Christ came again : the parousia of Christ a past event, the kingdom of Christ a present fact, with a consistent eschatology

CHAPTER II Tue ARGUMENT FROM THE WorpDSs OF CHRIST AND His APOSTLES

The Apostles Believed the Parousia to Be Near—Quotations from Epistles—Dilemma—The Apostles Taught Their Readers It Was Near—Quotations from Epistles—Dilemma—These Teachings Derived from Christ—His Words Quoted and LESUT VS COSTA ECCT We ann aOR ped AAR aie So er ae 23

CHAP PER IIT

THE ARGUMENT FROM THE GREAT ESCHATOLOGICAL DISCOURSE oF Our Lorp

A False Method of Interpretation—Destruction of the Temple—The Disciples’ Question—‘The End of the World’— Thoughts of the Disciples—False Christs—Wars—The Great Apostasy—The Gospel Preached in All the World—‘‘The Nea tera Pe Wa es titans eon MER NPL UN EL, NL. SAP 0d at wkd Oe 40

Chapter IV

Tue ARGUMENT FROM THE GREAT ESCHATOLOGICAL DISCOURSE oF Our Lorp—CoNTINUED

The Abomination of Desolation—Tribulations—Shortening of the Days—The Elect—False Prophets—Publicity of Parousia—Carcass and Eagles—Figurative Phenomena—Eibéwe— Old Testament Language—Destruction of Other Cities—Sign of the Son of Man—Locality of Parousia—Times of the Gentiles—Costume. of the ParouStas. cence tenis ee aes 52

CHAPTER 3V

Tue ARGUMENT FROM THE GREAT ESCHATOLOGICAL DISCOURSE oF Our Lorp—CoNTINUED

The Lesson of the Fig-tree— Disciples to Witness the Parousia—‘‘At the Doors’—‘“This Generation”—Not Race— Authorities — Certainty of Lord’s Coming — Uncertainty of Day and Hour—No Transition in the Discourse—Suddenness of Parousia—Days of Noah and Lot—One Taken and Another TGLE 2's: a she ciaia a le She Meow clue. cd alee <P EMS OR lee ER rata ast teats aera 68

CHAPTER V1

Tue ARGUMENT FROM THE GREAT ESCHATOLOGICAL DISCOURSE oF Our Lorp—CONCLUDED

Necessity of Watchfulness—Parable of the Servants—Ten Virgins—The Talents—The Judgment Scene—Events Which Are Not Adequate to Description—Destruction of Jerusalem Not a Type of a Future Coming—Son of Man Coming in His Kingdom—Going Through the Cities of Israel—‘‘All the Nations’—The Criterion—Costume of the Judgment....... 80

CHAPTER VII THE ARGUMENT FROM THE APOCALYPSE

Book of Revelation a Puzzle—Theories of Interpretation— Leading Scholars of Preteristic School—Absurdity of Futurist and Historical Interpretations—Rules—Date of the Book —Why Earlier Date Best—Proofs—Position of Book in Canon

—Keynote of Book—The Great Theme, the Coming of the Lord—Things Written Soon to Occur—Summary of the Argu- THICBESS tora hiere ni ote crete ay eee UMe ee bdo RE ANS 96

CHAPTER VIII OTHER STATEMENTS OF THE APOCALYPSE ADJUSTED

Plan of Book—Vision of the Churches—Vision of the Seven Seals—Vision of the Seven Trumpets—Episodes—“Time Shall Be No Longer’—The Souls Under the Altar—Jerusalem Standing—The Two Witnesses—Vision of Woman Clothed with the Sun—The Dragon—The Two Wild Beasts—The Three Angels—The Harvest and the Vintage—Vision of the Seven Vials—The Harlot City—New Jerusalem—Seven Kings Pea I ACHS OL INGV.ClAUION coh ais visi canine hanes lc Caress > 111

