By Rev. W. Grist, M.A.
Vicar of St. Philip and St. James, Ilfracombe.
(Continued)
IN our last issue we noted that the Bible viewed the present age under the figure of “night” (Rom. 13:12)— the time when evil deeds are abroad—when illusions abound. Following the same metaphor this word declares, “the night is far spent, the day is at hand.” World conditions are to undergo as complete a reversal as is represented by the change from night to day. Only one thing will cause night to fold its dark wings, and gentle dawn to break, and that is the rising of the sun. So the Book tells us that Christ, “the Sun of Righteousness, will arise with healing in His wings”; and the personal return to this world of Christ is the one event which alone will terminate the era of man’s misrule, with its accompaniments of war, poverty and injustice; and usher in the reign of peace, righteousness and truth which is the declared purpose of God for this world. This is no new-fangled belief, born of the stress of the times. Every time we recite our creed, we assert our confidence that
“He shall come again.”
Whenever we gather at the Lord’s Table, it is to “show forth the Lord’s death till He come” (1 Cor. 11:26). In the Te Deum we sing “We believe that Thou shalt come.” Let us note also how the New Testament refers to a personal return of Christ no less than 318 times, its references to this great subject far outnumbering its statements on the sacraments. Our Lord, in parable and in direct promise, plainly declared He would come again; His last message to mankind, sent from heaven on Ascension morning being couched in such accurate, careful terms that none could explain away their meaning as referring to other than a personal, real, visible return— “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 1:11.)
The subject of our Lord’s Return is seen more clearly when we note that the Scriptures teach that there are
Two Aspects of that Coming.
There is first His coming “to receive you unto Myself” where our Lord is directly addressing His followers— (John 14:3). Then He will gather out of the world all those, who trusting in Him as a personal Saviour, are “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4), and “children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” (Gal. 3:26).
This is Christ’s Coming FOR HIS CHURCH. It is described in 1 Thessalonians 4. This is the next event in God’s dealings with mankind. It may take place at any moment. It will involve both “those who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord” and also “them that sleep in Jesus,” who will then partake of the “first resurrection” (Rev. 20:6). By this event the whole Church of Christ will be completed and He will then see the fruits of Calvary in that Church which there “He purchased with His Own blood.” This glad time—when those who are Christ’s, will see Him and be like Him (1 John 3:2), when we shall meet those we love who have died trusting in Him and in Him alone—this is called “the Day of Christ.” Its events will form a future article in our magazine.
This coming of Christ to take His people out of the world will be followed by a time of awful trouble called by Christ, “the great tribulation” (Matt. 24:29). Some of the descriptions given in the Bible of this time can already be seen in the world today—in lying, hate and cruelty of Satanic origin; in Jewish persecution; in war on a vast scale; in dictatorship. Truly “coming events cast their shadows before them.” That time of unparalleled trouble will terminate only by the Coming of Christ WITH HIS PEOPLE to the Messiah of Israel, and King of all the World. Then and only then will the Kingdom be established under the administration of Christ, God’s appointed Ruler, and peace, truth and righteousness flourish in the earth. Doomed to a new disappointment are those today, who like their predecessors of the last war, expect a world fit for heroes. The Bible indicates that the conclusion of this age will be marked by accelerating world disorder till Christ comes to rule. No man, or political system can achieve a world order of peace and truth. The times in which we live are an enforcement of this Bible teaching. That time of Christ’s personal administration is called “the day of the Lord,” on which I hope to pen further Scripture teaching. The world’s only hope lies in the coming of that Day.
Why this is not believed.
Because it is humbling to man’s pride—that man with all his knowledge and power should be incapable of establishing right and peace, and have to witness the intervention of Christ to achieve this—that is too humbling to be accepted, and we are always slow to accept that which humbles us.
Because this doctrine is abhorrent to Satan “the god of this world,” involving as it does his overthrow by Christ (Rev. 20:1), and Satan has power to influence human thought using in his cleverness the guise of even noble things of vaunted knowledge so that “men believe a lie” (2 Thess. 2:11) such as that human progress of man in his fallen rebellious state can establish truth and right in the world.
(To be continued)