Q. 1.-"I have a difficulty in understanding 2 Thess. 2:3, 7, seeing the general teaching that the saints being caught away and the Holy Spirit gone with them, so the restraint being off, the mystery of iniquity would have full course, headed by the man of sin. But in Help and Food, April, 1889, in an article, 'Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven,' there was a different application of the third verse. In speaking of the separation (p. 91), we are told to look a little more closely at the manner of it. Gather together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them. It is a separation of tares, so as to leave the wheat distinct for the ingathering. On the 93rd page, we are told to distinguish the tares from the mere formalist and unfruitful professor of the truth, and yet the formalist will not escape, etc. Here is a simple question of good wheat for the granary or tares for the burning. Nothing else is in the field at all, all seem to have taken sides. And as a warrant for such an interpretation we are pointed to the second epistle to the Thessalonians.- 95th page, ' This passage exhibits the man of sin as the dis-tinct head and leader of the latter-day apostasy. The coming of the Wicked one is declared to be with terrible power of delusion, which will carry away captive the masses of unconverted among professing Christians, until none of that middle class re-main.' How are we to understand it? Does the delusion precede (to such a degree) the appearing of the Wicked one as to cause the separation? or does it mean that the appearing of the Wicked one causes it ? The latter is the way I thought the writer meant it until reading November Help and Food, where it speaks of the apostasy (p. 285) having its beginning under the fifth trumpet. This, then, does not harmonize with the thought in April number, 1889, that the unconverted among professing Christians will be carried away by the coming of the Wicked one, until only two classes remain in the field, because we know we shall be home in glory before the fifth trumpet sounds.
" But apart from all this, it seemed strange to me why the apostle should tell those Christians that day would not come until the falling away came first, if no Christians would be here when the falling away came, which, according to the general teaching, will be the case." A. DOYLE
Bedford, N. S.
Ans.-There is often a difficulty in the turning a parable (if I may so express it,) into direct prophecy, as the aim of the parable is rather to give moral principles for practical application, than the order of events. The statement in the paper on the " Mysteries" is more guarded than our correspondent has understood it to be. The passage reads, "All seem to have taken sides, before the solemn close of the time of harvest, either manifestly for Christ, or as manifestly against Him." It is not said that this is so before the wheat is taken away. The tares are bound in bundles before that, but how the paper refuses to say. The binding in bundles is angelic action, not apostasy, and tares are not necessarily open apostates. They are such as have received some satanic error, but have not necessarily openly rejected Christ, (which is the apostasy), though naturally on the road to that.
I do not believe the apostasy can come while the Spirit of God is here. Signs of its being at hand are all around us now, but it is not come; and I see not why the apostle should not point out to Christians that the day of the Lord had not come because the apostasy had not, though we shall not be here when it does come.
I quote a passage from the paper in question, which will show fully the view intended to be given there:-
"Thus terribly shall the history of Christendom close. The true saints once taken out of it, the door of grace will be closed forever on those who have rejected grace. They will be given over to become, as they speedily will become, from being unbelievers of the truth, believers of a lie." F.W.G.