CHAPTER IX THe ARGUMENT FROM NECESSITY

He Must Reign—Why ?—All Things Subject to the Son— The Son Subject to the Father—T6 réAoc—What Kingdom Did Christ Deliver Up?—Not Mediatorial Kingdom—Messianic—“King of Israel’—Proofs from the Parables—Kingdom of God Established—Comes Without Observation.... 125

CHAPTER X THE ARGUMENT FROM NECESSITY—CONTINUED

Tenth Chapter of Revelation—1 Pet. iv, 6—Parable of Unjust Judge—Voice of the Seventh Angel—The Kingdom of This World Our Lord’s and His Christ’s—“‘A Little Time’— The Souls on the Thrones—The Judgment of the Dead.... 137

CHAPTER XI THe ARGUMENT FROM NECESSITY—CONCLUDED

The Last Enemy Abolished—Katapyéw—Captivity Led Captive—The Kingdom Not Still Future—The Elect Gathered ««Christ the Saviour of Israel—The Guilty Nation to Be Judged—Farrar on Necessity for End of Old Dispensation—

The Local and Temporary Done Away—God All in All— Saints Delivered from the Underworld—Christ’s Faithful Ones Must Be Rewarded—Consequences if Christ Did Not Come:at the Time He Promised. 52.00, mutase ae 146

CHAPTER XII THE ARGUMENT FROM THE DISPENSATION OF THE Hoty SPIRIT

The Spirit’s Special Work—Modern Theory Concerning World’s Conversion—Morbid Effects—The Spirit Dishonored —The Church Derelict—The Spiritual Higher Than the Material—Christ Repudiated the Spectacular—Incarnation Once Necessary, Not Now—The River of the Water of Life— The Final Agency—The Parousia for Judgment.......... 158

CHAPTER XIII Tue ARGUMENT FROM A PARALLEL CASE

The Jews Disappointed in Christ—The Disciples at First Disappointed—Christ Rejected—Cause of Rejection—False Interpretation of the Prophecies—Same Cause Now Operates in Regard to New Testament Prophecies. ...........e000- 168

CHAPTER XIV Evasions MET

“A Thousand Years as One Day’—Christ and His Apostles Mistaken—Did Paul Change His Belief?—Did Christ Mislead His Disciples?’—-Was the Parousia Possible, Not Certain ?— Did the Apostles Merely Desire the Parousia?—Should the Parousia Be Always Coming? — “Quickly” and “Soon” — Double Sense—Grotesque Interpretations. ..........000005 176

CHAPTER XV OBJECTIONS ANSWERED t. “No Coming of the Lord Yet Occurrent Adequate to Description Given in Bible’—An Unsafe Principle of Interpretation—End of Mosaic Dispensation—The Day of the Lord —New Dispensation Inaugurated—The aid wéAAov—Saints

Brought from Sheol—Day of the Lord Really Came. 2. “The Physical Phenomena Did Not Take Place’—Admitted They Did Not Take Place Literally—Old Testament Appearances and Figures—Same in New Testament..............000 . 183

CHAPTER XVI OBJECTIONS ANSWERED—CONTINUED

3. “The Parousia Was to Bring the End of the World,” etc. —The Phrase Considered—Destruction of Globe Not Scriptural—2 Pet. iii—The Flood—New Heavens and New Earth —Zrotyeia—Fire as a Figure of Destruction—Philo—Resurrection—Change of the Living—Judgment. 4. The Lord’s SUD pete otll | ODMBATOLY tncie: ds cin'e OY siete Gite dle’s Siam payee ss, 4 192

CHAPTER XVII OBJECTIONS ANSWERED—CONTINUED

5. The Coming of Christ as a Bodily Coming—Absurdities —The Parousia of a Man—Seeing a Day—’AtrokdAvyuic— Epiphany. 6. “He Shall Come in Like Manner”—“Ov roedrov —Passages Where It Occurs—Did the Disciples See Jesus Go into Heaven?—Contradiction. 7. The Dispensation of the Holy Spirit Again—Not Merely Till the Parousia—Sorrows Banished—-ODPiEcts Of, PALOUSIANg sian sew « fee's « oan epgye. pie isienels ® 201

