Many now accept the doctrine of the Lord's coming, but the important question is, With how many of us is it the purifying hope of our hearts?
In the beginning of Christianity, those who loved the Lord Jesus as their Savior looked for His return from heaven. They knew that He would so come in like manner as they had seen Him go into heaven. They expected that He would come again personally—that the Lord Himself would descend from heaven. Hence they were drawn after Him; they detached themselves from the worldly influence of their surroundings, and separated from what they judged to be un-suited to Him, and "went forth"—they "took their lamps, and went forth to meet the Bridegroom." This showed the activity of truth in souls. It was not, at first, merely the acceptance of a doctrine of Christianity, but the reception of God's truth into the heart, as " the word of God which effectually worketh in them that believe." Thus the early Christians not only enjoyed the comfort of the finished work of Christ, as delivering them from coming wrath, and giving present peace with God; but they had this distinct hope, that the Lord might come from heaven at any time to receive them unto Himself, and that it was His will that they should be watching and waiting for Him, and thus purifying themselves from all that was contrary to His mind.
But it is clear that the hope soon lost its brightness and power; and even among those who had accepted the truth, the power of worldliness tarnished the hope, while the knowledge of the doctrine was for some little time retained. We read of one of Paul's companions, of whom he had painfully to say, " Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world." (2 Tim. 4:1010For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia. (2 Timothy 4:10).) Are we to suppose from this that he abandoned the doctrine of the Lord's coming? By no means, any more than all they which were in Asia, who turned away from the apostle, had done so. Surely, to retain the knowledge of a true doctrine of holy scripture is one thing, but to have the reality of it bright and powerful in our souls is another. And our Lord led His own to expect, from the teaching of the parable of the ten virgins, that the blessed hope of His coming, through the unfaithfulness of His people, would be lost—" While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept." Does it not, therefore, become a serious question for each of our consciences as to how far it is true of us that we are actually going forth to meet the Bridegroom?
That this hope is connected with activity and earnestness we are again reminded by our Lord in this same parable, where He prophetically announced the midnight cry; which again we find to be not merely announcing the Bridegroom, but enjoining the virgins to go out to meet Him. The words, "go ye out to meet him," are certainly most significant and practical, implying the laying aside of everything which hinders the souls activity and earnestness in stretching out toward the culmination and enjoyment of its highest desires, and longing to see His face whom, having not seen, we love, and to be with Him, and near Him, and like Him forever. Well hath it been said by an inspired apostle, " 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, 32Beloved, 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. 3And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. (1 John 3:2‑3).)
This blessed hope is frequently brought before us in the New Testament scriptures, both by our Lord Himself and His apostles, in an eminently practical sense. In the striking parable of •the good Samaritan, He not only poured healing into the wounds of the half-dead helpless one, and abundantly cheered his fainting spirit, and set him in His own place upon His own beast, but He also charged Himself with all the cost of caring for him for the future, and assured the host that whatsoever more he spent, when He came again He would repay him.
On another occasion, when speaking of ministering to poor and helpless people, Jesus said,.
" They cannot recompense thee, but thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just/9 which we know cannot be till He comes again.
Again, in the parable of the pounds, when He gave a pound to each of His ten servants, to trade with during His absence, His emphatic word to all of them was, " Occupy till I come." Can any teaching more forcibly show what practical bearing the truth of the Lord's coming must have when it is really known as the hope of our hearts? How important, then, it is that we should unsparingly judge ourselves as to this; and how watchful we need to be, lest in any of us the hope degenerate into the mere acceptance of a doctrine! Would it be possible that we should be found in worldly associations, linked with the unconverted in worldly pursuits, and be careless as to the condition of the saints of God, if we were really waiting for God's Son from heaven? Are we not solemnly warned by one who, though not denying the doctrine of our Lord's coming, but, possibly, with the letter of the doctrine on his lips, and saying in his heart," My Lord delayeth his coming," who was found captivated with worldly things and associations, and opposing and grieving the faithful- eating and drinking with the drunken, and smiting his fellow-servants? Such our Lord plainly declares will be judged with hypocrites and unbelievers. How appalling, then, is the thought of the possibility of some accepting the Lord's coming as a doctrine, and yet, may be, without love to the Lord, or desire for His coming. In the parable of the ten virgins the Lord also reveals the astounding fact that some would make the outward profession of Christ, and even presume to go forth to meet Him whom they knew not, and yet had no oil, who never had the Spirit of Christ, and were really unconverted. How very solemn this is!
