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Knowledge And Faith Regarding Chronology
[By request
we here republish an article from our issue
of October 1st, 1907.]
A dear Brother inquires, Can we feel absolutely
sure that the Chronology set forth in the DAWN-STUDIES is correct?--that the
Harvest began in A.D. 1874 and will end in A.D. 1914 in a world-wide
trouble which will overthrow all present institutions and be followed by the
reign of righteousness of the King of Glory and his Bride, the Church?
We answer, as we have frequently done before in
the DAWNS and TOWERS and orally and by letter, that we have never claimed our
calculations to be infallibly correct; we have never claimed that they were knowledge, nor based upon indisputable evidence, facts, knowledge; our claim has always
been that they are based on faith. We have set forth the evidences as
plainly as possible and stated the conclusions of faith we draw from them, and
have invited others to accept as much or as little of them as their hearts and
heads could endorse.
Many have examined these evidences and have
accepted them; others equally bright do not endorse them. Those who have been
able to accept them by faith seem to have received special blessings, not
merely along the line of prophetic harmonies, but along all other lines of
grace and truth. We have not condemned those who could not see, but have
rejoiced with those whose exercise of faith has brought them special
blessings--"Blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they
hear."
Possibly some who have read the DAWNS have
presented our conclusions more strongly than we; but if so that is their own
responsibility. We have urged and still urge that the dear children of God read
studiously what we have presented--the Scriptures, the applications and interpretations--and
then form their own judgments. We neither urge nor insist upon our views as
infallible, nor do we smite or abuse those who disagree; but regard as
"Brethren" all sanctified believers in the precious blood.
On the contrary, it is those who differ who
smite us and speak evil of us, because we do not welcome them as, with hammer
and tongs, they seek to remove a mote which they think they see in our eye of
understanding. They are our critics who always claim the infallibility. We go
humbly onward, following the Apostle's example and words, "We believe and
therefore speak," whether others hear or forbear to hear. Is not this in
accord with the Spirit of Christ? Is it not in accord with our Lord's
instructions also--"Forbid him not" (Mark
9:39); and again, "What is that to thee? Follow thou Me."-- John 21:22.
But some of those who come to a trifling point
on which they disagree seem to imagine that the entire Harvest work must be
overthrown, or at least stopped, until they get their little jot or tittle
satisfactorily adjusted. Such evidently make mountains out of mole hills, and
forget that, if the present movement among the Lord's people is the Harvest
work or under the Lord's supervision at all, the Lord is responsible, and not
they, and can be trusted to accomplish His own ends in His own best way without
the violation of either the letter or spirit of His commands.
Recurring again to the query on Chronology we
quote from DAWN-STUDIES, Vol. II., page 38, last paragraph, as follows:
"In starting with the question, How long is
it since man's creation? we should and do feel confident that He who gave the
prophecies, and said in the time of the end they should be understood, has
provided in His Word the data necessary to enable us accurately to locate those
prophecies. However, any who expect to find these matters so plainly stated as
to be convincing to the mere surface reader, or the [R5368
: page 374] insincere skeptic, will be disappointed. God's times and
seasons are given in such a way as to be convincing only to those who, by
acquaintance with God, are able to recognize His characteristic methods. The
evidence is given 'that the man of God may be thoroughly
furnished.' (2 Tim. 3:17.) These well know
that in all the paths by which the Father leads they must walk by faith and not
by sight. To all who are prepared to walk thus, we expect to be able to point
out at every step solid statements of God's Word--a sure foundation for
reasonable faith."
In the same chapter we proceed to point out that
many of the links of chronology in sacred and profane history are "broken,
lapped and tangled so much that we could arrive at no definite
conclusion from them, and should be obliged to conclude, as others have
done, that nothing positive could be known on the subject, were it not that the
New Testament supplies the deficiency." (Page 49, first paragraph.) Thus
we sought to prove that chronology cannot be built on facts, but can be
received only on faith. But again we urge a fresh reading of Vol. II. entire. If
with these suggestions some shall lose their faith in our chronology, others
and many more, we believe, will have their faith in it strengthened greatly. [R5368 : page 375]
We remind you again that the weak points of
chronology are supplemented by the various prophecies which interlace with it
in so remarkable a manner that faith in the chronology almost becomes knowledge that it is correct. The changing of a single year would throw the beautiful
parallels out of accord; because some of the prophecies measure from B.C., some
from A.D., and some depend upon both. We believe that God meant those
prophecies to be understood "in due time"; we believe that we do
understand them now--and they speak to us through this chronology. Do they not
thereby seal the chronology? They do to faith, but not otherwise.
Our Lord declared, "The wise shall
understand"; and He told us to "Watch" that we might know; and
it is this chronology which convinces us (who can and do receive it by
faith) that the Parable of the Ten Virgins is now in process of
fulfilment--that its first cry was heard in 1844 and its second cry,
"Behold the Bridegroom"--present-- was in 1874. It is this chronology
and none other which awakened us to trim our lamps, in harmony with the Lord's
promise through the Apostle, "Ye brethren are not in darkness, that that
day should overtake you as a thief."
