To the many who have encouraged me in this effort, thanks. Your comments have been a source of great joy and inspiration.
It is my hope that this “Kingdom of Promise and Prophecy” will, along with the “Commentary on Paul’s Letter to the Saints at Rome” and “Doctrinal Discourses,” fill the present need for sound and careful Bible teaching. To these will be added, as soon as time will permit, a compilation of questions and answers for which I have had many requests.
INYS WHITESIDE
INTRODUCTION
Robertson L. Whiteside was a native of Hickman county, Tennessee, born December 27, 1869, died at his home in Denton, Texas—where he had lived more than forty years—January 5, 1951. Early in his life (17 years of age), he dedicated himself to the Lord’s service. He was student, educator, and preacher and was ever on the firing lines in the fight against innovations and error. The Bible was his standard of faith and practice. With him, “to live was Christ.” Like Jeremiah of old (a character he so loved and admired), there was a burning fire in his heart he could not contain.
I might write a conventional biography as introduction to this book; however, it seems to me that the following lesson from his pen is more revealing of the purpose of the life that he lived.
PREACH THE WORD
“I charge thee in the sight of God, and of Christ Jesus, who shall judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be urgent in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all long-suffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but, having itching ears, will heap to themselves teachers after their own lusts; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and turn aside unto fables. But be thou sober in all things, suffer hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill thy ministry.” (2 Tim. 4:1-5.)
An old theme, do you say? What about it is old? God, Christ, truth, sin, salvation, duty, destiny—these never grow old. There is something wrong with one who thinks any Bible theme is old or out of date. If there were a cure for all fleshly ailments, would it ever be “out of date”? Would any sufferer say of it, “O, that is too old for this progressive age”? But there is no such cure known to man.
But man has a nature more important and enduring than his flesh, and ailments more far reaching in their results than any fleshly ills. And the gospel of Christ is a sure cure for all spiritual and moral ills. As long as there are moral evils to be corrected, sins to be forgiven, sinners to be saved, and downtrodden and discouraged to be inspirited, sorrowing hearts to be comforted, just that long will the gospel be fresh and “up to date.” And what else is up to date?