The Teaching of J.J.B. Coles

The Differentiator
Vol. 20 New Series August, 1958 No. 4

In an effort to get at the truth about what happened in 1907 to cause Dr. Bullinger and a large proportion of his followers to embrace the theory of the "Acts 28:28 Frontier," I drew attention some time ago to the important part played by J. J. B. Coles at the very start, early in that year, as its originator. At last he is receiving due recognition, indeed exaggerated recognition, after a half century of neglect, from Mr. O. Q. Sellers, who has described him as a "careful student" (The Word of Truth, January, 1958, p. 36). As I was careful to give him such credit as was his due, I consider that it is therefore incumbent on me to see to it that he does not get credit beyond his due; and to show that "careful" is, a most inappropriate word to describe his published studies.
In his opening "broadside" in "Things To Come" for February, 1907, he wrote of the fulfilment of Isa. 6:9-10 thus (p. 16):

"The Lord Himself had twice referred to this awful sentence ofjudicial blindness, but it was left to the Apostle Paul to follow inthe steps of Isaiah and to say, 'Here am I, send me' (to deliverthis solemn message)."That is a plain misstatement. Matt. 13:10-17 was not a mere reference but a very definite pronouncement. It is Paul who in Acts 28:25 refers to Isaiah's words.Then Mr. Coles writes:

"The earlier Epistles, especially 1 and 2 Thessalonians and 1.Corinthians, were written before the close of the historical period covered by the Acts, when the Parousia, or return and Kingdomof Christ, was still being offered to Israel and the nations."But "parousia" means "presence," not "return and Kingdom." It was never anywhere "offered." And what does "especially" mean here, except to confuse the issue? A more careless and slipshod statement would be hard to find anywhere. Then we are assured that this "offer" was being made "within those thirty years covered by the Acts." I wish we could be offered some proof instead.

Finally, just before his close, the conjuror produces his trick,thus:

"That Parousia will surely come, notwithstanding the longpostponement; for none of God's words will fall to the ground:but may not the 'blessed hope,' as in Phil. 3, and 1. Tim. 1, and Titus 2, be fulfilled even before that more public Parousia comes?"No "careful" or really honest, student could write such a specimen of argument by insinuation. It is a deliberate attempt to mislead.
Unfortunately, all this, apparently, appealed immensely to Dr. Bullinger who, two months after, made it clear that he had wholeheartedly accepted Mr. Coles, including his methods; as the following quotation will show (p. 39 ):

"We have to remember that these Churches, though among the Gentiles, were composed largely (and probably in some casesalmost exclusively) of Hebrew believers. . . . These Churches,formed before Acts 28, were composed, as we have said, chieflyof the 'elect remnant,' the 'heavenly calling' with someGentiles. . . ."Put this against Rom. 11:13; 1. Cor. 10:18; 12:2; Gal. 2:2 and 7; 1. Thess. 1:9; 2:14 and the folly of it becomes manifest at once. How such a fine scholar as Dr. Bullinger could have permitted himself to make such assertions is incomprehensible. What is perhaps even more astounding is that he appears to have got away with it! He even producesa fresh flight of fancy of his own:

"In Thessalonians we get the special revelation of the Raptureto meet the Lord in the air. We can see at once how out ofplace it would have been to speak of this as being 'received up inglory' (as in 1. Tim. 3:16); and of the change of our vile bodiesinto glorious bodies like that of Christ (as in Philippians 3)."How we can be expected to "see" anything so obviously untrue is not explained. It is a good general rule to avoid like the plague any teacher who expects us to see the invisible.
Little more of much significance was published on this theme till July, 1908, by which time the new heresy had firmly established itself in "Things To Come."

Soon after (October, 1908) Mr. Coles revealed his final objective, the destruction of 1. Thess. 4:13-17 as an effectivehope for ourselves, thus:

"Moreover, in Phil. 3:20, 21, there is a translation 'to glory'referred to which it appears was presented to faith for accept-ance in lieu, it would seem, of the rapture connected with theParousia (1. Thess. 4:13-18) which, owing to the unbelief ofIsrael (both in Judea and throughout the Dispersion) had to bepostponed. 'Postponed,' not abrogated, for the Rapture (as in1. Thess. 4:13-18) may follow some time after the translation inPhil. 3:20, 21. This mystery was hidden in or during the Age-times, but is plainly set forth in the Epistle to the Ephesians, themost profound of all the books of Scripture."This shocking passage should be pondered as an awful warning attempt to force Scripture at all costs to conform to them. Note the "it would seem" and the "may."

That this seedling of gross error soon bore fruit in Dr. Bullinger's mind is shown by the following quotations from an editorial paper in "Things To Come" for December, 1908. No wonder it is so hard now to present the truth of all this.

"To make the matter plainer we would note that many haveseen, in reading the Apocalypse, that place must be found forseveral Raptures, beside the one mentioned in 1. Thess. 4 andthe other referred to in Phil. 3:14.In Matt. 24:40, 41 and Luke 17:34-37, John 14:2 and Rev. 7:9-17, we have specific Raptures referred to. In Rev. 11:12,we have the Ascension of the two witnesses. In 12:5 we haveanother; while chapters 14 and 15 may refer to one of these orto further Raptures. These will all doubtless take place after thispresent dispensation of grace has been closed; but, in the faceof these, why may not our 'calling on high' (Phil. 3:14 and 1. Tim. 3:16) take place before any of them? And why may not 1. Thess.4, which was open to Israel as a nation (until Acts 28), be the one referred to in Matt. 24:40, 41, Rev. 7 or in John 14:2; and taking place even prior to that?Since I particularly applied myself to the study of the Thessalonian Epistles it has become plain to me that they are almost always the ultimate objective of the inventors of heresies. This is highly significant.

Two years after his campaign opened, Mr. Coles appears to have dropped out and his place taken by Mr. C. H. Welch in "Things To Come." We are not told why.

Thanks to my efforts, the facts available are now better known and Mr. Coles has at last received recognition as the one who convinced Dr. Bullinger and many others of a nonexistent fundamental "dispensational" boundary at Acts 28:28. How he accomplished this is still a profound mystery.

R. B. WITHERS