Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Pastimes : Ask God -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Dr. Stoxx who wrote (24331)	2/13/1999 11:03:00 PM
From: nihil	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 39621

More likely, Jesus was misintformed. Thanks for your observations.

To: Dr. Stoxx who wrote (24331)	2/13/1999 11:41:00 PM
From: Alan Markoff	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 39621

Hi Thomas, Would you mind sharing the verses you are referring to. Thank You, Nancy

To: Dr. Stoxx who wrote (24331)	2/15/1999 2:25:00 PM
From: Emile Vidrine	Respond to of 39621

The Parousia--Part I A careful look at the New Testament doctrine of our Lord's Second Coming By James Stuart Russell Written in 1878 Summary and Conclusion We have now reached a point in our investigation where it is possible to take a complete and connected survey of the whole field which we have traversed, and to observe the unity and consistency of the prophetic system developed in the New Testament. 1. We find that the Gospel dispensation does not come upon us as an independent and isolated scheme,—a new beginning in the divine government of the world,—but that it implies and assumes the relation of God to Israel in past ages. The whole philosophy of Jewish history is condensed into a single phrase, ‘the kingdom of God;' and it is this kingdom which, first John the Baptist, as the herald of the coming king, and next the King Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ, proclaimed as being ‘at hand.' 2. We find that John the Baptist adopts the warnings of Old Testament prophecy, especially of the last of the prophets, Malachi, and predicts that the coming of the kingdom would be the coming of wrath upon Israel. He declares that ‘the axe is already laid to the root of the tree;' his cry is, ‘Flee from the coming wrath,' plainly intimating that a time of judgment was fast approaching. 3. Our Lord affirms the same speedy coming of judgment upon the land and people of Israel; and He further connects this judgment with His own coming in glory,—the Parousia. This event stands forth most prominently in the New Testament; to this every eye is directed, to this every inspired messenger points. It is represented as the nucleus and centre of a cluster of great events; the end of the age, or close of the Jewish economy; the destruction of the city and temple of Jerusalem; the judgment of the guilty nation; the resurrection of the dead; the reward of the faithful; the consummation of the kingdom of God. All these transactions are declared to be coincident with the Parousia. 4. It is demonstrable by the express testimony of our Lord, the uniform and concurrent teaching of His apostles, and the universal expectation of the church of the apostolic age, that the Parousia and its accompanying events were represented as nigh at hand; and not only so, but as about to happen within the limits of a given period ; that is to say, in the time of the apostles and their contemporaries; so that many or most of them might expect to witness the great consummation. This is the main point of the whole question, and must be decided by the authority of the Scriptures themselves. While the proof ought to be rigorously demanded, and the evidence thoroughly sifted, it ought also to be dispassionately considered, without resorting to non natural interpretation, uncritical and unfair evasion, or violent wresting of the plain sense of words. 5. Without going over the ground already traversed it may suffice here to appeal to three distinct and decisive declarations of our Lord respecting the time of His coming, each of them accompanied with a solemn affirmation:— (1) ‘Verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come' (Matt. 10:23). (2) ‘Verily I say unto you, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom' (Matt. 16:28). (3) ‘Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled' (Matt. 24:34). The plain grammatical meaning of these statements has been fully discussed in these pages. No violence can extort from them any other sense than the obvious and unambiguous one, viz. that our Lord's second coming would take place within the limits of the existing generation. 6. The doctrine of the apostles with regard to the coming of the Lord is in perfect harmony with this. Nothing can be more evident than that they all believed and taught the speedy return of the Lord. From the first speech of St. Peter on the day of Pentecost to the last utterance of St. John in the Apocalypse, this conviction is clearly and constantly expressed. To say that the apostles were themselves ignorant of the time of their Lord's return, and therefore could have no belief on the subject,—could not teach what they did not know,—is to contradict their own express and reiterated assertions. True, they did not know, and did not teach, ‘that day and that hour;' they did not say that He would come in a particular month of a particular year, but they assuredly did give the churches to understand that He was coming quickly; that they might soon expect to see Him; and they never ceased to exhort them to maintain the attitude of constant watchfulness and preparation. It is not necessary to do more than advert to some of the leading testimonies borne by the apostles to the speedy coming of the Lord:— (1) St. Paul gives great prominence in his epistles to this cherished hope of the Christian church. a. In the First Epistle to the Thessalonians he implies the possibility of the Lord's coming in his and their lifetime,— ‘We which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord.' He also prays that ‘their spirit, soul, and body may be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.' b. In the Second Epistle to the Thessalonians (which is often erroneously understood to teach that the coming of Christ was not at hand, but which teaches precisely the contrary doctrine) he comforts the suffering believers with the promise that they would obtain rest from their present sufferings ‘when the Lord Jesus was revealed from heaven,' etc. (2 Thess. 