This book is designed mainly for those who are beginners in the study of prophetic and dispensational truth, though should it fall into the hands of those who are "looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ" and who have, perhaps for years, been giving earnest heed to the "more sure Word of prophecy," we trust that it will afford meat in due season and stimulate praise to God for the marvelous and blessed prospect which His Word sets before us.
Many books have already appeared before the public presenting in clear and Scriptural language the various aspects of the subject of our Lord's Return, and we hesitated long before we decided to add one more to the number. The different chapters in this volume have been given by the writer in sermon and lecture form to numerous audiences both in this country and in England, and it is only the repeated requests of many of those who have heard these addresses which has caused us to now set them down in writing; so that they may be preserved in a more permanent form and obtain a still wider hearing. They are sent forth with the prayer that the God of all grace will condescend to use them in blessing to His dear people and in the conversion of lost sinners even more widely than in their oral delivery.
While it is true that many books which treat of the Redeemer's Return have been issued and widely circulated, yet, there are still great numbers of the Lord's people who know next to nothing about this precious theme. Notwithstanding the fact that the Second Coming of Christ occupies a prominent place in the Holy Scriptures, notwithstanding the fact that this subject is a most practical one having, as it does, some bearing on every phase of our present and future life, and notwithstanding that it is calculated to awaken a deep interest in "things to come" and lead to definite heart-searching nevertheless, the vast majority of our pulpits entirely ignore the subject and in consequence great numbers of our church-members are in almost total ignorance concerning those things which God's Word declares will shortly come to pass. It is with the earnest desire to reach a few of these that this book has been prepared and is now sent forth.
We wish it to be clearly understood that there is nothing in these pages except that which we have ourselves first received. We lay no claim at all to originality. We have read diligently many works on prophetic themes and have sought to "prove all things" and to "hold fast that which is good." It is impossible for us now to do more than make this general acknowledgment of our indebtedness to other students of the Word. We have gleaned in many fields, gathering a fragrant flower here and there, and all that we now attempt is to arrange these in simple form, leaving our readers to admire the products of the labors of others into which we have entered.
The Redeemer's Return! Here is a theme which in this day is regarded by many well-meaning people as an ideal of visionaries or as the pet hobby of certain cranks. So grievously has the study of Prophecy been ignored, so little place is given in the modern pulpit to the exposition of eschatology, and so generally is the daily reading of the Bible neglected by those in the pew, that it is an easy matter to persuade the average church-goer that the subject of the Second Coming of Christ is impractical and one that had better be left alone. Moreover, this subject has suffered so grievously at the hands of those who are the enemies of the Cross, that many Christians have been prejudiced against it. Satan has not been slow to avail himself of the wild and unscriptural teaching of such men as Irving and Joseph Smith, and more recently, Dowie and Pastor (?) Russell; nay, he has employed them to cast reproach on those who do seek to search and interpret the Prophetic Scriptures. Yet, notwithstanding, it is the imperative duty of every believer to seriously and prayerfully examine the Scriptures for himself and see what the Word of God has to say about Coming Events. In that Word we are plainly warned that in the "last days" (of this age) there should arise those who ridicule and mock at the very doctrine of which we are now speaking (see 2 Pet. 3:3,4). Therefore we need not be surprised if we hear and read of those who seek to cast reproach upon this blessed theme; instead, as the Dispensation draws to a close, we should expect just what we now hear and see on every side.
The Redeemer's Return! Is there anything that can be compared with this momentous and stupendous prospect? Excepting the Cross of Calvary, the greatest event of all in the past history of the world was the Advent of God's Son to our earth. The Divine Incarnation was the theme of Old Testament prophecy. The very first promise ever given to fallen man was that the woman's Seed should come and bruise the Serpent's head (Gen. 3:15). When the Divine revelation was committed to writing, numerous passages recorded the promised descent of God's Son to this earth. The prophets of Israel made known the fact that the Coming One was to be of the stock of Abraham and a lineal descendant of David, and thus for fifteen centuries the Hope of Israel was the Messianic Hope. And, when the fullness of time was come God sent forth His Son born of a woman.
It is impossible for us to fully estimate the tremendous importance of the first Advent of Christ to this earth, The Divine Incarnation is without a parallel in the annals of the human race. Heaven itself was stirred at the miraculous birth of the God-Man. Unto the angels was entrusted the honorous commission of announcing the birth of the Saviour. Heathendom was affected, the good news being conveyed to Chaldea by means of a mysterious "star" which heralded the birth of the King of the Jews. The Coming of Christ to this world changed its chronology, for all civilized time is now by common consent dated from the Bethlehem manger. As the result of the first Advent a new era was inaugurated, a new prospect was set before the sons of men, the door of mercy was flung wide open, and command was given that the glad tidings should be made known to every creature.
But wondrous and blessed as was the first Advent
of our Lord in many respects, His Second Coming will be even more
momentous. At His first appearing He was here in weakness and humiliation,
but at His second He shall come in power and glory. When He was here before He
was "despised and rejected of men," but when He comes back again every knee
shall bow before Him and every tongue confess His Lordship. When He was here
before He paid tribute to Caesar, but when He returns He shall reign as King of
Kings and Lord of lords. When He was here before His personal ministry was
confined to the land of Palestine, but when He returns "the earth shall be
filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover
the sea" (Hab. 2:14). Who can comprehend or enumerate the blessings which
shall attend the Return of our Redeemer! Then will it be that the "dead in
Christ" shall be raised from their graves and the living saints "changed," so
that every believer will then be "conformed to the image of God's Son." Then
it will be that the Lord's servants will be rewarded for their labors and those
that were despised and hated by the world shall be recognized and honored by
the Christ of God. Then it will be that Israel shall repent of their sins,
receive Christ as their Messiah and Saviour, and be restored to the Holy Land.
Then will the promise made to the patriarchs be literally and completely
fulfilled. Then it will be that that old Serpent the Devil shall be removed
from these scenes where he has wrought such havoc and produced such misery, to
be chained for a thousand years in the Bottomless Pit. Then it will be that a
groaning Creation shall be delivered from its present bondage, when the Curse
which now rests upon all Nature shall be removed, and when the wilderness and
the solitary place shall be made glad; and the desert shall rejoice and blossom
as the rose (Is. 35:1). And, best of all, then it shall be that Christ Himself
shall enter into His blood-brought inheritance, when He shall see of the
travail of His soul and be satisfied. Therefore, ought not such a subject,
which presents such a glorious prospect, gladden our hearts and secure our most
diligent attention!
God does not desire His dear people to remain in ignorance of His future purposes concerning them, concerning His Son, and concerning this earth. Said the apostle as he was moved by the Holy Spirit, "We have also a more sure Word of Prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts" (2 Pet. 1:19). If then we give diligent heed to the Prophetic Word, if we will prayerfully study that which God has been pleased to reveal unto us concerning things to come, and if we will believe in our hearts all that the prophets have spoken, then shall we be like the Thessalonians of whom it could be said - "But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the Day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others, but let us watch and be sober" (1 Thess. 5:1-6).
The Redeemer's Return! This was the great hope of the early Christians. In the first century of the Christian era it was the normal and regular thing to find that the expectation of the returning Saviour filled the vision and hearts of His followers. The apostles themselves taught their converts to look for the appearing of Christ. Writing to the Thessalonian saints the apostle Paul reminded them how they had "turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; and to wait for His Son from heaven" (1 Thess. 1:9, 10). Writing to the twelve tribes scattered abroad, the apostle James bade them be patient and stablish their hearts, basing his exhortation on the fact that "The Coming of the Lord draweth nigh" (Jas. 5:8). Writing to "the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia "who were in heaviness through manifold temptations," the apostle Peter expressed the wish that the trial of their faith "might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 1:7). Writing to his "little children" (a term of endearment) the apostle John lovingly exhorted them to abide in Christ so that when He should appear they might have confidence and "not be ashamed before Him at His coming" (1 John 2:28). Writing of the apostasy which was to come, the apostle Jude quoted the prophecy of Enoch, who declared, "Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment upon all" (Jude 1:14, 15). Thus we find that it was the uniform practice of the apostles to hold up a returning Saviour before the children of God.
Right at the close of the first century A. D. when the time had come for the Sacred Canon to be completed, our Lord Himself sent His angel to communicate a special message to each of the seven Churches which were in Asia, and in five of them, namely, in the Epistles addressed to the Churches in Ephesus, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis and Philadelphia (see Rev. 2:5, 16, 25; 3:3, 11) Christ makes distinct reference to His imminent appearing, while His last words to His loved disciple were, "Surely I come quickly" (Rev. 22:20).
We have thus shown that this Age began with a
ringing testimony to the truth of our Lord's Return. Each of the apostles, of
whose writings we have any inspired record, taught their converts to look for
their Saviour's appearing. Alas! that this testimony was not maintained.
