The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-11-27


earthly kingdom-a kingdom not
only in, but of this world, filled all
the Jewish thought and ordered all
the Jewish speech concerning this
matter. Stepped in this thought and
accustomed to this speech or lam
guage and knowing no other, it is
not surprising that they did not rise
to clear apprehension of the spirit
uality of Christ's coming and king
dom as taught by him. We know
that until the descent of the Spirit
their thought upon this point was
very materialistic and it should not
surprise us if it continued SO to some
extent, for time at least, after this
event.
And allowing that they did rise
to the full spiritual conception, it
would be but natural for them to use
language sometimes that would give
color to the old materislistic thought.
Every one knows how difficult it is
to put new ideas into old forms of
speech, to clothe spiritualistlc con-
ceptions in materialistic language
and not be misunderstood. But the
apostles in addressing the church
must use this language concerning
the coming of Christ, for there
was no other. Hence it would
not be strange if, in speaking
of this subject, they should not
always make themselves entirely
clear, but should use language that
gives the impression of an earthly
coming when their thought is al
together of spiritual coming, very
much as a Universalist minister
might use the word salvation" SO as
to give the impression that be meant
deliverance from some great woe
after death, when his thought was of
state of spiritual perfection. That
is to say. the apostles may have out
grown the old idea of the kingdom
and yet it remained to color their
language.
1t must be conceded further that
this idea OF visible, bodily re APP
pearance of Christ was in the early
church. Some in this church, how
many we have no means of knowing,
believed in and expected the speedy
return of Christ to earth and his es-
Enlistment of an earthly, worldly
kingdom. They believed that he
must do this in order to meet the
Messianic expectations and fulfill
the Messianic promise. They brought
their old Jewish ideas of the Messiah
into the church with them and trans
ferred them to Christ. othem Jesus
was the promised Messiah and as he
had gone away he must return and
set up his kingdom on earth and be
in and of the world in order to be
that Messiah. This was clearly the
state of things in the church at
Thessalonica and was one of the
reasons, if not the great reason, why
Paul wrote his first letter to them.
They expected the speedy coming of
the Son of Man in the flesh and they
were troubled about those of the
church who had already died. They
feared that when Christ came these
departed Christians would not be
present to witness his glorious ad-
vent and partake of the blessings of
his reign. To quiet their fears in
this direction Paul wrote his first
letter to the Thessalonians.
Now concerning all this, admitting
that the idea of speedy re-appear-
ance of the Son of Man in the flesh
existed in the early church, the ques-
ton is, did the apostles have this idea?
Did they understand this to be Chris
tian doctrine on this point and did
they SO teach their converts? This
question can only be answered by the
record. What is the testimony of
their writings9 Do the letters they
wrote to the churches testify that
this is the doctrine they TAUGHT
Space will not permit any answer to
this question in this article. If per
mitted another study of this subject
in The UNIvERsALIsT LEADER we will
see if an answer can be given. s..