CHAPTER XVIII OpsjecTiIons ANSWERED—CONCLUDED

8. “Paul Wrote His Second Epistle to the Thessalonians to Counteract the Effects of His First”—Did Not Believe in Nearness of Parousia—Cause of the Opinion—Wrong Translation —’Evéornxev — The Great Apostasy — Predicted by Christ—Alluded to in Epistles—Did Arrive—Revelation of the Man of Sin—Who Was He?—Nine Distinguishing Traits— Sixteen Particular Marks—Antiochus Epiphanes—Prince of Tyre—Nero the Man of Sin—The Number of the Beast. g. Historical Notice of Parousia and Rapture of the Saints— No. Extant Church History of the Period—Reference to It Could Not Be Reasonably Expected. ........c0cesseeeeees 217

CHAPTER XIX DEDUCTIONS

Attitude of Church To-day Different—Different Conditions —Decadence of Faith in Parousia—Causes—False Prophecies — Rationalistic Interpretations — Mystical Interpretations — Church in a Different Relation—Different Plans to Be Pursued —Failure of Those Who Preach a Future Second Coming— Change of View Regarding Other Eschatological Doctrines— Other Changes dois.’ ebididais gaupac reicete hae Mar rn ane Aa 236

Chapter I The Resurrection

Popular View—Not Visible—Term Defined—Theories—Our Purpose — The Dead Raised by Christ —Christ’s Reply to the Sadducees—His Teaching in John—Three Resurrections— Character of Resurrection Body—‘“In the Tombs’ —The Apostle’s Teaching—1 Cor. xv—Resurrection of Rev. xx—Resurrection of Righteous—Rest of the Dead—Hymenezus and Philetus—The Faith Overthrown—The Destiny of Those Now Dying in Christ—A Great -Crisis—“Blessed Are the Dead,” etc.—The Rest That Remains—Intermediate State DotieiAowary oil. sak ices) ACLs Eick Geek etelee ia ctateeiors 249

CHAPTER II THE RESURRECTION Bopy

Can the Soul Exist Without a Body?—Authorities—An Organization Necessary—The Sleep of the Soul—Apostolic Teaching—The Earthly House and the Heavenly—Are They Both Now in Possession?—Authorities for the Theory—Instances—The Late Prof. Cooke, of Harvard, on the Subject of the Resurrection Body--Rev, W. W. Peyton oni the Same.. 268

CONTENTS . fe)

CHAPTER HI THE CHANGE OF THE LIVING

A Mystery, but a Fact—Bishop Foster’s Teaching—Heavenly Body at Death—“We Who Are Left”—Death Abolished— Alford—Horton—The Change a Sudden One—Christ’s Comforting Words—COur Body to Be Like Christ’s—The Comfort Derived—* Theresis Not Deatir te ool Poe lowe ca ces evens 285

Chapter IV The Rapture Of The Saints

What It May Mean—Instances in Scripture—Its Mystery— What Becomes of the Raiment of the Raptured—Bowne— Scoffers Answered—Was There a Simultaneous Rapture at the Parousia ?—Objections—Answer by J. Stuart Russell... 296

Chapter V The Judgment

The Judgment Initiated—Judgment Given to the Son—The Mother Text—Costume Varied—A Spiritual Process—Time of the Judgment—Apostolic Teaching—Christ’s Teaching— Duration of the Judgment—Judgment of the Living Now Proeredings— Lue, Criterion... wees dau, Red een aah, sees 307

Chapter VI The Judgment—continued

The Judgment of the Dead—Theories—Simultaneous— Christ in Hades—All of Previous Ages Included, Even Angels —Absurdities of Theory of a Still Future Judgment—The Awards of the Judgment According to Character, Righteous, Choate CGEM A LAMENT TIA cheetah lds Keun etal ale Jess! a lain atm wile a 324