Alas! that this Blessed Hope should ever have become dim. Alas! that it
should, for more than a thousand years, have been almost totally lost to the
Lord's people. Yet so it was. The immediate successors of the apostles turned
their attention to other things: as it was with the Pharisees in the days of
our Lord, so these tithed anise and mint but "omitted the weightier
matters." Instead of expounding the Prophetic Scriptures and setting
before the Church its one great Hope, the early "Church Fathers," for the most
part, spent their time in wrangling among themselves. Even before the apostles
themselves had left the earth, false teachers crept in and began to
devour the flock, and within three centuries the whole professing Church had
become Paganized. Then followed the Dark Ages - aptly named, for the lamp of
Prophecy had ceased to shine and the prospect of the speedy return of
the Morning Star had completely disappeared. As our Lord Himself had foretold,
the virgins all slumbered and slept: no longer were His people looking
for the Coming of the Bridegroom.[1]
We need not remind our readers it was during this period known as the Dark Ages that the Roman Catholic Church sprang into prominence and the power, holding sway over all Europe and binding burdens on the souls of men which were grievous to be borne. The Bible was withheld from the laity and the vain traditions of men were substituted for the living Oracles of God. Instead of proclaiming salvation by the finished work of Christ, the multitudes were taught that heaven could only be obtained by penance, legal works, priestly mediation, and purgatorial fires. Instead of teaching her people that the hope of the saints was the appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, Rome taught that the hope of humanity lay in the subjugation of the entire world to the imperial rule of the Pope. Instead of exhorting believers to "look up" (Luke 21:28), the Roman Pontiff sought to dazzle the eyes of his devotees with the gorgeous ceremonialism of an earthly ritual.
After a thousand years of spiritual darkness the Sun of Righteousness shone forth over Europe with healing in His beams. During the sixteenth century God raised up a number of mighty men who, by the power of His Spirit, were delivered from the iron shackles of the Papacy and made to rejoice in the freedom into which, the Lord Jesus brings His people. Under God, these men brought about what is known as the great Reformation. During this Reformation the Holy Scriptures were restored to the people and given to them in their own native tongues. The glorious doctrine of Justification by Faith alone, was sounded forth throughout Germany, Switzerland, Italy and the British Isles, and multitudes were "added unto the Lord." Many precious truths, which for long centuries had lain buried beneath the rubbish heap of human traditions, were recovered and given out to the masses. But the Reformation, glorious as it was, witnessed only a partial recovery of long lost truths. The Hope of the Church was not yet restored! The prospect of a soon returning Redeemer was not yet set before God's people again. Three more centuries passed by before the third part of our Lord's prophecy in the Parable of the Virgins received its fulfillment. It was not until the nineteenth century that the midnight cry arose "Behold, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet Him" (Matt. 25:6). Then it was that God raised up another band of witnesses, sent forth by Him to herald the approach of His Son. The result has been that an ever increasing number of the saints have given studious attention to the prophetic portions of the Word, until, to-day, in every section of Christendom, there are companies of believers who are eagerly waiting for the Shout of the Lord which shall call them away from this earth to be for ever with Him. It is our humble desire to unite with these witnesses of God in testifying that the Coming of the Lord "draweth nigh." The Signs of the times speak plainly to those who have ears to hear, and singly and collectively bear witness to the fact that this Dispensation of Grace is now almost ended. The prophecies of the New Testament show clearly that we are living in the "last days" of this Age, and by the help of the Spirit of Truth we would herein call attention to those Scriptures which make known to us the stupendous events which shall surely and shortly come to pass.
CHAPTER ONE
Is there any real need for Christ to return? So far as God's children are concerned only one answer is possible to this question. There is. Christians of every shade of religious belief are agreed that there is an imperative need for our Lord to come back again. As to the precise character of that need, as to the particular urgency of that need, opinions may vary, but concerning the need itself this is universally admitted. Even post-millennarians teach that Christ must come back at the end of time to judge the wicked and reward the righteous. But we hope to show that the need for His return is much deeper and much wider than the reason put forth by the post-millennarians.
Suppose Christ never returns - then what? Has this alternative been weighed as it deserves? The present order of things cannot continue indefinitely; such a supposition is unthinkable. No one is satisfied with present conditions. Even those who despise the teachings of God's Word, hope for a better day, a Golden Age, an era of blessedness, such as this earth has never yet witnessed. And pre-millennarians believe that this Golden Age can be ushered in by nothing short of the personal return of Christ Himself. Here then, in general, is the reason why we believe the Redeemer must come back again. We say "in general," for in the remainder of this chapter we shall seek to show there is at least a tenfold necessity for our Lord's Second Advent.
It is very apparent to any one who has read thoughtfully through the Old Testament that the First Advent of our Lord did not exhaust the burden and scope of the numerous predictions which had been made concerning Him. Many of the things foretold of Israel's Messiah were not accomplished during the days when He tabernacled among men. Many of the promises found in God's Word connected with the Person of Christ, still await their ratification. While it is true that the First Advent of the Lord Jesus literally and remarkable fulfilled many of the Old Testament prophecies concerning Him, yet, it is also true that many others were not then fulfilled.[2] To several of these we shall now call our readers attention.
"And I will put enmity between thee (the
"serpent") and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise
thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel" (Gen. 3:15). There is much in this
remarkable verse which we cannot now consider in detail, yet we will endeavor
to present an outline of its contents. This is not a single prophecy but a
compound one and at least seven separate predictions are included in it:
-
First, the woman is to have a seed: as we
know, this pointed forward to our Lord's humanity. Second, He was to be
peculiarly the woman's "seed," not the man's, hence we read, "When the
fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman"
(Gal. 4:4, Greek). Third, the woman's "Seed" was to bruise the Serpent:
in other words, Satan was to be His particular antagonist. Fourth, He was to
bruise the Serpent's head. Fifth, He Himself was to be bruised in the
"heel" by the Serpent; and hence it is written, He was "bruised
for our iniquities" (Is. 53:5). Sixth, there was to be "enmity"
between the Serpent and the one who gave birth to the "Seed," namely
Israel (cf. Rev. 12:1-6). And then, after making mention of the enmity
between the Serpent and the woman, we read, Seventh, "And between thy
seed - the Serpent's "seed," i.e., the Son of Perdition - and her
"Seed." In other words, this agelong "enmity" was to head up in a conflict
between the Antichrist and the true Christ. For our present purpose it is
sufficient to single out the fourth and fifth of the above items, which, in
their historical order, have been reversed.
"Thou shalt bruise His heel." That old Serpent the Devil was to be permitted to attack the wound the only vulnerable part of our Lord's person - His humanity, here intimated by the word "heel." How this portion of the prophecy was fulfilled our readers will know. No sooner was the Lord Jesus born in Bethlehem of Judaea than the "Dragon" sought to encompass His destruction (Rev. 12:4). Immediately following His baptism, which was the inauguration of His public ministry, He was tempted or "tried" by the Devil for forty days (Mark 1:13). On the eve of His crucifixion our Lord expressly declared, "This is your hour, and the Power of Darkness: (Luke 22:53). Thus was Satan allowed to bruise the "heel" of the woman's Seed.
But we also read, "It shall bruise thy head," that is, Christ shall bruise Satan's "head." The head is the seat and source of power, and in the Scripture we are now considering is placed in sharp antithesis with the "heel" of the woman's Seed. Stript of its prophetic symbolism, it can only mean that Christ is to depose Satan and reduce him to a state of impotency. This interpretation is fully confirmed in Rev. 20 where we learn that a day is coming when the Devil shall be bound and cast into the Bottomless Pit to remain there securely confined throughout the Millennial Era. What we now desire to emphasize particularly is, that,this part of the Edenic prophecy was not fulfilled when our Lord was upon earth before, and has not yet been fulfilled. Therefore, if this prediction is be realized our Lord must return to this earth and deprive the Devil of his power, for He alone is competent for such a task.
Again; we read in Is. 9:6,7, "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever." Here again we meet with a prophecy which has already received a partial fulfillment, but which has not yet been completely realized. Unto Israel a Child was "born," unto Israel a Son was "given;" but, during the days of His First Advent the "government" for He is not yet seated upon His own "throne: (see Rev. 3:21). Observe particularly that, above, it is repeated "of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end." His "government" and "peace" are inseparably connected. The latter part of this prophecy therefore looks forward to the time of His Second Advent, for "When the Son of Man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory" (Matt. 25:31). Then will it be that He shall inaugurate a Reign of Peace, for then it shall be (and not till then) that "He shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plough-shares, and their spears into pruning-hooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more" (Micah 4:3). Thus we see that the declarations of the Prophetic Word require and necessitate the personal return of Christ to this earth, for only thus and only then will they be literally and completely fulfilled. Many other Old Testament predictions could be cited to the same effect, but one more must suffice.
"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In His days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is His name whereby He shall be called, the Lord our Righteousness. Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that they shall no more say, the Lord liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; But, the Lord liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the North country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land" (Jer. 23: 5-8). In the first place, observe, here, that unto David (Israel) God promised to raise up a King who should reign and prosper. Without a doubt this prophecy refers to our Lord Jesus Christ who was born "King of the Jews" (Matt. 2:2), for it was uttered shortly after the Jews were carried down into Babylon, since which they have had no human King. It needs no argument to prove that the terms of this prophecy were certainly not fulfilled at the time of our Lord's First Advent, for then, the Jews would not own Him, but demanded His death, and when Pilate inquired of them, "Shall I crucify your King?" (John 19:15), the leaders of the nation answered, "We have no king but Caesar." Furthermore, this prophecy was not fulfilled when our Lord took His seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high, for note, it says that Israel's King shall "execute judgment and justice in the earth," not "from the heavens." Again; we observe that it declares, "In His days Judah shall be saved, and Israel (the ten tribes) shall dwell safely" which certainly did not come to pass during the days of our Lord's humiliation. No; this prophecy, like scores of other Messianic predictions recorded in the Old Testament, looks forward to the time of our Lord's Second Advent to the earth, which Advent is imperative if the terms of this prophecy are to be realized.
