# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1857_S329
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

— Page 329 —

Pastor Heinrich König, who in an unchristian and unchurchly manner
laid down his office in a congregation belonging to his parish, left the
other congregations without having received another call, and later
accepted a call from a congregation that, as he knew, stood in an
unreconciled relationship with one of our pastors, who had been forced
to leave it several years earlier for conscience's sake — and without
ever once inquiring of that pastor by letter about the state of the
matter, notified the district Präses [president] of his withdrawal from
our Synod, and could not be persuaded by him of the injustice of his
conduct described above.

Consequently, when he later requested an honorable discharge from our
synodical fellowship in order to join the Ohio Synod, this could not be
granted him — all the less so because, after making this request, he
became guilty of the further sin of serving, in another parish, people
of ours who had already been informed of their malicious self-exclusion
and whose wrongdoing he was fully aware of. W. Sihler.

Proceedings on the Doctrine of the Last Things, Particularly
Chiliasm.

The Präses opened the proceedings of the second session with the
following introductory remarks:

Before the Synod proceeds to further deliberations, it must know how
matters stand among its members regarding unity in doctrine. Until the
differences are resolved, no joyful deliberation is possible. I have
therefore changed the order of the subjects to be dealt with, so that
the doctrine of the last things will be the first subject of
deliberation.

The venerable Synod is aware that the Synod of the Western District,
at its last session, was — against its expectation — called upon by the
congregation at Altenburg to give an opinion on the following
questions:

1. What doctrine does the Synod hold concerning the events bound up
with the second coming of Christ, particularly the hope of a still
future conversion of Israel, the rule of Christ over all nations, and
a thousand-year kingdom, etc.?

2. Does the Synod regard a disagreement on these matters as a
disagreement of faith that would dissolve churchly unity?

With regard to this, the following resolutions were adopted by the
Synod:

On 1. a. We reject the doctrine that a general — or at least
unprecedented and especially numerous — conversion of the Jews is
impending before the Last Day, according to Romans 11:25–26 and other
passages, and must be hoped for, as an unbiblical teaching leading to
false chiliastic notions of the Church.

b. We reject and condemn every kind of chiliasm according to which it
is taught that, still before the Last Day, a time is to be expected in
which the devil will no longer have power and influence on earth,
Christ will visibly return, all nations will be Christianized, and all
deceased believers — or a number of them — will bodily rise and, in a
new manner not previously experienced, reign with Christ over all the
nations; we regard every interpretation of the following and similar
Scripture passages: