Let us here enter a little on the coming of the Lord. First, it is connected with our acceptance, Christ having borne God's judgment for us. Judgment is no longer to us therefore an object of dread. If we have met Him by faith in the grace of His first advent, all will he joy to us at His coming again. But, secondly, He will return as a judge—the Judge of quick and dead. If we realize the difference between expecting Christ to glorify us and expecting Him in judgment, we get the way in which His coming addresses itself either in fullness of love to His own, or as a solemn warning to sinners, as they are in themselves out of Christ.
Rev. 2 and 3. set before us a general history of the church in the world, the ecclesiastical course of things in its salient features, as it presented itself, not only together as in John's day, but successively since then till the Lord come. These churches become, as we may see especially in Thyatira, a birth-place of evil that God had to judge; and judgment in a certain sense goes down to the end. It is not merely judging this or that evil as it came out; but the state of the church was such that God must kill (chap. 2:23). “But to you I say, the rest (or remnant) in Thyatira, as many have not this doctrine, those which have not known the depths of Satan, &c.” The eye of faith is turned, not to look for anything good where they were, but to hold fast what they had till Christ should come.
And here we find a double aspect as regards the saints. Judgment of the quick and power over the nations refer to Psa. 2 It is a judgment on the living, not on the dead, which of course excludes anything national. Men will present in that day a picture like the days of Lot, when they were surprised by the divine vengeance in the midst of all their wickedness. This thought when received lays hold of the conscience more than the yet distant fact of the judgment of the dead at the end.
For men are apt, else, to flatter themselves that the world goes on beautifully, eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, marrying and giving in marriage. But sudden judgment comes from on high. The world has been thus judged once by the flood; but it will be again when He comes Whose right it is, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on those that know not God, and on those that obey not the gospel (2 Thess. 1:88In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: (2 Thessalonians 1:8)).
Are any saints to be troubled at that thought? They ought not to be; for their hope is His coming and their gathering unto Him, as the apostle says. This takes away all such fear or perturbation of mind. In that day He shall come to be glorified in His saints and to be wondered at in all them that believed. Even now they are one with Christ, and at His appearing they will be associated with the Judge. They will be caught up to meet Him in order to be displayed with Him. Those that through grace are brought to acknowledge themselves sinners and are justified by faith will then be manifestly, as they are now really, associated with the Lord Jesus. So we read here (1): “and he that overcometh and keepeth my words unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of a potter are broken to pieces; as I also have received of My Father” (vers. 26, 27). But there is (2) the higher and deeper blessedness also in verse 23, “and I will give him the morning star.”
It is in brief what we find elsewhere. They are in fact the two great subjects in the word, next to Christ and His work: in the O.T. the government of the world in righteousness; in the N. T. the church's union and heavenly glory with Christ, after His rejection on earth. When Christ takes the kingdom, evil will be set aside; now Satan reigns. The effect of faithfulness, till God's peat power is taken (Rev. 11:15-1815And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. 16And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, 17Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. 18And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth. (Revelation 11:15‑18)) to put evil aside, is that the follower of Christ has to take up his cross, says the Lord. Hence all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution for it, says the apostle Paul; or as Peter, If when ye do well and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable (grace) with God. We have to swim against the stream till the power of God's world-kingdom comes: then the stream will flow aright. This is at the appearing of the Lord when His power overwhelms all adversaries.
But in the bright and morning star we have the heavenly character of His coming. “And I will give him the morning star,” that is, I will give the Christian Myself in this way before the day. The morning star is seen before sunrise by such as watch. When the sun rises, every eye shall see Him; and manifest blessing and peace shall follow the execution of judgment. But Christ gives Himself to the overcomer before the day. If we are to appear with Him in glory, we must be with Him in order to appear; we follow Him out of heaven after being caught up (Rev. 17:14, 19:14).
Let me put it to any good conscience—Is this world what God would have it? Assuredly those are to be pitied who are ignorantly, vainly, trying to improve it; as if man could mend a state which is the consequence of sin, and of sin rising up more and more from Adam to the cross of Christ! The Lord is now exercising grace, not judgment; as the gospel He sends to every creature best proves. He lets the world go on. There are on the one hand signs of a good and wise God; there is on the other hand a state of utter moral confusion in the world. But faith sees another thing: the saints' association with Christ, not only by the Spirit now, but actually by His coming for them before He is manifested He will give us the “morning star.” The believer even now has the light of life in Christ, a child of light and of day (1 Thess. 5:55Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. (1 Thessalonians 5:5)). We are not of night nor of darkness, but belong to that day. Therefore should we be watching for the “morning star.” So in Rev. 22:1616I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. (Revelation 22:16), the moment Christ says, “I am the bright and morning star,” the Spirit and the bride say, Come.
But there remains the solemn truth that “the day” will come with sudden destruction on sinners unawares. Such is the solemn testimony as to the world. The risen Lord will judge the (habitable) world in righteousness, as the apostle told the Athenians (Acts 17.). Beyond doubt the day will come when lie shall appear in glory and we together with Him from heaven. But 2 Peter 1:1919We 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 Peter 1:19) speaks of more even now, day dawning and the day star arising in the heart. It is the present possession of the heavenly hope, which might be lacking, even when prophecy was known. Christ will reign in that day, and I shall reign with Him at that time, as the lamp of prophecy discloses; evil will be put down by the Lord, and the world will be set up for divine blessing universally. In the meantime has the heavenly light of the gospel day dawned on me since I believed? Has Christ arisen as a heavenly hope on my heart?
Alas in Sardis we hear of a name to live and yet dead (the world valued, and the works incomplete, not any terrible corruption, such as we see in Thyatira). If you that hear me have a name to live, is Christ the power of your life? Those who have a name to live and are dead are treated like the world, though called the church. “Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.” But if Christ is your life, you are not of the world, even as He is not. How sad for professors of Christ to be threatened as the world is in 1 Thess. 5:22For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. (1 Thessalonians 5:2)! If any say, Why? Am I not as good a Christian as you? I answer, Is there such a result of your Christianity that Christ is the power of your life? If not, having a name to live, you are dead; and that day of the Lord will overtake you as a thief in the night.
Very different is the word in Rev. 3:7-137And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; 8I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. 9Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. 10Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. 11Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. 12Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. 13He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. (Revelation 3:7‑13), which comes to those that have but little strength. Weak as they were, they had kept Christ's word and had not denied His name. This is what pleases God in a day of superstition and infidelity: Christ's word in a world where even professing Christians have departed from it; Christ's name not denied, when humanitarianism prevails. God had revealed, and still in some hearts maintains the truth in the midst of ever rising evil. “Because thou hast kept &c., I will also keep thee (not merely from the judicial day that overhangs men, but) from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world (οἰκ) to try them that dwell on the earth.” Are you then keeping the word of His patience? Christ is waiting, and so should we be waiting. I must walk, and worship, and wait like a person that does not belong to the world, in communion with Christ.
The soul that believes judges sin in God's light, and with the Psalmist says, “Enter not into judgment with thy servant,” for in Thy sight shall no man living be justified. He by grace is justified. by faith. In the day of judgment God will no longer allow sin to go on, but openly punish it. Suppose the Lord sitting on the great white throne, and saying there is not one righteous man, would you stand up there and affirm that you are righteous? No, you could not. But you do not tremble, because the day of judgment is not come yet for either quick or dead. But such unbelief shows that you are in a deplorable state; and God does not deceive any by allowing one to think he can he saved in his sins. Have you eternal life in the Son of God? He that believes God concerning His Son has that life, and is passed from death into life. Have you ever seen yourself guilty and dead in sins, as His word says, in the presence of God?
But it speaks to us also of a dying Savior. This is what first awakened me: my Savior died for me, and I could go and amuse myself! Light from God gets into the soul that sees the Son, and tells me what I am. For what did Christ come the first time? He came to save the lost, to meet God's judgment of sin for such as believe before the day of judgment. If Christ had first come into this world now, what company would He keep? Would He seek and move amongst the respectable, the moneyed people? He did nothing of the kind: they are like the Pharisees who derided Him. Christ only went where people wanted Him, to those who felt they were lost. Do you want Christ because you are lost? Do you want cleansing from your sins? He came to seek and to save the lost. Thus you may find God meeting you in love. When one's eye rests on Christ, one says, That is what I want. I want such an One as my sin bearer; I could not be saved if He were not the propitiation for sins. Now this is one thing you do not possess if you do not know Christ; namely, that your sins are all blotted out before God.
If I look at the life of Christ, I cannot find one thing He did for Himself. What have you been doing all your life? One finds the whole principle of fallen man is self, instead of love to others. O what a hateful thing is self will! If you reply, I know and feel it is hateful to God and to myself; but I cannot get rid of it. Well, I rejoice, that Christ has done so before ever the day of judgment comes. For in unspeakable grace He has suffered for your sins; and in His cross God condemned sin in the flesh on your behalf. Thus in Christ God Himself has stepped in and settled the whole question. Therefore is Christ sitting at the right hand of God. Behold your victory in Him risen (1 Cor. 15:5757But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:57)). Are my sins on Him there? No, but effaced forever. Yea, according to Eph. 2:66And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: (Ephesians 2:6), I am risen with Him and am seated in the heavenlies in Him.
Christ first convinces me of sin, and then shows me sins all remitted forever (Heb. 10.). In 2 Cor. 7-9 we read, “But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: how shall not the ministration of the Spirit be rather glorious? For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.” The glory of God in the face of Moses was only a reflection.
If the Lord were to come in the light of His glory to search every thought of my heart, I could not bear it. Where is His glory? Was it only in the face of Moses, the ministration of condemnation searching my sin out? No! the glory is in the face of Jesus Christ. This very glory shows me my sins gone, and myself in Christ—one spirit with the Lord. I am not afraid of looking at His glory there, but can let it shine into me. Christ Who knew no sin was made sin for me, that I might become God's righteousness in Him. He is on high, sitting at God's right hand; there is God's righteousness revealed; and the Holy Ghost came down to reveal it. His ministration of righteousness is entirely out of myself. Christ of God is made to rue righteousness, as He sits now at the right hand of God. how well I know that Christ loves me! I hear in His cry—My God, My God, why didst Thou forsake Me?—God's solemn judgment of sin: and I know it is all gone for me from God's eyes, because I believe the witnesses of His pierced side, the water and the blood that have cleansed me. It is a searching work to make me judge myself in all evil; because I know Christ has been judged for me, that I should not be condemned with the world which despised Him and neglects so great salvation.
In vain you talk of rules to order the walk aright; for these do not, cannot, give power. Law is a sharp accuser, but a helpless friend. Faith looks, calls, and listens to God against the evil that is in my nature. Till I knew deliverance, I could only cry to God to appear for me against indwelling evil. But now I know He has executed sentence on it in the cross of Christ. My heart is knit to Him in peace and liberty. I can delight in the hope of the presence of my Savior, because He is coming to receive me to himself; and I can love His appearing, when all adversaries shall be put down, and righteousness flourish even in the desert, and peace reign everywhere.