THE HERALD
of Christ's Kingdom
VOL. IX. December 1, 1926 No. 23
Table of Contents
HOW
GOD SPEAKS TO THE NEW CREATION
A
SWEET SAVOR OF CHRIST
A
SACRIFICE, A PRIEST, AND A PLACE OF WORSHIP
IF
THE LIGHT BECOME DARKNESS
THE
SECOND PRESENCE OF OUR LORD
VOL. IX. December 15, 1926 No. 24
Table of Contents
THEY
GO FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH
BORN
IN THE CITY OF DAVID, A KIN G
LOOKING
FOR THAT BLESSED HOPE
"THE
MORNING COMETH"
VOL. IX. December 1, 1926 No. 23
"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not
inherit the Kingdom of God? Be not deceived." -- 1 Cor. 6:9, 10.
IN THE Divine revelation God's children are richly blessed with
wonder-ful knowledge -- knowledge which relates to His dealings with His trusting children
in this Age, and of how all humanity are to be offered His favor and graciously dealt with
ín the dispensation. subsequent to that of the present.
While on looking around us and beholding so much of sorrow,
suffering, and misery amongst our race and longing for the promised deliverance of
humanity to come quickly, yet we also know that the definitely set times and seasons are
all arranged by unerring wisdom. God is too wise to err .and too good to be unkind. Our
chief concern for the present as God's children, turns to what God is working out during
the time of our sojourn on earth; that we may see our part therein and endeavor by His
grace to fulfil our highest duty in a manner well pleasing in His sight.
Having traced in our study of the Divine revelation the operation of
God's plan toward the world. as He instructs us it will be carried out during the
Millennial Age, we are endeavoring day by day to understand more fully the operation of
His will and grace toward ourselves as members of the New Creation. Why the Lord should
make a difference between His deal-ings with the Church in this Gospel Age and the world
during the Millen-nial Age can best be appreciated by those who accept the Scriptural
decla-ration that during the present time God is making special selection of a special
class, possessed of special characteristics and for a special service both now and
hereafter. It is because of all these special features that the Church has a different
experience from that which the world will have by and by.
"Think it not Strange Concerning the Fiery Trials
Which Shall Try You"
To this class are given fiery trials, temptations, etc., more than
justice, equity, would call for, It is required of this class in its call that they not
only love righteousness and hate iniquity, but that they shall do so at the cost of the
forfeiting not only of the pleasures of sin but also at the cost of many reasonable
pleasures, comforts, joys, etc., which are not of them-selves unrighteous. This class are
called to be sacrificers, and are distinctly told that if they would come up to the
requirernents of their call, they must be prepared not only to resist sin and weaknesses
of their own flesh and temptations from others, but additionally to suffer for their
well-doing, to suffer for godliness, for righteousness -- to be evil-spoken of falsely for
the sake of the Lord's cause. They are even informed that unless they suffer
chastisements, trials, persecutions, oppositions of some kind in the present time, they
lack the evidences of adoption into God's family as New Creatures: "For what son is
he whom the Father chasteneth not? If ye be without chastisement then are ye bastards and
not sons" -- not New Creatures. -- Heb. 12:8.
Now, the Lord speaks to the New Creation, saying, "Know ye not
that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God? Be not deceived." At first
we are a inclined to stand amazed and say, God has, made no provision for our attaining
actual perfection, all the provisions for such re-stitution belonging to the next age! How
then can He require righteousness of us, who still have the blemished bodies, imperfect
judgments, etc., resulting from the fall? After telling us that there is none righteous,
no, not one, how shall we understand the declaration that the unrighteous shall not
inherit the Kingdom of God -- not be joint-heirs with Christ in the King-dom -- not
inherit the glorious things which we have hoped for by the Lord's grace? The answer is
that God has made special provision for the Church of this Gospel Age. Instead of making
us perfect in the flesh, and then requiring absolute perfection in word, deed, and
thought, as will be required of the world at the close of the next Age, the Lord deals
with us in an imputed manner. To those who
exercise the requisite faith He imputes righteousness, which offsets the unrighteousness
or natural blemi-shes of their flesh. But only to those who exercise the faith is there
such an imputation of Christ's righteousness; those who cannot exercise the faith are
still in their sins, aliens from God until the coming of the new dispensation, when the
blotting out of sins will begin in an actual way. But to those who do believe and to whom
the righteousness of Christ is imputed because of faith, there is still a testing of the
heart.
See That Ye Receive not the Grace of God in Vain
It would be useless for the Lord to offer the prize of joint-heirship
in the Kingdom to any one perfect in the flesh when there are none such -- our Lord Jesus
being the only one, and He because He was not of the Adamic stock. God's provision,
therefore, is that the justified by faith shall be counted perfect, counted righteous so
long as their hearts, their wills, their best endeavors, are for righteousness. How simple
and yet how sublime this arrangement, how it adapts itself to all the circumstances and
condi-tions of the Lord's people! It is respecting this justification by faith, this
"righteousness of God by faith," that the Apostle says, "Being justified by
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" -- being justified
freely from all things. -- Rom. 5:1.
There is danger, however, here: some are disposed to take advantage
of God's grace and kindness and mercy, and while willingly, knowingly indulging in sin, to
hope for justification in sin instead of from sin. The Apostle is bringing this matter to
our attention, and implies that there is great need of care. He says, "Be not
deceived." God knoweth the heart; we might deceive ourselves but we cannot deceive
the Lord. It behooves us, therefore, to be on our guard respecting righteousness, justice,
to see that the sentiments of our hearts are continually in opposition to unrighteous-ness
to sin, all inequity. The Apostle proceeds to point out that faith in Christ, and the
acceptance of the Divine law as our regulation principle in life, mean more than faith in
the Lord Jesus. They mean our very best endeavors to speak and act and think in accord
with the Divine will -- in accord with righteousness.
The "Mark" Must be Attained, Else the Prize
Will Not be Ours
There is no standstill for the New Creature. He must go on and reach
a certain standard of perfection else he cannot be counted in as one of the Kingdom class.
The Apostle does indeed speak of the New Creatures as at first being babes in Christ, but
the Kingdom will not be made up of babes in Christ but of overcomers, and the overcoming
is not, as we know, a matter of age or physical stature, but a matter of spiritual
development, of growth in grace and knowledge and love. We are to grow in love, and love
is the principal thing, but before we can make much development in the cultivation of
love, we must learn to be just, right, righteous. It is a proper presentation of the
matter that is given in the proverb, that a man should be just before he is generous.
It behooves the Lord's people, therefore, the New Creation, that they
study this subject of justice continually, and daily put into practise the lessons
inculcated in the Divine Word. All of the saints must be the foes of sin. Wherever sin is
they must wage a warfare against it, and see to it that in their hearts at least they are
free from sin, that in their hearts they do not countenance sin but oppose it, that sin
finds no harboring place or sympa-thizing weakness in their hearts. This will make them
radical as respects the words of their mouths, the conduct of life, and the meditations of
their hearts, that all of these shall be in absolute accord with the Divine Word and its
spirit of righteousness, holiness, truth, etc. Such as get this proper foundation of
character before they begin to build love will find that they are making progress
properly. All love that is founded upon injustice or wrong ideas of righteousness is
delusive, is not the love which the Lord will require as the test of discipleship.
"Be Not Deceived"
The Apostle's words in our text, "Be not deceived," imply
just what we see all about us -- that many profess to be the Lord's people, profess to
love Him, profess the golden rule as their guide in life, and yet are blind to justice
(righteousness) in many of the .affairs of life. They exercise too much mercy in dealing
with their own shortcomings and too little when examining the faults and weaknesses of
others.
The Apostle proceeds to specify some of the unrighteous, unjust
things to which the Lord's people should find themselves opposed. As these are examined
individually, they are all found to contain a weakness in favor of self at the expense of
others; they all imply an injustice to others for the pleasure a or advantage of self.
Some of these unrighteous things specified are very gross, and one might suppose would be
recognized as unrighteous even by worldly people; yet the Apostle intimates that some who
profess to be the Lord's people have such lax ideas of justice that they do not perceive
how abominable these unrighteous matters arefornication, adultery, theft, drunkenness,
etc. Those who find themselves in any degree of sympathy with these evil qualities, these
unrighteous acts, are deceived if they think themselves to be the Lord's people. "God
is not mocked: he that doeth righteousness is righteous." -- Gal. 6:7.
In other words, it is in vain that we profess to be the Lord's
people, profess to be the servants of righteousness and truth, and love these principles,
if our conduct clearly demonstrates, that we love unrighteous-ness. For such persons to
profess to be the Lord's people is to mock God by assuming that He cannot read the heart,
and that what may be hidden to some extent from earthly beings is equally hidden from the
Almighty with whom we have to do. He that doeth righteousness is not necessarily he only
who is perfect, but rather he that doeth righteousness to the extent of his best ability
and who is trusting in the Redeemer's merit to compensate unintentional shortcomings -- he
is righteous in God's sight -- he is approved.
Varying Manifestations of Selfishness, Sin
The Apostle proceeds to specify other unrighteous conduct, not so
gross as the sins already enumerated but nevertheless wholly inconsistent with membership
in the Kingdom class. These are specified as covetousness, revilings, extortions, etc.
Those who have made any advancement in the Christian way, we may surely trust, are far
from having sympathy with the gross evils; and they may therefore have special need to
examine them-selves carefully in regard to these other more subtle evil qualities,
deleterious to their interests as prospective heirs with Christ in the Kingdom. What is
covetousness but selfishness -- the desire to have, possess, enjoy something at the
expense of another? What is idolatry but selfishness, the idolizing of money or fame or
influence or child or self or some other creature, exalted to and receiving the honor due
to the Almighty?
What is reviling but an exhibition of selfishness again, which takes
this method of doing injury to the feelings or to the reputation of another? Evil speaking
is classed by the Apostle in another place as one of the works of the flesh and of the
devil. It is wholly out of harmony with justice and the Golden Rule --for who would like
to be reviled or evilly spoken of? -- it is therefore an injustice, unrighteousness, and
cannot be the disposition of those who are in any degree begotten of the Spirit and
growing in grace. What is extortion but selfishness, injustice, unrighteous dealings with
others? -- accepting from them, either because of ignorance or stress of circumstances,
such money or valuables as are not fully, justly, right-eously due.
Sowing and Reaping -- To the Flesh or to the Spirit
The Apostle in another epistle repeats these words, "Be not
deceived;" --and adds, "Whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap; for he
that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption, but he that soweth to the
Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." (Gal. 6:7, 8.) He is not
addressing the world; it is the New Creation that is either sowing to the flesh or sowing
to the Spirit, and that will either reap of the flesh or reap of the Spirit. We sow to the
flesh every time we allow the fleshly, selfish, unjust, unrighteous desires of the flesh
to have sway in our hearts and lives, and each sowing makes easier the additional sowing
and makes more sure the end of that way which is death -- Second Death. On the contrary
each sowing to the Spirit, each resistance of the desires of the flesh toward selfishness,
etc., and each exercise of the new mind, of the new will, in spiritual directions toward
the things that are pure, the things that are noble, the things that are good, the things
that are true, is a sowing to the Spirit, which will bring forth additional fruits of the
Spirit, graces of the Spirit, and which, persevered in, will ultimately bring us in accord
with the Lord's gracious promises and arrangements -- everlasting life and the Kingdom.
The Apostle John has a word to say also about the danger of being
deceived after we have become New Creatures in Christ. His words are, "Let no man
deceive you; he, that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous. He that
committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose
the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil." (1 John
3:7, 8.) The Apostle is not speaking here of some one whose heart is loyal to the Lord and
who is momentarily overtaken in a fault, for he declares respec-ting such that there is
forgiveness for them because of the weakness or the ignorance which permitted them to be
ensnared. He is, however, speaking most distinctly of a willingness of the heart to sin,
to do unrighteousness. He indicates a great truth when he suggests that there are but two
sides to the question -- that Satan is on the side of sin, and that all who love and with
willingness practise sin are on his side. On the other side of the question are the Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself as the Redeemer of mankind, that He might
destroy Satan and all who sympa-thize with Satan in their opposition to God and His
righteous arrange-ments.
"Let Us Examine Ourselves"
The Apostle continues, "Whosoever is born [begotten] of God doth
not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him; and he cannot sin because he is born
[begotten] of God." The thought is that those begotten of the good seed of Truth,
begotten of the Holy Spirit, cannot, so long as that seed of Truth and the Spirit of the
Lord is alive in them, wilfully, deliberately turn to sin to practise it. If such should
turn to sin wilfully and deliberately, it would be conclusive evidence that the seed, the
Holy Spirit with which they had been begotten as children of God, had perished.
The Apostle adds, "In this the children of God are manifest from
the children of the devil; whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God --neither he
who loveth not his brother." Here again the question is sharply drawn as between the
children of God and the children of the devil. All who are on the side of righteousness
are on God's side. These will love justice and oppose selfishness, and sin which is
related to selfishness, in every sense and in every degree compatible with their
opportunities and commission. But this is not enough; they must do more than love to do
what is right; they must have such a love for the truth as would lead them to sacrifice
their rights on behalf of the Lord or any of His "brethren." If we have tasted
that the Lord is gracious, is good, we have tasted also that He is just, and in that sense
of the word, severe. Let us then, while rejoicing in Divine favor, see to it that we walk
circumspectly, and that our walk in life is not after the flesh, which leads more or less
directly to death, but after the Spirit, after righteousness, after Truth, all of which
lead, under the Lord's blessing and guidance, to everlasting life and the Kingdom honors
and glories with our dear Redeemer.
"For we are unto God a sweet .savor of Christ,
in them that are saved, and in them that perish: To the one we are the savor of death unto
death; and to the other the savor of life until life. And who is sufficient for these
things? For we are not as many, which corrupt the Word of God: but as of sincerity, but as
of God, in the sight of God
we speak in Christ." -- 2 Cor. 2:15-17.
THE ministry in Divine things which all the consecrated, as
ambassadors for Christ, have received, is one of tremendous import. It greatly influen-ces
the final destiny of those to whom we preach this Gospel of the Kingdom, the tendency
being either to life or to death. The Apostle's lan-guage here is another of the solemn
warnings of the inspired Word against the danger of the Second Death, and should awaken to
a sense of their danger any who have been deluded into the idea that there is no such
possibility, and are permitting the great Adversary thus to deceive them.. There is an
equal responsibility on the part both of those who undertake to preach the Gospel and of
those who hear it. The truth is God's truth, .and the responsibility of speaking as well
as of hearing it is very great.
The Apostle's words show that many in his day, as in ours, failed to
realize this responsibility, and, to answex their own selfish ends, corrupted the Word of
God. To wilfully or recklessly corrupt the Word of God -- to vitiate its pure and holy
doctrines; to add to it the vain philosophies of ambitious men and seek to support their
theories by perverting its truths; to underrate its exceeding great and precious promises
and mystify the conditions upon which they may be realized; or to minimize or make void
the .solemn warnings of the Word of God -- is indeed dangerous business, in which the
faithful saints will never engage, bait in which those who fall away from the faith are
usually most active-deceiving and being deceived.
To be faithful ambassadors for Christ -- faithful representatives of
the Truth and faithful proclaimers of it requires great humility and simplicity of heart.
