It is worthy of remark, that the Spirit of God never enters upon any lengthened proof of the doctrine of the Lord’s coming. He assumes it to be the proper, settled, well-defined hope of the Church of God, and uses it accordingly, on all occasions. Thus, in the 2nd chapter of Titus, we find this “blessed hope” introduced in connection with the most common-place relations and duties of domestic life; such, for example, as servants “not answering again; not purloining.”
Now, it is very needful to observe this. It teaches us that the coming of the Lord is not a matter of mere speculation for the learned, but that it is a “blessed hope,” to animate the heart of a poor servant, amid the wear and tear, the weariness and drudgery, of daily life. Such an one, by “not purloining and not answering again,” can, in his measure, “adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour,” just as much as an apostle. And at the same time he can cherish “that blessed hope of the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” How blessedly simple is this! A servant might feel disposed to ask, “What can I do for the Lord? How can I adorn His doctrine, or promote His cause?” The Holy Ghost opens a most definite, simple, happy sphere for such a one, by teaching him, not to purloin, and not to answer again.
But some may say, “Would not common honesty keep a person from ‘purloining?’ and would not a moral sense of propriety keep one from ‘answering again?’” Very likely; but nature, common honesty and moral sense cannot be trusted. “They that are in the flesh cannot please God.” In order to please God, we must be partakers of the divine nature, and walk in the energy thereof. This divine nature we get by “believing on the name of the only-begotten Son of God;” and we walk in the energy of this nature “by faith.” In this way every little thing we do is fruit to God—everything is fragrant with the grace of Christ, and ascends as a sweet odor to the throne of God. An apostle, traveling in the energy of the Spirit, from nation to nation, in apostolic zeal and power, planting and watering churches, and a servant at his daily toil, can each, in his own sphere, “adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour,” and can each, cherish the “blessed hope” as that which precisely meets the need and the longing desire of his soul.
How gracious of our God to give us such a hope! How happy to know that it is not for death and judgment we are taught to wait, but for that very One “who loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood”—the One who thought of us before all worlds, visited us in due time, suffered for us on the tree, that He might exalt us to the very highest place of dignity and glory, in companionship with Himself.
There are only four passages, properly speaking, in the New Testament, which refer to the condition of the soul while absent from the body. I shall quote them for my reader. The first is Luke 23:4343And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. (Luke 23:43), “And Jesus said unto him, Verily, I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” Blessed exchange! The cross of a malefactor exchanged for the bright paradise of God—a world of woe for a world of bliss!
The second is Acts 7:5959And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. (Acts 7:59). “And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Here again, we have a blessed exchange. Who can utter or conceive the joy of a spirit passing from the presence of cruel murderers, with their gnashing of teeth and stoning with stones, into the presence of Him who stood with open arms to receive the soul of His servant?
The third is 2 Cor. 5:88We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:8). “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” The unclothed or separate state, is not the object of hope j though surely it is a happy transition from a body of sin and death—“a vile body,” a crumbling tabernacle, into the region of unhindered spiritual communion. “For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.” (v. 4.) The unclothed state, though one of unhindered communion, is not one of perfect bliss. The saint will not be perfect until “mortality is swallowed up of life,” and that will be on the morning of “the first resurrection,” when he will be conformed, in body, soul, and spirit, to the image of his Lord. (See Phil. 3:2121Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. (Philippians 3:21); 1 John 3:22Beloved, 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. (1 John 3:2).)
The fourth and last passage is Phil. 1:2323For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: (Philippians 1:23). “For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ, which is far better.” Here it is distinctly stated, that it “is far better,” to be away from this scene of conflict, trial, and sorrow. But the apostle does not say that it is the best thing. It is good to be here, while the Lord will have it so. It is better to be with Christ, when our work is done. But the best thing of all will be, when “the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we, which are alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; AND SO SHALL WE EVER BE WITH THE LORD.” 1 Thess. 4:16-1716For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:16‑17).
This is “that blessed hope” which the Lord Jesus set directly before the hearts of His sorrowing disciples, on the eve of His departure, when He said, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” John 14:33And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. (John 14:3).
This is “that blessed hope” which the angels announced to the apostles, when they said, “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? 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 1:22Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: (Acts 1:2).) The coming is as sure as the going, and in the same manner.
Finally, this is “that blessed hope” which glitters like a precious gem on every page, almost, of the New Testament; and which God the Holy Ghost has set as the polar star in the Church’s horizon, of which she should never lose sight, which should give tone and character to all her ways down here.
Alas! that the Church should have so lost the sense of “that blessed hope.” Alas! that she should have put the coming of death instead of the coming of the heavenly Bridegroom. May the Lord revive, in the midst of His people, this purifying and comforting hope. May He make ready, and call forth a faithful band of “wise virgins,” who with hearts established in that “grace” which hath appeared to all, and with trimmed lamps and burning lights, shall heartily respond to the cry, “Behold the Bridegroom cometh,” in those suited accents, “COME, LORD JESUS; COME QUICKLY!”
‘Tis night—but O, the joyful morn
Will soon our waiting spirits cheer;
You gleams of coming glory warn
Thy saints, Ο Lord, that thou art near.
Children of hope, beloved Lord!
In thee we live, we glory now,
Our joy, our rest, our great reward,
Our diadem of beauty thou!
And when exalted, Lord, with thee,
Thy royal throne at length we share;
To everlasting thou shalt be
Our diadem, our glory, there.