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With
this great truth stamped upon the hearts of the apostles
and early ministers, they made all speed to carry the glad
tidings of a perfect, free, and present salvation to all
men. And as to the future, it can not be denied that, with
one voice, they pointed to it as only having in store the
resurrection of all men, the reward of the righteous, and
the banishment of the wicked to hell. All of which was to
transpire on the last day of this last dispensation. Thus
they followed their Master in holding forth salvation now,
and only judgment and eternity to come. Peter testifies
that' "Receiving the end of your faith, even the
salvation of your souls, " we " are kept by the
power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be
revealed in the last time."—1 Pet. 1: 5, 9. And
furthermore declares that "The end of all things is
at hand; be ye therefore sober and watch unto
prayer."—1 Pet. 3: 7. This language is too plain to
be misunderstood. A perfect salvation has prepared us, and
does preserve us in condition to be revealed in the last
time; and the end of all things is at hand' next to
appear. This must include the end of time, the end of
probation, the end of the world, the end of the redemptive
reign of Christ. As Paul says, " He must reign till
he hath put all enemies under his feet." And,
speaking of the resurrection of them "that are
Christ's at his coming," he adds, "Then cometh
the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to
God, even the Father."—1 Cor. 15 23-25.
"Cometh" is not in the text. "Then, the
end," is the correct rendering. Christ's reign is
upon a mediatorial throne. The instant he leaves that
throne, the world will be without an advocate, without a
Savior, or further opportunity of salvation. Yea, "
The end of all things is at hand, " and salvation is
now or never.
But we will hear Peter a little further. Read his loud
blasts of warning in 2 Pet. 3. "But the heavens and
the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in
store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and
perdition of ungodly men."—Ver. 7. That day of fire
which shall consume this world. " the day of judgment
and perdition of ungodly men," will be the day of the
Lord's second advent. See verse 4. "But the day of
the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which
the heavens—atmosphere—shall pass away with a great
noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the
earth also, and the works that are therein, shall be
burned up." —Ver. 10 So we see clearly that the end
of all things does not mean a renovation of this earth;
but an utter consuming, and melting of the same into the
same chaotic state its matter existed before the six days
of creation. In this chapter the coming of Christ, the day
of judgment, and utter destruction of the earth and its
works, are all pointed forward to as the events of one
great and last "day of God, wherein the heavens—the
atmosphere—being on fire shall be dissolved, and the
elements—that compose the earth— shall melt with
fervent heat." Ver. 12.
Now let us see if any offers of salvation to our race will
extend beyond that awful day. Owing to the long pending of
Christ's second advent, it was foreseen that "there
shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their
own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his
coming?" Wherefore the Lord, by this inspired writer,
explains the reason of his delay. "The Lord is not
slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness;
but is longsuffering to usward, not willing that any
should perish, but that all should come to
repentance."—Ver. 9.
"And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is
salvation."—Ver. 15.
Surely this is all very plain. The' long pending of
Christ's second advent, we are told, is not because of any
slackness on the part of the Lord to fulfill his promise,
but because he is not willing that poor sinners should be
cut off from all hope and entirely perish. We are,
therefore, taught to count the longsuffering, the
prolonged delay of the Lord, and day of judgment,
"his salvation." So let all men take warning
that "salvation" is now, and only now; is all on
this side of the coming of the Lord. Is it not one of the
most astonishing things that devils ever invented on
earth, that men—such for instance as Russell, the age to
come heretic—can be so subverted as to teach that now is
not the time of salvation and healing, but that glorious
work is " deferred until after Christ's second
advent, in the millennial age"? How dare men teach
such shocking lies in the face of God's word? Truth
declares that now is the day of salvation, and that the
present day of grace is drawn out by the mercy of God, to
enable more lost sinners to be saved; and that when Christ
comes salvation work will forever cease, the judgment and
perdition of all the wicked take place, and this earth
perish. Whereas, Russell asserts that now is not the day
of salvation, but it will be ushered in by the second
advent. Oh reader, "Let God be true and every man a
liar," who wickedly disputes his Word!
Let us now listen to some further testimony from the
apostle Paul. "Neither let us tempt Christ, as some
of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.
Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were
destroyed of the destroyer. Now all these things happened
unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our
admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are
come."—1 Cor. 10: 9-11.
How solemn this declaration! God has from the beginning
meted out and fixed the time of this planet's end. One
long age has succeeded another, until we have entered the
"last days" of this world's career. Upon us, in
the present dispensation, the ends of the world have
fallen. And we have approached eighteen hundred years
nearer that final end than the apostle lived; and here we
stand upon the very verge of eternity. Just a small step
before us has fallen the end of the world. Oh how much
more weighty the exhortation of Peter falls upon us than
upon the church when first written ! " Seeing then
that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of
persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and
godliness?" "Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye
look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of
him in peace, without spot, and blameless."—2 Pet.
3: 11, 14.
Eternal happiness or woe turns upon the condition in which
death, or the coming of Christ finds us.
"But this is that which was spoken by the prophet
Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith
God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your
sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men
shall see visions, and your men shall dream dreams.
"—Acts 2: 16, 17.
The last days of this world began with the present Holy
Spirit dispensation. "And it shall come to pass —in
these last days—that whosoever shall call upon the Lord
shall be saved."—Ver. 21. The last time is here,
and salvation is now or never.
"But now, once in the end of the world hath he
appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
" —Heb. 9: 26. Thus it is rendered in Young's
translation: "Now once, at the full end of the
ages." So the sacrifice of Christ for the sins of the
world was at the beginning of the last dispensation, the
full end of the ages; and nothing more but eternity is
before us. Thus, the Emphatic Diaglott readers, "But
now once for all, at the completion of the ages." So
the present gospel age is the consummation of all time,
the completion of all the ages alloted to this world.
Hence, the supposed millennium age is a delusion of the
adversary of souls. But now is the day of salvation, now
or never.
The same fact is announced in 1 Pet. 1: 20. "Who
verily was foreordained before the foundation of the
world, but was manifest in these last times for you.
" —1 Pet. 1: 20.
Here again we must conclude that if these be the
"last times," there will be no time for any
future salvation. But time and salvation will end with the
present gospel era.
We conclude with a very positive testimony of John, the
beloved apostle.
"And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof:
but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever. Little
children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that
antichrist shall come, even now are there many
antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last
times."—1 John 2:17, 18.
As probation ends with time, and salvation with probation;
and the inspired apostle positively declares that he knew
this is the last time; it follows, as an absolute
certainty, that right now, under the abounding grace of
God, our race is enjoying its last chance of salvation;
and this world is moving through its last epoch of time.
Therefore, behold, now, yea, now, is the day of salvation.
Now, O lost sinner, be saved. It must be NOW OR NEVER.
SALVATION
Hymn
Salvation
is the sweetest thing,
That mortal ever found;
My soul can never cease to sing,
Such love and peace abound
Refrain:
Jesus our Friend and Redeemer!
Jesus, my wonderful light!
Saved by thy grace, we're forever
Singing the blood that makes me white.
Salvation
is omnipotence,
Combined with love supreme,
Come down in pity, so intense,
To rescue and redeem.
Salvation
flows from Father's heart,
A stream of holy love;
It floods me all with glory bright,
And wings my soul above.
Salvation
is a perfect plan;
It heals the saddest ease
Of all who seek the Son of Man,
And find his boundless grace.
Salvation!
oh, that word so great!
It thrills my heart with joy;
To me it is a rich estate,
No foe can e 'er destroy.
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