33. “Β.,” Kingston. Perhaps no erroneous doctrine has been more detrimental to the souls of God’s children, than that those who compose the church of God will have to pass through “the great tribulation.” Such a statement subverts God’s revelation of the church as the body and bride of Christ, reduces the heavenly people to Jewish associations, and robs them of the watching and waiting attitude for Christ to come at any time. Such, more or less, merge into a political view of the Lord’s coming by looking for events instead of Himself, in short for antichrist instead of Christ. Thus the affections, conscience, and hope of the soul become seriously damaged by it.
Nothing can be clearer in the Lord’s farewell address to His disciples before going to the Father, than that He left them by giving them the blessed expectation of soon seeing Him again. Between the coming of the Holy Ghost, and His return from heaven, He did not put a series of events to be fulfilled; so that we are told that the early Christians waited for God’s Son from heaven.
The part of scripture that has been perverted to give a color to the doctrine is Matt. 24. But a brief glance at it will suffice to show that the “coming” referred to by the disciples, in their questions to the Lord, was not His coming for us; but His coming to Jerusalem when we come with Him, and every eye shall see Him coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. (See Matt. 23:39, 24:3.) That those there mentioned who will go through the tribulation are “his elect,” is true enough, and a term applied by Isaiah to the blest remnant of the Jews: but the reference to “the sabbath day,” “Judea,” “fleeing to the mountains,” “flesh” saved, “the abomination spoken of by Daniel the prophet,” the “great tribulation such as was not.... no, nor ever shall be,” also spoken of by the same prophet, its being preceded by the preaching of “the gospel of the kingdom of God,” not of the grace of God as now preached, and other points, clearly mark it out as the time of “Jacob’s trouble,” he will have to pass through and be brought out of; and “the hour of temptation,” coming upon all the world, from which the Lord promises to save us. “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from [or out of] the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth.” (Rev. 3:1010Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. (Revelation 3:10).)
It is interesting to observe that when our Lord referred to His rejection by the Jews—Judah and Benjamin—He said, “I am come in my Father’s name and ye receive me not; if another shall come in his own name [the antichrist] him ye will receive.” (John 5:4343I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. (John 5:43).) This we know from other scriptures is how the unparalleled tribulation will be brought about, and in retributive justice, the very tribes which rejected the Messiah will go through it. The ten tribes will not be gathered together till after this, when the Lord actually comes out of heaven. (Matt. 24:3131And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matthew 24:31).)
34. “E. G. K.,” Sheffield. Nothing is more plainly taught in scripture than that the believer on the Son of God has present possession of eternal life, and that he should know it. Let us simply hearken to what God says to us about it. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life.” Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation [judgment]; but is passed from death unto life.” “Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” (John 3:36; 5:24; 6:4736He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. (John 3:36)
24Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24)
47Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. (John 6:47).) And again, “This is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life;” observe,—hath given to us eternal life—“and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life.” (1 John 5:10-1310He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. 11And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 13These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. (1 John 5:10‑13).) And further, “Ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” (Col. 3:3, 43For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:3‑4).) The activity also of this life which is given us is also spoken of, as, for example, “We know that we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.” (1 John 3:1414We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. (1 John 3:14).) Now we ask, Can any language more forcibly convey the truth that the believer on the Son of God has already the present possession of everlasting life? It is not a mending of the old nature, but receiving from God a new nature—eternal life. There is no uncertainty as to this. “God hath given to us eternal life,” and we are to know that we have it.
If it be said there are scriptures which contradict this, we cannot for a moment admit the statement. That there may be difficulty in the minds of the uninstructed in divine things, in explaining some other scriptures consistently with this view is another thing; but scripture never contradicts itself. It is God’s word, and to those who wait on Him to reveal His own mind by the Spirit through the scriptures, the apparent contradictions become only the occasions for the Spirit of God to unfold more fully and profitably to our souls, “the deep things of God.”
If it be said that eternal life is looked at in scripture as that for which we hope, no one could contradict it; for we read, “in hope of eternal life,” and Timothy is admonished to “lay hold on eternal life,” as if our having eternal life was an entirely future thing. And so it is, as to our bodies, when the fullest accomplishment of it is the question. For we are objects of God’s grace and salvation as to spirit, soul, and body. Now by faith our souls are the sphere of divine and gracious blessing, so that, as to our souls, we have eternal life, present salvation, and redemption; but, as to our bodies, we wait for the Savior to change our vile bodies, and to fashion them like unto His glorious body. We look forward then to have “the redemption of our bodies.” It is in this sense we understand our having at “the end everlasting life.”
If, then, Christ is your life, you have eternal life. This is not merely being sure of it at some future time, but as to your soul you are born of God, you have the present possession of everlasting life; and everlasting surely does not mean for a day, or a year, but forever. It is Christ in you, and your life is hid with Christ in God. Faith lays thus hold on eternal life, is conscious of having to do with what is in contrast with what is temporal. Timothy was therefore not only enjoined to flee from the love of money and such like, but to “fight the good fight of faith, and lay hold on eternal life.” But more on this and your other questions in our next issue, if the Lord will.