During the course of His public ministry our Lord made frequent reference to His Second Coming. When we consider how few of His discourses have been transmitted to us and how brief is the inspired record of His teachings as found in the New Testament Scriptures, we are deeply impressed with the importance of our present inquiry as we note how much there is in the Gospel narratives which relates to our Redeemer's Return. Not only do we find many incidental references, but most of His "parables" treat of those things which have to do with His Second Advent, and, furthermore, several whole chapters in the Gospels are devoted to a fuller setting forth of the same great event. Unto our Lord's own teaching, then, upon His Second Coming we turn our attention. We cannot now review all that He said upon the subject, but must content ourselves with singling out two or three of His utterances thereon.
In Matt. 24 and 25 we have two whole chapters occupied with this theme, and in them we find that again and again our Lord made mention of His Return - "For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west: so shall also the coming of the Son of man be" (24:27), which means that our Lord's Return to this earth will be visible, public, and attended with awe-inspiring glory. The same ideas are presented in the 30th verse of the same chapter - "And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." Further down in the chapter, our Lord bids His people make preparation for His appearing because He may return at any moment. "Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh" (vs. 44). In the next chapter, in the Parable of the Virgins, the subject of the Bridegroom's Coming is again brought before us, while the closing verses furnish us with a detailed description of His judgment of the living nations which introduces the setting up of His Millennial Kingdom - "When the Son of Man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory: and before Him shall be gathered all nations: and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats" (Matt. 25:31, 32).
In the nineteenth of Luke we have the Parable of the Nobleman which is very plain and pointed: "He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And He called His ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. But his citizens hated Him, and sent a message after Him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. And it came to pass, that when He was returned, having received the kingdom, then He commanded these servants to be called unto Him, to whom He had given the money, that He might know how much every man had gained by trading" (Luke 19:12-15). The "Nobleman" is the Lord Jesus. The "journey into the far country" was His Ascension to heaven. The "Kingdom" which He went to "receive" is His Millennial Kingdom for which He taught His disciples to pray. The "return" is His Second Advent to this earth. The "servants" are believers. The "money" (marg. "silver," which in Scripture symbolizes redemption) seems to typify the Gospel, which has been committed into our hands to proclaim to a lost world. The "occupying till He comes" is the faithful giving out of the Gospel and the daily witnessing for Him during the time of His absence. The "message" sent by "His citizens" refers to the continued rejection of Christ and His Gospel by the Jews during the days of the apostles and particularly under the ministry of Stephen. The rewarding of the servants at the time of His Return, is the allotting to them of places of honor in His Millennial Kingdom. That to which we would specially call attention is the fact that our Lord here expressly declares He will "return," come back again to this earth.
Perhaps the most explicit of all the statements which the Lord Jesus made upon our present theme is that recorded in the opening verses of John 14. Our Lord was alone with His disciples. He was about to be separated from them. For three years they had companied with Him, but now the cross with all its suffering and shame lay athwart His path. The realization of His approaching death had filled His followers with fear and anguish. Their hearts were heavy and sad. Turning to them in their grief, the Master speaks words of solace and cheer - "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. 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" (John 14:1-3). These words of our Lord can have only one possible meaning: He was going away, but He would return again, return in person to receive His own unto Himself. Such was His positive and unconditional promise. Thus we see that the fulfillment of His promises, the keeping of His Word, necessitates the personal Return of our blessed Redeemer.
The testimony of our Lord given while He was here upon earth was confirmed, and rendered even more unequivocal, if that were possible, by His post-ascension utterances. Fifty years after He had returned to heaven the Lord Jesus sent His angel to the beloved John on the Isle of Patmos to give unto him "The Revelation" and in it we hear our Lord saying, no less than six times, "Behold, I come quickly." This is His last promise, His final word to His people now on earth. He is coming back again. He Himself has said so. He said so repeatedly during the days of His earthly ministry. He said so in language about which there was no ambiguity whatsoever. He said so both to His friends and to His enemies. He said so again fifty years after His ascension to heaven. And He cannot lie. He is Himself the "Truth" - the Truth incarnate. He is "The Faithful and True Witness," therefore He must keep His Word, fulfill His promises, and Return in person.
While our Lord was here upon earth and on the eve of His crucifixion, He promised to send His disciples another Comforter, even the Spirit of Truth. He further promised the apostles that, when the Spirit came to them, He would guide them "into all truth." Therefore, it is to the Divinely inspired writings of these apostles we must turn if we would learn all that God has been pleased to reveal concerning our present inquiry.
As we read the Epistles of the New Testament it is highly important for us to keep in mind the fact that we have in them not the suppositions and speculations of their human writers but reliable and authoritative information communicated by the Holy Spirit Himself, for "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God" (2 Tim. 3:16). As we turn to the Epistles we find that each writer made some contribution to our present theme: Peter and Paul, James, John, and Jude all referred to the prospect and certainty of the Return of our Redeemer.
The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian saints, "I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; that in every thing ye are enriched by Him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you. So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 1:4-8). To the Philippian saints he wrote, "For our citizenship is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself" (Phil. 3:20, 21). To the Colossians he wrote, "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory" (Col. 3:4). To the Thessalonians he wrote, "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?" (1 Thess. 2:19). To the Hebrews he wrote, "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation" (9:28).
The apostle James wrote, "Be patient, therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh" (5:7,8).
The apostle Peter wrote, "Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 1:13). "And when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away" (1 Pet. 5:4).
The apostle John wrote, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but 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" (1 John 3:2,3). And again, "For many deceivers are gone forth into the world, even they that confess not that Jesus Christ cometh in the flesh" (2 John 7, R. V.).
The apostle Jude wrote, "Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life" (vs. 21).
Here then is an argument simple but conclusive. Each Epistle writer of the New Testament makes mention of the Redeemer's Return. These men were not hallucinated. They were not giving expression to impracticable ideals which would never be realized. Their writings were Divinely inspired. These holy men were "moved by the Holy Spirit" and recorded truth "not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Spirit teacheth" (1 Cor. 2:13). The very fact, then, that the Holy Spirit of God has, through the apostles, testified again and again, ratifying the declarations of Old Testament prophecy and affirmations of Christ Himself, necessitates and demands the personal Return of our Lord.
The degradation which the Lord Jesus endured
when He was here upon earth before, requires that He shall come back again in
power and glory in order to vindicate Himself. Is it reasonable to
suppose that the last view which this world shall have of our blessed Lord
before He takes His seat upon the Great White Throne to judge the wicked dead,
shall be that of the "lowly Nazarene"? Surely not. Need we remind our readers
of the depths of humiliation into which our Redeemer descended? Born
in a manger, with the beasts of the field for His first companions, and a bed
of straw for His cradle! Sharing the home of humble Jewish peasants and
spending His youth and early manhood at the carpenter's bench! During His
public ministry, so poor and so lightly esteemed that the common courtesies of
hospitality were denied Him - "He had not where to lay His head!" Despised and
rejected of men; the butt of Pharisaic contempt and the center of Jewish
ridicule! His life seemingly ending in defeat as He hung helpless upon the
cross, enduring the shame of a criminal's execution and taunted by his
heartless enemies! Is this the only sight which the earth is to have of the
Lord of Glory? Is the Son of God to retire from this world in apparent
defeat without any subsequent opportunity for vindicating Himself? Surely not.
Is it not evident then that He who was here before in humiliation must yet come
back to be glorified in His saints and to be admired in all them
that believe? Does not the very fitness of things, do not the claims of equity
and righteousness, insist, that He who was the willing Victim shall yet return
as the triumphant Victor? Does not the Cross of Calvary necessitate
that our Lord shall yet come back to our earth in order to substantiate His
claims and ratify His promises?
"For dogs have compassed Me: the assembly of the wicked have enclosed Me: they pierced My hands and My feet. I may tell all My bones: they look and stare upon Me. They part My garments among them, and cast lots upon My vesture" (Ps. 22:16-18). Such was the picture that was painted by prophecy. But this scene was not to be the finale. In this very same Psalm we read, "All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before Thee. For the kingdom is the Lord's: and He is the Governor among the nations" (vss. 27, 28).
"And they that had laid hold on Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled" (Matt. 26:57). See our blessed Lord standing there before the Jewish Sanhedrim, arraigned before His own creatures! Mark Him as He offers no defense in response to the false witnesses that testified against Him, and then ask, Is this to be the last thing? Is there to be no sequel to this? We do not have to seek far for an answer, for on this very occasion the Redeemer declared, "Nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven" (Matt. 26: 64). And again, it is written, "Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him." Yes, the Crucified Saviour is coming back again, coming back to vindicate Himself in a world where He once endured the contradiction of sinners against Himself, and, coming back to rule and reign as He first appeared in order to suffer and die.