It necessitates the complete ignoring of all worldly ambitions and aims and the
cultivation of a brave spirit of endurance which will not shrink from any reproach which
fidelity to the Truth may bring. And such service, the Apostle here shows, is acceptable
to God as sweet incense, no matter what may be the effect upon those to whom we minister,
whether they accept or reject the message of Divine grace. What God is looking for in us
is loyalty to Him and devotion to His cause; and this condition of heart He appreciates,
regardless of our success or failure to secure large results. What a comfort it is amidst
all discouragements to know that under all circumstances the spirit of Christ in us is as
sweet incense to God. And the reward of His constant approval is richer than all the
unwholesome sweets of ambition gained by corrupting the Word of God.
To the hearer of this Gospel, the Message must prove either a savor
of life unto (or tending to) life, or a savor of death unto (or tending to) death. His
responsibility is great: there is nò neutral ground; he either receives it or rejects it.
But observe that the statement is not that the rejection of any item of truth inevitably
doom's the rejector to death, and vice versa, but that the tendency of such a course is to
death, and of the opposite course to life, unless interrupted -- changed.
Thus, for instance, the Lord, in reproving the Scribes and Pharisees,
who rejected the Gospel and yet claimed to be the children of God and leaders and examples
of godliness to others, significantly inquired, "How can ye escape the condemnation
of Gehenna?" -- the everlasting destruction, the Second Death. (Matt. 23:33.) In
rejecting the Truth so plainly brought to their attention, and in pursuing the
hypocritical course of claiming to be faithful and devoted children of God, they were
forming and establishing such characters that repentance would, ere long, be impossible to
them. Few, perhaps, clearly realize how serious a thing it is to be making charac-ter, and
that every act and every thought leaves its impress upon the soul. Every right thought and
act tends to establish the character in righteous-ness, while every wrong thought and act,
and every self-deception tends to confirm and establish an unrighteous character. And when
a wrong course is adopted and persistently followed -- when conscience is stifled, and
when reason and Scripture are perverted to selfish ends, until the heart is deceived and
the judgment is overcome -- who can predict the repentance of such?
Such construct characters or wills so out of harmony with God and
righteousness as to be fit only for destruction. (Heb. 6:4-6.) How can such "escape
the condemnation of Gehenna"? for God will not permit any one to live whose will is
confirmed in unrighteousness. How responsible then is the position of those who are
building character in themselves and in others! Remember that our characters are
manifested by our habits of life; and each act, even the smallest, tends to form some new
habit, or to confirm one already established. How important, then, that our thoughts and
actions should not be aimless, but with a purpose (1 Cor. 10:31); and, above all, that our
lives should be "transformed [reformed] by the renewing of our minds"; that
putting aside the evil, and all influences which tend toward evil, we should receive of
the Lord, through His Word, the "spirit of a sound mind," the "mind of
Christ." In this view of the case, it is indeed a solemn thing to live, a solemn
thing to think, and to act; and it behooves us to guard well our word's, our thoughts and
our actions, and ever to bear in mind our responsibility to God, both for ourselves and
for others as ambassadors for Christ.
"And who is sufficient for these things?" Surely none of us
in our own strength. We need first of all to give ourselves to the Lord without reserve,
and then daily to drink in more and more of His spirit by communion with Him through His
Word and in prayer; and constantly to watch and pray lest we enter into temptation.
Let all the consecrated endeavor more and more to realize their
respon-sibility, both in the matter of their own character-building and also in that of
building up others in the most holy faith and in the character which is the legitimate
result of that faith. The issues of eternal life and eternal death are before us, and
before those to whom we present this Gospel; and therefore it behooves us carefully and
prayerfully to present the pure Truth of God in all sincerity and in the spirit of Christ
before God, ever bearing in mind that it is a savor either of life unto life or of death
unto death.
"Grant
skill each sacred theme to trace,
With loving voice and glowing tongue,
As when upon Thy words of grace
The wondering crowds enraptured hung.
"Give
strength, blest Savior, in Thy might;
Illuminate our hearts, and we,
Transformed into Throe image bright,
Shall teach and love and live, like Thee."
"It was therefore
necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but
the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ is not
entered into the holy places made with hands, which are figures of the trace; but into
heaven itself; now to appear in the presence of God for us" -- Heb. 9:23, 24.
IN THE perfect state with ability on the part of mankind to render
perfect obedience, service and worship, it is not to be supposed that God would require
anything in the nature of an oblation or sacrifice from any member of the race. Amongst
the heavenly host we hear nothing of such proceedings; no mention whatever of the holy
angels coming to God and offering worship on the basis of any kind of sacrifice. The logic
of the matter would be that all creatures in their perfect state have in themselves and in
the perfect service and obedience they render that which meets the requirements of the
Divine law, and are therefore entirely satisfactory to God.
It is not until we enter upon the story of the fall and the entrance
of sin that there is revealed at the same time the call for sacrifice in connection with
all approach to the great Jehovah. As the Bible deals mostly with man's condition and
history under the condition of the condemned, sinful state, it is therefore a continual
record of his separation, his need and his dependence upon some redemptive price,
sacrifice in some form if he would have contact with his Maker.
Why Sacrifice is Necessary
The doctrine of Atonement lies at the foundation of the entire
Christian system, and the whole redemptive purpose rests upon this great rock truth. It is
because of the unchangeableness and immutability of God's justice that the processes of
Atonement are made necessary. God does not change; neither in respect to His law, nor in
any of His attributes. Every disobedience to the Divine law means an offense of justice;
and in the case of .original sin the penalty inflicted by justice was death -- that the
sinner should cease to live. The plan of Atonement purposes to undo the effects and
results of original sin through the provision of a Ransom sacrifice, which would be a
corresponding price or equivalent to the life of the first sinner, and thus meet the
demands of justice in permitting the culprit, man, to go free from the first sentence
imposed. It is this plan of Atonement for man's return to favor with his Creator, to that
state of complete justification before Him, where he can render obedience, service and
worship that are acceptable to Him, that particularly characterizes the Christian
religion.
Sacrifices That Never Took Away Sin
As is well known by students of the Bible, this redemptive purpose
was worked out in miniature and type long in advance of the great sacrifice of "the
Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world." Back in the days of God's
dealings with His ancient people, He repeatedly impressed the lesson of His holiness and,
man's sinfulness; and the need for sacrifice on the part of those who would offer
acceptable worship. As another has remarked: "Moses said unto Aaron on the solemn
occasion of the sin of Nadab and Abihu, 'This is it that the Lord spake, saying, I will be
sanc-tified in them that come nigh Me, and before all the people I will be glorified.' The
Lord alone could give directions as to how the people were to draw nigh unto Him; this is
the great subject of the Book of Leviticus. It was on the ground of offered and accepted
sacrifice that the children of Israel were constituted the worshiping people of God. It is
on the same ground, namely offered and accepted sacrifice, that believers in Jesus are
constituted the worshiping people of God now. (Lev. 16; Heb. 9:10.) They have taken
Israel's place, but after a much higher order, whether we look at the sacrifice, the
priest or the place of worship. The contrast between them is great; and strongly marked in
Scripture, especially in the Epistle to the Hebrews. The Jewish sacrifices never reached
the conscience 'of the offerer, and the Jewish priest never could pronounce him 'clean
every whit.' The gifts and sacrifices which were offered under the Law, as the Apostle
tells us, 'could not make him that did the service, perfect, as pertaining to the
conscience.' The conscience, observe, always being the reflection of the sacrifice, it
could not be perfect, seeing the sacrifice was not perfect; 'for it is not possible that
the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.' Hence Jewish worship was connected
with inefficient sacrifices, a burdensome ritual, and an unpurged conscience, which
gendered in the worshiper a spirit of bondage and fear."
Most obvious it is that the way of, life, the way back into God's
presence and to the privileges of the true worship were not really opened up till the real
sacrifice for sin came. Jesus Himself made reference to this when He said, "The hour
cometh and now is when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in
truth; for the Father seeketh such to worship Him." These remarks of the Master imply
much more than appears on the surface. He was evidently calling attention to the fact that
with His advent and with the offering of the great sacrifice, the way back to God and the
privileges of true worship, would be opened up.
No More Conscience of Sin
Through the illumination of the Spirit since the days of Pentecost,
we are permitted to see the great contrast between the typical services, worship and
sacrifices of old and "the once offered and accepted sacrifice of Christ," and
the privileges of service and worship that it brings. He "put away sin by the
sacrifice of Himself." Everything that Justice could call for was done by Him;
"having by Himself purged our sins, He sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on
high."
"When the worshiper comes before God on the ground of this
sacrifice, he finds that he has nothing to do save, ás a priest, to show forth the
praises of Him 'who hath called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.' Even Christ
has nothing more to do as regards our justification and acceptance, 'for by one offering
He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.' The Jew, by his sacrifice, was merely
ceremonially clean, and that only for a moment, as it were; but the Christian, through the
sacrifice of Christ, is really so, and that forever. Oh, that sweet word,
'Forever'! By the work of Christ for us, our sins were all put away ; and now, by faith in
God's Word, we know they are all forgiven and forgotten. Hence, we can draw near to God,
and stand in His holy presence, in the happy assurance that there is neither sin nor stain
upon us. Our Great High Priest has pronounced us 'clean every whit.' (John 13.) Believing
this, the sense of guilt is taken away -- we have 'no more conscience of sins.'
"This deeply precious truth, observe, does not mean that there
is no more consciousness of sins. Far from it. Or that we may not get a bad con-science
through failure; or that we need not be exercised 'to have a conscience void of offense
toward God and toward man.' Not at all. It simply means that Christ, by the one, perfect,
finished sacrifice of Himself, has forever put away all our sins -- root and branch; [in
the sense that all the claims of Justice have been fully met so far as Adamic 'sin is
concerned, and "there is now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus."]
And having been led to know and believe this, how can there be sins on the conscience?
Christ has put them all away. The precious blood of our onceoffered and accepted sacrifice
has cleansed us from every spot and stain of sin. There may be the deepest sense of
indwelling sin, [in the sense of weakness and imperfection] and of many sins and
shortcomings in our everyday life, and the painful confession of them all to God; still
there is the full assurance that Christ died for our sins, put them all away, and that [if
they are confessed and renounced] not one of them can ever be laid to our charge. This is
indeed a most wonderful truth; but it is the great, the needful truth for the worshiper.
How could we stand in God's presence, where all is perfection, if we were not as clean as
He would have us to be? We must be clean enough for the eye of Infinite Holiness . . . .
'For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an. heifer sprinkling the
unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh; how much more shall the blood of
Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your
conscience from dead works to serve the living God."' -- 1 Pet. 3:18; Heb. 9:13, 14.
In the Presence of God for Us
In behalf of the true worshipers, Christ's work is thus seen to be
comprehensive and extensive, "in the presence of God for us," He minis-ters on
our behalf. "He ever liveth to make intercession for us," that all our
obedience, our service and worship may be acceptable to God. It is to this all pre-service
that the Apostle alludes when he says, "We have such an High Priest who is set on the
right hand of the throne of the Majesty of the heavens; a minister of the sanctuary and of
the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man:" -- Heb: 8:1, 2.
Further, it is on the basis of this priestly service in the presence
of God that the Apostle John encouraged the brethren, saying, "If any man sin, we
have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." (1 John 2:1.) Far be
it from the Apostle to be giving license to any one to, sin, as if one could feel free
whenever it was convenient to the old nature, to indulge in sin with the thought of being
immediately forgiven by applying to the High Priest. The language rather is intended to be
of consolation to all the followers of Christ struggling in their daily life to measure up
to those high ideals represented in the teaching and example of their Divine Lord. There
would surely be times when through weakness, infirmity and temptation there would come the
consciousness of sin and the need of cleansing, and of being made right with the Lord.
Herein they would realize the office of the High Priest as Advocate to cleanse away all
sin and to preserve the standing of the consecrated believer holy and perfect before the
Lord. "As our great High Priest, He represents us in the sanctuary above. And, oh,
what a Representative! God's beloved Son, whose name is above every name! 'For Christ is
not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but
into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.' (Heb. 9:24.) Oh, what dignity! what
nearness to God is ours ! Oh, that our hearts appreciated it more! When Aaron appeared
before the Lord in his garments of glory and beauty, he represented' the children of
Israel. Their names were engraven in precious stones in the beautiful breastplate. Blessed
type of our real and everlasting place in the heart of Christ, who appears, not annually, like Aaron of old, but continually in the presence of God for us. The name óf each believer is kept
continually before the eye of God, in all the glory and beauty of Christ, His well beloved
Son. We stand in His righteousness, we possess His life, enjoy His peace, are filled with
His joy, and radiate His glory. Although without right, title or privilege in ourselves,
we have all in Him. He is there for us and as us. His name be forever praised.
'He stands in
heaven their Great High Priest,
And bears their names upon His breast.'
"By Him Let Us Offer"
"As our Great High Priest, He presents to God the gifts and
sacrifices of His worshiping people. Under the law, the worshiper brought his offering to
the priest, and by him it was presented to the Lord, on His own altar. Everything was
arranged by the priest, according to the Word óf the Lord. How perfectly all this is done
for the worshiper now by his High Priest in heaven! Our prayers, praises and thanksgiving,
all pass through His hands before they reach the throne of God. What a wonderful mercy
this is, when we of our confused and mixed services! So much that is of the flesh mingles
with that which is of the Spirit. But the blessed Lord knows how to divide and separate
between them. That which is of the flesh must be rejected, and consumed as wood, hay, and
stubble, while that which is of the Spirit is precious, preserved, and presented to God in
the value and sweet savor of His own perfect sacrifice. 'By Him therefore let us offer the
sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks unto
His name.' (Heb. 8:15.) The kindness of the Philippians to Paul was 'an odor of a sweet
smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God.' Hence the importance of the
exhortation, 'Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God and the Father by Him."' -- Col. 3:17.
In Heavenly Places in Christ Jesus
In consideration of the fact that it is within the veil, of the Most
Holy, that our "Forerunner is for us entered," it must be that the Christian's
place of worship is really there; not that the experience of the consecrated in their
present state, the begotten state, is represented by the Most Holy, but that by faith they
are represented as having a standard with Christ in heaven, as the Apostle says that we
have been quickened together with Christ "and hath raised us up together and made us
sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." (Eph. 2 ;5, 6.) It is then outside
the camp that the Christian is in his place as a witness, and within the veil in his place
as a worshiper. "In both positions Christ is surely with him. 'Let us go forth
therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing His approach.' 'Having therefore, brethren,
boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.' (Heb. 13; 10:19.) To know these
two positions in communion with Christ Himself, through the teaching of the Spirit, is
unspeakable blessedness. The Church has no divinely consecrated place of worship on earth.
Our place is in heaven, in virtue of the sacrifice and of the priestly ministry of Christ
there for us. Whatever may be the character of the building in which Christians are
gathered together in the name of the Lord Jesus, their true and only sphere of worship is
the heavenly sanctuary. Through faith in God's Word, and by the power of His Holy Spirit,
they worship Him in 'the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched and not man."'
