous being raised at the first resurrection and the wicked at the second. I remember one of the scriptures he used (1st Thessalonians 4:15.17), in which it is said that the “dead in Christ shall rise first.”
Brother Faithful: That scripture is often incorrectly applied. If you will examine it yourself you will see that nothing is said about the righteous being resurrected before the wicked. It shows only that the righteous dead will be resurrected before the righteous living are “caught up”; so all can ascend together at the same time. And instead of that ascension being for a short “rapture” period only, the text says: “And so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
Brother Seeker, the Scriptures teach no millennium before Christ comes again, and all these scriptures you have taken down today leave no place for—but really contradict the idea of—a millennium after He comes the second time. Both the righteous and the wicked will be raised together. In Acts 24: 15, Paul calls it “a resurrection of the dead” —not two resurrections; and says that it includes “both just and unjust.” Revelation 1:7 says that when He comes “every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him.” So the wicked will be raised at the same time. In John 5:28, 29, Jesus declares that all who are in the graves shall come forth in the same “hour.”
I have already shown you how, four times in one chapter, Jesus declared that the righteous would be raised up “at the last day” — not 1,000 years before the last day. In that text you quoted, but which your evangelist misapplied, it says that the righteous will be resurrected at “the trump of God.” Now turn to 1st Corinthians 15:51-55 and you will find that the “trump” which awakens the righteous dead and transforms the righteous living is called “the LAST trump.” Being the last, it must awaken the wicked dead also; for there will not be another a thousand years later to awaken the wicked. Since the righteous will be raised up at “the last day,” awakened by “the last trump”—that marks the end of all earthly things.
This “last trump” calls the world to judgment and to final rewards and punishments. According to the gospel, Christ’s kingdom on earth is spiritual in character, not political, and is now. It is pressed into and enjoyed by all the saved ones now; for He “bath translated us from the power of darkness, into the kingdom of his dear Son.” In the universal sense Christ is reigning now on His throne of glory above, at the Father’s right hand, “King of kings, and Lord of lords,” and in due time He shall appear to judge the world.
Brother Seeker: Then of what does the “blessed hope” consist?
Brother Faithful: Simply in this: Christ has now gone to prepare a place for us, and He has promised to come again to receive us unto Himself. That will end all of earth's sorrows and trials for us for He will take the righteous to their eternal reward in the new heavens and new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Brother Seeker: I am so glad that I came over this morning. I begin to see things in clearer light, and I am going to settle down and study the Word of God.
—F. G. Smith
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