1:7). c. In the First Epistle to the Corinthians the apostle speaks of believers as ‘waiting for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.' He warns them that ‘the time is short;' that ‘the end of the age,' or ‘ ends of the ages,' are come upon them; that ‘the Lord is at hand.' d. In the Second Epistle to the Corinthians St. Paul expresses his confidence that though he might die before the coming of the Lord, yet God would raise him from the dead, and present him along with those who survived to that period. e. In the Epistle to the Romans St. Paul speaks of ‘the glory about to be revealed;' of the whole creation waiting for the manifestation of the Son of God; of salvation being near, ‘nearer than when they first believed;‘ that ‘it is now high time to awake out of sleep;‘ that ‘the night is far spent, and the day at hand;' that ‘God will bruise Satan under their feet shortly.' f. In the Epistles to the Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians the apostle speaks of ‘the day of Christ' as the period of hope, perfection, and glory to which they were looking forward, and he declares emphatically, ‘The Lord is at hand.' g. In like manner, in the Epistles to Timothy and Titus the expectation of the Parousia is conspicuous. Timothy is exhorted to keep the commandment inviolate ‘until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.' ‘He is about to judge the living and the dead at his appearing, and his kingdom.' Christians are exhorted to be looking ‘for that blessed hope, even the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour, Jesus Christ.' (2) St. James represents the coming of the Lord as just at hand. ‘The last days' are come. Suffering Christians are exhorted to ‘be patient unto the coming of the Lord.' They are assured that ‘it is drawing nigh;' that the Judge standeth before the door.' (3) St. Peter, like St. Paul, gives great prominence to the Parousia and its related events. a. On the day of Pentecost he declared that those were ‘the last days' predicted by the prophet Joel, introductory to ‘the great and terrible day of the Lord.' b. In his First Epistle he affirms that it was ‘the last time;' that God was ‘ready to judge the living and the dead;' ‘that the end of all things was at hand;' that ‘the time had come when judgment was to begin at the house of God.' c. In his Second Epistle he exhorts Christians to be ‘looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God;' and depicts the approaching dissolution of ‘heaven and earth.' (4) The Epistle to the Hebrews speaks of ‘the last days' as now present; it is ‘the end of the age;' the day is seen to be ‘approaching;' ‘Yet a little, little while, and he that is coming will come, and will not tarry.' (5) St. John confirms and completes the testimony of his fellow-apostles; it is ‘the last time;' ‘antichrist has come;' ‘he is already in the world.' Christians are exhorted so to live that they may not be ashamed before Christ at His coming. Finally, the Apocalypse is full of the Parousia: ‘Behold, he cometh with clouds;' ‘The time is at hand;' ‘Behold, I come quickly.' Such is a rapid sketch of the apostolic testimony to the speedy coming of the Lord. It would have been strange if, with such assurances and such exhortations, the apostolic churches had not lived in constant and eager expectation of the Parousia. That they did so we have the clearest evidence in the New Testament, and we can conceive the mighty influence which this faith and hope must have had upon Christian life and character. But, admitting, what cannot well be denied, that the apostles and early Christians did cherish these expectations, and that their belief was founded on the teaching of our Lord, the question arises, Were they not mistaken in their expectation? This is practically to ask, Were the apostles permitted to fall into error themselves, and to lead others into a like delusion, with respect to a matter of fact which they had abundant opportunities of knowing; which must frequently have been the subject of conversation and conference among themselves; which they never failed to keep before the attention of the churches, and about which they were all agreed? There are critics who do not scruple to affirm that the apostles were mistaken, and that time has proved the fallacy of their anticipations. They tell us that either they misunderstood the teaching of their Master, or that He too was under an erroneous impression. This is of course to set aside the claims of the apostles to speak authoritatively as the inspired messengers of Christ, and to undermine the very foundations of the Christian faith. There are others, more reverential in their treatment of Scripture, who acknowledge that the apostles were indeed mistaken, but that this mistake was, for wise reasons, permitted,—that, in fact, the error was highly beneficial in its results: it stimulated hope, it fortified courage, it inspired devotion.” * (* ‘For ages the world's hope has been the second advent. The early church expected it in their own day,—”We which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord.” The Saviour Himself had said, “This generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled.” Yet the Son of man has never come. In the first centuries the early Christians believed that the millennial advent was close; they heard the warning of the apostle, brief and sharp, “The time is short.” Now, suppose that instead of this they had seen all the dreary page of church history unrolled; suppose that they had known that after two thousand years the world would have scarcely spelled out three letters of the meaning of Christianity, where would have been those gigantic efforts, that life spent as on the very brink of eternity, which characterize the days of the early church?—F. W. Robertson, Sermon on the Illusiveness of Life.) ‘If the Christians of the first centuries,' says Hengstenberg, ‘had foreseen that the second coming of Christ would not take place for eighteen hundred years, how much weaker an impression would this doctrine have made upon them than when they were expecting Him every hour, and were told to watch because He would come like a thief in the night, at an hour when they looked not for Him!' (Hengstenberg, Christology, vol. iv. p. 443.)

