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THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
ALLEGED Pre-Millennialists An amusing book review is printed in the June 3 number of the New York Christian Advocate (Methodist) in which Dr. George P. Eckman calls attention to our little pamphlet, “ These Premillennialists; Who Are They?” We give it to you with a few elucidatory remarks: “ An imposing list of alleged pre-millennialists is given by T. C. Horton, in a short booklet sent out from the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, of which the author is superintendent. Concerning this array of impressive names it may be said: first, that many of them designate men who are pre-millennialists only in the sense that they believe Christ will return before and not after a supposititious millennium, but who have no sympathy with the freakish and unscriptural teach ings which in recent times have clustered about the pre-millennial theory and given it the characteristics it now bears; second, that the support of a doctrine by men whose Christian activities are far better than their supposed theories would justify is no proof of the value of that doctrine. Some of the purest characters in our day are Christian Scientists, though Christian Science is the denial of almost every thing fundamental to Christian theology. Furthermore, no teaching has ever been absurd enough, if it were pushed with sufficient patience, to lack adherents among the wise and the prudent. He calls them “ alleged premillennialists” who talk about a “ suppositi tious millennium.” (This big, long word means fraudulent.) He speaks about “ supposed theories” and winds up with a delightful compliment to Christian Science. Now our good brother has written a book on the Lord’s Return, and we give him credit for being a better student of the Scriptures than many of the opponents of this doctrine, whose prejudices have blinded them to the truth and made them wilful deniers of the plain teaching of the Scriptures. We are not proposing a review of his book at this time, but affirm that his denial of the literal fulfillment of prophecy, and his efforts to rid himself of the Revelation of Jesus Christ as recorded in the last book of the New Testament, and his desire to show that the world is growing better and better in spite of prophecy and facts gives us a clue to the purpose of his book. Now what are the reasons for the attitude of so many good Christian ministers toward this doctrine of our Lord’s premillennial return? Doctrines ought to be known by their fruits. Does the preaching and teaching of this doctrine make people fanatical ? Does it make them selfish ? Does it make them worldly and indifferent to world conditions? Does it cut the cord of evangelistic endeavor? Does it blind their eyes to the un occupied mission fields? Does it produce Higher Critics and deniers of the verity and authority of the Word of God? Do these premillenialists deny the Virgin Birth of Christ, the Blood Atonement, the Physical Resurrection of Jesus Christ and His intercessory work in the glory ? There must be a reason for this assault upon the doctrine which, in spite of all that is said, has the largest place in the New Testament of any doctrine there declared,—one out of every twenty-five verses. The writer has been a premillennialist for forty-five years. We know something of its history during that period. We hold the same views today exactly that we did then. And the men who preached it and taught it then held the same views in the main as do the splendid men who preach and teach it today. We have their books and their addresses and know what we are writing about. In November, 1886, thirty-four years ago, a Prophetic Conference was
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