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The Pamphlet Collection of Sir Robert Stout: Volume 82

VI. Advent

VI. Advent.

In dealing with the difficulties involved in the doctrine of the Second Advent, our author begins by taking up the prophetic words of Christ, "The stars shall fall from heaven," which he classes among the "astronomical errors" of the Bible; insisting, of course, that they must be taken in a page 26 literal sense. Without here arguing the point, I would only make one suggestion. When Joseph told his father Jacob, "I dreamed, and behold the sun, and the moon, and the eleven stars made obeisance to me," his father answered him, "Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee? " What guided the mind of Jacob to make this particular symbolic interpretation of his son's vision? If we knew this, it might perhaps throw light on the meaning of Our Lord's words in this prophetic passage. But as the fulfilment of the prophecy is still in the future, it would be rash to say positively what it does mean.

Again, our author insists that the expression "this generation," in St. Matt. xxiv. 34, can only mean the generation of men in which Christ lived. But it is at least doubtful whether the word "generation" is used here with reference to time at all, as appears from Christ's words in St. Luke xi. 50, "That the blood of all the prophets which hath been shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation." A single generation, in the ordinary sense of the word, could hardly be held responsible for a series of crimes committed from the foundation of the world.

The real difficulties connected with the Advent doctrine are these—that the first disciples undoubtedly at one time looked for the speedy coming again of Christ, and that some of them—and notably St. Paul—at one time undoubtedly thought it would take place in their own lifetime. They had, moreover, been led to this expectation by the express words of Christ. This is half the truth, and it creates a real and great difficulty. The other half of the truth partially clears away this difficulty. While leading them to look for His sudden return, Christ expressly told them that neither they, nor the angels, nor Himself, knew of the day and hour. Further, He taught them that it depended upon the accomplishment of certain events. One of these events was the worldwide diffusion of the Gospel. "This Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations : and then shall the end come."—St. Matt. xxiv. 14. Now the disciples could have no conception how long that work would take. As a matter of fact, it has not been fully accomplished yet. Another was—"Jerusalem shall be trodden down by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled."—St. Luke xxi. 24. Here there were two events, each requiring an unknown length of time, both to be accomplished before the Second Advent of Christ. When page 27 the disciples, after the resurrection, asked Him the question, "Wilt Thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? " He answered them, "It is not for you to know times and seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power."—Acts i. 7.

So, along with the general expectation of the speedy coming of Christ, there was in the minds of the disciples the conviction that they were in uncertainty as to the time. This appears—to pass over other passages—in the words of St. Peter, "But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."—2 Pet. iii. 8. The disciples, therefore, were taught, and understood, that it was not so much a question of so many days or years as a question of certain events that must take place before the end. I have shown that one of these was the preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom as a witness to all nations. That has not yet been done. But it might have been done long ago, if the Christian Church had not left its first love; if the faith and zeal of the first age had not cooled down; if the Church had been faithful to its "marching orders," "Go ye and teach all nations." And who shall say that one reason why the second coming of Christ has been so long delayed has not been this slowness and slackness on the part of the Christian Church? Is this a startling suggestion?

St. Peter says something very like it in his Second Epistle—"What manner of persons ought ye to be ... . looking for and hastening the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."—2 Peter iii. 11 (Revised version.) Again, he says something very like it to the Jews—"Repent ye, therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that so there may come seasons of refreshing from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send the Christ who hath been appointed for you, even Jesus, whom the heavens must receive until the times of the restoration of all things."—Acts iii. 19-21 (Revised version.) The Church of Israel, by its refusal to be led by Jehovah, procured to itself forty years of wilderness wandering instead of two; and may not the modern Israel, the Christian Church, by following the same example of unbelief, have prolonged the period of its sojourn in the wilderness of this world?