To: Dr. Stoxx who wrote (24331)	2/15/1999 2:31:00 PM
From: Emile Vidrine	Respond to of 39621

The Parousia--Part II But neither can this explanation be accepted as satisfactory. Unquestionably the first Christians did receive an immense impulse to their courage and zeal from their firm belief in the speedy advent of the Lord; but was this a hope that after all made them ashamed? Must we conclude that the indomitable courage and devotion of a Paul rested mainly on a delusion? Were the martyrs and confessors of the primitive age only mistaken enthusiasts? We confess that such a conclusion is revolting to all our conceptions of Christianity as a revelation of divine truth by the instrumentality of inspired men. If the apostles misunderstood or misrepresented the teaching of Christ in regard to a matter of fact, respecting which they had the most ample opportunities of information, what dependence can be placed upon their testimony as to matters of faith, where the liability to error is so much greater? Such explanations are fitted to unsettle the foundations of confidence in apostolic teaching; and it is not easy to see how they are compatible with any practical belief in inspiration. There is another theory, however, by which many suppose that the credit of the apostles is saved, and yet room left for avoiding the acceptance of their apparent teaching on the subject of the coming of Christ. This is, by the hypothesis of a primary and partial fulfillment of their predictions in their own time, to be followed and completed by an ultimate and plenary fulfillment at the end of human history. According to this view, the anticipations of the apostles were not wholly erroneous. Something really did take place that might be called ‘a coming of the Lord,' ‘a judgment day.' Their predictions received a quasi fulfillment in the destruction of Jerusalem and in the judgment of the guilty nation. That consummation at the close of the Jewish age was a type of another and infinitely greater catastrophe, when the whole human race will be brought before the judgment seat of Christ and the earth consumed by a general conflagration. This is probably the view which is most commonly accepted by the majority of expositors and readers of the New Testament at the present day. The first objection to this hypothesis is, that it has no foundation in the teaching of the Scriptures. There is not a scintilla of evidence that the apostles and primitive Christians had any suspicion of a twofold reference in the predictions of Jesus concerning the end. No hint is anywhere dropped that a primary and partial fulfillment of His sayings was to take place in that generation, but that the complete and exhaustive fulfillment was reserved for a future and far distant period. The very contrary is the fact. What can be more comprehensive and conclusive than our Lord's words, ‘Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till ALL these things be fulfilled'? What critical torture has been applied to these words to extort from them some other meaning than their obvious and natural one! How has yeveà been hunted through all its lineage and genealogy to discover that it may not mean the persons then living on the earth! But all such efforts are wholly futile. While the words remain in the text their plain and obvious sense will prevail over all the glosses and perversions of ingenious criticism. The hypothesis of a twofold fulfillment receives no countenance from the Scriptures. We have only to read the language in which the apostles speak of the approaching consummation, to be convinced that they had one, and only one, great event in view, and that they thought and spoke of it as just at hand. This brings us to another objection to the hypothesis of a double, or even manifold, fulfillment of the predictions in the New Testament, viz. that it proceeds from a fundamentally erroneous conception of the real significance and grandeur or that great crisis in the divine government of the world which is marked by the Parousia. There are not a few who seem to think that if our Lord's prophecy on the Mount of Olives, and the predictions of the apostles of the coming of Christ in glory, meant no more than the destruction of Jerusalem, and were fulfilled in that event, then all their announcements and expectations ended in a mere fiasco, and the historical reality answers very feebly and inadequately to the magnificent prophecy. There is reason to believe that the true significance and grandeur of that great event are very little appreciated by many. The destruction of Jerusalem was not a mere thrilling incident in the drama of history, like the siege of Troy or the downfall of Carthage, closing a chapter in the annals of a state or a people. It was an event which has no parallel in history. It was the outward and visible sign of a great epoch in the divine government of the world. It was the close of one dispensation and the commencement of another. It marked the inauguration of a new order of things. The Mosaic economy,—which had been ushered in by the miracles of Egypt, the lightnings and thunderings of Sinai, and the glorious manifestations of Jehovah to Israel,—after subsisting for more than fifteen centuries, was now abolished. The peculiar relation between the Most High and the covenant nation was dissolved. The Messianic kingdom, that is, the administration of the divine government by the Mediator, so far, at least, as Israel was concerned, reached its culminating point. The kingdom so long predicted, hoped for, prayed for, was now fully come. The final act of the King was to sit upon the throne of His glory and judge His people. He could then ‘deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father.' This is the significance of the destruction of Jerusalem according to the showing of the Word of God. It was not an isolated fact, a solitary catastrophe,—it was the centre of a group of related and coincident events, not only in the material, but in the spiritual world; not only on earth, but in heaven and in hell; some of them being cognisable by the senses and capable of historical confirmation, and others not. Perhaps it may be said that such an explanation of the predictions of the New Testament, instead of relieving the difficulty, embarrasses and perplexes us more than ever. It is possible to believe in the fulfillment of predictions which take effect in the visible and outward order of things, because we have historical evidence of that fulfillment; but how can we be expected to believe in fulfillments which are said to have taken place in the region of the spiritual and invisible when we have no witnesses to depose to the facts? We can implicitly believe in the accomplishment of all that was predicted respecting the horrors of the siege of Jerusalem, the burning of the temple, and the demolition of the city, because we have the testimony of Josephus to the facts; but how can we believe in a coming of the Son of man, in a resurrection of the dead, in an act of judgment, when we have nothing but the word of prophecy to rely upon, and no Josephus to vouch for the historical accuracy of the facts? To this it can only be said in reply, that the demand for human testimony to events in the region of the unseen is not altogether reasonable. If we receive them at all, it must be on the word of Him Who declared that all these things would assuredly take place before that generation passed away. But, after all, is the demand upon our faith in this matter so very excessive? A large portion of these predictions we know to have been literally and punctually fulfilled; we recognize in that accomplishment a remarkable proof of the truth of the Word of God and the superhuman prescience that foresaw and foretold the future. Could anything have been less probable at the time when our Lord delivered His prophetic discourse than the total destruction of the temple, the razing of the city, and the ruin of the nation in the lifetime of the existing generation? What can be more minute and particular than the signs of the end enumerated by our Lord? What can be more precise and literal than the fulfillment of them? But the part which confessedly has been fulfilled, and which is vouched for by uninspired history, is inseparably bound up with another portion which is not so vouched for. Nothing but a violent disruption can detach the one part of this prophecy from the other. It is one from beginning to end—a complete whole. The finest instrument cannot draw a line separating one portion which relates to that generation from another portion which relates to a different and distant period. Every