The Solo Debate

Since it was what the earnest preacher said about his favorite theme that pro­voked this two-sided study, we shall give his representatives the affirmative or positive position in the imaginary debate and I and my spokesmen will take the defensive or opposite argument.

He would stress Doctor Scofield's ideas about Christ's second coming being in what they call, "two stages," the first being the secret, catch-and-run, thief-in-the-night coming and the other, seven years later, which they expect to be visible, audi­ble, terrifying and glorious. I would expect him to have a good deal to say about the nation of Israel, the land of Palestine, some monstrous man, whom he identifies with "the man of sin," "the son of perdition," "the wicked one," of 2 Thessalonians 2:3 & 8; or whom he also sees as the "Beast" of Revelation 13, 19:19 & 20 and Revelation 20:10. His case would have depended heavily on Old Testament Scrip­tures, like Genesis 15:18-21; Genesis 17:2-8; 2 Samuel 23:1-5 and Jeremiah 31:31.

If that dear preacher quotes extensively from fellow Scofieldites in sermons he prepares to read, on his favorite subject, he will have quite a job selecting among the many variations of opinions set forth by them about the Millennium, the three or four classes of people who will be here during that time, the function of the An­tichrist and the things that they expect after the release of Satan, at the end of the peaceful thousand year period. As I am writing this, I have at least twenty-five books or pamphlets before me, all by futurist or premillennialist writers. I brought them out of my very extensive collection of such scholars, hoping to find a number of ex­cerpts from them that I could copy as consistent expressions of what they all believe. However, the speculations are as varied as the writers, so I cannot be sure that any one of them would fully satisfy as a valid opponent to debate as my friend's represen­tative. I shall at least quote one, that is sufficiently general that it can honestly be given as a sample of what we mean when we speak of their usual line of Pleasant Fantasies. It is a concise pamplet entitled, "Outline of Events." by Fred A. Tat-ford, one of a series of "Prophetic Witness Manuals," printed in England. Read it with care and agree or debate as God would have you do, while studying it.

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