All Stand on Common Ground
Let this truth be clearly appreciated concerning the marvelous and
sacred privilege of all of these who thus become related to Christ and are worshipers
together with Him before God. All are equally near to their Master, and all have equal
liberty, all are equally acceptable, through the presence and intervention of the Great
High Priest of His people. "The same precious blood that cleansed us from all sin,
has brought us near to God as children, and as worshiping priests. And if we really know
the wonderful efficacy and power of that blood in the heavenly places, we shall be at home
and happy there in all the liberty and dignity of sonship, and in all the official
nearness and standing of once-purged worshipers, in the most holy place."
No truth is more clearly established in the New Testament than that
of the oneness and common standing of all the consecrated. There was no intimation of
grades, or classes in the Church when it was instituted by our Lord and the Apostles.
"There is no mention in the New Testament of any peculiar class or order óf
Christians who hold the office of priests, as distinct from other Christians. Christ is
the Great High Priest over the house of God, and all His people are, in virtue of their
connection with Him,, priests, and privileged to enter, as once-purged worshipers, into
the holiest of all. Even the Apostles never took the place of priests, as distinct from or
superior to the humblest child of God. They might know their privileges better than many,
and enjoy them more. Their gifts and callings as to the ministry of the Word were distinct
and special, but as worshipers, they stood òn the same ground as all others, and,
together with them, worshiped God through Jesus Christ, the Great High Priest of all His
people."
Kings and Priests Unto God
The favor of entering into relationship with God as one of the true
worshipers of the priestly class carries with it most exalted privileges. Amongst these is
that of final admission into the Royal Priesthood itself and of entering with Christ into
that blessed ministry and mission in behalf of all humanity when in due time the offerings
of this Gospel Age are complete and the Kingdom ushered in. Even at the present time the
Apostle addresses all these who are in prospect to attain this high station in the future,
saying, "Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy
priesthood, to offer up sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." And the
beloved John expresses the viewpoint of all of these triumphant ones in the words
"unto Him that loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and hath made
us kings and priests unto God and His Father."
Distinguished from all other of our race will be this royal company
who through the one all-prevailing sacrifice of God's well beloved Son, have in this
dispensation entered,. into those blessed privileges as the true spiritual worshipers, and
have come to know God. Because of this acquaintance with Him and the development of
character which they will have acquired under His polishing, discipline and guidance they
shall be entrusted with the important and weighty matters of the world to come.
"Kings and priests unto God": Their mission will be that of establishing a
righteous and holy rulership over mankind with a view to their uplift and restoration to
Divine favor. And it will be through the same great sacrifice of the Son of God that all
the willing and obedient of mankind shall be returned to their Father's home, and' to the
privileges -of fellowship with Him as the true worshipers, and will need "go no more
out" from His presence forever.
"If therefore thine eye be single, thy whole
body shall be full of light.
But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness.
If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness,
how great is that darkness." -- Matt. 6:22, 23.
IN THE Scriptures the "outer darkness," the darkness of the
world, is frequently mentioned in contrast with the inner light, the light of truth, as
divinely revealed. Thus our Lord said, "Blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your
ears, for they hear." And the Apostle reminds us that we were translated out of
darkness into God's marvelous light. Humanity in general is represented as lying in
darkness, as being unable to see the light of Truth. Thus again we are told that the light
shineth in darkness, but the darkness comprehendeth it not. Figuratively speaking the
world is asleep, and hence see not the light, though soiree are very much awake to,
worldly aims and worldly ambitions and schemes, but thoroughly blind to the Divine
purposes.
To a special class who have certain qualities of mind, God is pleased
to reveal the light, and to guide them by that light in the right pathway. Such as see and
improve the opportunity and walk in the way are called "the children of the
light," while others who go contrary are called the "child-ren of
darkness." Addressing some of these children of the light, our Lord said, To you it
is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God, but to outsiders all of these things
are spoken in parables and dark sayings, that seeing they might not see, and hearing they
might not understand. --Luke 8:10.
.While it is true that this power to understand is "given,"
yet it is not given indiscriminately; it is given only to those of certain character. To
these alone the light is profitable; to others it would be more or less injurious at the
present time. We may well thank God, as Jesus did, that for the time being the Divine
purposes are hidden from the wise and prudent and revealed only to the "babes."
For others to have the light would mean injury to themselves, if not' a disordering of the
Divine purposes and arrangements. As, for instance, St. Peter tells us that those who
crucified the Lord did so in ignorance, in blindness, in darkness, "for had they
known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory"; even though their hearts
might have been no better, they could have regulated their conduct by the greater
knowledge and thus the Divine purpose, that Christ should be crucified by them, the just
for the unjust, would have been defeated.
Lessons Concerning Spiritual Insight
In Matthew 6:22, 23, our Lord gives us a suggestion respecting the
condi-tion of heart and what it has to do with our ability to see or not to see Divine
truths. He says, "If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light; but
if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness." And then He adds,
"If the light that is in thee be [become] darkness, how great is that darkness!"
Evidently our Lord is using the natural eye and the natural body as an illustration. to
draw our attention to , the higher eyes of understanding and their power to bless and to
guide and to control the interests of the body.
A single eye would seem to signify singleness of purpose, or of heart
intention toward God, because in the succeeding verse our Lord calls attention to the fact
that there are but the two masters -- good and evil, righteousness and sin, God and Satan.
Those who are under the power of. Satan completely are blinded; as St. Paul tells us, The
god of this world hath blinded the minds of all those who believe not, lest the glorious
light of Divine goodness should shine into their hearts. (2 Cor. 4:4.) The only ones who
are not blinded are those who are the servants of God, and the degree of their clearness
of vision depends upon the singleness of their eye, their singleness of heart, their
singleness of purpose, their loyalty to the one Master, to the principles of His
government, etc.
All who have really seen the light of spiritual truth have therefore
reason to be specially congratulated on having passed from darkness to light, on having
been delivered from the kingdom of darkness into the 'Kingdom of God's dear Son, from the
dominion of. Satan as his servants ìa be disciples of Christ and servants of God. St.
Peter speaks of our translation out of the darkness into His marvelous light. St. Paul
says, We are not of the night, nor of the darkness. St. John says, In Him is no darkness
at all. Again, Darkness -is past, and the true light now shineth, but he that hateth his
brother is in darkness.
The Single Eye of Love
The point to be carefully observed is, that as our natural bodies are
edified by good eyesight, so as New Creatures we have clearness of spiritual vision in
proportion as we have loyalty to the Lord and the enlightening influence óf His spirit of
holiness, the spirit of love.
The question arises, Is it possible for any of us, after passing from
darkness into the Lord's marvelous light, to again get into the dark, to go out of the
light? The Scriptures answer that it is possible. They tell us that in certain instances
God will force people out of the light into the "outer darkness" common to the
world in general; that disloyalty to the Lord and to the principles of His teaching tends
in this direction.
We might suppose that those who should thus be cast into "outer
darkness," either suddenly or gradually, would be greatly distressed, but, on the
contrary, we have every reason to believe that the world in "outer darkness" is
not greatly distressed by its darkness, but rather, as our Lord suggests, "loves
darkness rather than light"; because it is in an evil condition; because it has not
the Spirit of the Lord, the spirit of love. The inference, therefore, is plain that those
who go out of the light into darkness will feel as contented as those who have never come
into the light of spiritual truth -- who even are boastful in respect to the darkness and
very unkind in their criticisms of the light -- hating the light.
How Great is That Darkness
In the Scripture quoted above, under the figure of a single eye, the
Lord pictures the singleness of purpose and of heart which must characterize all who
become His disciples indeed, or children of light. He even intimates that those who lose
this singleness of heart, singleness of eye, singleness of purpose, and then go into
darkness, are in some respects in a grosser darkness than are others who have never seen
the light. He says, "If the light that is in thee become darkness, how great is that
darkness!" Our observation fully corroborates this. Those who have once been in the
light of the Lord's countenance, and in the light of the Divine Word, and who lose this,
seem to be in a condition much more to be regretted than that of the world. in general who
have never had their eyes of understanding opened. The difference is found in the fact
that the unbelieving world never having known the Lord and never having had a keen
appreciation of the high ideals of truth and righteousness-the influence of spiritual
light-are not as responsible and cannot be held as culpable. Hence the contrast is not so
great as in the case of one who has once renounced the hidden things of darkness, and has
entered into the light. of God, and then through unfaithfulness, has lost the appreciation
of the light and returned to the darkness of n belief and sin. "How great is that
darkness," in the unbelief sense of how great is the contrast between the holy
condition of light once enjoyed and the state of outer darkness such as one goes into in
wilfully returning to the things of unbelief and sin.
Looking Unto and Copying Jesus
When true conversion to the Lord takes place, when the eyes of
understanding become opened, new standards appear. The Master's word is heard, saying,
"Be ye like unto your Father which is in heaven," and "Be ye followers of
Me," and "Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me." Some see cross-eyed,
endeavoring to serve two masters, and to walk according to two standards -- to be pleasing
to the Lord, and also to walk according to the earthly standards as formerly. But this is
found to be a very unsatisfactory course; it has neither Divine approval nor the approval
of worldly friends. Those of single eye, of single purpose, say within themselves to the
contrary,
"To my
Lord I must be true
Who bought me with His blood."
These soon learn that the world is in darkness, and that to walk with
the world, and according to worldly standards, would mean to fail to progress from grace
to grace, from knowledge to knowledge, and from glory to glory, under the leadings of the
Master, who instructed us to walk in His steps. Hence these of the single eye cut loose
entirely from the worldly standards which formerly were their guides; and they look to the
Lord, and, so looking, have the very best of guidance, the very highest standard
imaginable. Looking unto Him, copying Jesus, they come more and more to appreciate the
lengths and. breadths and heights and depths of Divine love and justice, and seek more and
more to be transformed in all their words and thoughts and doings into harmony with the
glorious Pattern which their single eye entitles and enables them to clearly see. How
blessed is their condition! Instructed by the example or the Lord and by His Word. of
Grace and Truth they are rising daily to newness of life in the character-likeness of
their Redeemer, and becoming fit for the Heavenly Kingdom and for the glorious
resurrection change.
The Lord Will Judge His People
The Divine purpose is not only to call out the single-hearted, the
single-eyed, and to instruct and guide them, but also to test and to prove them. Thus we
read, The Lord your God doth prove you to know whether ye do love the Lord your God with
all your heart and with all your soul. (Deut. 13:3.) The test of obedience is the Divine
law -- supreme love for God and absolute justice to our neighbor to love him as ourself.
Additionally, the consecrated have the New Commandment to love one another as the Redeemer
loved them -- to the extent of sacrificing, laying down anything and everything on behalf
of each other, for each other's welfare and assistance: If this test be faithfully
endured, it means that the individual has not only reached the mark of perfect love, but
has stood tests thereat and has demonstrated, his worthiness of eternal life under Divine
terms and conditions. But if these tests be not endured, it means the rejection of the
individual from the light, and that he will go from the light, so that the things which
were once light to him will appear dark, and the things of darkness will appear right,
just, proper.
It is not for us to complain, therefore, of these trials and testings
which the Lord declares to be necessary; it is not for us to insist that those whom we
love must be maintained in the light and ultimately be accepted to the Kingdom. It is
rather for us to show our obedience to the Lord, to demon-strate our love for Him with all
our heart and mind and soul and strength by acquiescing in the Divine arrangements and
judgments. The Lord is selecting the members of the Bride class. He has given us the
privilege of being co-laborers with Him in this work, but merely along the lines of His
instruction. With Him is the decision. If they do not maintain the single eye, the
singleness of heart, the singleness of purpose, loyalty to God, to the principles of
righteousness, justice, and love, they cannot continue to be His disciples; they cannot
continue in the light; they must go into "outer darkness."
If any fail to go on in the development of the spirit of love, the
spirit of holiness, the Spirit of God, they will surely retrograde; and the light that is
in them will become darkness-great darkness. Instead of the spirit of love exemplified by
our Lord, who laid down His life for us, a spirit of hatred, envy, and malice frequently
comes in; a spirit of murder which, although hesitating to do outward violence and come
under the ban of the law, will not hesitate to assassinate character and to say all manner
of evil against those toward whom they become embittered. By such fruits ye shall know
them. Such thorns do not grow on the grapevine, nor on the fig tree.
The philosophy would appear to be that when they lose the Spirit of
the Lord, the spirit of justice and of love, of kindness, and mercy, and truth, they lose
the Lord's supervision, direction, and control; they lose the holy influences of the light
of truth. And having previously discarded the rules and influences which control the world
in general they seem without any guidance or restraint in respect to their course of life.
And some who have fallen into this very unhappy state not only act contrary to the Divine
standards, but violate the principles of justice and decency, in word and conduct, that
assist and guide the world in general.
Walk as Children of the Light
What holy incentive there is for all who have been once enlightened,
and been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, who have tasted of the good Word of God, and
the powers of the Age to come, to be alert and zealous to maintain the standing to which
they have already attained! All such are admonished to be conformed to the
character-likeness of God's dear Son; that they be perfected in love, that they put off
all of these: anger, malice, hatred, envy, strife; for if any of these be retained, they
will tend to blind-ness and "outer darkness." More than this all such are urged
to put on all of these graces of the Lord's Spirit: Meekness, gentleness, patience,
long-suffering, brotherly kindness, love. These will strengthen and develop the
character-likeness of the Redeemer, which God has predestinated must be attained by every
one who will be accepted as a member of the Bride of Christ. And then the Apostle
suggests, If we do these things we shall never fail, but an entrance shall be ministered
unto us abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
CHRONOLOGICAL AND PROPHETIC SIGNS (Continued)
PART V.
"Heaven and earth shall
pass away: but My words shalt not pass away. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye
may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand
before the Son of Man." -- Luke 21:33, 36.
AS AMONG the signs of the end of the Age and of His Second Presence
the Savior made reference to a special work that would then be instituted within the ranks
of His professing people: "And He shall send His angels with a great trumpet and He
shall gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."
(Sinaitic MS. omits "sound" -- Matt. 24:31.) This language regarding the
gathering of the Elect harmonizes well with another description that Jesus gave respecting
the end of the Age, which He said would be a harvest time. It is recalled that our Lord at
His First Advent fulfilled an important part in a harvest work that was then in operation.
It was the consummation of the Jewish Age and it was therefore a time when the summing up
or the gathering of the ripe fruitage of the Age took place; all the true Israelites
indeed responding to the message were gathered into the Gospel fold, forming the nucleus
of the Church of the Firstborn.
The Harvest Sign
The truth concerning the present Age and the manner in which it is to
end is very pointedly set forth in the parable given by Jesus in which He declared that
the Kingdom of Heaven (His professing Church) was like unto a field sown with wheat and
tares, and He said, "Let both grow together until the harvest." When the harvest
time would come in the end of the Age He would instruct the reapers "the angels"
-- messengers, saying, "Gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn
them, but gather the wheat into My barn."
This language of our Lord reveals clearly that while He purposed that
both should grow together throughout the Age and be generally recognized as members of His
professed Church, He also designed that there should come a time of separation between the
various elements, when those who are found to be spiritual Israelites indeed and owned as
His true Church, the saints, should be revealed as such. -- Matt. 13:39.