part of it rests on the same foundation, and the whole is so linked and concatenated that all must stand or fall together. We are justified, therefore, in holding that the exact accomplishment of so much of the prophecy as comes within the cognisance of the senses, and is capable of being vouched for by human testimony, is a presumption and guarantee in favour of the exact fulfillment of that portion which lies within the region of the invisible and spiritual, and which cannot, in the nature of things, be attested by human evidence. This is not credulity, but reasonable faith, such as men fearlessly exercise in all their worldly transactions. We conclude, therefore, that all the parts of our Lord's prediction refer to the same period and the same event; that the whole prophecy is one and indivisible, resting upon the same foundation of divine authority. Further, that all that was cognisable by the human senses is proved to have been fulfilled, and, therefore, we are not only warranted, but bound to assume the fulfillment of the remainder as not only credible, but certain. As the result of the investigation we are landed in this dilemma: either the whole group of predictions, comprehending the destruction of Jerusalem, the coming of the Lord, the resurrection of the dead, and the rewarding of the faithful, did take place before the passing away of that generation, as predicted by Christ, taught by the apostles, and expected by the whole church; or, else, the hope of the church was a delusion, the teaching of the apostles an error, the predictions of Jesus a dream. There is no other alternative consistent with the fair grammatical interpretation of the words of Scripture. We may not tear the prophecy of Christ asunder, and arbitrarily decide, this is past, and that is future; this is fulfilled, and that unfulfilled. There is no pretext for such a division in the record of that discourse; like the seamless robe worn by Him who uttered it, it is all of one piece, ‘woven from the top throughout.' The grammatical structure and the historical occasion alike imply the unity of the whole prophecy. Neither is there any ‘verifying faculty' by which it is possible to distinguish between one part and another as belonging to different periods and epochs. Every attempt to draw such lines of distinction has proved a complete failure. The prophecy refuses to be so manipulated, and asserts its unity and homogeneity in spite of critical artifice or violence. We are compelled, therefore, by all these considerations, and chiefly by regard for the authority of Him whose word cannot be broken, to conclude that the Parousia, or second coming of Christ, with its connected and concomitant events, did take place, according to the Saviour's own prediction, at the period when Jerusalem was destroyed, and before the passing away of ‘that generation.' Here we might pause, for Scripture prophecy guides us no further. But the close of the æon is not the end of the world, and the fate of Israel teaches us nothing respecting the destiny of the human race. Whether we will or no, we cannot help speculating about the future, and forecasting the ultimate fortunes of a world which has been the scene of such stupendous displays of divine judgment and mercy. It will probably be felt by some to be an unwelcome conclusion that the Apocalypse is not that syllabus of civil and ecclesiastical history which a mistaken theory of interpretation supposed it to be. It will seem to them that the extinction of those false lights, which they took for guiding stars, leaves them in total darkness about the future; and they will ask in perplexity, Whither are we tending? What is to be the end and consummation of human history? Is this earth, with its precious freight of immortal and eternal interests, advancing towards light and truth, or hurrying into regions of darkness and distance from God? Where nothing has been revealed it would be the height of presumption to prognosticate the future. ‘It is not for us to know the times and the seasons which the Father hath put in his own power.' It has been said that ‘the uninspired prophet is a fool,' and many instances approve the saying. Yet thus much it may be permitted us to conclude: there is no reason to despair about the future. There are some who tell us that as Judaism was a failure, so Christianity will be a failure also. We are not persuaded of this; we regard it rather as an impeachment of the divine wisdom and goodness. Judaism was never constituted to be a universal religion; it was essentially limited and national in its operation; but Christianity is made for man, and has proved its adaptation to every variety of the human family. It is indeed too true that the progress of Christianity in the world has been lamentably slow; and that, after eighteen centuries, it has not succeeded in banishing evil from the world, nor even from the regions where its influence has been most powerfully felt. Yet, after every allowance for its shortcomings, it still remains the mightiest moral force ever called into operation for purifying and ennobling the character of men. It is Christianity that differentiates the new world from the old; the modern from the ancient civilisation. This is the new factor in human society and history which may claim the largest share in the beneficent reformations of the past and to which we may look for still greater results in the future. The philosophic historian recognizes in Christianity a new power, which ‘from its very origin, and still more in its progress, entirely renovated the face of the world.' * (Schlegel, Philosophy of History, Lect. x.) Nor is there any symptom of decrepitude or exhaustion in the religion of Jesus after all the ages and conflicts, and revolutions of opinion through which it has come. It has stood the brunt of the most malignant persecution, and come off victorious. It has endured the ordeal of the most searching and hostile criticism, and come out of the fire unscathed. It has survived the more perilous patronage of pretended friends who have corrupted it into a superstition, perverted it into a policy, or degraded it into a trade. While the enemies of the Gospel predict its speedy extinction, it enters on a new career of conflict and victory. There is a perpetual tendency in Christianity to renew her youth, to regain the ideal of her pristine purity, and defecate herself from the impurities and accretions which are foreign to her nature. Never since the apostolic age were there greater vitality and vigour in the religion of the Cross than today. This is the age of Christian missions; and while all the other religions of the world have ceased to proselytise, and therefore to grow, Christianity goes forth to every land and nation, with the Bible in her hand and the proclamation of the glad tidings in her mouth, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.' The true interpretation of New Testament prophecy, instead of leaving us in darkness, encourages hope. It relieves the gloom which hung over a world which was believed to be destined to perish. There is no reason to infer that because Jerusalem was destroyed the world must burn; or, because the apostate nation was condemned, the human race must be consigned to perdition. All this sinister anticipation rests upon an erroneous interpretation of Scripture; and, the fallacies being cleared away, the prospect brightens with a glorious hope. We may trust the God of Love. He has not forsaken the earth, and He governs the world on a plan which He has not indeed disclosed to us, but which we may be well assured will finally evolve the highest good of the creature and the brightest glory of the Creator. It may, indeed, seem strange and unaccountable that we should now be left without any of those divine manifestations and revelations which in other ages God was pleased to vouchsafe to men. We seem in some respects farther off from heaven than those ages were when voices and visions reminded men of the nearness of the Unseen. We may say, with the Jews of the captivity, ‘We see not our signs: there is no more any prophet: neither is there among us any that knoweth how long ‘ Ps. 74:9). Eighteen hundred years have rolled away since a voice was heard upon earth saying, ‘Thus saith the Lord.' It is as if a door had been shut in heaven, and the direct intercourse of God with man were cut off; and we seem at a disadvantage as compared with those who were favoured with ‘visions and revelations of the Lord.' Yet, even in this we may not judge correctly. Doubtless it is better as it is. The presence of the Holy Spirit with the disciples was declare

To: Dr. Stoxx who wrote (24331)	2/15/1999 2:35:00 PM
From: Emile Vidrine	Respond to of 39621

Charles H. Spurgeon, who did not hold the preterist view, nevertheless stated that the book "throws so much new light upon obscure portions of the Scriptures, and is accompanied with so much critical research and close reasoning, that it can be injurious to none and may be profitable to all." (For the full text of this review, please read C.H. Spurgeon on "The Parousia") Well-known conservative writers and theologians in our day are saying similar things about Russell and the preterist view. Listen to these statements by Gary DeMar, Dr. R. C. Sproul, Dr. Kenneth Gentry and Walt Hibbard." (Edward E. Stevens) "How many times have you struggled with the interpretation of certain Biblical texts related to the time of Jesus' return because they did not fit with a preconceived system of eschatology? Russell's Parousia takes the Bible seriously when it tells us of the nearness of Christ's return. Those who claim to interpret the Bible literally, trip over the obvious meaning of these time texts by making Scripture mean the opposite of what it unequivocally declares. Reading Russell is a breath of fresh air in a room filled with smoke and mirror hermeneutics." - (Gary DeMar - Author of Last Days Madness) "I believe that Russell's work is one of the most important treatments on Biblical eschatology that is available to the church today. The issues raised in this volume with respect to the time-frame references of the New Testament to the Parousia are vitally important not only for eschatology but for the future debate over the credibility of Sacred Scripture." - (Dr. R. C. Sproul - Chairman, Ligonier Ministries) "Although I do not agree with all the conclusions of J. Stuart Russell's The Parousia, I highly recommend this well-organized, carefully argued, and compellingly written defense of Preterism to serious and mature students of the Bible. It is one of the most persuasive and challenging books I have read on the subject of eschatology and has had a great impact on my own thinking. Russell's biblico-theological study of New Testament eschatology sets a standard of excellence." - (Dr. Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr. - Author of Before Jerusalem Fell) "In view of Dr. Russell's marvelous and insightful observations, no serious student of Biblical eschatology should attempt to construct a systematic scheme of apocalyptic events without first consulting this 19th century work, The Parousia." - (Walt Hibbard - Chairman, Great Christian Books)

To: Dr. Stoxx who wrote (24331)	2/15/1999 2:43:00 PM
From: Emile Vidrine	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 39621

For serious scholars and Christians.... bereanbiblechurch.org The Parousia A careful look at the New Testament doctrine of our Lord's Second Coming By James Stuart Russell "In view of Dr. Russell's marvelous and insightful observations, no serious student of Biblical eschatology should attempt to construct a systematic scheme of apocalyptic events without first consulting this 19th century work, The Parousia." - (Walt Hibbard - Chairman, Great Christian Books) Contents PREFACE TO THE BOOK INTRODUCTORY. THE LAST WORDS OF OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECY. THE BOOK OF MALACHI The Interval between Malachi and John the Baptist PART I. THE PAROUSIA IN THE GOSPELS. THE PAROUSIA PREDICTED BY JOHN THE BAPTIST The Teaching of our Lord Concerning the Parousia in the Synoptical Gospels:- Prediction of Coming Wrath upon that Generation Further allusions to the Coming Wrath Impending fate of the Jewish nation (Parable of the Barren Fig-tree) The End of the Age, or close of the Jewish dispensation (Parables of Tares and Drag-net) The Coming of the Son of Man (the Parousia) in the Lifetime of the Apostles The Parousia to take place within the Lifetime of some of the Disciples The Coming of the Son of man certain and speedy (Parable of the Importunate Widow) The Reward of the Disciples in the Coming AEon, i.e. at the Parousia Prophetic Intimations of the approaching Consummation of the Kingdom of God:- i. Parable of the Pounds ii. Lamentation of Jesus over Jerusalem iii. Parable of the Wicked Husbandman iv. Parable of the Marriage of the King's Son v. Woes denounced on the Scribes and Pharisees vi. Lamentation (second) of Jesus over Jerusalem vii. The Prophecy on the Mount of Olives The Prophecy on the Mount examined:- I. Interrogatory of the Disciples II. Our Lord's Answer to the Disciples:- (a) Events which more remotely were to precede the Consummation (b) Further indications of the approaching doom of Jerusalem (c) The Disciples warned against False Prophets (d) Arrival of the 'End,' or the catastrophe of Jerusalem (e) The Parousia to take place before the passing away of the Existing Generation (f) Certainty of the Consummation, yet uncertainty of its precise date (g) Suddenness of the Parousia, and calls to watchfulness (h) The Disciples warned of the suddenness of the Parousia (Parable of the Master of the House) (i) The Parousia a time of Judgment alike to the friends and the enemies of Christ (Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins) (k) The Parousia a time of Judgment (Parable of the Talents) (l) The Parousia a time of Judgment (Parable of the Sheep and Goats) Our Lord's declaration before the High Priest Prediction of the Woes coming on Jerusalem Prayer of the Penitent Thief Apostolic Commission, the THE PAROUSIA IN THE GOSPEL OF ST. JOHN. The Parousia and the Resurrection of the Dead The Resurrection, the Judgment, and the Last Day The Judgment of this World, and of the Prince of this World Christ's Return (the Parousia) speedy St. John to live till the Parousia Summary of the Teaching of the Gospels respecting the Parousia APPENDIX TO PART I. Note A.-On the Double-sense Theory of Interpretation Note B.-On the Prophetic Element in the Gospels PART II. THE PAROUSIA IN THE ACTS AND THE EPISTLES. IN THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. The 'going away' and the 'coming again The Last Days come The Coming Doom of that Generation The Parousia and the Restitution of all things Christ soon to judge the World THE PAROUSIA IN THE APOSTOLIC EPISTLES. Introduction IN THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS:- Expectation of the Speedy Coming of Christ The Wrath coming upon the Jewish people Bearing of the parousia upon the disciples of Christ Christ to come with all His holy ones Events accompanying the Parousia Exhortations to watchfulness in prospect of the Parousia Prayer that the Thessalonians might survive until the coming of Christ IN THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS:- The Parousia a time of judgment to enemies of Christ and of Deliverance to His people Events which must precede the Parousia The Apostasy The Man of Sin IN THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS:- Attitude of the Christians of Corinth in relation to the Parousia Judicial character of the 'Day of the Lord' (I Cor. iii. 13) Judicial character of the 'Day of the Lord' (I Cor. iv. 5) Nearness of the approaching Consummation The End of the Ages already arrived Events accompanying the Parousia The Living (saints) changed at the Parousia The Parousia and the 'Last Trump' The Apostolic Watchword, 'Maran-atha' IN THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS:- Anticipations of 'the End' and 'the Day of the Lord' The Dead in Christ to be presented along with the living at the Parousia Expectation of Future Blessedness at the Parousia IN THE EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS:- 'The present Evil Age, or AEon' The two Jerusalems-the Old and the New IN THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS:- The Day of Wrath Eschatology of St. Paul Nearness of the Coming Salvation Prospect of Speedy Deliverance IN THE EPISTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS:- Approaching Manifestation of Christ The Coming Wrath IN THE EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS:- The Economy of the Fulness of the Times The Day of Redemption The present Aeon and that which is coming The 'Ages [Aeons] to come IN THE EPISTLE TO THE PHILIPPIANS:- The Day of Christ Expectation of the Parousia Nearness of the Parousia IN THE FIRST EPISTLE TO TIMOTHY:- Apostasy of the Last Days Eschatological Table, or Conspectus of Passages relating to the Last Times Equivalent Phrases referring to the Last Times Table of Passages relating to the Apostasy of the Last Times Conclusion- respecting the Apostasy Timothy and the Parousia The Apostasy already manifesting itself IN THE SECOND EPISTLE TO TIMOTHY: - 'That Day'-viz. the parousia-anticipated The Apostasy of the 'Last Days' imminent IN THE EPISTLE TO TITUS :- Anticipation of the Parousia IN THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS:- The Last Days already come The Aeons, Ages, or World-periods The World to come, or the new order The End, i.e., of the Age, or AEon The Promise of the Rest of God The End of the Ages Expectation of the Parousia The Parousia approaching The Parousia imminent The Parousia and the Old Testament saints The great Consummation near Nearness and finality of the Consummation Expectation of the Parousia IN THE EPISTLE OF ST. JAMES:- The Last Days come Nearness of the Parousia IN THE FIRST EPISTLE OF ST. PETER:- Salvation ready to be revealed in the last time The approaching Revelation of Jesus Christ Relation of the Redemption of Christ to the Antediluvian World Nearness of Judgment and of the End of all things The good tidings announced to the Dead The Fiery Trial and the coming Glory The Time of Judgment arrived The Glory about to be revealed IN THE SECOND EPISTLE OF ST. PETER:- Scoffers in the 'Last Days' Eschatology of St. Peter Certainty of the approaching Consummation Suddenness of the Parousia Attitude of the Primitive Christians in relation to the Parousia The New Heavens and New Earth Nearness of the Parousia a motive to diligence Believers not to be discouraged on account of the seeming delay of the Parousia Allusion of St. Peter to St. Paul's teaching concerning the Parousia IN THE FIRST EPISTLE OF ST. JOHN:- The World passing away: the last hour come The Antichrist come, a proof of its being the last hour Antichrist not a person, but a principle Marks of the Antichrist Anticipation of the Parousia IN THE EPISTLE OF ST. JUDE APPENDIX TO PART II. Note A.-The Kingdom of Heaven, or of God Note B.-On the ' Babylon' of 1 Peter v. 13 Note C.-On the Symbolism of Prophecy, with special reference to the Predictions of the Parousia Note D.-Dr. Owen on 'the Heavens and the Earth' (2 Pet. iii. 7) Note E.-Rev. F. D. Maurice on 'the Last Time' (I John ii. 18) PART III. THE PAROUSIA IN THE APOCALYPSE. Interpretation of the Apocalypse Limitation of Time in the Apocalypse Date of the Apocalypse True significance of the Apocalypse Structure and plan of the Apocalypse The number Seven in the Apocalypse The Theme of the Apocalypse The Prologue THE FIRST VISION. THE MESSAGES TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES THE SECOND VISION. THE SEVEN SEALS Opening of the First Seal Opening of the Second Seal Opening of the Third Seal Opening of the Fourth Seal Opening of the Fifth Seal Opening of the Sixth Seal Episode of the Sealing of the Servants of God THE THIRD VISION. THE SEVEN TRUMPETS Opening of the Seventh Seal The First Four Trumpets The Fifth Trumpet The Sixth Trumpet Episode of the Angel and the Book Measurement of the Temple Episode of the Two Witnesses The Seventh Trumpet THE FOURTH VISION. THE SEVEN MYSTIC FIGURES 1. The Woman clothed with the Sun 2. The Great Red Dragon 3. The Man Child 4. The First Wild Beast The Number of the Beast 5. The Second Wild Beast 6. The Lamb on Mount Sion 7. The Son of Man on the Cloud THE FIFTH VISION. THE SEVEN VIALS THE SIXTH VISION. THE HARLOT CITY Mystery of the Scarlet Beast The Seven Kings The Ten Horns of the Beast (NOTE ON REVELATION XVII.) The Fall of Babylon Judgment of the Beast and his confederate Powers Judgment of the Dragon Reign of the Saints and Martyrs Loosing of Satan after the Thousand Years Catastrophe of the Sixth Vision THE SEVENTH VISION. THE HOLY CITY, OR THE BRIDE Prologue to the Vision The Holy City described THE EPILOGUE SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION APPENDIX TO PART III. Note A.-Reuss on the Number of the Beast Note B.-Dr. J. M. Macdonald's 'Life and Writings of St. John' -Bishop Warburton on 'our Lord's Prophecy on the Mount of Olives,' and on 'the Kingdom of Heaven'

To: Dr. Stoxx who wrote (24331)	2/18/1999 5:02:00 PM
From: Emile Vidrine	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 39621