It is when the soul enters upon and enjoys the blessedness of being not only justified from all things, and blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, that the hope of our Lord's coming has its proper hold upon our hearts. As long as there is any question as to our standing and nearness to God in Christ, and through His blood, we become so occupied with ourselves, that we cannot be looking for that blessed hope; but when in perfect peace before God we accept the precious truth that " as he is, so are we in this world," the Lord's coming becomes the rejoicing hope of our hearts. It was so with saints in the apostles' days, for Paul says, " Our conversation (citizenship, or commonwealth) is in heaven" -heaven known as our present abode, as to fait and standing in Christ—then it is added, " from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body," &c. Take another example. As long as a man is not free as to his own salvation, he must be occupied about it, because of its all-importance; and if he harbors the false idea that his salvation depends on his own feelings, experience, or doings, he will not welcome the truth of the Lord's coming as full of interest to himself; on the contrary, he will rather avoid hearing anything about it, because of fearing he is not ready for Christ. But when he learns from scripture that God says He brings salvation to sinners, that salvation is wholly His work from first to last until the redemption of the body, and we are actually brought to God in the glory, then he sees he has nothing to wait for but the coming of God's Son from heaven. We are told that salvation is wholly of God, and that in rich and abundant grace. " By grace ye are saved." It is the unmerited favor of God to sinful man to save him, soul and body, and take him to glory. It is the grace of God that brings it. Hence we read, " the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men;" and when this grace is received into the heart by faith, it teaches "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 Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us," &c. Happy those who so stand in the true grace of God as to be able to look up with joy, and see Jesus, crowned with glory and honor, and walk and act as those who wait for His coming.
We may still further show what we mean by the practical effects of the hope of our Lords coming, by turning to some incidents in the Old Testament, as illustrating the subject.
In 2 Samuel 19 we are brought to the time when David, the man after God's heart, was in rejection, and away from his rightful place. But there was one who loved David, who was conscious that he owed all his blessings to David the rightful king, who had showed him, when utterly unworthy, helpless, and uncomely, "the kindness of God." This man, Mephibosheth, waited for David's coming again, and during the whole time of the king's absence showed how truly he loved him, by his true sympathy and devotion to his interests. The king was the absorbing object of his heart. He went forth to meet David. We read that " Mephibosheth, the son of Saul, came down to meet the king, and had neither dressed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed, until the day he came again in peace." (Ver. 24.) And are we, beloved brethren, so truly waiting for God's Son from heaven, while deeply conscious He has been cruelly hated and rejected by this world, that we feel that He is the absorbing object of our hearts; that His interests are our interests; and that our sympathies are so truly with Him, that we can forego our own present comforts because of the desire and hope of soon seeing His face? Is it our Lord in the glory, our life, our righteousness, and peace, that our hearts are taken up with, and in the activity of faith and hope, yet with patience, going forth to meet?
Now let us turn to Exod. 12 There we find that when the children of Israel were in the place of safety from the judgment of God by being under the shelter of the blood of the Lamb, they were also set in the attitude of looking for deliverance from Egypt. In the certain consciousness of the sheltering power of the blood, and enjoying the blessedness of feeding on the lamb roast with fire, still they did so with loins girded, shoes on their feet, and staves in their hands, as ready to go whenever the moment might come. And surely the knowledge of our perfect safety, through the precious blood of Christ, the enjoyment of communion with Him according to His thoughts. His ways, and His affections, who loved us and gave Himself for us, as the u head/' " legs," and " purtenance" of the lamb set forth, truly fit us for maintaining the attitude of waiting for God's Son from heaven. How practical all this is! What activity is implied in girding the loins, putting on the shoes, and taking in hand the staves! How clearly is set forth the true character of their hope! How strikingly it shows that if we enjoy our safety through the blood, and personal communion with the Lord, the hope of His coming falls into its proper place!