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CHAPTER VIII.

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THE ELECT.

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ESUS having predicted the destruction of Jerusalem, passed on to an event more distant in the future. speaks of the elect and the tribulations that should come upon them. Having spoken of the persecutors and their cruel deeds, we now wish briefly to speak of the believers. who were persecuted. But first of all we must present before you a few paragraphs concerning

The Great Tribulation upon the Elect.

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tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

And except

those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved but for the elect's sake, those days shall be shortened."1

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The tribulation" here mentioned is not the tribulation of Jerusalem, but a tribulation that came later, not upon the Jews but upon the Christians. That this is the case is seen from the following considerations.

1. This tribulation came upon the elect, but the Jewish nation is not the elect people of God in the new covenant.2

2. The days of this tribulation should be shortened,

but the tribulation of Jerusalem was not shortened.

3. The greatest tribulations that ever have been or that ever will come upon the elect were suffered under the papacy. These were during the 1260 years of papal dark

1 Matt. 24: 21, 22.

2 Matt. 21: 43.

ness and persecution. If this tribulation had not been shortened, the persecuting power would have entirely destroyed the people of God. The serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, in order to carry her away with the flood; but the earth helped the woman, and swallowed up the flood. The children of God should fall many days by the sword, by fire, and by captivity, but they should then obtain a little help. Before the 1260 prophetic days (or 1260 years of papal darkness) 3 had passed, the persecution had ceased. Thus the days were

shorted for the elect's sake.

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4. In the last time there will be a time of trouble such as there never was since there was a nation even to that same time." This must be a different tribulation, and it must come upon a different people from the elect, because it is not possible that two tribulations greater than ever was and ever shall be can come upon one and the same class of people. The tribulation spoken of in Matt. 24:21 must therefore be a tribulation that comes upon the true Christians under the papal power. But the tribulation predicted in Dan. 12: 1, will come upon the wicked when the last plagues shall fall previous to the second coming of Christ.

The Elect or True Christians.

The elect are the same as the believers or the true Christians. They have received Christ in the heart and follow his example as far as they understand, and the Lord gives them grace. They are "elect according to the foreknowledge of God, the Father, through sanctification of the spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ."7 Since Jesus lived upon the earth, there have always been true Christians, and there will always be 4 Dan. 11: 33, 34.

3 Rev. 12: 15, 16.

5 Dan. 7:25; 12:7; Rev. 11:3; 12: 6; 13:5.

6 Dan. 12: I.

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1 Peter 1: 2.

true Christians as long as the world stands, and the gospel is preached.

After the ascension of Christ, thousands of people were converted to God. In one day 3000 were gained. The more the enemies of the gospel tried to hinder and persecute the believers, the greater progress they made, until the gospel was preached everywhere.' The falling away or the mystery of iniquity had already begun to work in the days of the apostles. 10 More and more worldly minded. people were taken into the church as Christianity became more popular. Those that desired to live wholly unto the the Lord, could not approve of so much worldiness. They warned their brethren against it; they also spoke against the different errors which had begun to creep into the church. This class of Christians held fast the plain truths of the Bible, and tried to lead others to believe and obey them. They have always been few compared with all who are called Christians, but they may indeed be called a remnant of the true church. They have often suffered much persecution. Such a remnant was found in the days of Paul. 11 There will also be a remnant of the people of God in the last times. In every period of time there have been believers who have spoken against the general corruption. We will now speak of some of these.

12

The Novatians.

The Christians who were called by this name separated themselves from the common church on account of its corrupt condition. In the year 251 a church in Rome of this persuasion chose Novatian, a priest of the Roman Church for their leader or bishop. The Novatians spread over nearly all the Roman Empire, and traces of the Novatian churches were discovered in the end of the sixth cent

8 Acts 2: 41. 11 Rom. II: 5.

9 Col. I: 23.

10 2 Thess. 2: 3, 7; Acts 20:29, 30. 12 Rev. 12: 17; Rom. 9: 27, 28.

ury.

They denied that saints ought to be worshiped and that there was any virtue or power in relics.

The

For

Novatian was a man of considerable learning, and his doctrine was strictly in harmony with the Scriptures. church discipline of the Novatians was very strict. this reason they were called "Cathari," or Pure (Puritans). They held that the church had no power to absolve the penitent who through fear of persecution had denied the faith, but they did not teach that such would be lost. 13

The Donatists.

The followers of Donatus, a Numidian bishop, were called Donatists. They arose in Africa A. D. 311. They seceded from the Catholic Church, and formed a distinct sect. In the year 330 they had one hundred and seventytwo bishops in Northern Africa. Like the followers of Novatian they warred against the increasing corruption in the Catholic Church. They held that the essence of the true church consisted in the purity and holiness of each member individually, and not merely in its catholic foundation and doctrine. They therefore excommunicated all gross offenders and did not receive them again except they were converted and baptized. They also held that the efficacy of the sacraments depended on the worthiness of the administrators.

The Donatists were very numerous in Africa. In the beginning of the fifth century they seem almost to have equaled the Catholics in number. At a conference in Carthage, A. D. 411, two hundred and seventy-nine bishops were present. They suffered much persecution at different times because they were not united with the Catholic Church. They continued to the seventh century."

13 Jones's "Church History," pp. 141-144; Universal Knowledge, art. Novatian.

14 Universal Knowledge, art. Donatus; Jones's "Church History," p. 173.

This is the Armenia (Asia the year 657.

The Paulicians.

name of a Christian society founded in Minor) by Constantius Sylvanius in the The Catholics called them Paulicians, because they would acknowledge only Paul as a true apostle. They were strictly temperate and applied themselves to inward religion. Their worship was simple, and their church organization was modeled after that of the apostles. They especially detested the many ceremonies in the Catholic Church, and the worship of images, relics, and saints. They encouraged to diligent study of the Holy Scriptures.

Their leader, Constantine, lived in the little town Mananalis, near Samosata, in Armenia. He obtained the New Testament in the original language, from a brother who returned to Syria, where he had been a captive among the Mohammedans. He studied the New Testament with incredible diligence. The knowledge which he himself through the blessing of God had received, he imparted gladly to others. In a short time several men arose who were able to preach, and became his fellow-laborers in proclaiming the gospel. Churches were established throughout Armenia and Cappadocia. It appears that Constantine and his brethren endeavored to restore Christianity to its original purity.

The historian says truly of the Paulicians and their labor: "While the Christian world, as it was generally called, had thus sunk down in a terrible superstition, it was delightful, in the midst of the thick darkness that covered the people, to see a ray of heavenly light shining in the darkness.

Constantine and his fellow-laborers had great success in Pontus and Cappadocia. The divine truth was disseminated, and in the process of time churches were established

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