"That was nearly 2000 years ago, and many generations ago, and so either Jesus was mistaken, or lying, or more likely, the early church overly literalized one of his more metaphorical teachings about his "continued presence" among believers." I found it strange that you avoided the possibility that the Parousia was fulfilled at the time of the destruction of the Temple. Mr. Russell offers a very powerful argument from the Scriptures and the historical events surrounding the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D. If you are a serious scholar and Christian, Mr. Russell book cannot be disregarded. I came to some of the same conclusions as Mr. Russell before ever reading his book. I would appreciate your critique of this book. Regards Emile PROPHETIC INTIMATIONS OF THE APPROACHING CONSUMMATION OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD. I. - The Parable of the Pounds. Luke xix. 11-27: 'And as they heard these this, He added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. And the second came, Saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities. And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin: for I feared thee, because thou art all austere man : thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow. And he saith Unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was all austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow : wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury ? And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds. (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.) For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him. But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and stay them before me.' It cannot fail to strike every attentive reader of the Gospel history, how much the teaching of our Lord, as He approached the close of His ministry, dwelt upon the theme of coming judgment. When He spoke this parable, He was on His way to Jerusalem to keep His last Passover before He suffered; and it is remarkable how His discourses from this time seem almost wholly engrossed, not by His own approaching death, but the impending catastrophe of the nation. Not Only this parable of the pounds, but His lamentation over Jerusalem (Luke xix. 41) ; His cursing of the fig-tree (Matt. xxi. Mark xi.) ; the parable of the wicked husbandmen (Matt. xxi. Mark xii.; Luke xx.); the parable of the marriage of the king's son (Matt. xxii.); the woes pronounced ) upon that generation' (Matt. xxiii. 29-36) ; the second lamentation over Jerusalem (Matt. xxiii. 37, 38) ; and the prophetic discourse on the Mount of Olives, with the parables and parabolic illustrations appended thereto by St. Matthew, all are occupied with this absorbing theme. The consideration of these prophetic intimations will show that the catastrophe anticipated by our Lord was not a remote event, hundreds and thousands of years distant, but one whose shadow already fell upon that age and that nation ; and that the Scriptures give us no warrant whatever to suppose that anything else, or anything more than this, is included in our Saviour's words. The parable of the pounds was spoken by our Lord to correct a mistaken expectation on the part of His disciples, that 'the kingdom of God' was about to commence at once. It is not surprising that they should have fallen into this mistake. John the Baptist had announced, 'The kingdom of God is at hand.' Jesus Himself had proclaimed the same fact, and commissioned them to publish it throughout the cities and villages of Galilee. As patriotic Israelites they writhed under the yoke of Rome, and yearned for the ancient liberties of the nation. As pious sons of Abraham they desired to see all nations blessed in him. And there were other less noble sentiments that had a place in their minds. Was not their own Master the Son of David - the coming King? What might not they expect who were His followers and friends? This made them contest with. each other the place of honour in the kingdom. This made the sons of Zebedee eager to secure His promise of the most honourable seats, on His right hand and on His left, where he assumed the sovereignty. And now they were approaching Jerusalem. The great national festival of the Passover was at baud; all Israel was flocking, to the Holy City, and there was not a man there but would be eager to see Jesus of Nazareth. What more probable than that the popular enthusiasm would place their Master on the throne of His father David ? As they wished, so they believed ; and 'they thought that the kingdom of God would immediately appear.' But the Lord checked their enthusiastic hopes, and intimated, in a parable, that a certain interval must elapse before the fulfillment of their expectations. Taking a well-known incident from recent Jewish history as the groundwork of the parable- viz., the journey of Archelaus to Rome, in order to seek from the emperor the succession to the dominions of his father, Herod the Great, he employed it as an apt illustration of His own departure from earth, and His subsequent return in glory. Meanwhile, during the period of His absence, He gave His servants a charge to keep-' Occupy till I come.' It was for them to be diligent and faithful, until their Lord's return, when the loyal servants should be applauded and rewarded, and His enemies utterly destroyed. Nothing can be better than Neander's explanation of this parable, though, indeed, it may be said to explain itself. Nevertheless, it may be well to subjoin his observations. "In this parable, in view of the circumstances under which it was uttered, and of the approaching catastrophe, special intimations are given of Christ's departure from the earth, of His ascension, and return to judge the rebellious theocratic nation, and consummate His dominion. It describes a great man, who travels to the distant court of the mighty emperor, to receive from him authority over his countrymen, and to return with royal power. So Christ was not immediately recognised in His kingly office, but first had to depart from the earth. and leave His agents to advance His kingdom, to ascend into heaven and be appointed theocratic Ring, and return a 'gain to exercise His contested power." (1) Such is the teaching of the parable of the pounds. But though the kingdom of God was not to appear at the precise. time which the disciples anticipated, it does not follow that it was postponed since he, and that the expected consummation would not take place for hundreds and thousands of years. This would be to falsify the most express declarations of Christ and of His forerunner. How could they have said that the kingdom was at hand, if it was not to appear for acres? How could an event be said to be near, if it was actually further off than the whole period of the Jewish economy from Moses to Christ? The kingdom might still be at hand, though not so near as the disciples supposed. It was expedient that their Lord should 'go away,' but only for 'a little while,' when He would come again to them, and come 'in His kingdom.' This was the hope in which they lived, the faith which they preached; and we cannot think that their faith and hope were a delusion. II.-Lamentation of Jesus over Jerusalem. Luke xix. 41-44: ' And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace I but now they are bid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, and shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.' Here we are upon ground which is not debateable. This prophecy is clear and perspicuous as history. No advocate of the double-sense theory of interpretation has proposed to find here anything but Jerusalem and its approaching desolation. It is not the conflagration of the earth, nor the dissolution of creation: it is the siege and demolition of the Holy City, and the slaughter of her citizens, as historically fulfilled in less than forty years-only this, and nothing more. But wily so? Why should not a double sense be possible here, as well as in the prediction delivered upon the Mount of Olives? The reply will doubtless be, Because here all is homogeneous and consecutive ; the Saviour is looking on Jerusalem, and speaking of Jerusalem, and predicting an event which was speedily to come to pass. But this is equally the case with the prophecy in Matt. xxiv., where the expositors find, sometimes Jerusalem, and sometimes the world; sometimes the termination of the Jewish polity, and sometimes the conclusion of human history; sometimes the year A.D. 70, and sometimes a period as yet unknown. We shall yet see that the prophecy oil the Mount of Olives is no less consecutive, no less homougneous, no less one and indivisible, than this clear and plain prediction of the approaching destruction of Jerusalem. If the double-sense theory were good for anything, it would be found equally applicable to the prediction before us. Here, however, its own advocates discard it; for common sense refuses to see in this affecting lamentation anything else than Jerusalem, and Jerusalem alone.