As the harvest of the Jewish Age was instituted by the Lord Jesus
Himself, as the Chief Reaper, so again the harvest or gathering in the end of the Gospel
Age, would come about as a result of the presence of the same Master and Chief Reaper. As
the gathering and exaltation of the Church must take place before there can be any
establishment of the Kingdom, logically this harvest work must precede everything else at
the time of our Lord's Second Presence. And so He declares that He will "gather out
of [or from] His Kingdom [true Church and bind in bundles] all things that offend acrd
them which do iniquity, and cast them into a furnace of fire [trouble destructive to the
various systems of false profession." This trouble coming upon the people would be
understood to be a time of severe testing and trial occasioned largely by the growth of
many forms of unbelief and infidelity -- by a general state of apostasy and departure from
the faith in Christendom. This harvest work of separation having been accomplished, the
result the Master says will be that "then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun
in the Kingdom of their Father."
In His Hand a Sharp Sickle
The lesson to be drawn is, that those selected to be glorified with
Christ in His Kingdom are to be of very choice character and hence only those who have
built their faith structure of the gold, silver, and precious stones of truth and by holy
living consistent therewith, will be prepared to meet the tests that would come in the
harvest or gathering time of this Age.
There is another reference, we believe, to this same matter in the
visions of St. John as recorded in chapter 14 of the Revelation, where we read: "And
1 looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of Man,
having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle." (Rev. 14:14.)
This would appear to be a clear declaration respecting the harvest in the end of this Age
and of the fact that Christ would then be present as the Chief Reaper. The context goes on
to show the fulfillment of His mission as the great Reaper, and immediately there-after
the time of fiery trouble upon the earth preparatory to the new and larger sowing in the
Millennial Age.
Brother Russell briefly summing up the significance and import of the
harvest which would evidence the presence of our Lordd in the end of the Age, has left us
the following interesting statement: "This work will be in progress in the interim,
the 'harvest.' The angels (messengers of the new King of earth) will do a separating work,
not between the Church and the world, but a separating work in the nominal church-among
nominal professors, the present 'heavens.' This work [the harvest] is represented under
various symbolic descriptions -- it is the gathering of the wheat from the bares into the
barn (Matt. 13:30): it is the gathering of the good fish into baskets and the casting of
the unsuitable fish caught in the Gospel net back into the sea (Mutt. 13:47-49); it is the
gathering of His jewels (Mal. 3:17); it is the calling of 'My people' out of Babylon (Rev.
18:4); it is the midnight cry to the virgins,
which separates the wise from the foolish (Matt. 25:6) ; and in this prophecy it is the
gathering of the 'elect' from all the non-elect, of Christendom, from the four winds --
from every quarter.
"We are not to expect spirit-angels to appear with wings and to
fly through the air blowing a great trumpet, and here and there catching away some of the
saints -- no more than we are to expect to become literal fish and to be put into literal
baskets, or literal grains of wheat to be put into a literal barn. The angels or
messengers used by our Lord in this harvest gathering will, we believe, be such messengers
as He has used in His service throughout this Age -- earthly servants, begotten of His
Holy Spirit 'new creatures in Christ Jesus."' -- "Studies," Vol. IV, pp.
600, 601.
Christendom and the Harvest
Having this outline foregoing describing proceedings in the end of
this Age, we have only to ask, Is there anything in these last times in the Church and the
world, or we may say in Christendom in general, that corresponds to a harvest time, which
we can consider as the "sign" of the Master's presence and the end of the Age?
During the past fifty years more or less; a considerable number of
devout Bible students have answered the above question in the affirmative; have recognized
that the state of affairs in Christendom at present corresponds well with the Master's
description of the harvest time of His presence. Looking back now over the Age, we see
that the Parable of the wheat and the tares has been largely fulfilled. There has been a
growing together of the true and false professors. Great and many systems, sects, and
parties have become well organized, each claiming to be the true Church and all are made
up of both genuine and counterfeit Christians. But along with other signs of the end of
the Age and of the Master's presence have come new and startling conditions not to be
observed in any other part of the Age. Within these recent years a great shaking time has
come to Christen-dom. The predicted falling time is here. (2 Tim. 3:1-13; Psa. 91:3-7.)
Agnosticism and infidelity in many forms have been sweeping the world, with the result
that there is comparatively little of the true faith held to by the masses of professing
Christians. However, the true faith still exists and is to be observed in some individuals
here and there in the various Christian branches.
The Gathering of the Faithful
In this same connection we have been noting how through these years a
harvest work has been progressing throughout the various Christian circles. The message of
Truth concerning the true Gospel and the Divine program in general has been set forth in
clearer form than ever before, and widely disseminated throughout the world. This message
which has also called attention to the fulfillment of the Bible prophecies has had the
effect, as many will agree, of awakening and arousing consecrated followers of the Lord
the world over, and has enabled these to recognize many errors in the faith that they have
professed, and to discern the bondage to human creeds and systems in which they have been
laboring. Indeed, the sum of this message has been a call to come out of Babylonish
confusion and to become disentangled from every kind of bondage and fellowship that is not
in full accord with the will of God. It is this coming out of human systems and separation
from the tare element that has constituted the fulfillment of the Master's picture of the
harvest. Jesus did not say that the faithful, who were represented by the wheat, would be
gathered into a new sect or organization here upon the earth, but a gathering out of these
various conditions of bondage into a state of heart nearness to the Lord, in which they
can the more readily experience the ripening effects of the truth and the development of
that rich Christian character that will fit them for the great change (the
"Garner") that is promised the faithful Church in connection with the harvest
time.
Though we have no positive information as to the exact date when this harvest period began, or when
it will end, we may more or less approxi-mate the matter from the well known facts in
modern times. Looking over the last fifty years and especially the last forty, there are
unmistakable evidences of a harvest work in progress. There have been shakings, siftings,
and testings throughout all the ranks of Christendom. And through these years the voice of
the Lord has been obeyed by a goodly number who have been enabled to draw near to Him and
to enjoy a closer fellowship with Him and with one another than heretofore. Nor has this
sifting and testing time ceased. Such work is still going on all about us. Many forms of
deception are to be noted throughout the world which play an important part in increasing
the severity of the trial of this time. And Malachi's great and solemn question rings in
the ears of all of God's people today: "Who shall be able to stand?" In the
foregoing testimony then concerning the gathering of the faithful class of watchers, there
appears to be all the earmarks of the Master's harvest sign; of the gathering of "His
elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other."
The Sign of Things New and Old From the Storehouse
Closely related to the sign of the harvest is another line of
testimony which the Master indicated might be regarded as an evidence of His Second
Presence: "Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord, when He cometh, shall find
watching; verily I say unto you, that He shall gird Himself, and make them to sit down to
meat, and will come forth and serve them." (Luke 12:37.) Here is the Master's promise
of a special dispensation of truth at the time of His Second Presence. As the last days of
the Age were to, be days of fiery trial upon the Church, special assistance was promised
whereby she should be enabled to endure and to stand under these tests. The Master Himself
being present would perform the part of the servant in that He would dispense things new
and old that would be for the strengthening, comforting, and supporting of the faithful.
And who of us is there that will for a moment dispute that there has been a pronounced
fulfillment of the Savior's promise? For more than a century past there has been a
remarkable clarification of the Truth and there have been raised up among God's people a
considerable number of humble, devout servants whose earnest labors and patient
investigation of the Word have been richly rewarded in removing much of the rubbish of
error and in bringing to light many truths that have been covered, or whose meaning has
not been clearly recognized since the Apostolic period. All of this cleansing of the
sanctuary has been by way of preparation for this special revelation and dispensing of the
truth of God in these more recent times.
Fulfilled as Foretold
Brother Russell has repeatedly called our attention to this as one of
the signs that we were living in the time of the parousia, or presence of the Lord. And he
asked, "Is there anything to corroborate" our conviction respecting this being
the time of the harvest and the Master's presence? His answer was, "Yes. In the first
place, we look for the Lord's dealing with His people, the Church. We should expect that
at the time of our Lord's Coming His people would hear His 'knock' -- the knock of the
pro-phecies, and whoever would open his heart and receive the things in a consecrated
attitude of mind the Lord would gird Himself as a servant and would come forth and serve
him. -- Rev. 3 :20.
"All of the special blessings that we, as a company of Bible
students, have received during the past forty years have been the result of the Lord's
presence. He has been our servant and has been bringing forth things new and old out of
His storehouse. These old things have been coming forth in a new way -- not because of
human ability or skill, but because it is the Lord's due time for these things to become
clear -- the doctrine of Redemption, the Ransom, the meaning of the term Body of Christ,
the explanation of how the death of Christ is justification for our sins, the imputation
of His merit for the Church, the giving of the merit to the world, what the sanctification
of the Church really means, the begetting of the Holy Spirit, the begotten ones becoming
New Creatures in Christ; and what this term, a New Creature, signifies, how the New
Creature differs from the old nature, how the First Resurrection is to bring to this New
Creation glorious privileges and Divine blessings -- glory, honor, and immortality.
"Our Lord, present, but invisible, has brought us light along
every feature of the Divine Plan, not only respecting those things that were old --
justification, sanctification, and redemption -- but also respecting the philosophy of
God's dealingshow our Lord became flesh and dwelt among us, how He was holy, harmless, and
undefiled, and yet was born of an earthly mother. All these things which were once
confusing to us, but which are now brought to light, are evidences that the Lord is here
serving His people. We know that we have received these things. We do not believe that we
have received them from any human tongue or pen, but from the Lord, who is giving us,
'meat in due season.' The result of receiving this spiritual food is that many people have
been sanctifiedhave experienced a transformation of mind. that leads them to rejoice in
laying down their lives for the brethren and in walking in the footsteps of Jesus."
The Sign of the Fig Tree
"Now learn a parable of the fig tree: When his branch is yet
tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh. So likewise ye, when ye
shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors." (Matt. 24:32,
33.) Expositors in general have conceded that the fig tree is used as a symbol of the
Jewish nation. Regarding it in this light, we see how the Jewish race have been passing
through the long winter time of disfavor, and the fig tree has been barren, without leaves
or fruit. But Jesus said that in due time there would be the "putting forth" of
leaves and fruit buds, which would be an indication that summer is drawing nigh. So. the
return of favor to the Jews should be regarded as a sign that the Kingdom of heaven is at
the door. For about two centuries now there have been manifestations of the turning away
of disfavor from Israel and gradually through these years they have been rising out of the
ashes of humiliation and coming forth from the downtrodden state. Brother Russell's
comment is noted with interest here:
"The sprouting of the fig tree may have been but a casual
remark, but we incline to think that it was not. The peculiar circumstances narrated of
our Lord's curse upon a fig tree which bore no fruit, and which withered away directly
(Matt. 21:19, 20) inclines us to believe that the fig tree in this prophecy may be
understood to signify the Jewish nation. If so, it is being signally fulfilled; for not
only are thousands of Israelites returning to Palestine, but the Zionist movement, as all
know, has now assumed such proportions as to justify conventions of representatives from
all parts of the world to meet year by year to put in practical shape the proposal for the
reorganization of a Jewish state in Palestine."
It is the more recent and pronounced manifestations of returning
favor to the Jews that may reasonably be regarded as the "sign" of the Lord's
presence. Amongst these is the complete breaking of the Mohammedan yoke that has for so
many centuries held dominion over the Holy Land and has prevented the Jews front returning
thither. This great hindrance being now removed, we are witnessing the return of thousands
of Jews to their homeland yearly, and in a general way the hopes of the Jewish race are
being revived to a considerable extent. The land is being recovered and their cities
rebuilt, thus offering encouragement for still other thousands to espouse the cause of
Zionism. Surely this is sufficient evidence to be regarded as the "putting forth
leaves" and that the Kingdom of God is "even at the doors."
Not Supernatural or Spectacular Signs
In what we have been examining and reviewing of the signs of our
Lord's Second Presence, we are impressed in recognizing that none of these signs noted are
of the spectacular or supernatural character, nor such as the natural man would regard as
signs or proofs of Christ's presence. Some who have placed an altogether too literal
interpretation upon the symbo-lisms of Revelation and some other prophecies have their
eyes more or less upon natural or physical signs and hence are not disposed to see so much
significance in what are the real signs of the times. Again we note the importance of
Christ's words: "As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of
[in the presence of] the Son of Man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives until
the day that Noah entered the ark." And the Apostle Paul's prophecy is of similar
character; he states that the attitude of the world at the time, of the Lord's Second
Presence will be that of "peace and safety."
A Parable and Its Lesson
"If montrous, unheard of, supernatural, portentous events were
to trans-pire," asks Mr. Guinness, "would they, not be telegraphed the same day
all over a startled world, and produce such a sense of alarm and expectation that buying
and selling, and planting, and building, and marrying and giving in marriage, would all be
arrested together, and 'peace and safety' would be far from any one's lips or thoughts?
And if one of the apocalyp-tic prodigies is to
be thus [literally] fulfilled, all of course
must be so. Conceive a succession of such supernatural prodigies, and a world asleep in
fancied security, and overtaken by sudden destruction! No; there was nothing special to
alarm the antediluvians before the day that Noah entered into the ark; nothing special to
startle the men of Sodom ere the fire from heaven fell: and like as it was in those days, so will it be in these. All going on just as usual, no stupendous
sign to attract the world's attention. 'None of the wicked shall understand' the true
state of affairs, only the 'wise,' enlightened by the word of prophecy.
"It will be objected perhaps, But if the signs of the times
which we are expected to recognize are neither ordinary natural events, nor extra-ordinary
unnatural ones, what are they? Scripture abundantly answers this inquiry. They are special, but perfectly natural events,
occurring in a predicted order, and at a predicted time, and of various and widely
differing events occurring in combination. They are not sudden, startling, supernatural
phenomena, but definite stages in long
progressing natural movements, whose history was written twenty-five centuries ago by
Daniel.
Mr. Guinness, by means of a striking parable, has summed up in a
forceful manner the true viewpoint and the proper outlook for all the faithful watching
class in these momentous times; let the reader carefully weigh the various points of
similarity, in, this parable
"Hear a parable! A man, wholly ignorant of the actual length of
human life, is told that his existence will consist of four stages, infancy childhood,
youth, and full age, and that this fourth stage will have two sections, maturity and
decay. Certain general particulars of the three earlier divi-sions are given to him, and
much fuller particulars as to the characteristics and events of the fourth. He is told
that its first portion will be marked, by a certain perfection of strength and
intelligence, by the ability to do great things physical and intellectual, by a power of
self-multiplication and of ruling others, by the acquisition of wealth and influence,
respect and honor; and that after a time a change will come, there will be manifested a
loss of vigor, a failure of power, a gradually increasing feebleness, neces-sitating a
gradually decreasing sphere of action; and moreover that in this second stage of adult
life disease of a fatal character will be slowly developed in his system, having certain
very definite symptoms, which will arise in a given order. He is told that the last
symptoms which will usher in the great change will be a loss of sight, a difficulty in
breathing, paralysis of the nervous system, and lastly failure of the heart's action. He
is told that when all these things come to pass he may know that a rapid and momentary
passage will take him into a better stage of things. All this falls out in due order. His
feeble infancy merges into a merry childhood, and that again into brilliant, glowing
youth; in his early maturity the world rings with his achievements, but later years bring,
as foretold, infirmity, disease, and gradual decay.
