A MESSAGE from the editor by: Samuel H. Sutherland Present-Day Prophetic Paradox One of the most tragic aspects of present-day funda mentalism is its alarming neglect of -the prophetic Scrip tures. A generation ago, internationally and nationally known Bible teachers preached the premillennial return of the Lord Jesus Christ to vast audiences everywhere with out "fear or favor." In the aggregate, millions of the Lord's people were blessed in their own lives by these truths and were led to "search the Scriptures" in their light. Widespread interest in the Word of God and what it had to say about the future was aroused, and Bible conferences became the order of the day. At the same time, sadly enough, the vast majority of the unsaved were un moved and exhibited little concern over matters eschatolo gical. Then the picture changed sharply, suddenly. The atomic age was ushered in. The stoutest hearts of men of the world are "failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth" (Luke 21:26), and now at long last they are seeking an answer to the question of what is to become of our civilization. And here is the paradox of our times. The church should have the full, complete, decisive, authoritative answer from the Word as to the "time of the end." But, tragically, this generation has failed to produce Bible teachers of the caliber of their predecessors. Where are giants like Scofield, Gray, Torrey, Riley, Gaebelein, Pettingill, Chafer, Haldeman, Blackstone, Bauman, Rood, and a host of others who knew "what it was all about" from God's standpoint, whose writ ings and sermons stirred thousands everywhere to "turn to God from idols to serve the living and true God ;and to wait for His Son from Heaven" (I Thess. 1:9-10) ? What has brought about such a state of affairs, such a paradox? When the prophetic message needs most to be proclaimed, when in a sense the world is ready for it, there are relatively few capable of presenting it with accuracy and authority, with persuasion and power. We have not far to look for an ex planation. Over the past two decades, modernism and its "country cousins"— neo-orthodoxy and the "new evangelicalism" — have muddied the stream of prophetic truth so effectively that a church congregation seldom hears a prophetic mes sage any more, and when it does, there falls upon the eats of the Lord's people a sermon so watered-down, so lacking in conviction, so apologetic, that the results are negli gible. No one is thrilled, no one is moved to say as they did a generation ago: "We must have more of this. What does the Bible say about the future?" The fact of the imminent return of Christ to set up His millennial kingdom on earth is described in the Bible as a comforting, blessed and purifying truth (I Thess. 4:18; Titus 2:13; I John 3:2-3). Incidentally, I ask in pass ing if the true church of Jesus Christ were called upon to go through the tribulation period (which most certainly it is not), how could the hope of His return ever be con sidered comforting, blessed or purifying? Possibly one
CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS DIRECTORY
President Dr. John Dunkin
LOS ANGELES BAPTIST T H E O L O G I C A L S E M I N A R Y
THREE YEAR BACHELOR OF DIVIN ITY Theology Missions Jewish Missions FOUR YEAR BACHELOR OF ARTS English Philosophy History Christian Ed. Greek Bible Request New Catalog from
LOS ANGELES BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY Newhall, California BIOLA COLLEGE IS NOW FULLY ^ACCREDITED *Western College Association W rite for free catalog DIRECTOR OF ADM ISS ION S BIOLA COLLEGE 13800 Biola Avenue, La Mirada, Calif. Study the BIBLE in a church or location near your own home. BIOLA EVENING SCHOOL D r . C h ase A. S a w t e l l , Director 13800 Biola Ave., La Mirada, California
6
THE KING'S BUSINESS
Made with FlippingBook HTML5