Prophecy and the Lord's Coming: Its Practical Effect in Our Lives
Gordon Henry Hayhoe
Table of Contents
Prophecy and the Lord's Coming: Its Practical Effect in Our Lives
"For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice unto him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him on the holy mount. 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: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." (2 Peter 1:16-21.)
This Epistle, as we know, was written to Jewish believers who were looking for the kingdom to be established on earth. That had been God's promise to them as a nation-that there would be a kingdom established, and that Jerusalem would be the center, the city of the Great King. They were looking for this. But now that the Lord Jesus had come, and had been rejected, it might have seemed to them that the kingdom was not going to come. What Peter refers to here is that he had seen a little preview of the kingdom there on the Mount of Transfiguration. Just as if one had said, Well, the kingdom is not going to come; and I would say, Oh, it is surely going to come, for I saw a preview of it. So those on that holy mount saw a preview-the kingdom is going to come. In spite of the confusion we see in the world today, everything is moving according to the divine plan. "We can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth." All that God has foretold is going to be fulfilled, and it is going to be fulfilled according to His way. It won't be through the accomplishment of man. God Himself will bring it about, and it will be by the Man of His counsels, His own beloved Son.
This was exactly what Peter and the two other disciples had seen on the mount-they had seen the Lord Jesus glorified; and they had seen Moses and Elias, those who talked with Him. I believe it was a little picture of the coming kingdom: The Lord Jesus was there glorified, together with Moses and Elias and the three disciples. Moses and Elias speak of the heavenly company-Moses who had gone through the article of death, and Elias who had not gone into the article of death, representing the heavenly company (some may go through death, others be caught up at His coming). Then the disciples who were there on the mount represented the earthly company. So this preview made everything that God had foretold sure. This is what Peter was speaking of.
That is why prophecy is important to us; it is "the testimony of Jesus," showing how He will have His rightful place: "We have also a more sure word of prophecy (or, the prophecy made more sure), whereunto ye do well that ye take heed." The Lord has foretold these things; He hasn't withheld anything that is needful for us-"All things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you" (John 15:15). He has not called us servants, but friends; so He wants us to know what is coming. The Christian is the only person who has an intelligent outlook on what is taking place in the world.
Here it speaks of prophecy as, "a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star (or, the morning star) arise in your hearts." Prophecy has particularly to do with the earth; with the kingdom being established, where the Lord Jesus will be known as "the King of Kings and Lord of Lords." It tells us that the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ. So all the prophecies point on to that time when all this will be fulfilled. But before that-just as the Morning Star arises before the day-we look for the Lord Jesus to come. As we see events moving onward (I do not say prophecy actually being fulfilled, but movements in that direction), we can say that the moment is drawing near. Prophecy is a light that shines in a dark place.
How surprised we would be by the events that have taken place during this past year if it were not for the Word of God. But, as we learn from God's Word, we know that the nations of Europe are going to come together, and there will be the establishment of ten kingdoms; and not by force; 'Tor God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled." (Rev. 17:17). And now we see the things taking place in the Middle East as well. All this is just what God has told us. So the Christian, instead of being surprised by the things which have happened, knows that God has foretold them.
Even with Russia-there was a fear that it would attack the Western world; but prophecy makes no mention of Russia attacking the western world. Prophecy shows us that at the end of the tribulation they will make their great attack on the nation of Israel. After the Lord has come and destroyed the armies of the Beast and dealt with the King of the North, then Russia will play her part. So, for the time, she more or less fades into the background. How wonderful it is to have the Word of God, and to know that we can look out on all that is taking place with assurance!
But what should be the result of this? It is a dark place in which we live; if it were not for the light of prophecy it would indeed look gloomy. The Bible speaks of men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth. People are trembling as they see the breakdown of everything committed to man, the environment and all else. But prophecy is "a light that shines in a dark place." All these events are only to cause us to look up, to lift up our heads, knowing that our redemption draws nigh.
"Until the day dawn, and the day star (the morning star) arise in your hearts." The Lord Jesus comes for us as the "bright and morning star." For Israel He is spoken of as the "Sun of righteousness, with healing in His wings;" because, when Israel shall be delivered, it will be for earthly blessing-this world's ills will be healed when the Lord Jesus has His rightful place-and not in any other way! But, just as the Morning Star arises before the day, so we look for the Lord Jesus to come-"the bright and morning star."
"Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation." The thought in this verse is not that we should not have an individual understanding of it, but that all scripture is connected; we cannot isolate one part of scripture and say that this does not fit in with all the rest. It all is one complete and harmonious whole. It all fits together perfectly. Unless we see this, we will never be able to understand the Word of God.
I recall when our family was working a large jig saw puzzle: as we neared completion we found there were just six pieces left, but they did not fit in the six empty places. We knew that we must have make a mistake, for the puzzle was designed so that all the pieces fit tightly together. So we had to search and find where we had put six pieces in the wrong place. When we found that out, then all fit together perfectly; the picture was complete. But, we had forced some of the pieces into the wrong place and the rest would not fit. We will always find that if we force some part of Scripture where it does not fit, then it will throw the rest out of harmony. No portion of Scripture has an isolated interpretation, it is all connected with this one glorious whole-the Truth, the Word of God. So it did not come by the will of man.
Some have said that the four Gospels are like four reporters who just gave what they saw and what they perceived. No! Each one took up a theme taught by the Spirit of God, and everything which was recorded in that Gospel is in harmony with the theme that the Spirit of God gave the writer. Did you ever notice that, of the four gospel writers, John was the only one on the Mount of Transfiguration? Matthew, Mark and Luke were the ones who recorded the scene, and none of them were there. The only other one who was there at the time was John, and he does not record it. Peter mentions it here, and he was there. Why the omission by John? Because it was not in harmony with the Gospel of John to record the transfiguration. The Lord Jesus is the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father. There was that glory which shone out, not just on the Mount of Transfiguration, but to faith at all times. "We beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." It would have been out of harmony with the Gospel of John to record this scene. I only mention this to show that when we read the Bible, we must remember it is God's Word. It is inspired by the Holy Spirit of God, and everything is in perfect harmony.
It is also very interesting that we speak of the sixty-six Books of the Bible. But, as most of us are perhaps aware, the Jews divide the Book of the Psalms into five Books. Mr. Darby does the same in his translation, and you will notice that where there are breaks (where it says, "Amen and Amen") these divide the five Books. So, with five Books of the Psalms you add four to the number, and you have seventy. Seven in the Bible is the perfect number, and ten is man's responsibility. So that we find that God has given us in His wondrous love and wisdom a full revelation of Himself, and taught the creature his responsibility to his Creator. Let us all value this precious book of God that we hold in our hands!
Turn now to Psa. 83 for a passage which relates to what we see happening now over in the Middle East: "Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, 0 God. For lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head. They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones. They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance. For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee: The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and of the Hagarenes; Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek, the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tire; Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot." (Verses 1-7.)
When we think of this prophecy, written almost two thousand five hundred years ago, we find a description of things which are taking place before our very eyes. These so-called Arab nations, descendents of those who are mentioned here-Moab, Edom, Ishmael, Ammon, etc.-are named; then we have Assur, or Assyria, joined with them. They are all working together here. And, what do they have in mind? To destroy the nation of Israel. "That the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance." How blessed it is that we have the Word of God!
So we look over there, and all are wondering what will happen. But God has told us about the threat that they will make. We know that this threat will not be fulfilled, they will never be able to wipe out the nation of Israel. But after the church has been taken home at the rapture, they will make a terrible attack; so terrible that the prophet Joel describes it like this: "the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them" (Joel 2:3). Why will God allow this to happen to His earthly people, if He has promised blessing for them? Remember what they said when Pilate wanted to let the Lord Jesus go; they said, "His blood be on us, and on our children." What an awful thing for them to have said! Sad to say, they are going to have to reap the awful results.
For many years they were out of their land, but God has brought them back as foretold in the prophet Isaiah. But now they have been brought back in unbelief. "Woe to the land shadowing with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia: that sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters, saying, Go ye swift messengers to a people scattered and peeled, to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled! All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye. For so the LORD said unto me, I will take my rest, and I will consider in my dwelling place like a clear heat upon herbs, and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest. For afore the harvest, when the bud is perfect, and the sour grape is ripening in the flower, he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks, and take away and cut down the branches. They shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains, and to the beasts of the earth: and the fowls shall summer upon them, and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them.
"In that time shall the present be brought unto the LORD of hosts of a people scattered and peeled, and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden under foot, whose land the rivers have spoiled, to the place of the name of the LORD of hosts, the mount Zion." (Isa. 18.)