"What now is the ground of the old man's conviction that his
earthly existence is all but over? What forbids him to look for recovery, or even to hope
for cure? Not his own impressions or feelings; not any sudden and new pain, that may
arouse him for a moment to more vivid and distressing sensation; not any freshly developed
stage of his malady. None of these things, but the irresistible inference, deduced from
seventy or eighty years of experience that every part of the prediction given him must be
fulfilled in its season.
A Predicted Duration
"If now, in addition to its other clauses, that prediction had
contained an anagram, which, when interpreted
by the right clue, would give the chronological duration of his illness; and if by some
chance the clue to the anagram came into the old man's hands; and on reading the riddle he
found that it amounted to a statement that his
fatal complaint would last for rather more than twelve years, he would have still
clearer grounds for the conviction that his end was near. His illness had already endured
for that time within a few weeks or days; he might and would still be ignorant of the day
and the hour of his decease, because the exact date of the first incipient commencement of
his fatal malady might not be discernible to memory. It had come on gradually and by
stages, he cannot at present recall exactly how or when. He we'll remembers when he first
sought advice about it, when he first adopted a certain mode of treatment, when it forced
him to give, up his business, when he was obliged to take to his bed, and when his sight
began to fail; but the first beginning is not so easily fixed. Still, he knows it was
about twelve years ago; and the time, taken in conjunction with all the other features of
the case, settles the question. But he has yet further confirmation, for the prediction
had announced that immediately before his dissolution, his first born son, a prodigal who
had forsaken his father's house in the days of his youth, and who had been ever since a
lost wanderer, would return to his home. Now already, after years of silence and oblivion,
he has heard from that prodigal. His first letter was from New Zealand, and spoke of his
return. The second arrived from Ceylon, the third from Aden; once more he wrote from Port
Said, and then from Malta, and his last letter had been dated from Southampton. He had
reached England, he had got so far on his way home, he might be expected at any hour. The
old man says to himself, 'It has all come true; I shall breathe my last in his embrace.'
An Approaching Climax
"If now a friend said to him: 'Perhaps you are mistaken: you had
often thought yourself dying before. Do you not remember how, soon after your illness
began, you used to think you were very near the end, and how again and again you have
formed wrong anticipations, that have been falsified by the events? Your symptoms are not
much worse than they have been for year's; you may rally yet and live on -- what would be
the old man's reply? 'True, I did some time since prematurely anticipate the close, but
that was before I clearly deciphered that anagram which limits this illness to twelve.
years. You know I have been twelve years ill now; besides, hearken! are not those the
footsteps of my long, lost son?'
"Now what are the grounds of that old man's conviction? They are
deduced from the long course of bygone events, compared with present onesevents which had
all been predicted to him in the order in which they had, occurred. The four stages of
life had come in their turn, they had borne precisely the characteristics attributed to
them. The last, as indicated beforehand, had proved to be by far the most important of the
four; not only longer than all the others put together, but amazingly more influential
over the then existing generation, and aver generations yet to come. The disease and decay
of its latter portion had insidiously invaded his consti-tution as predicted. every
symptom of the illness had been clearly marked and developed in the predicted succession.
It had now run a course of rather more than twelve years, and every present indication
presaged. an early disolution; and, lo! the prodigal, who had seemed so hopelessly lost,
returns!
Natural Events in Predicted Order
"Somewhat similar in character are the signs of these times, the
signs õf the fast approaching 'end of the age.' Of this nature is the evidence which
compels us to conclude that we are on the eve of the great and long predic-ted change.
There is nothing supernatural, nor will there be, nothing extra-ordinary, nor will there
be, until the epiphany [bright shining] of the Son of Man in glory startles a sleeping
world as a thief in the night. Each of the signs taken separately and singly, or occuring
ìn any other connection, or at any other time, might argue nothing remarkable; but
occurring as they do, as links in a predicted series, as the closing stages in a long
movement, and at the precise periods indicated twenty-five centuries ago, they become to
'the wise' clear signs that the end of the present state of things is at hand."
Watch That Ye May he Accounted Worthy
That the prophecy of Jesus outlining the signs of His presence in the
end of the Age was intended to be of comfort to. His followers at that time there can be
little doubt. But it would be only as the predictions would be fulfilled and their history
written that the full benefit of His sayings would. be realized. They could not be clearly
understood until they were fulfilled. Hence the special object of the Master in replying
to the great question, "What shall be the sign of Thy coming," etc., was to
provide a message that would strengthen and sustain His faithful followers in the days of
His Second Presence. So He said, "Watch ye therefore [you, who will be liv-ing at the
time when these signs about which I leave told you will be in evidence, that seeing My
Word fulfilled you may be comforted and upheld and] that ye may be accounted worthy to
escape all those things coming upon the earth."
He had described the signs of His presence minutely, in order that
the watching ones might not be left in doubt. The fulfilled signs would be illuminating
and strengthening to faith. Yet they were of such a character as not to be appreciated
except by those who would be engaged in devout study and prayerful watching. They were to
watch in the sense of carefully examining the more sure Word of Prophecy, and they were to
observe the signs of these prophecies coming to pass. The days were to be of specially
evil character: "Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged
with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you
unawares." -- Luke 21:34.
Being then taken into this secret of the Master's presence, learning
that their deliverance was drawing nigh, and the Kingdom of God at the doors, would have a
most sanctifying influence upon the lives of these, the last members of the Christ. This
knowledge would enable them to remain steadfast in the faith in the midst of surrounding
apostasy and worldliness. Because they would be walking faithfully and obediently in His
footsteps they should be accounted worthy to escape all those Things (the influence õf
strong deceptions, delusions, and illusive temptations so prevalent in this time) coming
upon the earth. And standing before the Son of Man approved at death, they should be
received by their Master into the eternal heavenly conditions and be given the crowd of
life, which is in reservation for all them that love the Lord and His appearing.
TVOL. IX. December 15, 1926 No. 24
"They go from strength to strength, every one of
them in Zion
appeareth before God." -- Psa. 84:7
THE Christian life is set forth as one of growth and development; and
this progression is one that relates to the heart, the soul, of the consecrated. David
after some years of experience from which he had learned valuable lessons was made to
realize that all acquaintance and favor with God, all development in those qualities of
life that are pleasing to Him must begin in the heart; therefore his words, "Create
in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." (Psa. 51:10.) It is
the clean heart, the renewed spirit, that is all-important.
In the present dispensation it is the unspeakable privilege of all
these truly converted and consecrated hearts to be operated upon by the Spirit of God, to
the intent that they may be fitted as vessels unto special honor and responsibility in the
future life; and so "if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in
you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also. quicken your mortal bodies by His
Spirit that dwelleth in you." As all success in this life of sanctification depends
upon the power and work of the Spirit, the Christian is admonished, "Be ye filled
with the Spirit." Such language cannot apply to those who are merely empty
professors, having a form of godliness only, but to those who have fully accepted the
terms of God's call, who have made the full consecration which alone brings us into the
position of sons of God. These are the only ones who have the Spirit of God. These only
are begotten from above. But St. Paul would have us remember that it is not sufficient
that we receive the begetting of the Holy Spirit, which comes to us at the very entrance
of the Narrow Way. We should see that the Holy Spirit of God abounds in us more and more
as rove go on in our heavenward course. The little spark of the new mind should grow
stronger and brighter day by day.
If this development does not take place, if we merely stand still, we
shall soon begin to lose ground; but if we progress, the natural man will gradually perish
and the new man will thrive. Christian development should be steady and continuous. We are
to be more and more filled with the Spirit. Sometimes the Lord's children say, "I do
desire to be filled with the Lord's Spirit, but it seems as if my capacity is so small. I
wish to have His Spirit in large measure, but I am unable to be what I long to be. I am
not satisfied with my attainments." But if we are striving earnestly and prayerfully
to become like Christ, let us not be discouraged. Let us remember that if we keep filled
to our present capacity, this very infilling will enlarge our capacity. Then our earthen
vessel will hold more of the Holy Spirit. This, in turn, still further enlarges our
capacity; and. so the expanding and filling goes on. Thus it is possible for us to be
filled continually.
If it were an impossibility for us to be filled with the Spirit of
God, the inspired Apostle would not have so instructed us. To the truly consecrated child
of God this is possible, and not only possible, but obligatory. But as there are ebbs and
flows in the ocean tides, so with our sense of the Lord's presence with us and His smile
upon us. We may not always realize His presence to a large degree, but the Lord's saints
must learn to walk by faith, to trust Him and His abiding love and presence with us even
though physical ill health or untoward outward circumstances or conditions may at times
cause a mental depression. We are to rejoice in the Lord even though there may be for a
time more or less heaviness of spirit.
Daily Self-Examination Necessary
In speaking of the glorious. salvation of the Church the Apostle
Peter says, "Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are
in heaviness through manifold temptations [trials], that the trial of your faith, being
much more precious than of gold that perisheth, might be found unto praise and honor and
glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen ye love; in whom, though now
ye see Him not, yet believ-ing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory."
(1 Pet. 1:6-8.) And we can thus rejoice even in the midst of severe trials that cause pain
and tears. There may be times when it will seem as though we are more filled with the
Spirit ,than at other times. But if we are striving earnestly to daily walk with God, this
will not really be the case. It may be only a difference of surface feelings. The true
child of the Lord should steadily progress.
The spirit, or disposition, of the world will seek to invade the
dominion of the New Creature. But the New Creature must be on the alert to see that his
mind and body are freed from everything that would not be in fullest harmony with God's
Holy Spirit*. Each one should seek to judge himself in this respect. We may not judge one
another, but we should judge our-selves. We are to see to it that the Spirit of the Lord
is manifest in our words, our thoughts, and our conduct. We should be able to do this more
and more successfully, more and more continually, as we go on in the good way and grow in
grace and knowledge. This we shall do if we are watching, praying, striving day by day.
The Spirit of the Lord dwelling in us in fulness, as it should be,
will cause our entire being to be so absorbed by the principles of righteousness laid down
in the Lord's Word, to be so in love with the heavenly things, hea-venly hopes, heavenly
prospects, that everything else will be of less value to us. And this will be more and
more our blessed experience if we con-tinue faithfully in the Narrow Way, if we
"follow on to know the Lord."
Developing This Crowning Fruit
But if, on the contrary, we find ourselves making provision for the
flesh, making worldly plans; if we find ourselves inclined to lay up treasures on earth
instead of in Heaven, there is cause for alarm, and we should ask ourselves whether we are
deficient, whether we are neglecting the means of grace -- prayer alone with God, study of
His Word, meditation upon the glorious things to which we have been called, watching
ourselves as to our growth in the fruits of the Spirit. If we find that we are
considerably controlled by the spirit of contention, we should ask ourselves, "Are we
seeking to deal justly and equitably with others -- to give them their rights and not to
intrude upon them? Are we cultivating the love which is forbearing, forgiving and kind? --
2 Tim. 2:24; Eph. 4:31, 32.
If we find after close introspection that we are in full sympathy
with the spirit of love, and can see that we are gradually developing this crowning fruit
of the Spirit, let us rejoice; for we should greatly deplore the matter if it were
otherwise. If we find that we are controlled by this spirit of love, we may know that we
are filled with the Spirit. This spirit of love will enlarge our hearts and minds, making
us broader and nobler day by day.
But we need to continually watch and pray; for there is constant
danger otherwise that we may be tripped up or stumbled either by our own faults or those
of others. We are never safe from being side-tracked unless we go often to the Throne of
Grace; we cannot be filled unless we keep very close to the great Fountain from which our
infilling comes. We must daily carry our earthen pitcher to this Heavenly Fountain to be
replenished; for we are leaky vessels. We are not to feel discouraged if we do not find in
ourselves the rapid growth that we desire to see. Strong, sturdy trees that can withstand
the fiercest storms are not developed in a day. Their growth is a slow, steady process. We
should show our loyalty to the Lord by renewed effort every time we fail. He is looking at
us not to see if we are perfect in the fleshfor He knows that we are not and can never be
-- but to see whether or not we have the spirit of earnestness and loyalty which daily and
hourly seeks to keep the body under and to cheerfully take up the cross.
Blessed Results of Spirit's Infilling
The Christian is not to be like the worldling who seeks to drown his
troubles and; afflictions in drink or in pleasures, dissipations, and frivolous
diversions; but in every trouble he is to fly to the only true Source of solace and
comfort and strength. This will drive away all anxiety and give him rest and peace even in
the midst of trouble. Like the fabled halcyon, which built its nest and brought forth its
birdlings in the midst of the sea, the true child of God can be at rest even amidst the
billows and storms of life, and can prosper as a New Creature and accomplish all the good
pleasure of God's will.
This unwavering trust in the Lord, this abiding rest of soul, this
zeal in God's service, is a matter of growth. "They go from strength to
strength," the Psalmist declares of the inhabitants of Zion. "First the blade,
then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear," said our Lord of this class.
(Psa. 84:7; Mark 4:28.) Notwithstanding the difficulties of life, these can continue to
make melody in their hearts unto the Lord. They rejoice no matter what may be the outward
earthly conditions. They can smile even through tears, knowing that, according to His
promise, all things are working together for their good. To attain this development is to
be filled with the Spirit; and each consecrated disciple of Christ should reach this
plane.
Some Christian writer has well said: "Wherever there has been a
faithful following of the Lord in a consecrated heart, several things have, sooner or
later, inevitably followed. Meekness and quietness of spirit become in time the
characteristics of the daily life. A submissive acceptance of the will of God, as it comes
in the hourly events of each day, is manifested; pliability in the hands of God to do or
to suffer all the good pleasure of His will; sweetness under provocation; calmness in the
midst of turmoil and bustle; a yielding to the wishes øf others [where there is no
conflicting principle involved], and an insensibility to slights and affronts; absence of
worry or anxiety; deliverance from care and fear -- all these, end many other similar
graces, are invariably found to be the natural outward development of that inward, life
which is 'hid with Christ in God."'
"Jesus,
my Lord, Thou art my life,
My rest in labor, strength in strife;
Thy love begets my love of Thee;
Thy fullness that which filleth me.
"Mine
effort vain, my weakness learned,
Weary, from self to Christ I turned,
Content to let His fulness be
An unbought fullness unto me."
"And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for,
behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people." -- Luke
2:10.
CHRISTMAS season again calls forth the most sacred and hallowed
memories -- those that relate to the birth of the Redeemer of mankind. We may well join
with others in the celebration of this time even though we believe December 25th is not
the true date of our Lord's birth, but more properly the annunciation day, or the time of
His human begetting. (Luke 1 :18.) It is the great event or fact expressive of the all
excelling love of God that fills our hearts with holy contemplation at this time.
Considering the importance of and how much is represented in the
event of the birth of Christ, we logically look for some striking evidence of the validity
and truthfulness of the record that claims to bring such sublime information. This we do
find, for there is a frankness and a simplicity about the sacred narrative dealing with
the subject that at once brings conviction. Another has beautifully touched upon this
point:
"The Gospels, always truthful and! bearing on every page that
simplicity which is the stamp of honest narrative, indicate this fact without comment.