One of the greatest mysteries in all God's creation is the Devil. For any reliable information concerning him we are shut up to the Holy Scriptures. It is in God's Word alone that we can learn anything about his origin, his personality, his fall, his sphere of operations, and his approaching doom. One thing which is there taught us about the great Adversary of God and man, and which observation and experience fully confirms, is, that he is a being possessing mighty power. It would appear, from a study of the Bible, that Satan is the most powerful creature (not "Being") in all the Universe. He has access to the Heaven of heavens and appears before God day and night to accuse His saints (Rev. 12:10). In Old Testament prophecy he is denominated "The anointed Cherub" (Ezek. 28:14) and from other Scriptures we learn that the "cherubim" are the highest order among the celestial hierarchies. Satan is represented as being at the head of an organized kingdom of evil, with hosts of wicked spirits ever ready to perform the bidding of their mighty chief. He is likened to a "roaring lion" - the King of the beasts - going about seeking whom he may devour (1 Pet. 5:8). When our Lord was here upon earth, Satan had the power to carry Him to a pinnacle of the Temple and to "shew unto Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time" (Luke 4:5). From the Epistle of Jude we learn that, "Michael the archangel, when contending with the Devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee" (Jude 1:9). Sufficient has been said to show that Satan is a creature wielding tremendous power.
But not only does God's Word enlighten us upon
the great power which our Enemy possesses, it also informs us about the
sphere in which he works and makes known the location of his
kingdom. In the very first mention in Scripture of that old Serpent, the
Devil, he is seen in Eden having unbarred access to our first parents. In the
next reference, we read of him coming before the Lord, as one who came "From
going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it" (Job
1:7). This earth of ours is the scene of his present activities. Milton's
conception of Satan now seated upon a throne in Hell is altogether
lacking in Scriptural verification. The New Testament is in perfect agreement
with the Old. In his conflict with our Lord, the Devil declared that all the
kingdoms of the world had been delivered unto him (Luke 4:6) and Christ never
repudiated or even challenged his claim, nay, He three times acknowledged that
Satan is "The Prince of this world" (John 12:31, etc.). In 2 Cor. 4:4 he is
termed the "god of this age" (Greek),that is, the director of its false
religions and the object worshipped by their devotees - compare 1 Cor. 10:20.
While in 1 John 5:19, R. V. we are told, "The whole world lieth in the Evil
One."
We have thus seen that Satan is an exalted creature possessing and wielding prodigious power and that this world of ours is his present kingdom. For six thousand years he has been the avowed enemy of God and man. But are things going to continue thus throughout all time? Is Satan to be allowed "free rein" for ever? Surely there will yet be an end made to his power and dominion. But what and who is going to depose him? Humanity is helpless before him. Man is unable to chain him. The Church cannot dethrone him, or it would have done so long ago. Legislation is impotent, for human governments cannot vote him out of the world. Who then shall overthrow the Kingdom of Darkness? There is only one answer possible. There is only One sufficient for such a task, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, the very fact of Satan's present exaltation and man's utter inability to overthrow him, demands and necessitates the personal Return of our Redeemer to vanquish the Devil and imprison him in the Bottomless Pit.
Israel - the mystery and miracle of history!
Israel - about whom more than half the Bible is concerned! Israel - to whom
God gave the Land of Palestine. Israel - concerning whom it is written, "And
the Lord hath avouched thee this day to be His peculiar people, as He hath
promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all His commandments. And to make
thee high above all nations which He hath made, in praise, and in name,
and in honor; and that thou mayest be a holy people unto the Lord thy God as He
hath spoken" (Deut. 26:18, 19). Israel - from whom, according to the flesh,
Christ came!
Of old, Israel was honored of God as was no other nation. To them were entrusted the Holy Oracles, to them was given the Holy Law, to them came the Holy One. But look at Israel to-day and what do we see? Ten of their Tribes "lost;" and those who compose the remaining two, more despised and hated than any other people upon earth. Instead of being a blessing to all people, Israel seems to be a curse. Instead of enjoying the inheritance of the Promised Land they are homeless wanderers, while Jerusalem is trodden down by the Gentiles. Instead of rejoicing in God their Saviour Israel knows Him not, a "veil" being over their hearts.
But God's purposes in connection with Israel have
not yet been fully realized. A wonderful history lies behind them and a
wonderful history stretches before them. True, their sorrow is not yet ended.
True, a dark valley yet lies before them. True, they must yet pass through the
time of Jacob's trouble (Jer. 30:7). True, God has not yet fully avenged the
Crucifixion of His beloved Son. But, ere long He will have done so, and then
shall they be brought back again into favor with Him. Many are the promises
which speak of Israel's restoration. In Is. 14:1, 2 we read, "For the Lord
will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own
land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the
house of Jacob. And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place:
and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the Lord for servants
and handmaids: and they shall take them captive, whose captives they were: and
they shall rule over their oppressors." Again, in Jer. 16:14-16 we are told,
"Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be
said, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land
of Egypt; But, the Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the
land of the north, and from all lands whither He had driven them: and I
will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers."
But, How are the above promises to be realized? When shall these prophecies be fulfilled? The answer is, At the Second Advent of Christ. He declared, "For I say unto you, Ye shall not see Me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord" (Matt. 23:39). And a day is coming when Israel will say this. As it is written, "And 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 they shall mourn for Him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for Him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon" (Zech. 12:10, 11). Then, and thus, shall Israel repent for their awful sin of rejecting and crucifying their own Messiah.
"Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for His name. And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, after this, I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David (Israel), which is fallen down: and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up" (Acts 15:14-16). And again, we read in Rom. 11:26, "And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob" (Rom. 11:26). It is to be observed that in these two Scriptures Israel's restoration is linked to the Return of their Messiah. Here then is a further necessity for the Second Advent of Christ - the present humiliation and disorganization of Israel and the promises of God to restore and rehabilitate them, requires that our Lord shall come back again to this earth.
Here is a reason which ought to carry conviction
to every mind. If there is anything which imperatively needs our
Redeemer to Return it is surely this poor sin-cursed world of ours! Look at it
and what do we see? A world everywhere racked with suffering and out of joint.
A world convulsed with misery entailed by the Fall. A world now in its very
death-throes, with hope almost completely gone. Everything that man could
devise to better conditions and make this world a happier place has been tested
and proven a failure. Every possible form of human government has been tried,
each new one being as unsuccessful as the previous ones. Theocracy, democracy,
and mobocracy (the French Revolution, and Russia today) have each been weighed
in the balances and found wanting. Legislation, education and civilization
have all been built upon, only to find in the day of testing that they were
merely foundations of sand. Look where you will, on land or sea, in the air or
beneath the waters, and you will witness sin and death holding high carnival.
The world is dying for want of a competent Ruler.
On all sides iniquity is abounding more and more. Crime is increasing, morality is decreasing; godlessness and lawlessness are growing apace; while over all, hangs the dreadful pall of the world-war. In the physical world, despite all our enlightenment, modern discoveries and the organized activities of medical science, disease is carrying off an ever increasing multitude year by year. The educational world is mainly under the control of infidels and agnostics, under whose leadership the rising generation is taught that the faith once for all delivered to the saints is an idle superstition, or at best a religious garment which we have now outgrown. In the economic world, greed and dishonesty are rapidly eating out the very vitals of commercial stability, while the fight between capital and labor threatens a revolution such as this world has not witnessed since the days when the streets of Paris ran with blood. In the political realm there is so much chicanery, and "graft" and "party" principles are so selfishly pursued, that the self-respecting man is becoming loath to get mixed up with such filth and rottenness. Each "party" is as corrupt as the other, and the believer in Christ who is subject to God's Word will not hesitate to separate himself from that which offers his Lord no place and has no concern for His glory. In the moral realm, decay and putrefaction are witnessed upon all sides. Temperance Reform Societies, Purity-campaigns and Civic-righteousness Leagues are powerless to stem the tide of evil. The Drink-Bill of every civilized (?) nation is growing heavier every year. Immorality, both among the masses and those in high places, prevails to such a fearful extent, that our large cities are modern Sodoms and Gomorrahs. In the religious world, we gaze upon an apostate Christendom. Our Theological Seminaries, with very rare exceptions, are teaching Darwinism and Higher Criticism, while our pulpits are busily occupied with "echoing" these God-dishonoring and Scripture-denying heresies, and on all sides the Gospel is supplanted by political harangues or moral essays. The majority of our churches are more than half empty, while the mid-week prayer meeting is almost entirely a thing of the past. The few faithful servants of God that are left on earth are boycotted, maligned and persecuted. The Lord's Day has become a day of pleasure-seeking and now, Sabbath-desecration, in the form of seven days a week work on the farms and in the munition factories, has been legalized by every nation that is now at war. And, as we have said, over all hangs the dreadful pall of this World War! Literally millions of men in the prime of their manhood have already been slaughtered, while millions more have been maimed for life in the vain effort to destroy militarism and establish a lasting peace. Innumerable homes have been plunged into grief, and there is no guarantee or even prospect but what millions more will suffer a like fate.
To-day the world stands helpless before the inrushing tide of evil which threatens to decimate almost half of the human race, and in its impotency a grief-stricken humanity is everywhere lifting up piteous hands to Heaven as it cries for a Deliverer. True, the cry may not always be articulated, yet it is audible nevertheless. True, the world, as a whole, is blind to its spiritual wretchedness and apostate condition. True, the canal mind is still enmity against God, yet, intelligent men realize that the present order of things is a complete failure and are ready and longing for a New Order. The world cries for deliverance, what shall be Heaven's response? Again we say that only one answer is possible. While the Holy Scriptures reveal the fact that the severest of God's judgments have not yet been poured upon this world, which has for so long lived in pleasure and wantonness; while the Holy Scriptures reveal the fact that the darkest hour of the night of earth's sufferings and sorrows has not yet arrived; yet, they also teach, that at the close of this night, the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings (Mal. 4:2). "Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; He will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dump sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes. And a highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called the way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there: but the redeemed shall walk there: And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs, and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away" (Isa. 35:4-10). That will be Heaven's response to earth's agonized cry! Therefore we say that the present degradation and desolation of the world necessitates our Redeemer's Return to take the government upon His shoulder and to rule and reign in righteousness, for then, and not till then, will every world problem find its final solution.