Here we see them going back first in unbelief. And what is before them when they go back in this way? They are left to the fowls of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth. All their progress is destroyed. "More the harvest, when the bud is perfect and the sour grape is ripening in the flower;" just when they think that they have established themselves in prosperity, then God allows judgment to come upon them. But the last verse is when God has carried out that work of judgment, using the nations around to punish them, then He brings them back for blessing. Then, as we know, Jerusalem will be the center of the whole earthly glory. What a marvelous time it will be. But now they are going back in unbelief. They are going to have to suffer in that land; and what we see taking place is only a preliminary. The judgment that is coming upon them will take place after the church is gone. I do not say that there will not be things happening now, but we are told that after the church is gone there shall be "a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation, even to that same time." (Dan. 12:1.) It is called "the time of Jacob's trouble."
But you and I, through grace, belong to the present church period. We do not have earthly hopes. Whenever we as Christians become involved with trying to improve the world, it is like painting a sinking ship-it is going down. That is not our work here. Our work is to proclaim the gospel; and, when we have proclaimed the gospel, to bring the precious truths of Christian position, liberty and blessing before God's people. But we have nothing to do with setting the world right. It will not be set right by the Church's efforts. "When thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness." (Isa. 26:9.)
Now, turn to Daniel, chapter nine. (I am just looking at these things in a very sketchy way, but it may be helpful.) Start with verse 24: "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconcilation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself (or, as the margain reads, 'and shall have nothing'): and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,' and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate."
Daniel was in the secret of the Lord, and the Lord was showing him here what would happen in regard to Israel's history. He speaks about the seven weeks and sixty two weeks, that is from the time when a remnant of the nation in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah returned to rebuild the city and the temple until the Messiah would be cut off-seven weeks in the building, then sixty two additional weeks for a total of sixty nine weeks. According to those who have checked out the actual count from the time that the commandment was given to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Lord Jesus entered Jerusalem to be crucified, it was actually four hundred and eighty three years (69 times 7).
Then it shows us that there is a period that comes in between the sixty ninth and seventieth week. This is the period in which you and I actually live. Verse 26: "And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, and have nothing..." That is, He came as Israel's king; they should have received Him, but they-said, "We have no king but Caesar." They rejected Him-they would not have Him. He did not receive the kingdom at that time, and so the kingdom has been postponed because the king was rejected. Then we are told what would happen to them after the rejection of their Messiah: "and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary."
That took place in the year A.D. 70 when Titus the Roman general came up with his army and destroyed Jerusalem and the temple. Now there is a parenthesis, as we mentioned, between the sixty ninth and seventieth week. This present period is not actually the subject of prophecy.
So there is a parenthesis in the ways of God. We learn about this when we read about the church period in the New Testament. The Lord said,. "I will build my church." Again, "God hath visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for his name." We have an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved for us-not in Jerusalem, but in heaven. We are partakers of the heavenly calling. So, when the Lord Jesus was rejected, the kingdom was postponed; and now the Spirit of God is down here gathering a bride for Christ. If you are saved, you are a part of the bride of Christ; part of the "one body." It is not something that man organizes, not something that you join: the Bible says, "The Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved" (Acts 2:47). If you do not know the Lord Jesus as your own Savior, you are not a member or a part of what God calls in His Word "the church." The church roll is in heaven-"the church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven" (Heb. 12:23). That is what the church is. We can by grace seek to be a testimony to that truth, for the church includes every real believer on the face of the earth.
When the Lord Jesus comes and gives the shout, then the church will be taken away-the dead in Christ will rise first, then the living ones will be caught up together with them to heaven. Then God will begin again His dealings with Israel; that is where the last week comes in. The last week is that seven year period that will follow after the Lord has taken us home-when He deals with this world in judgment; when, at the end, the godly ones of Israel acknowledge Him as their king, and the rest come under His judgment. What a solemn day is ahead for this world! Little do men realize this! The last week of Daniel is an awful time of trouble for this poor world (Dan. 12:1).
