Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 99:395 (Jul 1942)
Article: Premillennialism: Its Relations to Doctrine and Practice Part 2
Author: S. H. Kellogg

BSac 99:395 (Jul 42) p. 364

Premillennialism: Its Relations to Doctrine and Practice
Part 2

S. H. Kellogg

(Reprint of the April-June Number, 1888, continued from the April-June Number, 1942)

{Editor’s note: Footnotes in the original printed edition were numbered 11–14, but in this electronic edition are numbered 1–4 respectively.}

Yet further, premillennialists point to the fact, that, in contrast with many in these days, our Lord and his apostles never, in connection with the duty of the universal preaching of the gospel, hold up the predicted conversion of the world as an event to be attained by this means before his own return; but that, on the contrary, our Lord said that when the gospel should be preached in all nations sufficiently to serve the purpose in the divine mind of “a witness,” then should come that “end of the age” of which his apostles had asked him (Matt 24:14).

Not to go further into the detail of their argument from Scripture, it should be added that they affirm that the common anticipation of centuries of universal righteousness as yet certainly to intervene before the second advent makes it impossible to maintain that attitude of constant watchfulness for Christ’s appearing which he repeatedly enjoined; and that such a view thus stands in practical contradiction to the declaration of our Lord, that his disciples knew not but that he might come even “in the first watch” of the night (Mark 13:35).

While properly resting the weight of their argument on what they understand to be the teaching of Scripture regarding the time of the advent, premillennialists are wont to lay no little stress on the extra-Scriptural fact that, as is commonly admitted by the best church historians, no trace can be found in the writings of any Christian Father of the

BSac 99:395 (Jul 42) p. 365

first two centuries, of that expectation of a conversion of the world before the advent, which has now become so common; but that, on the contrary, a number of the most eminent among them formally avow premillennial beliefs.

From such arguments as these, and many others of like character, premillennialists draw the conclusion that the Scriptures leave no place for the interposition of the expected age of universal righteousness anywhere on this side of the second coming; and thus that they are shut up to the belief that the numerous predictions of that blessed time must have their fulfilment only after in connection with the Lord’s glorious return. Thus they are led to affirm proposition (4), as above given; namely, the word of God teaches that the purpose of the retu...