from holding out any hope that the church during his absence would convert the world, the Son of God makes it plain that the church will fail by the way.... When he comes the faith once for all delivered to the saints will have gone from the earth."30 Christendom is the "whore" of Revelation, chapter 17; "the end will witness all Christendom in organized and open revolt and rebellion against Almighty God." At the end "the nominal Christian world will be one vast mass of baptized profession, ‘a corrupt, mysterious mixture, a spiritual malformation, a masterpiece of Satan, the corruption of the truth of God, and the destroyer of the souls of men, a trap, a snare, a stumbling-block, the darkest moral blot in the universe of God.' "'32

This denunciation of the church is common to all premillennial groups. It is most pronounced, perhaps, in those who have formed separate organizations, like the Plymouth Brethren, the Seventh-Day Adventists, and the followers of Dowie and Russell, but it is also true of the non-denominational Adventism which we have been primarily discussing. It is clearly to be distinguished from the work of prophet and preacher, who have always pointed out the sins of God's people and summoned them to repentance. So far from being a summons to the church to repentance and reformation, if these were to come they would disprove the Adventist scheme. It is in that scheme that the reason for such indiscriminate denunciation lies; the church must be evil and must grow worse or premillennialism is a mistaken theory. Driven

30 Haldeman, Ten Sermons, p. 180.

31 Pink, The Redeemer's Return, pp. 336, 349. 82 Prophetic Studies, p. 170.

by this theory, it is natural for men to disparage the good and to look for the evil. A Pharisaic spirit tends to rise from the sharp distinction made between the little group of elect saints (to which, of course, the premillennialists belong) and the corrupt mass of the church. It is good soil for growing suspicion and criticism; it is certainly not the soil from which would spring naturally a loyal, earnest, and enthusiastic devotion to the church, or the spirit of a broad and kindly Christian fellowship such as Paul proclaims. In the wide range of premillennial literature it would be hard to find a discussion of the church that was not critical, or any straightforward effort to set forth the good which the church was accomplishing.

3. All this makes plain why the spirit of division and separation so commonly goes with Adventism. Many pastors will witness to the results in a congregation when a small group is convinced that the church as a whole is corrupt and that they alone hold the true doctrine. Often this has resulted in separatist movements, and it is interesting to note how many of the minor religious groups that have gone off in the last century are Adventist in doctrine. Within the churches there is an increasing tendency for the premillennial element to form organizations within the organization, making premillennialism the supreme doctrinal test, though joining with it other articles, like that of verbal inspiration and literal infallibility of the Bible. Independent missions and churches are established. In one prominent church which has gradually come under the control of premillennial leadership, a paper was circulated requiring Sunday-school teachers and officers to declare their belief

in premillennialism. A mission board which has been sending its premillennial candidates to one field is now facing the situation arising from the fact that, with these in control, new arrivals who do not hold the doctrine are "frozen out." A prominent premillennialist issues a summons for the formation of a "Protestant Evangelical League," a leading object of which is to draw a line through the churches and to refuse fellowship to those who do not hold certain doctrines such as the infallibility of the Scriptures, a literal physical resurrection, and the Second Coming.33

With this dogmatism, there goes very often the attack upon the character and motives of those who differ. In the article just referred to a vigorous assault is made upon Protestant ministers who will not accept the ideal of orthodoxy as there conceived. It is not, however, a discussion of doctrine, but an assault upon character. "Traitors," "blasphemers," "Judas Iscariots," "assassins of Christ," are among the terms applied. This, of course, is by no means true of all premillennialists, but it is distressingly common. The typical premillennial evangelist, sending Darwin and Huxley to hell because they taught evolution, is a good example. Another is afforded by Dr. R. A. Torrey in his reply to the pamphlet in which Dr. Shailer Mathews gave his criticism of premillennialism. Dean Mathews' pamphlet is an incisive discussion of ideals; Dr. Torrey deals largely in personal abuse. "Prejudice," "falsehoods," "intellectual trickster," "blasphemer," "sneaking and cowardly infidel method," "deliberately, intentionally unfair"-these are the phrases which Dr. Torrey employs.

33 Christian Workers Magazine, XVII, 16ff.

By its spirit and its attitude premillennialism thus stands in the way of another of the great movements of to-day-that which seeks the closer relation of Christian bodies for the extension of Christ's kingdom. The increasing emphasis of these movements in recent years has been upon the fact that religion is a life before it is a theory, that we can get together most quickly and effectively by joining in a common task, and that that task is to promote Christian fellowship and bring in the kingdom of God. Our consideration of Adventism shows its lack of sympathy with all this. The writer has never seen a premillennial reference to any of these movements which was not disparaging and critical. Characteristic is Dr. C. I. Scofield's declaration made at the 1914 "prophetic conference": "that is the great word to-day: 'Get together, get together, get together,' and always on the basis of doing something, not believing something; and it is a very seductive cry. But thank God, the Lord knows them that are his."34

THE APPEAL OF MODERN PREMILLENNIALISM

What, then, is the appeal which enables this doctrine to persist in our day and to win the faith of many earnest and devout souls? Two or three of these elements can be suggested here; something more is indicated in the section which follows.

The letter of the Bible is the first and perhaps the strongest basis of its appeal. The unhistorical and mechanical theory of verbal inspiration still holds large numbers of people, and to this the appeal is made by this modern premillennialism, just as it is, for example, 34 The Coming and Kingdom of Christ, p. 177.

by Pastor Russell's followers. The leadership of the church almost everywhere holds a saner, a more historical and spiritual view of the Bible. But the church has been neglecting her teaching function, particularly in the pulpit. Until the laity are brought to a truer conception of the Bible and its use, they will remain the prey of the last glib quoter of texts who can support his special dogmatic scheme with endless verbal citations from the Bible.

Another element of strength is the deep sense of the evil of the world and the feeling of the hopelessness of the struggle against it which weighs upon many minds. It is for this reason that apocalypticism flourishes especially in times of darkness. A calamity like the World War brings on a revival for this reason as well as because it seems to be one of the signs of still greater events to come.

In the third place, premillennialism offers a very dramatic appeal to faith and imagination. It does in theology what the Roman Catholic Church does with its ritual; it appeals to those who must see in order to believe. It is easier to see God in tempest and earthquake and fire than to hear the still small voice. Men still cry, "O that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down." It is hard to see God working in his world. It is hard to trust the quietly working forces of truth. That is why even in a democracy like ours men raise the cry, "Treat 'em rough." The defenders of the existing order are wont to make the appeal to "direct action" about as quickly as the revolutionists. And premillennialism offers a theology of "direct action" on God's part that the common man can understand who