But we can see the beginning of events now, for Israel is going back to their land in unbelief. God will use the revived Roman Empire in Europe, probably backed by those (like America) who really have their the roots from the old Roman Empire, to make a seven year treaty to protect Israel in their land. The last stage of the Roman Empire is spoken of in Scripture as, "iron mixed with clay." We read of this in Daniel, chapter 2:43: "And whereas thou rawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay." So, from the stock of those nations who once formed the Roman Empire they have spread abroad, entered into other parts of the world, the United States, Canada, etc., and now there is a mixture-not all from the old Roman stock, but mingled with the seed of men; and there will be a lack of unity because of this. The revived Roman Empire is spoken of in the Revelation as "a third part of men," and they will agree to protect Israel.
So, after the church is gone, there will be this period of seven years in which God will take up His earthly people again. "And the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week" (Dan. 9:26,27). It was the Roman army which came and destroyed Jerusalem in A.D. 70, under the leadership of a general named Titus. But the "people of the prince that shall come"-the revival of this empire is what is spoken of here; it will have its center in Rome. We see the trend toward formation of this empire taking place in Europe today. The European Common Market of today was set up under the treaty of Rome, and we understand that in 1992 things are to be finalized to make a united Europe, How remarkable that you and I should be living in such a time as this!
Also, I believe that it is important that we distinguish between "the Beast" and "the Antichrist." The first beast we read of in Rev. 13 is the civil or imperial head of the revived Roman Empire. He is "the prince that shall come." The antichrist is in Jerusalem; he sits in the temple of God and is the religious head.
Israel is talking now of rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. That is what we are told in Revelation, chapter 11; they were to measure the temple of God, but the court which was outside they were to leave out, and not measure it. Perhaps this temple site is very close to the Mosque of Omar.
They will re-build the temple and actually resume the sacrifices-until the middle of the week (See Isa. 66:1-3). "And in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease..." Then the whole profession of Christianity will be given up in the West, and the whole profession of Judaism given up in Israel. This is what the Bible calls "the falling away," the apostacy, the giving up-all the privileged part of the earth, the part of the earth that has had the Bible, the gospel and the profession of Christianity. And then the nation of Israel to whom the Lord Jesus was presented as their Messiah will give up God. When the judgment comes, it is upon a world that has given up God!
So the last three and one-half years are characterized by terrible judgments. This is called "the great tribulation." (Matt. 24:21) God will step in more and more openly into the affairs of men to let them know that He is not going to allow things to go on, regardless of what men think. Then, at the end, the Lord Jesus will return in judgment to establish His kingdom.
"And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he bath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS... And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that had worshipped his image. These were both cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceedeth out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh." (Rev. 19:11-16;19-21.) Here we see the end of "the beast" (sometimes spoken of as the first beast in the 13th of Revelation), and "the antichrist," (or, the second beast, in the second part of that same chapter).
We noticed in Daniel that there was an agreement, "And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week." (Verse 27.) I believe that the tribulation begins by this agreement between the head of the revived Roman Empire and Israel, to protect them in their land. They think that this is going to take care of their problem, to have all the might of the western world behind them.
But we read in Isa. 28 what God has to say about this agreement: "Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet; and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place. And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand, when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it... For the LORD shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibe-on, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act." (Isa. 28:21,17-18,) Judgment is God's strange work. He delights in mercy. He didn't want to act as a judge, but, because He is a holy God, man has forced Him to act in judgment. Israel thinks they have protection, but the agreement will not stand when the overflowing scourge comes through (the attack of the Arab confederacy).
We read of this in Dan. 11:40-45: "And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps. But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many. And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him."
Here we read about the king of the north, the one we read of in Psa. 83-the great Arab confederacy that will make this attack on the nation of Israel. The other passages we have noticed show that, in order to protect themselves against this, they had made an agreement with the western world to protect them.
When this final attack comes, the king of the north will come right down into the land of Israel to destroy it. Zech. 13:8,9: "And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third part shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call upon my name, and I will hear them: and they shall say, The LORD is my God."
At that time the beast and his armies come in to protect Israel, according to the promise they made. But, what do they find when they come in? Just what we read in Rev. 19-the Lord appears. He judges the beast and his armies, and both the beast and the antichrist are cast alive into the Lake of Fire. Then the tidings out of the north trouble the king of the north who has gone down into Egypt; he comes back and he meets his doom from the Lord as well. (Isa. 30:31-33.)
