There is a " now " in everything, and without that "now " there could be nothing. There is a " now " for birth and a " now " for death. There is a certain point which gives maturity to whatever exists, and that point is expressed in the word " now."
Hence if " now " should bring with it each event, it must be of importance, an importance varying according to the character of the event itself; and yet how many of these " nows" come and go while we have no idea of their value, nor of the consequences of the events which they have produced. There are many " nows " in time, there is but one in eternity. There may be many changes in time, there are none in eternity.
Three times in the word of God does " now " occur; and on each occasion with immense significance, for on each of those occasions to which I refer, do we find an event solemn and deeply important. First, in John 12:31,3231Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. 32And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. (John 12:31‑32), the Lord says, " Now is the judgment of this world, now shall the prince of this world be cast out, and I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." Here we have the " now " of the cross-that event of events-that wonder of wonders-when the sentence of judgment was passed on the entire moral system of the world, and on the devil by whom that system was directed. But not only so, for at the same time there was the lifting up of the Son of Man, the solemn act of His crucifixion when He became a curse for us," and when the wrath of a holy God was displayed against One who had willingly taken that place of shame and suffering, but wherein also the sins for which He suffered were borne, and a foundation was laid for the believing, not of the, Jews only, but for that of all, " all men should be drawn to Him."
Infinitely wondrous was the fruit of that " now." It was then that the character of God was displayed-when, in the cross of Christ, " mercy and truth met together, righteousness and peace kissed each other."
Secondly, in John 5:2525Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. (John 5:25), we read, " the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall live." Here we have the "now" of salvation. The dead, here spoken of, are the "dead in trespasses and sins," and the means of giving them life is the voice of the Son of God, "they that hear shall live."
Precious and long protracted " now!" Eighteen centuries have run their course and told their tale of earth's continued wickedness, and man's unbroken pride; nevertheless the patient, pleading voice of the Son of God may still be heard, so that life and salvation may " now " be obtained.
Pause, dear reader, and, tell me, hast thou yet heard the life giving sound of the voice of the Son of God? Art thou alive in Him, or still dead in sins? Oh but the lingering shadows of this precious and only " now " of salvation, of grace, and of love are in no wise to be disregarded. They speak of a day of mercy nearly closed, but of mercy still, mercy for the vile, for the rebel, for the sinner. The Son of God still says " come," -with the unwithdrawn assurance that the comer shall be in " no wise cast out," and still offers salvation as the fruit of the work of the cross; a present, full, free and everlasting salvation, whereby the blest recipient may be delivered from all the results of sin and brought into the presence and favor of God. " Behold, now is the day of salvation."
This gives us the "now " of eternity-the eternal, unchanging, unaltering "now." The " now " of comfort for the poor, mourning, despised believer; the " now " of torment for the worldling, the infidel, the godless and the formalist.
Blessed indeed on the one hand is the thought of an eternity of comfort after the sufferings of time shall have passed away from the believer; fearful, on the other, is the truth that an eternity of torment awaits the rejector of Christ, or the man who 'died as he lived. What tongue can describe the dark cloud of despair that settles down on the soul on which falls, the verdict, "now thou art tormented." Oh! what a connection! "now " and "torment." Now, without a moment of intermission or change-" now" for days and years and cycles-yea, for eternity, and only torment.
Unsaved soul, do, do take thought. Be governed by the word of God and by the voice of wisdom. Say, shall thine eternal now be one of comfort or of torment? Hear the voice of the Son of God. See the cross on which He died. Behold His wounded side. Harken to the shout of liberty, "It is finished." Believe and live, so that His "now" of agony on the cross may procure thy " now" of comfort forever. J. W. S.