"The Age to Come"
BY JOSEPH MARSH
ROCHESTER, N. Y., PUBLISHED AT THE ADVENT HARBINGER OFFICE 1851
POPULAR THEORY
of the church, which teaches, that the world is to be evangelized, or converted to the peaceful gospel of
Christ; which state it will enjoy at least one thousand years before the judgment of the great day.
We object to this theory, because it is unreasonable.
If the unadulterated gospel, preached by Christ and the apostles, and attended with miracles, failed to
convert one city; it is highly unreasonable to suppose, that an adulterated gospel, or the erroneous and
conflicting doctrines of the sects, will convert the world, when preached by an uninspired, divided, and in
very many instances, worldly and corrupt ministry.
Again, example is always more weighty in its influence than precept; or, the latter will never accomplish
any good, when the former is against it. This is the general character of the church and ministry of these
days of fables. In precept they condemn war, slavery, covetousness, pride, divisions among Christians,
false doctrines, human creeds, and every sin; but in example they justify them
all! Therefore, there is no
hope of the world being converted to Christianity by the precepts of the church. It is impossible in the
very nature of things; for the world has already converted the church, to nearly all of its pernicious ways!
Finally, we object to this theory, because it is unscriptural.
Ps. 2:9 "Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel."
These fearful threatenings are spoken in reference to the great destruction of the heathen that will take
place when the Lord shall reign in Zion; hence their conversion cannot be reasonably expected before that
time.
Dan. vii. 21, 22. "I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; until
the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that
the saints possessed the kingdom."
Observe: the little horn wars and prevails against the saints, ~~ (How long? Until the conversion of the
world, according to the faith of the popular church: but the inspired and greatly beloved Daniel says that
this wicked war shall continue) ~~ until the Ancient of Days comes; until judgment is given to the saints
of the Most High; and until the time comes for the saints to possess the Kingdom.
From this testimony, we learn that the power that will prevail against the saints until the coming of the
Ancient of Days, will be a wicked, warring power. The saints, then, are not the people that will prevail
before the coming of the Ancient of Days. Therefore their millennium of rest, of triumph, and reign,
cannot be before his coming.
Matt. xiii. 39-43. "The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the
reapers are the angels. As, therefore, the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end
of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all
things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be
wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their
Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear."
We give but part of the Lord's exposition of the parable of the sower. Read the whole, and also the
parable. But what we have given, plainly shows that, as the wheat and tares grow together until the
harvest, so will the righteous and wicked continue until the coming of the Son of man. Surely, then, they
will not be converted before that time; consequently this theory of the millennium must be false.
Matt. xxiv. 37. "But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."
How was it then? Had the world enjoyed a thousand years of universal holiness and peace before the
flood? No, verily; for the earth was "full of violence," and because of the wickedness of men, the flood
was sent.
"So shall also the coming of the Son of man be." According to this evidence; it will be an age of deep
wickedness, instead of universal holiness, just previous to the coming of the Lord.
Luke xvii: 28. "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 devoured them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed."
With such testimony as this before him, how can any one talk about the world's conversion before the
advent of Christ! He might with equal propriety contend that the flood, and the fire of Sodom, came at
times of universal holiness.
2 Tim. iii. l. "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come."
Strange millennial peace and glory; to be mixed with perils! But, strange as it would be, such will be its
character, if it take place before Christ comes.
Verse 13, "But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse."
When? From the time Paul uttered the prediction, until the appearing of Christ and his kingdom, when he
will judge the quick, or living, and the dead. (iv. 1.) But the popular teaching of the day flatly contradicts
this testimony, by saying that men shall grow better and better, until the world is converted! Oh, what
blindness! But further: ~~
iv. 3, 4. "The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they
heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and
shall be turned unto fables."
But, says the church, the time will come when they will turn from error unto the truth, and not only love
and endure sound doctrine, but all will be converted to God, and the millennium, or spiritual reign of
Christ, will begin. Strange delusion!
2 Pet. iii. 3. "There shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where
is the promise of his coming?"
Not so, says the church; for in the last days, all will be children of God; the world will be full of
righteousness, and of course there will be no scoffers then!
Rev. xi. 15, 18. "And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The
kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever
and ever. And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and
worshipped God, saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to
come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. And the nations were angry, and
thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give
reward unto they servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great;
and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth."
Here we learn, that at the sounding of the seventh and last trumpet, instead of the nations being in a
converted state, they are angry, and those who destroy, or corrupt the earth, are fitted for destruction.
From this amount of very weighty evidence, it is clear, that the popular theory of the millennium, held by
the church, is founded in error.
We will now briefly examine . . .