The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1878-11-07
The Prophetic Conference.

levers in the pre- millenial coming of Christ, or
the bodily appearance of the Saviour to reign
upon the earth. A literal interpretation of
propbecies-many of them always regarded as
obscure, based upon the premise of the verbal
inspiration of scripture and the ignoring of the
passages projecting that event In the life of the
then existing generation are regarded in their
somewhat amusing self-assurance as setting
the correctness of their expositions beyond all
doubt or cavil-a peculiarity which many who
recollect the Millerite excitemento of some years
ago will not fail to recognize. Perhaps brief
recital of some OF the prominent points OF this
theory may not be without interest.
First-The numerical proof-it is mentioned
on an average once in every twenty-five verses
in the New Testament from Matthew to Reve-
lations, or three hundred and sixteen times in
two hundred and sixty chapters.
Second-The coming thus set forth as above
always refers to the literal and personal COM
ing of Christ and never once does it mean
death, or the destruction of Jerusalem, or the
conflict of armies, or visitation of cholera or
any other visitation or event of Providence. A
great many distinguished commentators have
held such erroneous notions, bat the careful
comparison of scripture with scripture and
waiting in prayer before the Lord for light has
made the word real and 1ntelligible.
Third-The New Testament plainly teaches
that till He returns, the corruption and
wickedness already ab1anding in the days of
the Saviour will continue with increasing man
Hesitation of human depravity and pride up 10
His visible appearing Advocates Of the Bibles
influence on the progress of civilization will
have to take back seat now, and look upon
the culture, prosperity, enlightenment and
happiness of nations that have made its teach
ings the basis of their laws, as only aspretense
for the increasing human depravity" that
actuates them, for farther than this, the pre-
millenarians claim that the reverse of universal
triumph is implied in the Scripture, and far
ther still, that it is a strange that any heart tru
to Christ can desire the church to achieve vic
tory until he personally comes.
Fourth-The bodily return of Christ is there
fore held forth as the proper hope of believers.
FJth-At the coming of the Lord for His
people. which may occur at any moment, the
bodies of believers now asleep in tie grave
shall come forth, and real believers who are
living at the the time shall be caught up with
the risen sal nts in the clouds to meet Him in
the air; the unrighteous dead will not be joined
in this resurrection, nor will they be raised un-
Ill thousand years later.
Sigth-There are two comings-one
people and the other With thew for Hi
| lates to the resurrection - Ane nrst re-
soints the second and rapture of the
IsrasI and :, :, or His appearing, relates te
zoe unbelieving world. He comes
.or the saints and after brief interval of cal.
mlnatlng wickedness, He appears with them
when He infilcts judgmsnt upon the nations
and associates the church with Himself
10 administering His kingdom and His reign
over the earth.
| Seuenh-At his coming all who are united
10 Him by the Holy GHOST through faith having
been caught up" with risen believes to meet
| HIM in the air, there Immediately folio wsithe
| Judgment of The saints and the distributloa of
rewards according to the fidelity of each. this
being not Judgment to ascertain whether
they are really saved or not, bat only that
their work may be judged to determine their
station in the Kingdom. There is no Judgment
as to their persons as those who believe on
| Him shall never come into judgment. The
bodies OF believers, whether raised from the
| grave or changed in a moment will appear in
this Judgment precisely like Christ's glorious
| body, and hence it is absusd to think there is
any possibility of their being cast into hell.
| Only the works are to be judged and only those
which have been done solely for Jesus will
bear the test. one can hardy avoid thinking
that the labor OF judgment is this direction
cannot be very yonerous-premilenaria or non
premillenarian.
Eighh-While this scene of thrilling interest
is transpiring iD the air, to be followed by the
marriage supper of the Lamb, a scene of
totally opposite character will be- witnessed on
the earth. The Holy Ghost will be taken out
OF the way that the spread and full develop
ment of the mystery of inquity may not be
stayed, aud the church of true believers having
been Caught up" then Anti-Chrst will be-
revealed. This is literal person and not an
ecclesiastical system nor succession of rulers.
his audacity, blasphemy, pride and lust of
power will set forth the Ohristless culture OF
the present age( Dpersonified, and mark the end
OF the worlds boasted progress, terminating in
the worship of an internal trinity, the last at
Tempt of Satab TO ape theaGodhead.
Nintt-Anti-Chrst will have special relations
TO Coos ancient people, the Jews, and they
Will be restored to their own land. This is
indispensibly necessary for the literal fulfill.
ment OF the prophetic scriptures
1enh-The order of events connected with
The close of the present age or dispensation IA
as follows: Christ is coming personally to
awake the bodies OF the saints that are sleep-
ing IN the graves and to change in the twink
ing of an eye His people who are still on the
earth when His shout shall be heard. In this
coming the unbelieving world feels no interest
aud hence His shout may NOT be heard by
them. The church of true believers having
been caught away, Israel again becomes the
center of Jehovahs Thoughts and purposes
upon the earth. There are seven years of the
last cycle of the history of the Jewish race
yet to come, not counted yet by God because be
only counts time when the Jews are walking
III covenant relations with Himself in II s
land. At the beginning OF this seven years
there will be partial restoration of the Jews
10 their own land in blind unbelief-they will
rebuild their temple, and enter into covenant
91th Anti-Cnrlst the head of the restored
Roman empire, which will then exist in ten
kIngdoms, subject to one imperial will Bat at
the close of three years aud half Auti Christ
will break his covenant with the Jews, arrest
the daily sacrifice which had been resumed in
utter rejection of Christ, set up his own image
in the holy place, slay the TWO witnesses whom
Goo VIII send to His ancient people, put to
ieath those who refuse to pay him divine hom,
age, the devil will be cast out of the air into
the earth, and "there shall be great tribula-
tlon;'' remnant of the Jews will turo to the
Lord of Israel In their distress. Meanwhile
the holy land will be the last as it was the
first, battlefield of earth. All ths nations Of
the revived Roman empire will have their
armies there, and there will also be an Invasion
of the Russians as in Ezekiel 38Gh chap I'd and
Sd verses, Mesheck and Tubal answer for
Moscow aud Tooolsk. When all nations sh ali
thus be gathered against Jerusalem to battle
(Judea will be rather crowded) the Lord Jesus
shall suddenly appear with his saints, who
have been previously raised from the dead and
changed, and after the overthrow of antichrst
and the confederated kings, He will establish
HIS millenial kingdom on the earth. The ap-
pesri0g of Christ will be followed by the con-
version of the Jews, and their brethren from
all parts of earth will eagerly press homeward,
assisted by the Gentiles the temple will be re-
Quilt and such part of its former worship will
be restored as will reflect the glory of the
reigning Messiah. From this it would appear
thai tho Jews in Christ's day, who looked for a
temporal king instead of spiritual one, were
only few thousand years, more or less, in ad-
vance of the time.
EleUenth-W bile the scriptures give DO dates
by when TO determine when these events will
occur, we know that they describe the condition
of things as going from from bad to worse uu-
til his appearing.
LastLy-It is distinctly taught that there are
TO be two resnrrectioss-oDe of the ri1 hteous
at the coming Of Christ; the other Of the wick