King's Business - 1920-06

ese Pessimistic r re s ’ How Certain Church Leaders Attempt to Throw a False Light Upon Premiliennialism By D R . R . A . T O R R E T

FRIEND residing at Mc­ Pherson, Kansas, recently wrote to Dr. Torrey, dean of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, calling attention to certain statements made in a Bible conference recently

name, and that the Gospel was not in­ tended to transform Governments and to save everybody in this dispensation. “ Furthermore, we do not teach that the Gospel is only preached for a wit­ ness. We do teach it was preached to convert individuals and to save souls. Furthermore, the premillenarians are doing more to save souls than any class of people I know. “ You say they said ‘You do not as premillenarians believe in Missions’ and to this would say there is no class of people who believe so much in Missions and give so largely to Missions as the premillenarians. A very large number of Foreign Missionaries are premillen­ arians, even some that belong to churches that oppose the premillennial doctrine at home. I know of one man who is a very ardent premillennialist and who has given Four Million Dollars to Foreign Missions and he gave it be­ cause he was a premillenarian. “ You say they say ‘that you would not dare to use Matt. 28:19, 20.’ To this would say I have preached fre­ quently on this text. In fact, it is one of my favorite texts in the Bible. “ I do not teach that the quicker and sooner the world goes to the bad the better, but I do teach that the increasing wickedness of this present time ought not to fill us with discouragement, but with expectation and hope, just as the Lord Jesus Christ says in Luke 21:25- 28. Notice especially the 28th verse. I do not know that there is any neces­ sity of my taking time to go through all the misrepresentations you mention in your letter.” Sincerely yours, v R. A. TORREY.

held at McPherson College, a Dunkard institution. Deriding references, it was said, were made to the doctrine of Christ’s second coming and in this con­ nection a number of well known Bible students were by name held up to ridi­ cule. The letter states that references were made to Dr. Torrey by name and that he was represented as teaching (1) That the Gospel is a failure, being preached only for a witness to condemn the wicked; (2) That premillennialists do not bel'eve in missions and do not use the great commission in Matt. 28: 19, 20; (3) That the quicker the world goes to the bad the better because it would sooner bring the Lord’s coming; (4) That there has been no spiritual kingdom of Christ set up in the world and never will be until after Christ comes. (And a number of other equally ridiculous statements.) The writer asked Dr. Torrey to ex­ press his beliefs in writing that they might be submitted to the speakers who made these charges. Herewith we are giving Dr. Torrey’s brief answer. “ I also thank you for writing me as you have. They certainly did misrepre- me if they said what you write. I do not, nor does any other premillenarian I know of, hold that the Gospel is a failure. We hold that the Gospel has accomplished just what God intended it should— the gathering out of this present dispensation a people for His

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