There is in them nothing of the exuberance of Marvel, and mystery, and miracle, which
appears alike in the Jewish imaginations about their coming Messiah, and in the apocryphal
narratives about the Infant Christ. There is no more decisive criterion of their absolute
credibility as simple histories, than the marked and violent contrast which they offer to
all the spurious gospels of the early centuries, and all the imaginative legends which
have clustered about them. Had our Gospels been unauthentic, they too must inevitably have
partaken of the characteristics which mark, without exception, every early fiction about
the Savior's life. To the unilluminated fancy it would have seemed incredible that the
most stupendous event in the world's history should have taken place without convulsions
and catastrophes. In the Gospel of St. James there is a really striking chapter,
describing how, at the awful moment of the nativity, the pole of the heaven stood
motionless, and the birds were still, and there were workmen lying on the earth with their
hands in a vessel, and those who handled did not handle it, and those who took did not
lift, and those who presented it to their mouth did not present it, but the faces of all
were looking up. . . . The inventions of man differ wholly from the dealings of God. In
His designs there is no haste, no rest, no weariness, no discon-tinuity; all things are
done by Him in the majesty of silence, and they are seen under a light that shineth
quietly in the darkness, showing all things in the slow history of their ripening. 'The
unfathomable depths of the Divine counsels,' it has been. said, 'were moved; the fountains
of the great deep were broken up; the healing of the nations was issuing forth; but
nothing was seen on the surface of human society but this slight rippling of the water;
the course of human things went on as usual, while each was taken up with little projects
of His own."'
The more intimately we know our dear Redeemer in the light of the
Scrip-tures, the more we shall appreciate Him, love Him, and seek to copy Him. No other
life than His could bear so continual and close a scrutiny, yet always be full of fresh
revelations of moral dignity and character -- any other life similarly studied and
criticized would reveal its seamy side of weakness, sin, and ignobility.
In the Fulness of Time
The time of our Lord's birth was an auspicious one in several
respects, and very evidently Divine wisdom had exercised itself in respect to the world's
affairs by way of preparation for this important event: (1) The spirit of world-conquering
that began with Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom was favorable to it, in the sense that it brought
the various families or nations of mankind into closer contact with each other, broadening
their ideas. (2) This policy had resulted in the transplanting of peoples from one land to
another, and thus had made them more cosmopolitan in their sentiments. (3) Israel and
Judah, thus transplanted in their captivity to Babylon, became so attached to the new
conditions that comparatively few of them availed themselves of the offer of Cyrus to
return to their own land, only about fifty thousand of all the tribes, out of several
millions. The Jews among the Gentiles were by no means lost and had by no means abandoned
all of their hopes in the Abrahamic Covenant nor all of their faithfulness to the Mosaic
Law -- although they were lax in these matters and too full of a love of gain and ease to
cultivate the spirit of Israelites indeed. Nevertheless, they had their influence amongst
all the nations with whom they dwelt, and were witnesses to the hopes of Israel in the one
God and in a coming Messiah, the Son of God, to be the world's Deliverer. (4) The triumph
for a time of the Greek Empire had brought to the civilized world a highly developed
literature -- the Greek language had reached its zenith, and was the literary language of
the civilized world. (5) The Roman Empire had conquered the world and was in the height of
its power, and as a result there was a time of universal peace, and hence a more favorable
time than any before for the announcement of the Gospel and for the safety of its
representatives in. passing from nation to nation. (6) Israel itself had reached probably
its highest development, intellectually, morally, and religiously, and additionally we are
told in the Scriptures that "All men were in expectation" of the Messiah's
coming. --Luke 3:15.
It was just at this most appropriate time, as divinely arranged for,
that Caesar Augustus, the Roman Emperor, issued his decree respecting the taxing of his
worldwide empire. The decree was not merely an assessment of taxes, but was rather a
census, or enrolment for taxation. But instead of sending assessors to the people,
according to the present custom, the arrangement then was that every male citizen must
report himself at the headquarters of his own family line. This was the occasion for the
coming of Joseph and his espoused wife, Mary, the mother of Jesus; to. Bethlehem, their
native city or family city, for they were both of the house of David (though through
different lines), and Bethlehem was "the city of David." Thus in a providential
manner and by a decree over which they had no control whatever, Joseph and Mary were
brought to the very city in which most appropriately the great heir of David should be
born, as had been foretold by the Prophet. -- Micah 5 :2.
If Thou Even Thou Hadst Known
Had the people assembled at Bethlehem realized who this was that had
come to their city -- that He was from the heavenly courts, that He was the
"Logos" made flesh, that He had come to "save His people from their
sins" -- how gladly they would have welcomed Him into the inn and have given to His
use and comfort its choicest apartments! But they knew Him not, and hence lost this great
privilege of ministering to Him. Similarly, in every city and town where the Lord's people
are (His true saints), there are many who would make them welcome and give them the best
at their disposal, did they but recognize them as the messengers of Jesus and of the
Heavenly Father; but as the Apostle says, "The world knoweth us not, because it knew
Him not." (1 John 3 :l.) The disciple must not expect to be above his Lord. It is
noteworthy that neither Joseph, nor Mary, nor Jesus, nor the disciples, nor the Evangelist
who recorded the incident, offers the slightest complaint or suggestion of dissatisfaction
with the arrangement provided by Divine providence. In proportion as they would have felt
dissatisfied with the arrangements provided, in that proportion the Divine plans would not
have worked for their good.
Shepherds Abiding in the Field
The vicinity of Bethlehem is a pastoral country, and today is covered
with flocks. It was the custom at the time of the Savior's birth for the shepherds to
remain with their flocks by night as a guard against thieves as well as against wild
beasts. It was in this vicinity that David (afterward king); when a shepherd-boy
protecting his flocks, slew on one occasion a lion and at another time a bear. The
shepherds as a class were not particularly well educated people as respects schools, and
yet many of them were thoughtful and thus secured, in their leisure time while watching
their flocks, by reflection and by conversation, considerable knowledge, so that they
might be termed an intellectual and thinking class of people -- their minds being turned
more to reflection on large subjects than are the minds of some who are constantly
immersed in trade and mechanics. The shepherd whom God honored in making him king of His
typical kingdom, was a great poet, and evidently much of his time while shepherding was
given to the muse, and one of his most beautiful poems (Psalms 23) represents Jehovah
Himself as the Shepherd of His people -- His flock, for which He cares. It was to men of
this thoughtful class, and no doubt men familiar with David's psalms, and with the
Messianic hopes therein set forth, that the Lord sent the first message respecting His Son
made flesh.
The description of the appearance of the angel, and of the fear which
the brightness of his countenance engendered, is both simple and natural. All mankind more
or less feels instinctively a fear of the supernatural, a trepidation at the very thought
of being in the presence of the holy angels. And this is proper as well as natural, for
all realize their own imperfections through the fall, fearing more or less that the
results to themselves would be unfavorable if Divine justice were laid to the line and to
the plummet in respect to their affairs. All seem instinctively to realize their need of
mercy at the hands of Him with whom we have to do. And so it was with these shepherds;
they were affrighted as they beheld the heavenly visitor in their midst; but his message
was not one of justice nor in. any sense óf condemnation, but of Divine mercy. He soothed
them with the words, "Be not afraid; for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy
which shall be unto all people." Can we wonder that joy took the place õf fear in
their hearts as they heard the gracious words? Surely not. And so it is with all who from
that day to the present time have heard this true Gospel Message, not merely with the
outward ears, but truly, with the ears of their understanding -- comprehending it.
Truth Now Hidden From Wise and Prudent
Oh, if all true Christians could only get the full import of the
angel's message and see the depths of its significance, it would quickly revolutionize the
teachings of Christendom! But as our Lord declared, some of the deep things of the Divine
Plan are hidden from many of the wise and prudent according to the course of this world,
and are revealed only to the humble -- the babes. Nevertheless, the testimony of God
standeth sure; and all whose eyes of understanding have been opened and who have been
enabled to comprehend some of the lengths and the breadths, and the heights and the depths
of God's love, may rejoice that the ignorance of the world in general on this subject and
the opposition of the great Adversary who is blinding them, cannot continue forever, but
must soon give place, when the Lord's due time shall come -- when He who died on Calvary
for the world's redemption shall begin His glorious reign by binding that old Serpent, the
Devil, Satan, that he should deceive the nations no more for the thousand years of the
Millennial reign. Then all shall see out of obscurity; then shall all discern what at
present is the privilege of only the favored few to see, respecting the Divine character
and Plan-that the Message of the angel was true, every word of it -- that the grand
results to flow from the birth of the Savior in Bethlehem justified the Message sent by
the great Jehovah -- a good Message of great joy which eventually shall be to all people
-- whose enlightenment and blessing shall have no hindrance, no restriction, and as a
result all shall come to a knowledge of the truth and to an opportunity of availing
themselves of the grace, mercy, and peace provided for all in the great salvation secured
by the ransom sacrifice of our Lord Jesus.
The Angel's Message Good Tidings
The heavenly messenger further explained his great Gospel Message,
showing its basis, and declaring that all the good things mentioned should come to pass
because the Savior, Messiah, had been born -- the one so long looked for in Israel, the
promised seed of Abraham in whom not only Israel should be blessed and exalted to honor,
dignity, and co-operation, but in whom also "all the families of the earth should be
blessed." And let us here remark that the order of presentation used by the heavenly
messenger, and evidently divinely ordered, is the proper presentation of this subject
which should be adopted by all who seek to be used of the Lord as His ambassadors in the
calling of the elect Church. First, there is the grand pronouncement of Divine favor and
blessing, that it is a cause for joy, and that ultimately it shall extend to every
creature; secondly, there is the specific explanation of how all this is to be
accomplished through a Savior, a Deliverer, who, in order to deliver His people from the
wages of sin, death, into eternal life and blessing, must first of all save them from
their sins. And we see from other Scriptures that this Salvation from our sins signifies
not only the payment on our behalf of the penalty for Adamic sin, but also, subsequently,
man's instruction in righteousness and lifting out of sin; in which uplift each one is
required to co-operate to the extent of his will and his ability.
So all teaching of the grace that is to come to mankind should be
coupled with the philosophy of the salvation -- the Savior made flesh and the flesh
devoted. or sacrificed for our sins, and the Savior glorified, that in due time after the
selection of His Church, He might, with her, according to the Divine Plan, establish His
Kingdom of righteousness for the uplifting of the world of mankind out of ignorance,
superstition and general degra-dation into which the great Adversary has gotten them
through the fall and through his subsequent blinding and misleading. In this connection it
is well to remember that our Lord's name, "Jesus," signifies Savior, and that
all who would be of the elect Church must have the spirit of the Bridegroom (as well as by
faith be covered with the garment of His imputed righteousness); and that His Spirit is
one of opposition to sin to the extent of self sacrifice. We also are to "resist unto
blood [death] striving against sin." -- Heb. 12:4.
Angelic Host Proclaims Peace on Earth
Then the angels gave the shepherds an intimation of the humble
conditions under which this great King of earth was born into the world -- as a babe,
wrapped in swaddling bands and lying in a manger. This was necessary, not only to their
identification of Jesus, but necessary also to bring down their thoughts from the great
and grand results to the humble beginnings, lest they should be misled in their
expectations. And as it is with every part of the Divine Plan, so also it should be in
respect to all of our proclamations of the same. We are not only to tell of the future
glory and greatness and grandeur, but we are also to tell of the present humiliation --not
only of our Savior, who humbled Himself to fake a low estate amongst men, and to die for
our sins, but also to point out that the Elect are called to walk in His steps, under
similarly humiliating circumstances -- to suffer with Him, if they would reign with Him;
to die with Him, if they would live with Him. And thus also the Prophets spoke not only of
the glory that should follow, but also of the sufferings of Christ (Head and Body) which
must precede the glory. (1 Pet. 1:11.) The lesson to every one who has ears to hear it is,
"No cross, no crown." Let us, then, humble ourselves under the mighty hand of
God, and rejoice in every step of the humili-ation, that He may exalt us in due time to
share the glories of His Son our Lord, and to share with Him the grand work of blessing
all the families of the earth.
It was a fitting climax that, after the one angel had told the
surprised shepherds of the Good Tidings of great joy for all people and was ready to
depart, he should be joined by an angelic host, proclaiming, "Glory to God in the
highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." This was but a reiteration of the
Gospel Message already delivered. It declared that the work which should be accomplished
by the babe just born, should redound to the highest glory and honor of Jehovah God, His
Father. It declared also that through this work to be accomplished by Jesus should come to
earth Divine good will and consequently peace, and all that these would imply in the way
of blessings of restitution and privilege of attaining everlasting life.
The Light Shined in the Dark Valley
It was said at the time of Jesus' birth that, "The people that
walked in darkness have seen a great light." As our Lord declared, "The light
shined in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not." He was the light of the
world and was in the world and the world knew Him not. But there is a higher and deeper
and broader sense in which these words are to be understood -- they apply to all peoples
who have been favored with the opening of the eyes of their understanding during this
Gospel Age.
The people of Galilee in the day of our Lord's personal ministry, and
other parts of the earth since, with a similar humble class of people, have more or less
had amongst them representatives of the true light, and in every case the light has
shined: in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not, as our Lord declared to be the
case. Only a few appreciate this shining now because, as the Apostle declared, "The
god of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not" -- the eyes of
their understanding are so darkened by false doctrines, misunderstanding, and superstition
that they cannot see those glorious things which can now be seen only by the eye of faith,
by those whose eyes of understanding have been opened.
That the prophecy was not confined to the people of Galilee is
evident from the last clause of the second verse, "They that dwell in the land of the
shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined." The land of the shadow of death is
the whole world, for the shadow of death has been on the whole world ever since the first
trangression in Eden, ever since the curse or sentence of death was pronounced upon our
race. As the Prophet David describes it, the Lord's true people are. blessed even while in
the present valley and under the shadow of death: he says, "Though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for Thou art with me." It is to
this class who walk with the Lord, who trust Him, that the true light shines -- not as the
glorious Sun of Righteousness; as it will shine by and by when the Millennial Kingdom is
established, but merely as the little lamp, "Thy Word is a lamp to my feet, a lantern
to my footsteps."
As the shepherds having heard of God's grace, manifested their
interest by visiting and paying their homage to the Savior, so each one who has heard of
the grace of God with an appreciative heart can do nothing less than seek the Lord and do
Him reverence and serve His cause by proclaiming the gracious Message. with which he has
been favored. Let us each do so, and thus more and more increase in our hearts the joys of
the Lord and our appreciation of His grand Gospel.
Sequel to the series of articles concluded in the last issue of
this journal
on the Second Presence of our Lord.
"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious
appearing of the
great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." -- Titus 2:13.
HOW DEEP an impression was made upon the minds of the Apostles and in
turn upon the minds of their immediate associates by our Lord's parting promise to
"come again" and receive them unto Himself, may be deter-mined by the records of
their. life and ministry as these come down to us through the writer of the Acts of the
Apostles, the Epistles of Paul; Peter, James, and John, and the brief, but illuminating
contribution of Jude. Applying the principle suggested by the Master, "Out of the
abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh," we have the most positive evidence that
the return of their blessed Lord constituted for them the richest gem of revelation, and
the pivotal point around which all the future hopes of the Church centered.
