I HAD a clever little American child by my side the other day, who was very fond of asking questions, not merely for the sake of asking, but because—and you could soon see this by the sort of questions she asked—there were some things which she really very much wished to have made plain to her, that she might understand them.
I am not going to tell you all the questions which my little friend asked me, and which I tried to answer for her during our talk. But I will tell you of one thing which she said she found very difficult to understand, for perhaps you may have had the same difficulty, and perhaps the same way by which I tried to make this thing plain to her may make it plain to you.
We had been speaking of a very great and wonderful subject—the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ from heaven to fetch all-men and women, and even little children—who belong to Him, that He may have them forever with Himself. Perhaps you have never thought much about this, but I am sure you have read how the Lord Jesus spoke to God, His Father, before He left this world, about His own people, and said, " Father, I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory, which Thou hast given Me."
The disciples who heard these words of the Lord Jesus were some of those whom His Father had given Him, and their spirits have, long, long ago, gone to be with Him, with many more happy spirits of those who belong to the Lord Jesus.
Perhaps you have known someone very dear to you, yet dearer still to the Lord, who loved Him, and was quite willing and glad to leave this world, and go to be with Him. And when you think of this dear friend, whom your eyes no longer see, you are sure that he is safe and happy, but you do not know much more.
Yet it may be that as you stood quite near upon the brink of the deep grave, and heard the prayers of those who gave the body of the one you loved so well into the care of the Lord, you did think of what a wonderful day it will be when that cold, still form shall put on incorruption, and arise, clad in light and beauty, to die no more. Yes, I believe you have thought, some time or other, about the Lord's coming to fetch His people—those who are in their graves, and these who are still living on the earth—to be with Him for ever in his Father's house. Perhaps, you have said also to yourself, "But will the Lord Jesus call for me?" The Bible tells us who they are who shall go to meet the Lord, so that we can make no mistake;—they are "those that are Christ' sat His coming."—But what was the little American girl's question?
“I want to know," she said, " how it is that, when the Lord Jesus comes, only those who love Him will be caught up to meet Him in the air, and all the rest will be left behind."
This was the question; perhaps you will be surprised when I tell you what my answer was. I wanted to give an answer which would be very plain and easy even to a child, and so I said to her, "Will you fetch me a magnet, dear, and as many needles and pins as you can find?" And away she ran in search of what I wanted.
Now, before I tell you what use I made of these things, I will explain about the magnet to any who may never have seen one. I think a good many children know what a magnet can do, if they do not know what it is; for they have often played with one, and seen it draw little toy ducks or fish after it.
Long ago in Greece, a stone was discovered which is sometimes called the magnet, from the name of the place where it was found, sometimes the loadstone, from an old word which means the stone which leads or draws to itself.
The story is that a shepherd struck his iron crook against a piece of this stone, and the crook stuck fast to it, and so this wonderful power which the stone possesses of drawing iron to itself was discovered. I cannot tell whether this is true or only a story, but that the loadstone has the power of drawing iron to itself is quite true. It was because I knew of this power that I asked for the magnet and for the needles and pins.
My little friend looked on with much interest as I put all the pins and needles in one heap in a saucer, and shook it until they were so mixed together that you could hardly see which was which. Then, taking the magnet in my hand, I began to repeat the words we had just been reading together from the letter which the apostle Paul wrote to the Thessalonians—" The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God." As I repeated these words I moved my hand with the magnet in it down towards the saucer, and continued-" 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." As I repeated these last words the magnet had just reached the saucer, and up sprang all the needles and clung to it, until it bristled all over with the shining little points of steel.
With a cry of wonder my little friend said, “Oh, see! none of the pins have got up, and they are just the same, only they have heads on them."
"There is a difference, my dear," said I, "a greater difference than any which you can see; but I will try to explain this to you. There is a difference of nature between the steel of which the needles are made, and the brass from which the pins are made. The steel needles are attracted by the magnet, so that they must fly towards it when it draws near; the brass pins are not attracted by it. See, if you put them close to it, they only fall down again, for they are not of a nature to be drawn to it. So those who are the Lord's people, by His grace, have a nature that loves Him, and not one of them will be left behind when He comes; all will rise to meet Him."
“I see, He will draw them all up to Himself," she said, and then added slowly, "Yes, the needles all rise, but not a pin stirs to meet the magnet, not one." W. G. H.