  The attitude of the religious world toward this most important subject is worthy of more than passing notice both because of its effect upon the cause of truth and also because it of itself is a sign of the times. While it is true that many individuals in the different Christian denominations recognize with more or less distinctness the fact that we are living in the last days, with many of these [pg 080] The groundwork of the peace and safety cry is the doctrine of the temporal millennium. This teaches that the world is now entering, or about to enter upon a period of universal peace and good will, that the moral tone of the world is improving, men and nations are learning righteousness; and the gospel of Christ is about to become the controlling principle in public and private life. And, further, this happy state will continue for one thousand years, which period of time the word millennium literally signifies. At the end of that time, perhaps, the Lord will come. However, if this doctrine be true, it will make but little difference to this generation or to the one living at the close of the period whether he does or not. The verses we have just considered which liken the last days to those of Noah wholly disprove this position. In addition to what Matthew states, Luke gives a still more forcible version of our Saviour's words:— “And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.”Luke 17:26-30. Paul writes in his epistles to Timothy as follows:— [pg 081]“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.” 1 Tim. 4:1. “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” 2 Tim. 3:1-5. “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.” Verse 13. In very many scriptures it is plainly declared that when Christ comes, he comes not only to reward and save his people but also to punish his enemies. Looking upon the last days he exclaims, “Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:8. The idea of a thousand years of peace and righteousness before Christ comes might be dismissed as utterly out of the question. But space will be given to one or two passages supposed to teach it, which will represent the whole class. The first and chief is found in Isa. 2:2-4:— “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” Almost the same language is used in Micah 4:1-3. It is enough to call attention to the authorship of the [pg 082] How the Lord regards the people who are saying these things is shown in the succeeding verses:— “Therefore thou hast forsaken thy people the house of Jacob, because they be replenished from the east, and are soothsayers like the Philistines, and they please themselves in the children of strangers. Their land also is full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of their treasures; their land also is full of horses, neither is there any end of their chariots: their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made.”Isa. 2:6-8. Now let us see what God says on the same point and concerning the same time:— “Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: beat your ploughshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong. Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord. Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw [pg 083] Mark, this is not what the people say, but what the Lord says of the very same time when the people are preaching a good time coming. Another verse referred to, and representing quite a numerous class of similar ones, is found in Num. 14:21. “But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord.” There is no occasion to modify or limit the meaning of those words; for their utmost significance will be realized. But when?—When sin and the curse are wiped away. After the purifying fires of the day of the Lord have burned up the last work and relic of rebellion, and the earth made new in Edenic glory comes again from the hand of its Maker, as beautiful, yea, more beautiful, if possible, than at first. It would not be within the limits of this pamphlet to follow out this subject, but the reader is referred to the following scriptures: Isa. 65:17-22; 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21 and 22, and to published works. In that state this and all kindred scriptures will meet a fulfillment that is ample and complete. But for such a condition of things this side of the coming of Christ neither the Bible nor the trend of events give any promise whatever. Judging of the probability of the conversion of the world from the facts, it would seem to be far from striking. The following table gives a comparatively accurate showing of the present religious status of the world:— [pg 085]Jews and Parsees 15,470,000 Greek Catholics 84,136,000 Protestants 114,815,500 Brahminical Hindoos 120,000,000 Mohammedans 122,400,000 Roman Catholics 255,000,000 Pagans 227,000,000 Buddhists 482,000,000 Unclassified 51,050,000 Concerning the very small proportion of this number classed in the list of Christians, Bishop Foster has very aptly said:— “There are some who too fondly anticipate a millennium. There is a lack of information on the progress of Christianity. The facts are misstated daily in pulpits all over the country. Ministers hesitate to present the worst side for fear of causing discouragement, and they create hopes that are never realized. We are not at the dawn of a millennium. Compared with the work to be done, the past is nothing. Our children's children for ten generations to come must labor harder than we are doing, to accomplish the conversion of the world. The world's population is 1,500,000,000. Of these, Christians number less than a third; and half of that third belongs to the Roman Catholic Church. The Protestants number 114,000,000. They are divided into 500 sects. And this number of their strength includes, also, all the thieves, ex-convicts, the debased, besotted, and the speckled and streaked in Christendom.”—Northwestern Christian Advocate of Dec. 2, 1885. Farther on in the same article the Bishop said:— “Before us we have the great problem—the 1,100,000,000 of pagans to convert to Christianity. That is the solid rock that looms up in our path. Look at it; see what work has been done in 1800 years, and how much is yet to be accomplished. In India, after more than a hundred years of mission work, we have 600,000 native converts and 2,000,000 Christians among 260,000,000 heathen. Can we remove that solid boulder that is as old as the hills?... Our Methodist Church we think the most divine and ineffable. We boast that we are going to conquer [pg 086] And as to the prospects for universal peace, the following recent statement of the armament of Europe does not indicate that the nations are really contemplating such a happy consummation:— Russia: 1,519,810 men, 181,000 horses, 2,084 cannon Germany: 835,000 men, 96,000 horses, 2,022 cannon Austria: 856,980 men, 58,125 horses, 1,600 cannon England: 478,800 men France: 1,850,000 men The remaining states of Europe make up with the above a total of about 6,000,000 men. |
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