Hence we find that when special trials overtook them and afflictions
multiplied about them, their minds were ever turned to that blessed hour in the future
when He would "come again." Were the days filled with hardships, and were
relentless persecutions their portion, their eyes were lifted up as in faith and hope they
visualized His return and their eternal union with Him, and to the weight of suffering was
transformed into "but light afflictions" of but momentary duration, unworthy of
comparison with the glory. to be revealed. Did the world's standards and methods, unjust
and inequitable, vex their minds, consolation was always found in remembering that they
could patiently endure for the "coming of the Lord draweth nigh." Did the time
seem long and hope grow faint, their spirits would be revived by recalling that their
salvation was measurably nearer than when they first believed, that the night was far
spent and the day at hand. When the knowledge of the Divine Program seemed in danger of
losing its energizing power -- of losing the quickening experienced when they first
"came into the truth" -- what admonition could more effectively awaken them than
a reminder of what they knew regarding His return and its attendant developments"what
manner of persons ought they to be." And in that bitterest of all experiences, the
lot of almost every true servant in the Church of God when labor seems lost upon an
unappreciative and unresponsive church, when their prayers for Zion's peace were
apparently unavailing since discord grew apace, when notwithstanding their united efforts
to so thoroughly indoctrinate the Church in the fundamentals of the faith so that false
teachers, yea an angel from heaven would find them so rooted and grounded that their minds
would be closed to all voices except that of the Good Shepherd, then only to discover that
comparatively few were established, only a few were so loyal as to hold fast "till He
come" -- ah, then how they needed to remember their obligations to the Lord who had
committed to them this ministry, and before whom they must some day render an account of
their stewardship.
He will surely come for His Curch for whom He died; she must be kept
chaste, and made ready for His appearing; she must be presented faultless before Him with
exceeding joy; she must be arrayed in all the adornment of character befitting her exalted
station; she must realize the responsi-bility and privilege of co-operation with the Lord
in a work, so grand and stupendous and so certain of successful completion; and she must
even measurably foresee some of the unspeakable joys awaiting those who have faithfully
served the Church in the days of her preparation. This meant the banishment from the mind
of every discouragement. And there came as a result a renewed determination to spend and
be spent in the interests of all such "as love His appearing."
Thus they lived, those beloved Apostles of the Lamb, whose names have
been forever enthroned in the hearts of the saints, whose love for the Church of Christ
never faltered. Faithful witnesses they were of our Lord's resurrection and ascension into
heaven; and faithful servants, too, who left behind them for the Church's encouragement a
message that burns into the heart's deepest affections with a power and a joy unspeakable
-- a message concerning Him who came from heaven in fulfillment of the Father's promise,
Him who had loved a world of sinners lost and in His own body had paid the price of
deliverance for all; Him who had now been exalted far above angels, principalities, and
powers and on whom the Father had bestowed the right to overthrow death and sin and
deliver the race from bondage into the glorious liberty of the sons of God. Each Apostle
in his own particular style, traversed the sacred theme from Jordan to the cross and
onward to that blessed hour for which they yearned and prayed and labored -- the time of
His return.
A valuable contribution to our discussion of the subject of our
Lord's Second Presence and its vital importance to the Church comes to us from the pen of
some unknown writer, one who gives evidence of considerable insight into the truth related
to the purpose of the Second Advent, espe-cially as it has to do with the change and
completion of the Church. Brother Russell some years ago indicated his appreciation of the
writer's treatment of the subject by retaking copious extracts therefrom and publishing
for our benefit; and though no doubt some of the readers of this journal read what was
published in the "Watch Tower" at that time, we are convinced that a careful
review of that same matter is most fitting and will be found profitable as the concluding
thoughts of this discussion of the Second Presence of our Lord.
THE HOPES OF THE EARLY CHURCH
RESPECTING OUR LORD'S SECOND COMING
"No one can read the New Testament with care without discovering
that the members of the early Church were men of hope as well as men of faith. Indeed,
hope seems, more than faith, to have been the outstanding feature of the character. Not
that they really had more of this than that; the twain were one; they formed one noble
edifice, one stately ship. But faith was the foundation work; hope, raised upon it, caught
the eye of the beholder. Faith lay beneath the water line; hope reared the mast and spread
the sail high in the sight of men. Their faith looked back to Calvary; but, in a sense, it
was an act completed. They were not always looking backward; forward they peered, with
steady gaze. The attitude of expecta-tion was their daily, hourly attitude. Something was
about to happen --someone was coming -- and they are seen to be on tip-toe, looking for
and hasting unto the event. To them it clearly seemed a consummation most devoutly to be
wished. They constantly referred to it as 'a lively hope,' 'that blessed hope,' 'this
hope,' 'one hope,' 'our hope,' 'the hope of our calling,' 'the hope set before us.' Every
reference shows that it completely filled their hearts, and was the dominating influence
in their lives. It almost diverted them from ordinary work and duty, the warning being
required not to stand 'gazing up into heaven.'
"The hope thus cherished was not of a private kind, attainable
by this believer at a certain time, and that one at another. It was one great hope, to be
fulfilled to all the Church, not even excluding them that slept, at one defined and
selfsame time. 'No prophecy of Scripture is of a private inter-pretation,' and this hope,
it is evident, was not to be fulfilled to individual believers. It was not a matter of
personal and private experience; not the coming of Christ to the individual heart, nor the
approach of death to each separate person; but something affecting the entire community of
Chris-tians at the same point of time.
"1. What was that hope which so controlled and cheered those
early saints? None other than 'that blessed hope, the glorious appearing of the great God
and our Savior, Jesus Christ.' They believed with all their hearts in Jesus Christ, in His
wondrous life of miracle and grace, and in His sacrificial death on Calvary's sad tree.
They believed that He had tri-umphed o'er the grave, and had come forth to resurrection
life. Many of them had seen Him in His resurrection form, and had been witnesses of His
ascension to the heavens. They remembered the words of the Lord Jesus, how He said unto
them, 'I go to prepare a place for you; and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will
come again and receive you unto Myself, that where I am, there ye may be also.' They had
heard 'two men in white apparel' say, 'This same Jesus which is taken up from you into
heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven.' With simple
faith they all accepted these great promises. The authority appeared to them sufficient,
the meaning transparent. The Lord had gone; the Lord would come. He had disappeared from
view, but only for 'a little while,' until the 'times of restitution.' When these times
came, He would appear again; and each one seemed to say, 'Whom I shall see for myself, and
mine eyes shall behold, and not another.' This was to them the 'one far-off Divine event
to which the whole creation moves.'
It Was the Lodestar of Their Life
the goal and climax of their being, and round it their communion with
each other, like their testimony to the world, continually revolved.
"Even if men try, they cannot keep this subject out of sight, so
long as the New Testament is read. The late beloved evangelist, D. L. Moody, made the
admission that he was originally much opposed to this doctrine, 'until,' said he, 'from
constantly meeting with it in the reading of Scripture, I was constrained to become a
believer in it; and now it is, to my mind, one of the most precious truths in the whole
Bible.' One verse in every thirteen in the New Testament refers to it more or less
directly; in the Epistles alone the proportion is much greater, being more like one in
ten. In First Thessa-lonians it is fully one in seven, and in the Second Epistle nearly
one in three.
"First Thessalonians is usually recognized as the earliest
Epistle we pos-sess. In our inquiry now it is of value, then, to note that the belief in
Christ's return was a conspicuous feature of the Church to which it was addressed. In the
opening chapter the Apostle testifies, 'Ye turned to God from idols, to serve the living
and true God, and to wait for His son from heaven.' The second chapter ends with a
reference to the prospect of meeting 'in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His
coming.' At the close of chapter three the prayer is offered, 'That He may stablish your
hearts unblamable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ with all His saints.' Chapter four finishes with the announcement, made by direct
inspiration, that 'the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice
of the archangel, and with the trump of God.' In chapter five the letter is brought to a
conclusion with the prayer that they who received it may be 'preserved blameless unto the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.'
"In Second Thessalonians there are but forty-seven verses, yet
in no fewer than fifteen reference to the Lord's return is made. The Apostle declares 'the
Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels.' He beseeches the
brethren to steadfastness 'by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering
together unto Him.' He speaks of 'the bright-ness of His coming,' and the 'consolation and
good hope' it brings; also he prays, 'The Lord direct your hearts into the love of God,
and into the patient waiting for Christ.'
"First Corinthians is another of the older writings; and it
proves that there at Corinth, as at Thessalonica, the Church had taken up the hope of
which we speak. 'Ye come behind in no gift,' says the Apostle, 'waiting for the coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ.' He tells them not to sit in judgment upon one another, but to wait
'until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will
make manifest the counsels of the heart.' Above the table where they sit to celebrate the
scene on Calvary, he writes the superscription,
'Till He Come'
and over all the tombs where sleep the silent saints, he carves the
sentence, bringing hope and joy, 'Christ the Firstfruits, afterward they that are Christ's
at His coming.' Even when the Apostle has to utter the dread word 'Anathema,' he
straightway softens it with 'Maranatha,' 'The Lord comes,' as though to let them know
that, after all, judgment belongeth to another; men need not quickly curse their fellows.
"In the Epistle to
Philippians the time of the Advent is repeatedly referred to as 'The Day of Jesus Christ,'
and for it they are taught to Wait. 'He which has begun a good work in you will perform it
until the day of Jesus Christ.' 'That ye may be sincere and without offense till the day
of Christ.' 'That I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain.' It is
clear that the Philippians shared the Apostle's hope, because he says, 'Our conversation
is in heaven from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall
change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body.'
"In the Epistle to Colossian saints, the same glad note is rung:
'When Christ who is our life shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory.'
Everything in the early Church was made to hinge upon the coming of the Lord.
"To Timothy, the Apostle Paul gives various charges, and he
makes each binding 'until the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ.' In view of the same
event he shows that he can hold death in contempt: 'I am now ready to be offered, and the
time of my departure is at hand; henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day, and not to
me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing.'
"To Titus, too, he makes it clear that, by this truth, not only
is the fear of death removed, but life is made pure and beautiful, men 'live soberly,
righteously, and godly,' 'looking for that blessed hope.'
"The Epistle to the Hebrews agrees with all the other apostolic
writings. Repeatedly it speaks of the expected day.
'Unto Them That Look for Him
shall He appear the second time, without sin unto salvation.'
'Consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works . . . and so much the more as
ye see the day approaching.' 'Cast not away therefore your confidence . . . for yet a
little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry.'
"The Apostle James adopts the same appeal; '.Be patient,
therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the
precious fruit of the earth, and bath long patience far it until He receive the early and
latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts; for the coming of the Lord draweth
nigh.'
"The Apostle Peter makes much use of Second Advent truth. It is
the vermilion and the gold with which he illuminates his precious manuscripts. To saints
in suffering he writes, and thus he seeks to cheer their hearts: 'Ye are in heaviness
through manifold temptations, that the trial of your faith . . . might be found unto
praise, and honor, and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.' 'Hope to the .end, for the
grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.' 'When His glory
shall be revealed, ye shall be glad with exceeding great joy.' 'When the Chief Shepherd
shall appear ye shall receive a crown of life that fadeth not away.' 'There shall come in
the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of
His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from the
beginning of the creation . . . But, beloved, . . . the Lord is not slack concerning His
promises as some men count slackness, . . . but the day, of the Lord will come as a thief
in the night.' 'What manner of persons ought ye to be, . . . looking for and hasting unto
the coming of the day of God?' 'Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things,
be diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace, without spot and blameless.'
"Saint John cherishes the same glad hope, and seeks by it to
strengthen and to stimulate the Church. 'My little children, abide in Him, that, when He
shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.' 'We
know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is; and
every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure.'
"As for the Book of the Revelation, . . . 'Behold He cometh,' is
the burden of the book; and there can be no understanding of the 'words of this
pro-phecy,' if the coming of the Lord be doubted, or be lost to view. Again and again, in
the midst of its mysteries, the Master's voice is heard crying, 'Hold fast till I come!'
'Behold I come as a thief ;
Blessed is He That Watcheth.
'Behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give every man
according as his work shall be.' To this, the seer himself would have us all say, 'Amen.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.'
"It is well for us to scan the Scriptures thus, in order that,
by line on line, we may convince ourselves what was the hope that cheered and edified the
early Church. After a reading, such as this, there is no room for doubt regarding it. 'the
hope they had was that of Jesus Christ's return, and nothing else can be maintained as
answering to the language they employed.
"It could not be a spirit blessing they were looking for-a
coming of the Lord into their hearts, for quickening and enlightenment; for such sweet
spiritual presence they had never lost. 'Lo, I am with you alway,' He had said, 'even to
the end of the world'; and evermore 'Christ in the heart the hope of glory' was to them a
living, grand reality. They did not need a coming of that kind.
"Nor could they mean the destruction of the city of Jerusalem;
and passing strange it seems that this should ever have been thought to have fulfilled the
prophecy. What was there in this sad event to constitute a hope? It was a hope these men
possessed! What had this city's fall to do with Gentile saints? Yet they, as well as Jews,
were made partakers of the Church's hope. Above all, why, if the destruction of Jerusalem
fulfilled the Scriptures relative to Christ's return -- why was the coming of the Lord --
proclaimed, and eagerly desired, long after Salem's towers were in the dust? The Gospel
according to John was surely written after that. So were his three Epistles, and the Book
of Revelation. The testimony of 'the early Fathers is also to the effect that the hope of
Christ's return remained, like a meteor in the heavens, long after Jerusalem was removed.
Clement of Rome, in his first epistle, written about A. D. 95, says, 'Let us be follow-ers
of those who went about in goat skins and sheep skins, preaching the coming of Christ.'
Ignatius of Antioch, about A. D. 100, wrote to Polycarp, 'Be every day better than
another; consider the times, and expect Him who is above all time, eternal, invisible,
though for our sakes made visible.' Polycarp, in an epistle dated about A. D. 108, said,
'that God had raised up our Lord Jesus from the dead, and that He will come to judge the
world and raise the saints, when if we walk worthy of Him we shall reign together with
Him. Papias of Hierapolis, the intimate friend and companion of Polycarp, taught the
coming of the Lord in all the churches that he visited. Justin Martyr, about A. D. 150
spoke of those as 'destitute of just reason who did not understand that which is clear
from all Scripture, that
Two Comings of Christ are Announced.'
Ireneus also, who flourished as a writer about A. D. 180, says, 'The
Lord shall come from heaven in the clouds with the glory of His Father, casting the
Antichrist and them that obey him into a lake of fire; but bringing to the just the times
of the kingdom.' These men all, with one accord, waited for the coming of God's Son from
heaven. They did nothing so ridiculous as to believe that the promises to that end were
fulfilled when Jerusalem was burned.
"Nor was it death for which these early saints were waiting. Not
one of them is known to have confounded that with Christ's return. In no Epistle is death
set before the Christian as the object of his hope. The approach of death, the enemy, can
never be the coming of the Lord -- his friend. It may be that the time between the hour of
death and the morn of resurrection shall pass even as 'the twinkling of an eye'; one
moment may be heard the voices of earthly friends around the bed, and the next (as it
appears) that call that wakes the sleepers in the tomb. But we must carefully distinguish
between things that differ. Falling asleep is not the same as waking, though hardly an
instant may appear to pass between them; nor is grim death the coming of the Lord, though
no time seems to elapse between the two events. If it be otherwise, and the return of
Christ means the believer's death, then is the Resurrection 'past already,' for that is
always associated with the Lord's return. But against this heresy we are expressly warned.
