IF you look, beloved friends, at the case of saints dying, as in 1 Thess. 4, Paul says, "I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them that are asleep,.... for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him." The apostle, though eighteen hundred years have elapsed, did not say, " the Lord delays his coming." I believe it is very near, but that is a question of spiritual discernment. I do not press it, though I believe it; everything shows it. " We "-the living ones will be taken, the dead had not lost it-" We which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them.... and so shall we ever be with the Lord." " With the Lord"-that is the point. " To depart " is to be " with Christ." It is not the Father's house, nor is it the Father's love only; but we are to be with Christ, and like Him. Suppose they were put to death for Christ, even so God would bring them back with Him.
You say that now this thought is gone from the mass of Christians; I will show you how Christ judges when it is gone; but here the comfort given was that they were not deprived of the blessing, but when Christ came He would bring them with Him, He would raise the dead, and change the living. How it enters into all the apostle's thoughts, comfort, joy, Szc.; here he brings it in specially if a saint has died. His coming is interwoven with all the affections of the Christian. It is not merely that I am going to be happy in heaven; but I am going to be with Christ, it is His joy to take me to be with Himself.
Note, again, how Paul connects holiness with the coming of the Lord in 1 Thess. 5:2323And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5:23): " The very God of peace sanctify you wholly.... unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." He is looking for holiness and godliness, but he looks for it at the coming of our Lord Jesus 31
Christ. Then as regards responsibility turn to 1 Tim. 6:13,1413I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; 14That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: (1 Timothy 6:13‑14), and see what he says, " I give thee charge in the sight of God. unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ." It is always the appearing when it is responsibility that is in question, but when privilege it is the rapture.
What I have at heart is this, that you should see the way in which the coming of the Lord is interwoven with every thought and true feeling of the Christian. See, too, how James comforts the laborers who had been deprived of their wages, " Be patient, therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord." (Chapter 5:7.) The constant expectation of His return was the thing their hearts were to be set upon.
We find the same thing in Matt. 25, in the parable of the virgins. " They took their lamps," that is at the beginning of Christianity, " and went forth to meet the bridegroom;" this is the same truth as in Thessalonians, " they were converted to wait," &c. Then what happens? Just what has happened, " they all slumbered and slept." That is, that the true saints, as well as those that had no oil, they all forgot the coming of the Lord. It is just what the Lord told us would happen, while the Bridegroom tarried. We know the reason of His tarrying, " The Lord is not slack concerning his promise," &c. As long as the work of grace is going on, and the Lord is gathering in souls, we must wait, thankfully wait. At midnight there was a cry, " Behold the Bridegroom." Some had no oil but there was time enough between the going out of the cry, and the coming of the Bridegroom, to test their state. I do not doubt it is going on now. It was the cry that woke them up, and then they trim their lamps and go out again, but the point I draw attention to is that what woke them was " Behold the Bridegroom cometh."
As to our affections and as to our service it is the same thing; the talents (the gifts of the Holy Ghost, whatever they may be) were to be used while Christ was away. But what is remarkable is this, that though there was a delay, which has taken place, the Lord never puts the thought that it will be longer than the life of the people He spoke to; the virgins that went asleep were the same that awoke. It is the same servants that got the talents that were in question when He came back; He will not put the thought forward beyond their lifetime. People say, Must not they have known that Peter would die? I say, but would any one dream nowadays of saying he had a personal revelation that he would die? It was an extraordinary exception, which strengthens the rule; to wait for Christ was what they were called to.
When you come to the seven churches (Rev. 2, you find the common thought (it is a just thought) that it is a history of the visible church from the time it left its first love till it is rejected, down to the end. He takes up churches which were exhibitions of a particular state. But Christians were taught to be constantly waiting; when anything happened He put the thing during the life of the person in the parable; so, when it is churches, He takes the churches of that time, but does not say a word that would allow the thought that the Lord was not coming at any moment. People talk of events, but that is confounding the thought of God's government with the Lord's coming for His saints.
When I have my individual salvation settled, I get the teaching of the New Testament as to the government of this world. See Deut. 32-" When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance... he set the bounds of the people... for the Lord's portion is his people." When I come to the government of the world the Jews are the center; afterward, I get the Beast, Antichrist, Babylon and so on, but that is connected with the government of this world, and there I get events; but as regards Christians, God's thought was to conform them to the image of His Son; to take poor sinners and put them in the glory with His Son; that has nothing to do with events. We have two things-He has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ, that is now; but we are to be conformed to the image of His Son.
Besides, there is the government of this world which Christ's appearing will close, but that has to do with promise and prophecy, very interesting in its place; but His coming has nothing to do with prophecy. You get away from all that, and have the consciousness that you are to be waiting for Christ. Any moment He may take us and put us into the glory with Himself, that the angels may look upon us and see such ones as Mary Magdalene, the poor woman that had the seven devils, the woman in the city that was a sinner, and the thief on the cross, in the same glory as the Son of God. The Christian has got into his place; he is a saved person, the Holy Ghost dwells in him, and he is looking for the Lord's second coming. Take Philippians 3.; I quote texts that are connected with the thoughts and feelings of the Christian: " Our conversation is in heaven, from whence also we look for the Savior... change our vile body," &c.; that is what I am waiting for.
If I look at the Book of Revelation, first at the beginning and then at the end-I do not look at the prophetic part of it. Before John commences that part you get the thoughts and feelings of the saints-the church. " From Jesus Christ, the Faithful Witness," &c., that is upon earth—he skips over the present time, " Unto him that loveth us, and washed us," that is our place. It is " Him that loveth us." Just as if a great general was passing by, and his wife were watching, she would not say, " that is a great general," but " that is my husband." Just so here, He is the " Prince of the kings of the earth," but we say, " Unto him that loveth us." Then chapter 22., " I, Jesus, have sent mine angel... I am the root and the offspring of David," because it is connected with promise there; " and the bright and Morning. Star," that is not the kingdom, but the hope of the church.