I might just mention that the attack that Russia makes will be after this. It is described in Ezek. 38;39. It will take place at the commencement of the thousand year reign of Christ, often called the Millennium. Then God will deal with all those nations who have left God out, who thought that they could get along and treat the world as if it belonged to themselves (see Matt. 25:31-46). Then, as we read in Rev. 11:15, "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever."
I have tried to give just this brief sketch to show that we can see these things starting to take shape. Because of this, "What manner of persons ought we to be, in all holy conversation and godliness." How should this effect us? We know what is coming. If we know the Lord Jesus as our Savior, can we indifferent to all this? What effect does it have upon us? I believe we all have to admit that the time is drawing very, very near. We know not the day nor the hour, but we should be a waiting and watching people.
Now, let us just look briefly at four things that the Lord has asked us to do until He comes. Turn first, to 1 Cor. 11:23-26: "For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: and when he had given thanks, be brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as often as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come."
This should be more and more precious to us, brethren. We should value this tremendous privilege that we have, of being gathered to the Name of the Lord Jesus. In the previous chapter it speaks of the Lord's table, and I believe we should always remember that the Lord's table is the expression of the one body of Christ. Let us never forget that; our hearts need to take in every member of the body of Christ. All may not come; some may be pleased to arrange themselves under names of human organization. But if they have accepted the Lord as their Savior, they are all represented in that one loaf-they are all members of the body of Christ.
As an illustration of this, we might consider a family of ten children. The father was dying, and he wanted his children to remember him, and to remember that they were one family. He asked them to just put a loaf on the table when they came together, and that that loaf would represent the ten members of the family. So they came to do what their father asked them to do. Happily, they all came as their father had requested. (That is the way it was in the early church; the multitude of the disciples were of one heart and one soul. No divisions had taken place.) This family had the loaf before them, which spoke of the ten members of the family. But, suppose that five of them decided that they would not come thereafter; they called themselves by some other name. Does that mean that they are not members of that one family? No, they are still members of the same family, just as we are all members of the body of Christ. But, are the other five now to give up doing what their father asked them to do because some are not coming? All their father asked them to do was to put the loaf on the table to give expression to the fact that there was just one family of ten children, If those five said, "Now we are the family," they would be out of harmony with what their father asked them to do. But, if they said, "We are sorry; there are only five of us here, but we are not going to give up what our father asked us to do, just because the others are not here; he asked us to remember him and to put the one loaf on the table to always express and remember that there is one family, ten children"-then they would be fulfilling their father's request.
In chapter ten of First Corinthians the Lord's table is set before us, and the loaf ("the bread which we break") is the symbol of the one body. Then, in chapter 11, the second thing, the breaking of bread is the remembrance of His physical-body given in death. He gave His precious body in death, and shed His blood for "the Church, which is His body." "The church...which he hath purchased with his own blood." May this privilege be precious to us, brethren; The Lord's coming is very near.
There may be many things to discourage. We can imagine that family-if the numbers were reduced to only two or three that were coming: they might have felt very discouraged. They may have been very sad that the other seven were not there. But, should they give up? If we have the heart of Christ, we cannot help but feel the divided state of the church. Let us not give up, but value the precious privilege of being gathered as members of the body of Christ to remember Him in His death, "until He come." If you and I really thought that the Lord Jesus was going to come next week, would we want to be present and remember Him on the coming Lord's day? I am sure we would. How we should value the privilege! The Lord values it.
In fact He instituted it on the very night of His betrayal. All the cloud of what was before Him in going to the cross, did not in any way hinder His love for the disciples for whom He was going to die. May it be precious to us!
Another thing the Lord has asked us to do is found in Luke 19, beginning with verse 12: "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. Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities. And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin...,, "Occupy till I come." We know that the world still rejects the Savior-the citizens hated him, and said, "We will not have this man to reign over us." We are in a world that does not want the authority of Christ over them. But something has been committed to us, brethren-every one of us has some service that the Lord has given to us. Here, one person was very diligent with the pound that was given to him; his pound gained ten pounds. Another, perhaps less diligent, gained just five pounds. The Lord valued both of them. But there was another servant who just took the pound and wrapped it up in a napkin, and did not use what had been entrusted to him. I believe that each one of us have some little service that we can perform for the Lord. I do not believe that any one here could say that he or she does not have anything that they could especially do for the Lord.