"No; if Greek and English words have any meaning, those employed
by the Apostles and the Fathers, with their equivalents in our own mother tongue, all go
to show that a personal and glorious coming of the Lord was what those men of God were
waiting for. No other coming ever crossed their minds.' It .was not till the middle of the
third century that serious opposition, or even question arose as to the doctrine of the
personal coming and reign of Jesus Christ. 'Now,' says Mosheim, 'its credit began to
decline, principally through the influence and authority of Origen, who opposed it with
the greatest warmth, because it was incompatible with some of his favorite sentiments.'
"The English Baptist churches in their Confession of Faith,
presented to Charles II in 1690, said, 'We believe . . . that the same Lord Jesus who
showed Himself alive after His passion, by many infallible proofs, which was taken up from
the disciples and carried into heaven, shall so come in like manner as He was seen to go
into heaven, and when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, we shall also appear with Him
in glory; for then shall He be King of kings and Lord of lords.' Here there is quite
enough to show what was the hope within them when the early Christians spoke with one
another of the coming of the Lord. It was 'the Lord Himself' -- for whom they looked and
longed.
"II. The reason for such unanimity and enthusiasm in the
entertainment of this hope must have been both weighty and worthy. The early Christians
did not lightly hold it, and it would not be with light and careless hand they took it up.
They must have had as cogent reasons for believing in, and hoping for, their Lord's
return, as they possessed for trusting and rejoicing in His first appearing. Back to the
first by faith, and forward to the next by hope, they looked, with as solid assurance in
one case as in the other. These were the two pivots on which revolved their Christian
life, the two wings on which they mounted up as eagles; neither pivot could be weakened,
nor could either wing be clipped, without grave injury immediately ensuing. 'Take unto you
the whole armor of God,' said the Apostles, and we may be sure they gave as good reasons
why the Christian should 'take for a helmet the hope of salvation,' as for his 'putting on
the breastplate of faith and love.'
"The foremost reason must have been, that Christ Himself had
said He would return. The word of seers and prophets, of apostles and of angels, was of
use; and these had all united to affirm that He would come again; but, after all, the
Master of the House, rather than any servant, was the One whose word was to be heard. If
He said even once, He would return, that would be quite sufficient for the faithful heart.
Already we have seen that many times the
Lord Had Pledged His Word
to this effect. He said distinctly, 'If I go I will come again.' 'I
will come to you.' 'I go away and come again unto you.' He spoke of Himself as the 'Son of
Man,' who should 'come in the glory of His Father'; as the 'Nobleman' who went into a far
country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return'; as the 'Master' for whose coming
the servants were to watch; the 'Bridegroom,' whose appearing the wise virgins all would
hail; and as the 'Lord' who yet would come and reckon with the stewards of his house. In
these, and many ways beside, the gracious Lord assured His loved ones He would come again,
and they, with trustful hearts, just took Him at His word. 'To doubt would be disloyalty,
to falter would be sin.' Then, as their faith laid hold, their hope was born; for they
soon . found, wrapped in the promises of His return, as in a garment fair, all scented
with sweet lavender, things rare and beautiful,, that made those precious promises the
richest heirloom of the Christian Church.
"The first thing they discovered there was this, that in the
certainty of Christ's return there lay the guarantee -- the only guarantee they had --
that they would see their Lord. Some of those early saints had seen the Savior when He
stood on earth; but now His words were true. 'You see Me no more.' Oh, how they longed to
view Him once again. To many of them the Apostle Peter's words. were more appropriate,
'Whom having not seen, ye love; and in whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye
rejoice.' But all the Church most. earnestly desired to look on Him whose love had won
their hearts. There is evidence that at a very early date the words of Isaiah were
appropriated, 'Thine eyes shall see the King in His beauty.'
"Apart from the Savior's coming most assuredly there is no
warrant given that these anticipations shall be realized. It is then that 'every eye shall
see Him.' No wonder that the early Christians 'panted for the appointed hour.' Then would
be the revelation, the unveiling of the Lord; 'the day of His appearing and His kingdom;'
and till it came they could not be at rest.
We Shall be 'Changed' and 'See Him as He is.'
"They also learned to say, 'when He shall appear,' and 'we shall
see Him as He is,' 'we shall be like Him,' 'changed into the same image, from glory to
glory'; for 'as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the
heavenly.' This is a marvelous announcement, and hardly could we credit it, unless it were
most clearly given in God's most Holy Word. For the assistance of our faith, it is even
given repeatedly, and we can only gratefully accept the truth. The early Chris-tians
certainly did this.
"They believed that this 'glad change' in them 'which are alive,
and remain unto the coming of the Lord,' would be accompanied by the awakening of them
'which sleep in Jesus.' For their dear ones who were dead, -- as well as for themselves,
their only hope lay in the Second Advent. They: did not say, 'There is no death; what
seems so is transition.' No, they accepted death as a reality. 'We believe that Jesus
died,' they said, 'even so,' there are 'them also which sleep in Jesus. 'Blessed are the
dead which die in the Lord.' Still, they are dead, and Resurrection is required to make
them live. Not by making light of death did they attempt to comfort one another; but by
making much, yea, everything, of the sure and certain hope of joyful Resurrection, to take
place at the coming of the Lord. He was the mighty magnet that would yet 'descend from
heaven,' and as steel is drawn to steel, so they declared 'the dead in Christ' would rise
to Him.
"They believed that that would be the day of their presentation
to the King. By the Apostle Paul they were distinctly so informed. In writing to
Corinthian saints, he said: 'Knowing that He which raised up the Lord Jesus, shall raise
up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.' Until that day, on various grounds,
they could not be presented. Christ would not even, until then, be King. So long as He was
Priest within the veil, they could not go to Him. The type forbade it: 'There shall be no
man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the
holy place, until he come out.' The Lord Himself declared it: 'Whither I go ye cannot
come.' 'I will come again and receive you unto Myself.' For that day of joyful welcome to
His court they had to wait. They did not dream of 'going to heaven one by one'; they would
'be caught up together to meet the Lord.' They could not think of entering Hips glorious
presence until they were 'presented.' They could not be presented until they were prepared
and fitly robed. Not in the drab dress of this mortal body could they stand before Him.
'This corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.' But
they believed that when He came this necessary change in their apparel would be wrought;
and then should they be brought into the presence of the King in 'raiment of needlework
and clothing of wrought gold,' 'a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such
thing.'
"That would be the time, then, of their triumph and reward.
Sometimes when men die, their friends affirm they have gone to their reward; but
Not So Said the Early Church
They could not; for the Lord had definitely named another time than
that of death: 'Thou shaft be recompensed,' said He, 'at the resurrection of the just';
'in the regeneration, when the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of His glory.' 'Behold,
I come . . . and My reward is with Me to give every man [them according as his work shall
be.' The Apostle Peter confirms that with the word, 'When the chief Shepherd shall appear,
ye shall receive a crown of glory.' 'We must all 'appear before the judgment seat of
Christ' before reward' can be distributed, and we are distinctly told it is at 'His
appearing' that this seat shall be set up. 'Henceforth,' said the expiring Paul, 'there is
laid tip for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord the righteous judge, shall give me
at that day; and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing:' He had
no thought of going by himself into the presence chamber, and in some private way
receiving His Lord's 'welcome' and 'well done.' No! he wanted 'all them, also,' whom he
had known on earth to be beside him then; especially those whom he had led to taste
redeeming love. 'For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in
the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?' It ìs when the nobleman returns
that he will call his servants, and hold reckoning with them. No wonder, then, that
faithful men kept ever in their minds that great event. The coining of the Lord was not
denied, nor lost to view, until, in later days than those of which we speak, the Christian
Church had lost its zeal, and ìn sad, wanton ways was walking with the world.
"'Try kingdom come,' He had Himself instructed them to pray
thus, and they believed that till He came the kingdom would not come. Not for the gradual
spread of truth, and the conversion of the world, they looked. . . They knew that all the
purposes of God regarding men would be fulfilled, but they appear not to have thought of
that as one. The Gospel must be preached in all the world, 'tis true; but they accepted
Christ's own words, that this should be but 'for a witness unto all nations'; and as James
the Apostle said, 'to take out of them a people for His name.' They did not vainly hope
the world would better and yet better grow; they knew that 'evil men and seducers shall
wax worse and worse.' They never said that things would so improve that the last days of
this dark age would be its brightest and its best. 'This know,' said they, 'that in the
last days
Perilous Times Shall Come';
for wickedness shall be rampant even with 'a form of godliness.' With
one consent these early Christians waited for the Lord. By His appearing would His kingdom
be secured.
"Many members of the early Church were Jews, and for their
nation's sake they wanted Christ to come. That day would be a glorious day for them, the
time of Israel's repentance and recovery. Then 'the rebuke of His people shall He take
away from off all the earth,' and from their eyes the veil shall be removed. 'I will pour
upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of
supplications; and they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and mourn.' 'And it
shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save
us; this is the Lord; we have waited for Him, we will be glad, and rejoice in His
salvation.'
"The thought of Israel's salvation at the Lord's return would
make glad the hearts of the Gentile saints as,' well as Jews; for Israel's restoration,
they were told, would girdle the whole globe with the glory of the Lord. 'If the fall of
them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles,
how much more their fulness?' Then it is that the Lord, by His Advent, shall set up an
ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel; then it is, and not in
this the Gospel day, that 'the earth shall be full of the knowledge of. the Lord, as the
waters cover the sea.' Then 'He shall judge among the nations, and rebuke many people; and
they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks.'
"'Peace shall spread through all the earth,
When the Lord doth come.
Truth and righteousness go forth,
When the Lord doth come.
God with men shall then be found,
Every place be hallowed ground,
Life and beauty shall abound,
When the Lord doth come.'
"With such results expected from the coming of the King, it is
no surprise that it became the early Christian's hope. Each member of the Church seems to
have held it. A Christian who had not this hope was an anomaly. Milner says, 'This
constituted in the second century so decidedly an article of faith that Justin held it up
as a criterion of orthodoxy.' Bishop Newton says, 'It was generally believed in the
First Three, and Purest, Ages [Centuries].'
"Bishop Russell, though an anti-Millenarian, says, 'Down to the
beginning of the fourth century the belief was universal and undisputed.' While Gibbon,
with no prejudice either way, says, 'It appears to have been the reigning sentiment of
orthodox believers.' He also adds, 'It was productive of the most salutary effects on the
faith and practice of Christians.' Of course its effects were salutary! It disposed the
Church to prayerfulness and patience, to purity and peace, to sincerity and soberness, to
loyalty and love, to fidelity and firmness, to watchfulness and work.. Solace it gave in
suffering, and in bereavement balm; in persecution perfect peace,. and even in the
martyr's fire the Master's joy." '
The Parousia First -- The Epiphania and Apokalupsis
Follow
As in the distance the various peaks of the mountains are blended so
as to be indiscernible, so in the distance the various features of the Second Advent of
our Lord were indistinct. But now is our salvation near -- "nearer than when we first
believed." and we should expect that the Holy Spirit, which we were assured would
bring truth to the attention of the Lord's people as "meat in due season," would
continue to "show them things to come" as they would be due to be understood.
And thus we have found it, praise the Lord! God's Word is as a shining light shining more
and more unto the perfect day. In its light we can now see that our Master will be present
for a time, in the harvest time of this. Age -- invisibly present doing a work in His
Church, before any outward sign or revealing to the world takes place. His work in His
Church will be the separating of the true from the merely nominal -- the "wheat"
from the "tares." His revealing will be in the "flaming fire," the
great time of trouble with which this Age will close, and in which the "tares"
shall cease to be "tares": but before that fire can come, as the parable was
given to show, He will be present in His wheatfield gathering the wheat into the garner
and bundling the tares for the burning.
Another parable also shows that before revealing Himself in any
manner to the world, He calls first His own servants and reckons with them, (Luke
19:15-27.) Ah! ! dear brethren what a holy awe it brings to our hearts to know that we are
now living in the presence óf the Son of Man!
If this blessed hope so absorbed the thought of these faithful
brethren of the early Church, knowing as they did through Paul's Epistles that the day of
the Lord would not come immediately, since the "man of sin" had not yet come, as
foretold by Daniel; and knowing also through Peter's reminder that they would have need of
his Epistles after his decease, because as he forewarned, "damnable heresies"
would eventually sweep down upon the Church -- if as suggested this hope so occupied their
minds, associated as it was with the certainty of having to watch and wait indefinitely
for the "appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ," what can we
suppose would have been the measure of their fervency, of spirit, their rejoicing and
thrilling expectancy, had they enjoyed the knowledge and assurance that we possess today!
Oh, if St. Paul with his clearness of insight into the mysteries of God had been able to
tell them in those wonderful days that there remained no unfulfilled prophecy to stand in
the way, no developments that must precede His coming; if he could tell them with
confidence that the great time-clock of the ages was already preparing, to strike the hour
when His bright-shining would burst upon the world, who can imagine the bounds of their
joy and love! It is not difficult for us to understand how this knowledge would have
elevated their minds and sanctified their hearts and ennobled their characters since we
have such clear evidence áf the power of their limited knowledge to thus influence their
lives in their own day and time. Can we imagine there would be any inclination amongst
them now to dispute as to who should be greatest in the Kingdom? Surely not! Would there
be any desire to fall asleep now when alertness and faithful watching would be
particularly needful? Their example under less favorable conditions answers, No. Neither
would there be any evidence of that absence of reverence for Him so much ín evidence
todaybeing "wise above that which is written."
We are surely impressed with the spirit of the Apostles in their
frequent discussions of this subject in their various Epistles. The absence of any human
speculation regarding the times and seasons, and the great carefulness they exercised to
avoid making any plans for the Lord respecting the matter of how He should come, or how He
should proceed to separate His faithful Church from all others. How careful they were to
hold before the eyes of the brethren those essentials of character necessary to all who
would be found worthy of an abundant entrance. And they leave the matter of the personnel
of the Little Flock entirely with Him. They held before the minds of the faithful the
great work of their own preparation and purifying and left the Kingdom work for Kingdom
days, rightly believing that qualification for kingship must necessarily precede kingdom
responsibilities. They sought to fix the minds of all upon the solemnity of the hour, to
see none, save Jesus only. Let us follow them as they followed Christ !
"Lo! from
his Eastern heights sublime,
I hear the herald's joyous warning;
Day's glory deepens; far upclimb
The rosy splendors of the morning;
See yon triumphant steeds of light
Chase the retreating hosts of night;
The valleys sing, the hills rejoice,
And sounds aloft one cheering voice,
'Tis coming. Yes, 'tis coming.'
"'Tis coming. Yes, our night of tears
Shall fade before Immanuel's glory,
Which now, to gild our earth, appears,
Foretold in ancient song and story;
Foretold in that seraphic strain,
With notes which haunt our world again,
For traveling through the shadowy years,
The Just, the Merciful appears.
Behold! the Lord of glory."
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