The effects of the Fall have been far-reaching - "By one man sin entered the world" (Rom. 5:12). Not only was the entire human family involved but the whole "Kosmos" was affected. When Adam and Eve sinned, God not only pronounced sentence upon them and the Serpent but He cursed the ground as well - "And unto Adam He said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it, Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life: thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee" (Gen. 3:17, 18). These words suggest a solemn and far-reaching line of thought - Sin not only brings punishment to the actual transgressor but it also involves others in its terrible consequences. The punishment which was meted out to the antediluvians was not limited to the human family, it fell upon the lower orders of creation as well - all were swept away by the flood! The judgments which God sent upon the haughty Pharaoh extended to the fishes in the rivers and the cattle in the fields as well as to all his subjects! When the Angel of Death passed through the land of the Nile, he slew all the first-born of beasts as well as the first-born of the Egyptians (Ex. 12:12). When Jehovah's wrath visited the land of Palestine in the days of Israel's apostasy it descended upon the animal kingdom as well as the human, for we read, "How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate" (Joel 1:18). And again, "How long shall the land mourn, and the herbs of every field wither for the wickedness of them that dwell therein? the beasts are consumed, and the birds; because they said, He shall not see our last end" (Jer. 12:4).
To what extent the entire universe has suffered
the evil consequences of sin it is impossible to say, but certain it is that
they are not limited to our earth. Adam was not the first offender, for before
his fall Satan also had apostatized from his Maker. What other worlds were
affected by Satan's fall Scripture does not inform us, yet we may infer
from those principles which are revealed in God's Word that the awful
consequences of Satan's rebellion were far-reaching in their scope.
Astronomical observation reveals the fact that there are numbers of far-distant
worlds upon which no life exists, while Scripture speaks of "wandering stars."
The moon is a ruined planet where Death holds absolute sway and death is the
wages of sin. If then Adam's transgression brought down upon the earth
which he inhabited a curse from God, may we not soberly conclude that the fall
of the highest of all God's creatures brought down a Divine curse upon those
worlds over which he may have exercised a delegated rulership? Be this as it
may, Scripture does reveal the fact that the consequences of sin have
reached far beyond the four corners of our earth. We read "The heavens
are not clean in His sight" (Job 15:15), and again, in Rom. 8:22 we are
told, "For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in
pain together until now."
In the last mentioned Scripture we learn that the whole creation is in pain and misery. Surely this is abnormal. Surely things were not like this at the beginning, nor were they;' and surely things will not continue thus for ever, nor will they. We quote now the entire passage in which the above statement is found - "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed to usward. For the earnest expectation of the creation waiteth for the revealing of the Sons of God. For the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but by reason of Him who subjected it in hope that the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God" (Rom.8:18-21, R. V.). The order of thought here appears to be as follows:- The whole of God's creation, which is directly concerned and connected with our earth, (The "whole creation" can not be taken absolutely for the unfallen angels must be excluded) suffered the consequences of Adam's sin, being brought under the bondage of corruption as the direct result. But this "bondage" is not to last for ever. A hope is set before creation: a promise has been given that it shall be "delivered" and in expectation of the fulfillment of this promise and the realization of this hope creation now "waits." The "hope" of creation is linked with "the manifestation of the sons of God" and "the liberty of their glory." The sons of God will be manifested or revealed with their Redeemer at the time of His Return for it is written "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory" (Col. 3:4). It is at the Second Coming of Christ, His return in "glory" that His people shall enter into the liberty of their glory. Then will it be that creation shall be delivered from its present bondage of corruption. Thus we learn that though the whole creation has suffered in consequence of sin, yet shall it soon share in the glorious benefits of the Death of Christ who came to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. How clear then is the need of our Redeemer's Return! None but creation's Creator (John 1:3) can emancipate it from its sufferings. Hence we say that the present lamentations of Creation necessitate and demand the personal Return of our Lord.
While our Lord was here upon earth He gave His
disciples a pattern prayer saying, "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our
Father which art in heaven Hallowed by Thy name. Thy kingdom come" (Matt. 6:9,
10). The Redeemer taught His saints to look forward to the future, to be
occupied with God's interests and purposes, and to pray for the coming
of His Kingdom, i.e., the Millennial Kingdom. Thus we learn that
our hope has to do, not with the present kingdoms of this world, but with the
coming Kingdom of God, which hope will be realized at the return of the
Redeemer Himself. It is clear from a number of Scriptures that the coming of
God's Kingdom synchronizes with the Return of Christ (see Luke 19:12; Rev.
11:15, etc.). The Hope of the Church centers in Christ and has to do with the
future rather than with the present, for "hope" always looks forward.
Therefore it is that the prayers of the Church must conform to and
correspond with its hope.
The last promise ever made by our Lord, made some fifty or sixty years after His ascension, given to the beloved John on the Isle of Patmos but recorded for the encouragement and joy of all His people throughout the Christian dispensation, was "Surely I come quickly" (Rev. 22:20). The response to this promise is the prayer inspired by the Holy Spirit, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus." As this dispensation draws to its close and as the Return of Christ is daily coming nearer, the Holy Spirit is causing many to make this prayer their own. As the result of the recovery of the "Blessed Hope" which throughout the Dark Ages was lost to the Church, and as the result of the proclamation which is now being sounded forth far and wide, "Behold, the Bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet Him," companies of God's saints all over the earth are now daily crying, "Even so Come Lord Jesus." And our God is a prayer-hearing and a prayer-answering God! He who has taught so many of its members to long and pray for the Return of their Saviour must satisfy that longing and answer that prayer. Therefore we say that the expectations and supplications of the Church of God which He purchased with His own Blood necessitate the personal Return of our Redeemer.
This argument may be summarized thus: - The Intermediate state into which the souls of the redeemed pass at death is not the perfect state, it is but an "unclothed" (2 Cor. 5:1-3) condition. Like their brethren who are still upon earth, those now in Paradise are "waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body" (Rom. 8:23). A countless multitude of those who fell asleep in Jesus are yet in the disembodied state, and in that state they are "waiting," waiting for the time when this corruptible shall put on incorruption and when this mortal shall put on immortality. Those, who while on earth, looked and longed for the Return of their Redeemer, and who are still waiting that blest event shall not wait thus for ever, as it is written, "For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (1 Thess. 4:16, 17).
In the last book of the Bible, where the veil that separates between the present and the future and between this world and the next is pulled aside, we find a Scripture that bears closely upon the point now under consideration. We refer to Rev. 6:9, 10 - "And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the alter the souls of them that were slain for the Word of God, and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?" This passage, stript of its symbolism, signifies that martyred believers now in the Intermediate state are waiting with eager expectation the time when God shall avenge their death, which time is reached immediately before our Lord returns to this earth. That which we wish to specially emphasize is the fact that souls now in Paradise are here represented as crying "How long?" Thus we learn that those "present with the Lord," as well as believers still "in the body," are eagerly expecting and waiting for the time of their Redeemer's Return. The answer made to these disembodied "souls" is very striking - "And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow-servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled" (Rev. 6:11).
The "dead in Christ" are waiting in hope, waiting for the fulfillment of that promise, "So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body" (1 Cor. 15:42-44). Is their hope nothing more than an idle dream? Are they to wait thus for ever? No, blessed be God. His Word, declares that at the time of our Redeemer's Return, "Them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him" (1 Thess. 4:14). Therefore we say that the present unclothed condition of the dead in Christ with their expectation of the Resurrection morn requires and necessitates the personal Return of our Lord.
To sum up. At least ten reasons require that Christ shall come back again -- the declarations of Old Testament prophecy; the affirmations of our Lord Himself; the ratification of the Holy Spirit through the writers of the New Testament Epistles; the humiliation of the Cross, requiring a corresponding vindication of Christ in power and glory; the present disorganization of Israel; the exaltation of Satan and the powerlessness of man to depose him; the degradation and desolation of the world; the lamentations of a Creation waiting to be delivered from its bondage of corruption; the supplications of the Church crying "Even so, come, Lord Jesus;" and the expectation of the dead in Christ waiting for their glorification, singly and collectively necessitate and demand the personal Return of our Redeemer.
In 1 Cor. 13:13 we learn there are three cardinal Christian graces namely, faith, hope, and love. Concerning the first and third of these, believers, generally, are well informed, but regarding the second, many of the Lord's people have the vaguest conceptions. When Christians are questioned upon the subject of Faith they are, for the most part, able to answer promptly and intelligently; but interrogate the average church-member about the believer's Hope, and his replies are indistinct and uncertain. Let Christian Love come up for discussion and we all feel that we are upon solid ground, but when asked to pursue the theme of Christian Hope many step cautiously and hesitatingly.