CHAPTER VII Future DESTINY

The Reward of the Righteous—Spoken of Under Different Figures—Heavenly Recognitions—Form of Human Body—

Authorities—Relationships—Foster—Will the State of the Lost Affect the Saved?—Love for Christ the Absorbing Sentiment—The Doom of the Wicked—Everlasting Fire—Gehenna ~—Destruction—The Second Death..............ccceeeees 333

Chapter VIII The Intermediate State

Definition—Heathen Views—Hebrew Views—Sheol—Hades —Purgatory—Theory in McClintock and Strong’s Cyclopedia—Answer—Time—Space—True Theory...........6. 348

Chapter IX The Millennium

Definition—Theories—Mentioned Only Once in Scripture— Exegesis of Rev. xx, 1-10—The Angel—Keys and Chain—The Dragon—lInstigator of National Persecutions—Bound as Such —Three Great Persecutions, Jewish, Roman, and Mohammedan—End of Jewish—End of Roman—Constantine—Edict of Toleration—Accession of the Martyrs and Saints—A Resurrection—The Termini of the Millennium—Reward of Martyrs —Loosing of Satan—Ezekiel—Gog and Magog—The Turks— Grotius—Ottoman Empire—Gibbon—End of the Millennium —Fire from Heaven—A Past Event...........cceee ences 356

CHAPTER X THE NEw JERUSALEM

The Church Triumphing—Her Glory, Heavenly, Spiritual— Her Light—The Wall—The Gates—A Plan Used—Foundations—No Temple—The Street—The River—The Nations Still on: Earth=Dr. Terry's View J asditi.s oan isa eee ves eer 382

Chapter XI Changes Required

Position of Books in Canon—The Creeds—The Ritual— Hymns—Sunday School Helps, etc., etc.......ceeeeeceees 387

Part First The Parousia Of Christ A Eas Even?

PRELIMINARY

Tus book is an attempt to prove, after twenty-seven years of close attention to the subject, that the second coming of Christ, or the parousia, is a past event, and then to present an eschatology consistent with such a showing.

The course pursued is: First, to show that the parousia is an event, not a dispensation, though an eveng ushering in a dispensation; that dispensation not to end with a cataclysm, but to be extended indefinitely. Second, to show, by a series of arguments so arranged as to give them cumulative force, that this event has taken place.

So far from being wise above what is written we have delighted in drawing our chief arguments from the written word, and we reject everything that cannot be proved thereby or that may be in conflict therewith. In our study we have not gone on the principle of consulting commentators and exegetes, and merely copying their opinions, though we do not despise these helps to a right understanding of the word; but we have chosen to go directly to the divine oracles ourselves, and, comparing spiritual things with spiritual and Scripture with Scripture, we have sought prayerfully, and with reliance upon the Holy Spirit, the real 2 13

14 PRELIMINARY meaning of the word and its true teaching, thus giving the most accurate interpretation obtainable.

Our quotations are made from the Revised Version, believing that to be nearer the original in verbatim and grammatical meaning, though there may not be in it the rhythm or idiomatic beauty and richness of expression found in the Authorized Version.

We acknowledge our great indebtedness to the scholarly and reverent work of J. Stuart Russell, A.M., entitled The Parousia, London, 1887; to the highly interesting and ingenious work of I. P. Warren, D.D., entitled The Parousia of Christ, Portland, Me.; to Dean Farrar’s Early Days of Christianity; to Dr. M. S. Terry’s Biblical Hermeneutics and Plan and Scope of the Apocalypse, and other authors and works duly credited in the body of the book.

Asking for a calm and unprejudiced consideration of our arguments and conclusions on the part of the Christian public, we sincerely pray that through God’s blessing this book may prove a help and a comfort to many souls.

SAN FRANCISCO, CAL.