In the Old Testament, each one of the Levites was given a service and a burden. That was outlined to them by Aaron and his sons; they were appointed their particular service, and then they had the privilege of carrying some special burden. Some might have carried the ark; some the boards; some the pins. They were not all the same by any means, but each one had some service. Every one of us who are believers have something that the Lord has given us to do. There is no one who can do it as well as you. If the Lord chose you to do a little service for Him, it was because you had been fitted for that very thing. We read in another Scripture, "He gave to each according to his several ability." He knew that you could do that, if you were willing to do it. It is a very great privilege. He does not want every one to be out in the foreign field. We know He does want mothers to be in the home. He does want those who may do things unnoticed by others, like Epaphras, who was always laboring fervently in prayer. But, brethren, occupy till He come! If the Lord has given you some little service, and you have discovered what that is, wouldn't you like to be doing it when He comes?
If you love someone who has asked you to do something for them, and they come unexpectedly and find you doing just what they asked you to do, don't you feel gratified? "Blessed is that servant, whom his Lord when he cometh shall find so doing" (Matt. 24:46). You may say, "I havn't despised what the Lord has given me." But, are you using it? Are we occupying? How happy our Meetings would be if each one of us fulfilled the intended place that God has for us-not all the same place, but each the intended place. that He has given. "He gave to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch." May the Lord then encourage us to occupy until He comes!
Turn now to Rev. 2:25: "But that which ye have already hold fast till I come." There is a deposit of truth committed to us. Sad to say, we see much giving up of truth in Christendom. Many things that were once well known and accepted are slipping away. Many dear christians are not enjoying the full blessedness of the truth that God has given us. Some do not enjoy the eternal security of the believer. Some are actually losing the present hope of the Lord's return, thinking that the church will go through the tribulation. These things are slipping away. But there is a deposit of truth committed to us.
We are told that the Assembly is to be the pillar and ground of the truth. The Church does not teach, but the Word of God teaches, and we are responsible to hold the deposit of truth. It may not be easy, as we see things slipping away- little things creeping in which show that we are losing something of the preciousness of the truth. When the children of Israel returned from captivity in the time of Ezra, we read that the vessels were delivered "by number, and by weight." I might say, "Why certainly, I believe in the Lord's coming; I believe that He will come before the tribulation." But, how much weight does it have with me? Does it really affect my life? I can hold it as a doctrine, but not be acting as though I were really expecting Him at any moment.
We have then the remembrance of the Lord, the blessed privilege given to us; we have a little service that He has appointed for us to do, and we have something committed to us. Paul said to Timothy, "0 Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust." And, something has been committed to us; let us not allow any part of the truth of God to slip away. It is very easy in these days, when almost everything that is precious to us is called in question. Let's hold it, hold it fast, until He comes!
Now, turn to James 5, starting with verse 4: "Behold, the hire of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doeth not resist you. 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. Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door."
"Be patient therefore, my brethren." You say, "I have been patient long enough; I can't stand that person, the way he treated me." "My boss is so unjust; I just can't stand the pressure any longer." James tells us of all the things that were happening in those times. The same things are happening in our day too. What is the Christian to do? "Be patient therefore, my brethren, unto the coming of the Lord." Let us remember that things are not going to be set right until the Lord Jesus has His rightful place. And, happy for you and for me, who can accept our circumstances from the Lord. Did the Lord receive justice in this world? Was He treated the way He should have been? Did people appreciate what He was doing for them? Not one came to the cross and said, "He healed me; he opened my eyes." No. He was not appreciated, but He went on in love, doing His Father's will.
We need this brethren. We are getting near the end-there are many things which try us. Often we hear people say, "I can't take this any longer." "Be patient therefore, my brethren, unto the coming of the Lord." That will be the answer to everything. Then shall we "know even as also we are known." We love to think that every "hard question" in life will be answered then. It is surely worth waiting until then. Some things which seem to be straightened up for a while, often flare up again. But, how wonderful, when we get there, to look into His blessed face. Let us not forget that everything points to the moment of our precious Savior's return.
Just to repeat then, four of the things the Lord has asked us to do: to remember Him until He comes; to occupy, or do the little service He gives us for Him until He comes; to hold fast the truth that He has committed to our trust, and He has asked us to be patient unto the coming of the Lord. It may even be tonight! As the little song the young people often sing puts it, "It will be worth it all when we see Christ."
May the Lord keep us until that day!
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