That there is the greatest confusion of thought
and belief among Christians concerning their Hope may readily be proven by
questioning a number regarding the nature of their hope. Ask the
average church-goer what his hope is, and he will say, Salvation - he hopes to
be saved when he comes to die. Ask another and he will tell you that Death is
his hope, for it is then that he will be released from all the sufferings of
the flesh. Ask a third and he would say that Heaven was his hope. Perhaps
this last reply would better express the common and popular belief than either
of the others. But to say that our hope is future happiness, is to say no more
than any heathen would say. There are several Scriptures which distinguish
between Heaven and the believer's Hope. "Blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again
unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to
an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away,
reserved in heaven for you" (1 Pet. 1:3-,4). Here the "living hope"
unto which we have been begotten is separated in thought from the "inheritance"
which is "reserved in heaven" for us. Though closely connected, Heaven and the
believer's Hope are certainly not synonymous as is clear from Col. 1:5 where
they are again distinguished - "For the hope which is laid up for you in
heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the Gospel."
Heaven is not here said to be the believer's hope, for the hope is "laid up"
for him "in heaven." What then is our Hope?
It is strange that there should be such ignorance and confusion upon this subject for Hope is made almost as prominent in the New Testament as is either Faith or Love. The Church epistles have much to say upon the subject. In the epistle to the Romans when setting forth the consequences or results of justification, the apostle wrote, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God" (5:1). And again in 8:24, 25 - "For in hope were we saved: but hope that is seen is not hope: for who hopeth for that which he seeth? But if we hope for that which we see not, then do we with patience wait for it" (R. V.). To the Corinthians Paul wrote, "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable" (1 Cor. 15:19). To the Galatians he wrote, "For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith" (5:5). For the Ephesians he prayed that the eyes of their understanding might be enlightened, and that they might know "what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints" (Eph. 1:18), and in setting forth the sevenfold Unity of the Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all" (4:4-6), and there can no more be two different hopes than there can be two Lords, or two faiths.
To the Thessalonian saints the apostle Paul wrote, "Sorrow not, even as others which have no hope" (1 Thess. 4:13), and again, "Now our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace" (2 Thess. 2:16). Unto Titus he wrote, "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" (Titus 2: 11-13). And unto the Hebrews he said, "And we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end. ** That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil" (6:11,18,19).
The apostle Peter found cause for rejoicing in that God had "according to His abundant mercy, begotten us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Pet. 1:3); and again, he exhorted his readers to "Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear" (1 Pet. 3:15).
The apostle John wrote, "Beloved, now are
we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but 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" (1 John 3:2,3). Thus we see that the New Testament abounds in
passages which speak of the believer's hope."
In all ages God's people have had a hope set
before them, and that hope has always centered in Christ. In Eden God
gave to Adam the promise that the woman's Seed should come and bruise the
Serpent's head and the anticipation of the fulfillment of this promise
constituted the hope of the saints in those far-off days. Said Jacob, "I have
waited for Thy salvation, O Lord" (Gen. 49:18). The Hope that God set
before Abram was that his "Seed" should be a blessing unto all nations, which
hope, as we learn from Gal. 3:16, had particular reference to Christ. The Hope
which God set before Moses was expressed as follows, "I will raise them up a
Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put My words in His
mouth; and He shall speak unto them all that I shall command Him" (Deut.
18:18). For the fulfillment of this prophecy see John 12:49; 14:10, etc. The
Hope which God set before David was stated as follows, "And when thy days be
fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy Seed after
thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish His Kingdom.
He shall build a house for My name, and I will stablish the throne of His
Kingdom for ever" (2 Sam. 7:12, 13). And later, through His prophets, God
again and again set before Israel the Hope of the appearing of their Messiah.
This leads us to inquire now into -
As there is so much confusion and uncertainty respecting this branch of our subject, and in order to clear away the rubbish which human devisings have gathered around it, we will deal first with the negative side of the character of our Hope.
We pray that these pages may be read by many
who will be startled by the above statement. A world which shall
eventually be saved by the preaching of the Gospel has been the expectation of
almost all Christendom. That the Gospel shall yet triumph over the world, the
flesh, and the Devil is the belief of the great majority of those who profess
to be the Lord's people. In the seminaries, in the pulpits, in the Christian
literature of the day, and in the great missionary gatherings where placards
bearing the words "The world for Christ" are prominently displayed, has this
theory been zealously heralded. It is supposed that anything short of a
converted "world" is a concept dishonoring and derogatory to the Gospel. We
are told the Gospel cannot fail because it is the power of God, and though the
Church has failed, yet, a day is surely coming when this captivating ideal
shall be realized. To believe other than this, is to be dubbed a "pessimist,"
yea, it is to be looked upon as a hinderer and traitor to the cause of Christ.
But what are the plain facts?
The Lord Jesus Christ preached the Gospel, preached it faithfully, lovingly, zealously and untiringly. But with what results? Was the world "converted" under His preaching? Should it be said this question is not a fair one because He preached only locally, we accept the correction, but ask further, Was Palestine converted under His preaching? We have only to glance at the four Gospels to find an answer. In the Sermon on the Mount, our Lord declared that the "many" were on the broad road that leadeth to destruction and that only a "few" were on the narrow path that leadeth unto life. In the Parable of the Sower He announced that out of four castings of the good seed from His hand three of them fell upon unfruitful ground. Again, we are told, "He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own, and His own knew Him not. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not" (John 1:10, 11). No; the Gospel as preached by the Son of God Himself held out no promise of a world converted by the proclamation of it, for after three and a half years' ministry such as this world has never witnessed before or since, there was but a handful who responded to the gracious appeals of the Gospel from His lips - there were but one hundred and twenty all told that waited in the upper room for the coming of the Holy Spirit which He had promised to send to His followers (Acts 1:15).
How was it in the days of the apostles? During the first generation of the Church's history, wonderful things happened which were well calculated to convert the world if anything could. Eleven men who had been trained by our Lord Himself were now sent forth to herald the glad tidings of salvation. The Holy Spirit was poured forth upon them, and in addition to the Eleven, Saul of Tarsus was miraculously saved and sent forth as the apostle to the Gentiles. But what success attended their efforts? How were they received by the world? Again we have but to turn to the New Testament Scriptures to find our answer. Like their Master, they, too, were despised and rejected of men. The apostles were everywhere spoken against and regarded as the offscouring of the earth. Some of them were cast into prison, others were slain by the sword. One suffered death by crucifixion and the last of the little band was banished to the Isle of Patmos. True it is that their labors were not entirely in vain. True it is that God honored His own Word and numbers were saved, and here and there churches were organized. But the multitudes, the great masses, both of Jews and Gentiles, remained unmoved and unconverted. The actual conditions, in the days of the apostles then, gave no promise of a world converted by the Gospel.
How is it in our own day? "Ah!" it will be said "times have changed since then: Christ and His apostles lived in the days of Paganism and barbarism, but under the enlightenment of our modern civilization this twentieth century is far otherwise." Yes, but all is not gold that glitters. We do not deny, we praise God for the fact, that to-day there are far more Christians upon earth than there were in the first century. But there are far more sinners too! What we are discussing now is the Conversion of the world. Has the growth of the Church of God kept pace with the increase of the earth's population? We trow not. To-day there are probably 1,000,000,000 souls on earth who have never even heard the name of Christ! How then can we talk about a converted world when upwards of two-thirds of humanity is destitute of the Gospel? Moreover, what of Christendom itself? How much of that which bears the name of Christ is truly Christian? What proportion of those who term themselves the children of God, are really entitled to that name? More than half of professing Christendom is found within the pales of the Greek and Roman Catholic Churches! And what of Protestantism itself? What of the evangelical churches filled with their worldly, pleasure-loving, theater-going, Sabbath-desecrating, prayer-meeting-neglecting members? No; my reader, be not deceived with appearances or high-sounding phrases. God's flock is only a "little flock" (Luke 12:32). There is but a `remnant according to the election of grace" (Rom. 11:5).
Has the Gospel failed? Have God's purposes been defeated? Certainly not. The Gospel was never designed to convert the world. God never purposed to regenerate all humanity in this dispensation, any more than He did under the Mosaic Economy, when He suffered the nations to walk in their own ways. God's purpose for this Age is clearly defined in Acts 15:14 - "Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for His name." In full harmony with this, the apostle Paul declared, "I am made all things to all men, that I might be all means save some" (1 Cor. 9:22). Clearly then, the Hope of the Church is not the Conversion of the World.
Having dwelt at some length upon the general, let
us now come to the particular -
In the New Testament the word "Salvation" has a threefold scope - past, present and future, which, respectively, has reference to our deliverance from the penalty, the power, and the presence of sin. When we say, above, that our Hope is not the Salvation of the soul, we mean that it is not our deliverance from the wrath to come which is the prospect God sets before His people. To certain of our readers it may appear almost a wearisome waste of time for us to discuss these points, but for the sake of the class for which this work is specially designed we would ask them to bear with us in patience. In these days when the Bible is so grievously neglected both in the pulpit and in the pew, we cannot afford to take anything for granted. Multitudes of those in our churches are ignorant of the most elementary truths of the Christian faith. Experience shows that comparatively few people are clear about even the A, B, C, of the Gospel. Talk to the average church-member, and only too often it will be found that he has nothing more than a vague and uncertain hope about his personal salvation. He is "trying to live up to the light that he has," he is "doing his best," and he hopes that, somehow, everything will come out right in the end. He does not dare to say I know I have passed from death unto life, but he hopes to go to Heaven at the last.