If our chronology is not reliable we have no
idea where we are nor when the morning will come. Bishop Ussher's chronology,
as we have pointed out (DAWN II., p. 51) puts the end of six thousand years
nearly a century future and would destroy every prophetic application as we
have seen and profited by it. And when we say "our" chronology we
merely mean the one we use, the Bible chronology, which belongs to all of God's
people who approve it. As a matter of fact it was used in practically the form
we present it long before our day, just as various prophecies we use were used
to a different purpose by Adventists, and just as various doctrines we hold and
which seem so new and fresh and different were held in some form long ago: for
instance--Election, Free Grace, Restitution, Justification, Sanctification,
Glorification, Resurrection.
The work in which the Lord has been pleased to
use our humble talents has been less a work of origination than of
reconstruction, adjustment, harmonization. God's Word, the great Harp from
which now comes such wondrous music, was unstrung. One denomination had one
string, another denomination had a different one--Election, Free Grace,
Baptism, Second Coming of Christ, Time Prophecies, etc. They had twanged away,
each on his own string, until all were disgusted at the discord and about ready
to quit for relief--as they since have done, practically. Then came the Lord's
time for putting the old Harp in order again, for the use of His most faithful
followers. To whatever extent the great Master has used any of us either in
restringing and tuning the Harp, or in calling to the attention of His
"brethren" the harmony and the beauty of the melodious paeans therefrom
in honor of the Almighty, let us praise Him for the great privilege enjoyed,
and use it.
The fact that we have reached this
harmony just at the right time, according to our chronology--just at the time
promised by our Lord when He declared that, to those who would be ready and
open to His knock promptly, He should "come in and sup with them,"
that He would "gird Himself [become their servant] and come forth and
serve them" (Luke 12:37)--is an evidence
to us that the time features of the prophecies as we understand them are
correct. To this great Chief Servant of His Church, then, we render thanks for
the harmonious light of Present Truth--and are we not to consider that the
chronology which has had so much to do with this light is also of Him?
But let us suppose a case far from our
expectations: Suppose that A.D. 1915 should pass with the world's affairs all
serene and with evidence that the "very elect" had not all been
"changed" and without the restoration of natural Israel to favor
under the New Covenant. (Rom. 11:12,15.) What
then? Would not that prove our chronology wrong? Yes, surely! And would not
that prove a keen disappointment? Indeed it would! It would work irreparable
wreck to the Parallel dispensations and Israel's Double, and to the Jubilee
calculations, and to the prophecy of the 2300 days of Daniel, and to the epoch
called "Gentile Times," and to the 1260, 1290 and 1335 days, the
latter of which marking the beginning of the Harvest so well fulfilled its
prediction, "Oh, the blessedness of him that waiteth and cometh unto the
1335 days!" None of these would be available longer. What a blow that would
be! One of the strings of our "harp" would be quite broken!
However, dear friends, our Harp would still have
all the other strings in tune and that is what no other aggregation of God's
people on earth could boast. We could still worship a God so great and grand
that none other could compare with Him. We should still see the grandeur of His
salvation in Christ Jesus--"a Ransom for all." We should still
see the wonders of "the hidden mystery," our fellowship with our
Redeemer in "His death" and also "in His resurrection" to
"glory, honor and immortality" --"the Divine nature."
If, therefore, dearly beloved, it should turn
out that our chronology is all wrong, we may conclude that with it we have had
much advantage everyway. If the attainment of our glorious hopes and present
joys in the Lord should cost us such disappointment as our friends fear,
we should rejoice and count it cheap! If the Lord sees it necessary for the
arousing of the "Virgins" to permit a false note upon the time bugle,
let us take it joyfully as one of the "all things" working together
for good to those who love Him, to the called ones according to His purpose. But
let us not forget that the parable shows that the second awakening of
the Virgins was no mistake! The Bridegroom came! The "wise virgins"
had the necessary faith to follow; the others, too worldly-wise, lacked the
faith and missed the high honors accorded to the Bride class, though privileged
later to be her companions at the "marriage supper of the Lamb."
The best medicine, the best antidote, for a
poisoned faith in Present Truth, is a careful review of the presentations of
the DAWN-STUDIES. If that fails we know nothing to recommend. But let us not
forget that there were conditions precedent to our admission into this light, and that those conditions must be maintained if we would stay in the light. If,
therefore, all or any portion of the light becomes darkened, our first query
should be, "Am I living up to my covenant conditions--self-denial,
self-sacrifice?" If we discover a coolness there we may know that we have
found the real secret of our trouble and should at once "take it to the
Lord in prayer."
----------
"Mine eyes can see the glory of the presence of the Lord;
He is trampling out the winepress where His grapes of wrath are stored;
I see the flaming tempest of His swift descending sword:
Our King is marching on.
"The seventh trump is sounding, and our King knows no defeat.
He will sift out the hearts of men before His Judgment Seat.
O! be swift, my soul, to welcome Him, be jubilant, my feet;
Our King is marching on."
W.T. R-5367a : page 374 -1913r