You get in the address to Thyatira, " I will give him the morning star." When Christ comes as the " Sun of Righteousness " will be the day when every eye shall see Him, that is His appearing, but that
is not the Star. The morning star is not seen when the sun is up„ but those that are watching in the night, they see the morning star, it belongs to them.
We have the word of prophecy made sure. (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).) Prophecy is God's candle brought to bear upon the world going on its way as fast as it can, the heavenly things lead you out from it: " Till the day dawn, and the (lay star arise in your hearts." But there is another thing, the consciousness of my association with Christ, He is coming to take me up. He is " the bright and morning Star," and the moment He reveals Himself in this character, as the " bright and morning Star," He awakens the desire of the bride, and you get the whole character of the Christian walk. " And the Spirit and the bride " -those that have entered into the consciousness of their relationship with Christ-He is for them the " bright and morning Star;" then, " let him that heareth say, Come " -let them join in saying it; and then the Gospel, if you have the water you say, come and drink, " let him that is athirst come;" then it goes out to the world, " and whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely."
I get the whole course of Christian affection. 1st Christ, He is the Bright and Morning Star; 2nd, the desire to be with Him, " The Spirit and the bride say, Come;" 3rd, those that are His, " let him that heareth say, Come;" and then 4th, " whosoever will, let him take."
Notice the way the word of God brings the coming of the Lord before the heart in these addresses. First they are called back to what they were at the beginning-that is one way of judging what we are; but the moment you come to Thyatira, you get the kingdom, and the words "hold fast till I come." In Sardis it is, " I will come on thee as a thief," He treats them as the world, because they are so. To Philadelphia He says, "thou hast kept my word, hast not denied my name; then, behold, I come quickly." What was it that brought in the ruin of the church? Losing the doctrine of the Lord's coming. " If that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;" not that He will not come, but, " My lord delayeth his coming " (he did not expect him) " And shall begin to smite his fellow-servants" (this is hierarchical power joined to the world at the end), his portion is appointed with the hypocrites.
I just say a few words on the verses we have read. " Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning," &c., that is your character as Christians, you are to be like people that are waiting; the Master of the house has gone to a wedding, you do not know what time he will return. Death is not my lord; Christ is my Lord; " blessed are those servants whom their lord, when he cometh, shall find watching." " Watching," those are the people that are blessed when Christ comes-the affections of the bride-they are watching for the Lord. If a person says some Turk or Russian is come over, I do not care about that, but how different with a mother that is watching for her son not knowing what moment he may come.
"Blessed are those servants," &c., their character is "like unto men that wait." Mark the consequence, it is most blessed, Christ has become a man and taken the form of a servant, He never gives it up-it is a figure of course being a Servant, now He serves us, washing our feet, but in heaven He will be our servant to minister all blessing and joy. As I have so often said, Selfishness likes to be served, love likes to serve. Just like a mother with a sick child, she will not let any one else attend to it, her heart is there. You must have your lights burning, &e., that is the character you should have. Christ says, when I get you at home, I shall make you sit down to meat. It is a figure; I will spread the table in heaven for you if I find you watching.
You get now another thing connected with His coming. " Who then is that faithful and wise steward... blessed is that servant whom his Lord when he cometh shall find so doing." "So doing"-we serve while He is away. As to the character of the Christian, he is waiting for Christ; then the affections of Christ come out, He gives him all the blessing——" Of a truth I say unto you that he will make him ruler over all that he hath." There it is the ruling in the kingdom. You have the two things that belong to us; the blessedness of being with Christ, which is far the highest, and we are to reign with Him. Even there I get the character of Christians, they are to be as men that wait till their Lord shall return, then when. Christ has everything His own way, He makes them to sit down to meat and comes forth and serves them. Next every man receives his own. reward according to his own labor, that is, He makes us rulers, &c., " If we suffer we shall also reign with him." (2 Tim. 2:1212If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: (2 Timothy 2:12).) Thus what the Spirit of God puts before us as the hope, is that Christ Himself will come and bring us into this-the fruit of God's own love, with the constant expression of it on the way in the intimacy of friendship. Like what you get in Luke's account of the transfiguration; you have Moses and Elias talking intimately while the disciples are frightened at the cloud; it was the witness of the presence of God: it was there where God. had revealed Himself to Israel. The disciples fear while they are in the glory; it is the kingdom part of it; the disciples saw it, they went into it-Moses and Elias are in the same glory with Christ, but the voice is heard saying, " This is my beloved Son." For us there is a better thing still, the Father's house.
We are called to wait for the blessed Lord Himself; He has loved us and given Himself for us, and the heart of the Christian is set upon it-we wait to be caught up to meet the Lord in the air, and to be forever with the Lord. Now I only ask, Suppose He was to come to-night, would your souls find your joy at His coming? Are your hearts set upon Him in the midst of a world that has rejected Him? The whole of Christendom is eating and drinking, &c. but are you filled with the joy that Christ will meet you as men that wait? Are you watching for Christ? Christ is waiting at the right hand of God, and His delight and joy is this, that He will take His people to be with Him forever,
The Lord only give you in truth of heart so to know Christ and delight in Him, that your hearts may be waiting for Him and watching for Him-the joy and hope of your souls. There is one thing that is a comfort to me, and that is, that I believe all who are His will be led to look for Him before He actually comes. May He keep us, then, waiting for Him. J. N. D.
(Concluded from page 146.)