Nowhere does Scripture present the Salvation of the soul as the believer's hope. Salvation from the guilt, the penalty, the wages, of sin is something for which believers thank God even now. Said our Lord to His disciples, "Rejoice, because your names are written in heaven" (Luke 10:20). The present-tense aspect of our salvation is presented in many Scriptures - "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death to life" (John 5:24). How simple and definite this is! Eternal life is something which every believer in Christ already possesses, and for him there is no possibility of future condemnation in the sense of having to endure God's wrath. Again we read, "Beloved now are we the sons of God" (1 John 3:2). We do not have to obey God's commandments, walk worthy, and serve the Lord, in order to become God's children, we are to do these things because we are, already, members of the household of faith. The salvation or redemption of our bodies is future, for it will not be until our Saviour's return that he "shall" change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body" (Phil. 3:21). But the salvation of the soul, deliverance from the wrath to come, is an accomplished fact for every sinner, that has received the Lord Jesus Christ as his or her personal Saviour. All such have been "accepted in the Beloved" (Eph. 1:6). All such have been "made meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light" (Col. 1:12). all such have been "perfected for ever" (Heb. 10:14). So far as their standing before God is concerned.
As another has said, "Salvation is not away off
yonder at the gates of Heaven; salvation is at the cross. The grace of God
that bringeth salvation hath appeared, and it brings salvation all the way down
to where the sinner is - right there. You know our Lord's own picture
of it. It is the illustration to which my mind recurs most instantly - that
illustration of the good Samaritan. You know how beautifully that shadows out
this blessed truth; that just as the good Samaritan went down the Jericho road
and ministered to the wretch who lay there half dead, pouring oil into his
wounds right there where he lay, just so the grace of God, that brings
salvation, has come to the sinner in the place where he lies in his sins. No
matter how great a sinner he may be, if he can be persuaded to turn the eye of
faith toward the cross, there salvation comes" (Dr. C. I. Scofield). Again -
Of all the extravagant and absurd
interpretations of Scripture which have found a place among sober expositors is
the belief that Death is the Hope which God has set before the believer. How
it ever came to find acceptance it is difficult to say. It is true that there
are a number of passages which speak of the Lord returning suddenly and
unexpectedly, but to make the words "At such an hour as ye think not the
Son of man cometh" and "Behold I come as a thief in the night" mean that death
may steal in upon the believer without warning is to reduce the Word of God to
meaningless jargon and is to make sane exposition impossible. Scripture says
what it means, and means what it says. True there are Parables in the Bible;
true there are some passages which are highly symbolical; but where this is the
case the context usually gives clear intimation to that effect, and where it
does not, the plain and literal force should always be given to the
language of Holy Writ. In Scripture "death" means death, and the coming again
of the Son of man means His coming, and the two expressions are not
synonymous. As we have said, the Return of Christ and death (sometimes) each,
alike, come suddenly and unexpectedly, but there all analogy between them
ends.
It is passing strange that Bible teachers should
have confounded Death with the Second Coming of Christ. The former is spoken
of as an "Enemy" (1 Cor. 15:26), whereas the latter is termed "that blessed
hope" (Titus 2:13), and surely these two terms cannot refer to the same thing.
At the Return of our Lord we shall be made like Him (1 John 3:2), but believers
are not made like Him at death, for death introduces them into a disembodied
state. That "death" is not the believer's Hope is clear from many
Scriptures. In 1 Pet. 1:3 the apostle returns thanks because we have been
begotten again "unto a living hope." The saint of God has a living hope
in a dying scene: a glorious prospect beyond this vale of tears. In 2 Tim. 4:8
the apostle Paul reminds us that there is laid up a crown of righteousness unto
all them that love Christ's "appearing," which is further proof that
death is not the Second Coming of Christ, for who is there that "loves"
death? Death is my going to Christ, but His Return is Christ coming to
me. Death is a cause of sadness and sorrow, but the Return of the Lord is a
cause of joy and comfort - "Wherefore comfort one another with these
words" (1 Thess. 4:18, see context). Death lays the body in the dust, but at
the Return of our Redeemer His people arise from the dust - "the dead in Christ
shall rise first" (1 Thess. 4:17). Death is the "wages of sin," which means
that death is the penalty of sin, but so completely has that penalty
been borne by our Saviour that we read, "So Christ was once offered to bear the
sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time
without sin unto salvation" (Heb. 9:28). Death was certainly not the
hope of the early Christians as is clear from 1 Thess. 1:9, 10 where we
read, "Ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to
wait for His Son from heaven" - these Thessalonian saints were looking for
Christ not death. Finally; death cannot be our Hope, for death will not be the
portion of all believers as is clear from the language of 1 Cor. 15:51, "We
shall not all sleep." What then is our Hope? We answer -
"Jesus Christ our hope" (1 Tim. 1:1). Jesus Christ is the believer's "all in all" (Col. 3:11). He is "our peace" (Eph. 2:14). He is "our life" (Col. 3:14). He is "made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption" (1 Cor. 1:30). And, we repeat, He is "our Hope." But hope always looks forward. Hope has to do with the future. "We are saved in hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it" (Rom. 8:24, 25). This means that what we hope for is that which we do not yet posses.[3] As another has said, "Man was not made for the present, and the present was not intended to satisfy man. ** It is for the future, not the present, that man exists" (W. Trotter).
The Hope of the believer is clearly set forth in Titus 2:13 - "Looking for that blessed hope and appearing of the glory of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" (R. V.). Our Hope is the personal Return of Christ when He shall come back again to receive us unto Himself. Our Hope is to be taken out of this scene of sin and suffering and sorrow to be where Christ is (John 14:1-3). Our Hope is to be caught up to meet the Lord in the air and be for ever "with the Lord" (1 Thess. 4:16, 17). Our Hope is to be "made like" Him, and this hope will be realized when "we shall see Him as He is" (1 John 3:2). This is the "one hope" of our calling" (Eph. 4:4). This is the only Hope for everything else has failed.
The hope of Philosophy has failed. Philosophy was the beau-ideal of the ancients. When Greece and Rome were the leading nations of the earth, the goal of every ambitious young man's desire was to become a philosopher. Philosophers were respected and honored by all. Philosophy set out to solve the "riddle of the universe" and to explain the rationale of all creation. It was expected that philosophy would find a solution to every problem and devise a remedy for every ill. But what were its fruits? "The world by wisdom knew not God" (1 Cor. 1:21). When the apostle Paul came to Athens - one of the principal centers of philosophic culture - he found an altar erected to "The Unknown God" (Acts 17:23). The only place the word "philosophy" is found in the Scriptures is in Col. 2:8, where we read "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ." Philosophy proved a willo'-the-wisp. Never was philosophy so thoroughly systematized and so ably expounded as it was in the days of Socrates, and never was society more corrupt. The ruins of ancient Greece bear witness to the failure and inadequacy of philosophy.
The hope of Legislation has failed. It was the dream of the celebrated Plato that he could establish an ideal Republic by compiling and enforcing a perfect code of laws. But a perfect Code of Law was compiled a thousand years before Plato was born. God Himself gave to Israel a Code of Law on Mount Sinai - with what results? No sooner was that Law given than it was broken. The children of Israel declared, "All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient" (Ex. 24:7), but their words were an empty boast. The truth is that imperfect creatures cannot keep a perfect law, nor can imperfect men be induced to administer and enforce it. There is not a land in all the world where all the statutes of the State, or nearly all, are rigidly enforced. What then is the use of electing worthy and able legislators and for them to enact righteous laws if their successors refuse to enforce them? The present universal failure to do this testifies to the impotency of Law while it is left in human hands.
The hope of human Government has failed. The Roman Empire experimented for many centuries and tried no less than seven different forms of government, but each in turn failed to accomplish the desired effects, and the last state of that Empire was worse than the first. Everything from absolute monarchy to absolute Socialism has already been weighed in the balances and found wanting. Revolting at tyrannical yokes imposed upon their subjects by the European rulers, our forefathers in this country sought to establish a free Republic, a democratic form of government, a government managed by the people and for the people. What have been its fruits? Are economic conditions in the United States better than those in England or Italy? Are relations between Capital and Labour more amicable and satisfactory? Is there less political corruption in high places, and fairer representation of the oppressed? Is there more contentment and satisfaction among the masses? We fear not. When we witness the methods employed in the average political campaign, when we read through the reports of the police courts, when we behold the strikes and lock-outs in every part of the country, when we peer beneath the surface and gaze upon the moral state of the masses, and when we hear the angry cries of the poor laborer and his half-starved family, we discover that the only hope for America as well as Europe is that our Lord shall come back again and take the government upon His shoulder.
The hope of Civilization has failed. How much all of us have heard of "the march and progress of Civilization' during the past two generations! What an Utopia it was going to create! The masses were to be educated and reformed, injustices were to cease, war was to be abolished, and all mankind welded into one great Brotherhood living together in peace and good will. Civilization was to be the agency for ushering in the long-looked-for Millennium. Any one who dared to challenge the claims made on behalf of the enlightenment of our twentieth century, or called into question the transformation which the upward march of Civilization was supposed to be effecting, was regarded as an "old fogey" who was not abreast of the times, or, as a "pessimist" whose vision was blinded by prejudice. Was not "Evolution" an established fact of science and did not the fundamental principle of Evolution - progress and advancement from the lower to the higher - apply to nations and the human race as a whole, if so, we should soon discover that we had outgrown all the barbarities of the past. War was now no longer to be thought of, for those cultured nations within the magic pale of civilization would henceforth settle their differences amicably by means of arbitration. It was true that the great Powers continued building enormous armies and navies, but these, we were told, would merely be used to enforce Peace. But oh! what a madman's dream it has all proven. The Hope of Civilization, like every other hope which has not been founded upon the sure and certain Word of God, has also proved to be nothing more than an entrancing mirage, a tragic delusion. The great World War, with all its unmentionable horrors, its inhumanities, its barbaric ruthlessness, has rudely wakened a lethargic humanity to the utter insufficiency of all merely human expediencies, and has demonstrated as clearly as anything has ever been demonstrated that "Civilization" is nothing more than a high-sounding but empty title.