To: Dr. Stoxx who wrote (24331)	2/18/1999 5:03:00 PM
From: Emile Vidrine	Respond to of 39621

Parousia...Part II III. - Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen. MATT. XXI. 33-46. There was a certain house- holder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandman, and went into a far country: and when the time of the fruit drew near, be sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandman took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, be sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. But last of all be sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance, And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men and will let Out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons. Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never rend in the Scriptures, The stone which the builders, rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stones shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them. But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet.' MARK XII. 1-12. 'A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country. 'And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruits of the vineyard. And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty. 'And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled. And again he sent another, and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some. 'Having yet therefore one son, his well-beloved, be sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son. But those husbandman said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours. 'And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do ? He will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard un to others. 'And have ye not read this Scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner: this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes ? 'And they sougbt to lay hold on him, but feared the people : for they knew that he bad spoken the parable against them: and they left him, and went their way.' LUKE XX. 9-19. A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to husbandman, and went into a far country for a long time. 'And at the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard : but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty. 'And again he sent another servant: and they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty. 'And again he sent a third: and they wounded him also, and cast him out. Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him. 'But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours. ' So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them? He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid. 'And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? 'Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. 'And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on. him; and they feared the people; for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them.' This parable, recorded in almost identical terms by the Synoptists, scarcely requires an interpreter. Its local, personal, and national reference is too manifest to be questioned. The vineyard is the land of Israel; the lord of the vineyard is the Father ; His messengers are His servants the prophets ; His only and beloved Son is the Lord Jesus Himself ; the husbandmen are the rebellious and wicked Jews ; the punishment is the coming catastrophe at the Parousia, when, as Neander well expresses it, "the theocratic relation is broken, and the kingdom is transferred to other nations that shall bring forth fruits corresponding to it." (2) The bearing of this parable on the people of our Saviour's time is so direct and explicit, that it might be supposed that no Critic would have to seek for a hidden meaning, or an ulterior reference. The chief priests and Pharisees felt that it was 'spoken against them ;' and they winced under the lash. As it stands, all is perfectly clear and intelligible; but the exegesis of a theologian can render it turbid and obscure indeed. For example, Lange thus comments upon ver. 41 The Parousia of Christ is consummated in His last coming, but is not one with it. It begins in principle with the resurrection. (John xvi. 16) ; continues as a power through the New Testament period (John xiv. 3-19) ; and is consummated in the stricter sense in the final advent (I Cor. xv. 23; Matt. xxv. 31 ; 2 Thess. ii., etc.).' (3) Here we have not a coming, nor the coming of Christ, but no less than three separate and distinct comings, or a coming of three different kinds- a continuous coming which has been going on for nearly two thousand years already, and may go on for two thousand more, for aught we know. But of all this not a hint is given in the text, nor anywhere else. It is a merely human gloss, without a particle of authority from Scripture, and invented in virtue of the double- and triplesense theory of interpretation. Far more sober is the explanation of Alford. ' We may observe that our Lord makes " when the Lord cometh " [o[tan e[lth o/ ku/riov] coincide with the destruction of Jerusalem, which is incontestably the overthrow of the wicked husbandmen. This passage therefore forms an important key to our Lord's prophecies, and a decisive justification for those who, like myself, firmly hold that the coming of the Lord is, in many places, to be identified, primarily, with that overthrow." (4) It is to be regretted that this otherwise sound and sensible note is marred by the phrases 'in many places ' and , 'primarily,' but it is, nevertheless, all important admission. Undoubtedly we do find here 'an important key to our Lord's prophecies; ' but the master key is that which we have already found in Matt xvi. 27, 28, and which serves to open, not only this, but many other dark sayings in the prophetic oracles. iv.-Parable of the Marriage of the King's Son. Matt. xxii. 1-14 -. 'And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, and sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: and the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: and he saith unto him, Friend. how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment ? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him band and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called but few are chosen.' This parable bears a strong resemblance to that of 'The Great Supper,' contained in Luke xiv. It is possible that the two parables may be only different versions of the same original. The question, however, does not affect the present discussion, and it cannot be proved that they were not spoken on different occasions. The moral of both is the same; but the character of the parable recorded by St. Matthew is more distinctively eschatological than that of St. Luke. It points clearly to the approaching consummation of the ' kingdom of heaven.' The vengeance taken by the king oil the murderers of his servants, and on their city fixes the application to Jerusalem and the Jews. The Roman armies were but the executioners of divine justice ; and Jerusalem perished for her guilt and rebellion against her King. Alford, in his notes on this parable, while recognising a partial and primary reference to Israel and Jerusalem, finds also that it extends far beyond its apparent scope, and is divided into two acts, the first of which is past, and closes with. ver. 10; while a new act opens with ver. 11, which is still in the future. This implies that the judgment of Israel and of Jerusalem does not supply a full and exhaustive fulfillment of our Lord's words. On the one hand we have the teaching of Christ Himself- simple, clear, and unambiguous; on the other hand, the conjectural speculation of the critic, without a scintilla of evidence or authority from the Word of God. To expound the parable according to its plain historic significance will be derided by some as shallow, superficial, unspiritual to find in it ulterior and hidden meanings, dark and profound riddles, mystical depths, which none but theologians can explore,- this is critical acumen, keen insight, high spirituality! In our opinion, all this foisting of human hypotheses and double senses into the predictions of our Lord is utterly incompatible with sober criticism, or with true reverence for the Word of God ; it is not criticism, but mysticism ; and obscures the truth instead of elucidating it. At the risk, then, of being considered superficial and shallow, we shall hold fast to the plain teaching of the words of Scripture, turning a deaf ear to all fanciful and conjectural speculations of merely human origin, no matter how learned or dignified the quarter from which they come. v.- The Woes denounced on the Scribes and Pharisees. MATT xxiii. 29-36. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites I because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, h ow can ye escape the damnation of h ell ? Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them