We repeat again, the ONLY hope of the
Church is the personal Return of the Redeemer to remove His people from these
scenes of misery and bloodshed to be for ever with Himself; and the ONLY hope
for this poor sin-cursed and Satan-dominated world is the Second Advent of the
Son of Man to rule and reign over the earth in righteousness and peace.
This is the world's LAST hope, for every other hope has failed it! We
turn now to consider -
The insufficiency and failure of the various
hopes of the world reviewed above, serve only to furnish a background upon
which, by way of contrast, may shine forth more prominently and gloriously the
certainty and sufficiency of our hope. Every hope of man which
originates in his own mind and heart is doomed to end in disappointment. If
men refuse the light which is furnished by Divine revelation then they must
expect to remain in darkness, and, as our Lord said, "If therefore the light
that is in thee be darkness how great is that darkness!" (Matt. 6:23).
The value of a hope lies in the authorization of it, what then are the grounds
for our hope?
What warrant have we for expecting the Return of the Redeemer? After all that has been said in the previous pages and in view of the various Scriptures therein cited, a lengthy reply to this question is not necessary. In brief, it may be said, the inspired and infallible Word of Him who cannot lie is our warrant and authorization for looking for that Blessed Hope. But, briefly, to particularize.
We have already quoted from John 14 in other connections but we now refer to it again. On the eve of His crucifixion our Saviour turned to His disciples and said, "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" (John 14:2,3). Here is an assertion about which there is no ambiguity whatever. Here is a promise that is positive and unequivocal. Here is a word of comfort from the lips of Truth incarnate. The Lord who has gone away from this earth to prepare a place for His people is coming back again for them, coming back in person, coming to receive them to Himself that they may be with Him for evermore.
These words are recorded in the first chapter of the Acts which presents a scene of unusual interest and importance. Our Lord's sojourn upon earth was now to terminate. The time of His departure was at hand. The great purpose of the Divine incarnation had been accomplished. The cross and the empty sepulcher lay behind, and now the Saviour of sinners was to be exalted to the right hand of the Majesty on high. Together with a few of His disciples He went as far as Bethany, and lifting up His hands He blessed them, and while in the act of blessing them He was "parted from them, and went up into heaven" (Luke 24:50,51). And a cloud received Him out of their sight, and then we are told, "While they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, two men stood by them in white apparel: which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? 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" (Acts 1:10, 11). Here again is a statement that is clear and simple. Here again is a promise that is plain and positive. The Lord Jesus has gone up into heaven, but He is not to remain there for ever. The "same Jesus" which ascended is to descend: the "same Jesus" which was seen returning to this earth. The absent One is coming back, coming back in person in "like manner" as He went away.
We have already shown in a previous chapter
that each of the apostles bore witness to the Second Coming of Christ. Their
testimony is clear, full, and uniform. At this point we shall select but a
single passage, a familiar one, from the epistles of the apostle Paul. In 1
Thess. 4:13-18 we read, "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren,
concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have
no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also
which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. For this we say unto you by the
word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the
Lord shall not prevent (i.e., "go before"0 them which are asleep.
For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the
voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall
rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together
with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be
with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words."
The above passage is the most comprehensive statement upon the Redeemer's Return which is to be found in the apostolic writings. The importance of the communication contained therein is intimated by the prefatory clause - "This we say unto you by the word of the Lord," an expression which is always reserved for those passages of Divine revelation which are of peculiar importance or solemnity. Here again we learn that Christ is going to return in person - "The Lord Himself." Here again we have a positive promise - "The Lord Himself shall descend." And here again, the Second Coming of Christ is presented as the "blessed hope" of the Church - "comfort one another with these words." We reserve further comment upon this passage for a later chapter.
We have previously pointed out that, some fifty or sixty years after
His ascension to the right hand of God, Christ sent His angel to the beloved
John on the Isle of Patmos saying, "Surely I come quickly" Rev. 22:20). This
was our Lord's last promise to His people, as though to intimate that He
would have them continually occupied with His imminent Return. Perhaps this
will be the best place to meet an objection that is frequently made by those
who seek to find flaws in the Word of God. It is said that the Lord Jesus here
made a mistake. He declared that He was coming quickly and more than
eighteen centuries have passed since then and yet He has not returned!
The explanation of this supposed difficulty
is very simple. When the Lord Jesus said, "Surely I come quickly," He spoke
from Heaven, and Heaven's measurement of time is very different from
earth's. Never once while He was here upon earth did the Saviour say or
even hint that He would return "quickly." On the contrary He gave plain
intimation that after His departure a lengthy interval would have to pass ere
He came back again. In the Parable of the Nobleman He spoke of Himself as One
taking a journey into "a far country" (Luke 19:12). On another occasion
He represented an evil servant saying, during the time of His absence, "My Lord
delayeth His coming" (Matt. 24:28). While in the Parable of the Talents
He openly declared that "After a long time the Lord of those servants
cometh and reckoneth with them" (Matt. 25:19). What we would here press upon
the attention of our readers is, that, each of these utterances were made by
our Lord during the time when He was still upon earth and therefore
they must be considered from earth's viewpoint; but when the Lord Jesus said
"Surely I come quickly" He spoke from Heaven and concerning Heaven's
measurement of time we need to bear in mind that word "Beloved, be not ignorant
of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a
thousand years as one day" (2 Pet. 3:8). In the light of the last quoted
Scripture it is easy to understand Rev. 22:20 - if our Lord returns before the
present century terminates He will have been away but two days!
"Surely I come quickly." These are the words of
our ascended Lord. This is His promise, sent from the very Throne of Heaven.
This is His final word to His people before they hear his "shout" calling them
to be with Himself. This, then, is the warrant, the ground, the authorization
of our Hope. Let us now consider -
It is both interesting and profitable to notice the several adjectives which are used in connection with the believer's Hope. In 2 Thess. 2:16 it is termed a "good hope." In Heb. 6:19 it is described as a hope "both sure and steadfast." In 1 Pet. 1:3 it is denominated "a living hope." In Eph. 4:4 it is styled the "one hope" of our calling. While in Titus 2:13 it is spoken of as blessed hope." The blessedness of our Hope is that which is now particularly to engage our attention. In what respects is our hope a "blessed" one? We answer -
Israel's future blessings wait for the Return of their Messiah. When He was here before He was despised and rejected by His brethren according to the flesh, but when He comes back again to this earth they shall welcome and worship Him. That prophecy of Zechariah's which received a partial fulfillment when He was here before, is yet to receive a further and complete fulfillment, in the days of His Second Advent. This is clear from the words which immediately follow these which had reference to His entry into Jerusalem a few days before His crucifixion - "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and He shall speak peace unto the heathen: and His dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth" (Zech. 9:9,10). And note further the closing verses of the same chapter - "And the Lord their God shall save them in that day as the flock of His people; for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon His land. For how great is His goodness, and how great is His beauty! corn shall make the young men cheerful, and new wine the maids" (vss. 16, 17). The real "Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem" is yet future. Our Lord is to enter the royal city again and at the time of His return He shall enter it as King in fact and in full manifestation of that fact. Then it is that Zion's King shall come to her "having salvation," and then it is that Israel shall marvel at His grace and at His excellency; and then it will be that the daughter of Jerusalem shall be exalted and be once more owned and blessed by Jehovah. It is on the return of Christ to this earth that Israel shall enter into the enjoyment of that inheritance which was given unto their fathers, and under the reign of their Messiah shall become a blessing to all nations. Again; the Redeemer's Return is a blessed Hope.
This aspect of our subject has not received the attention which it deserves. It has been assumed by some that the present dispensation is the time when God is blessing the Gentiles and that in the Millennium the Jews will be the special objects of God's favor. It is true that in the Millennium Israel shall enter into the enjoyment of their inheritance and that at that time they shall occupy the chief position, governmentally, among the nations, but it is a mistake to suppose that the Gentiles will receive less notice from God then than they do now. During this Age God is merely taking out of the Gentiles a people for His name, and hence it is that the vast majority of them are still living amid the darkness of heathendom. But it will not always be thus. The restoration of Israel to God's favor will result in wide blessing to the Gentiles.
In the eleventh chapter of Romans, where the apostle is showing that Israel's present "blindness" is not to continue for ever, he declares, "I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. Now if the fall of them (Israel) be the riches of the world (i.e., the enrichment of the Gentiles by the Gospel), and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fullness? (that is, How much more will Israel's latter-day blessing enrich the Gentiles). For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?" (vss. 11, 12, 15). How clear it is from these verses that, universal blessings for mankind are not to be brought about by the indefinite prolongation of this present dispensation and the preaching of the Gospel, but by the restoration of Israel, after Christendom has been cut off for its non-continuance in God's goodness. As another has said, "The end of apostate Judaism was judgment: the end of apostate Gentile Christianity will be judgment also. But just as blessing came to us when judgment fell upon the Jew, so when judgment falls upon Christendom, blessing will be restored to Israel, and Israel's restoration will bring still fuller blessing to the world than any it has had during the present dispensation; it will be as "life from the dea