SOLEMN will be the moment when, in fulfillment of His promise, the Lord Jesus shall rise from the Father's throne, and call His saints, both dead and living, to meet Him in the air. Solemn the sound—the voice of archangel and trump of God which shall be heard by the dead in Christ of ages past, and shall change the corruptible, into the incorruptible, and the "vile" bodies of the living into bodies like His glorious body.
Wonderful the change, and as quick as wonderful.
The whole of that mighty transition shall be effected “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye," in a space far less than was employed in the actual creation of man. Then there was consultation, "Let us make man,” said God; but there will be no such consultation now. Then there was the necessary delay of breathing into man's nostrils the breath of life after his physical organism had been completed, but there will be no such delay in the present case. “The dead shall be raised incur-corruptible “with the suddenness and alacrity of the power of the God of resurrection,” and we shall be changed "—" shall be caught up together." Caught up, indeed, by the almighty, liberating, glory-giving, hand of the Saviour; snatched away from every hostile power, and mortality swallowed up of life. And the whole of this wonderful liberation will take less time by far than that in which the briefest description of it could be penned. At that moment “they that are ready " shall go in with Him. There will be not only the meeting in the air but also the return with Him, to the Father's house, to be with and like Him, and to be His meet companions forever. Solemn, sudden, 'glorious event! For this the Church is waiting, waiting to behold her Redeemer, Lord and Head, and in growing anticipation of His soon return, her joy deepens, and her activity abounds.
But the object of this paper is not to stimulate the Christian in his blessed hope, nor to encourage him in his heavenward path, but to remind the unconverted reader into whose hands it may fall, that the very fact of the suddenness of the departure of the dead and living saints, at the coming of the Lord for them, must evidently shut out all hope from him of a period—never so short—in which to repent of his sins or cry for mercy. The "ready" having gone in, the door will at once be closed, and all hope of entrance be removed from those who, though they may have heard the tidings of grace, have seen tit to remain unready. Oh! what a result of indescribable anguish for such! Can the mind conceive, can imagination picture the agony, the hopeless gloom, the abject and utter despair that settles down on those who find the door shut in their verb face! The bare thought is overwhelming, but the reality—to find the promise fulfilled, Chris come, the saints gone, heaven occupied, and its door closed upon them forever.
Will not this thought strike many—I was so nearly prepared—I was a virgin, but foolish, —I had all the outward appearance of vital Christianity, but I lacked the oil, I did not possess the Spirit of God, I had not been born again. No doubt such a train of thought will pass rapidly through the tortured mind, yet only to augment that torture. It is well to notice that only " they that were ready went in;" not such as were getting ready—not such as by dint of a course of religiousness, self-denial, and the like, were gradually reforming and checking the flesh, but such as were ready.
And this point I would urge upon my reader.
Say not that you are "doing your best." It is far from probable that you are; or even supposing that you had succeeded to your own perfect satisfaction in so doing, are you not aware that your "righteousnesses are as filthy rags," and that what you may esteem highly in your own eyes, is abomination in the sight of God? God detects failure, and discovers sin, where we, in our purblind condition, behold that which is good, and one flaw depreciates the whole.
God is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity, and cannot look upon sin. Besides, do you not learn at the cross of Christ how that not only human badness, but human goodness, has also been condemned? The law might indeed have given character to sin, and stamped it as transgression; bat the cross tells us not only that man had sinned, but also that he was sinful; not only that he was guilty, but lost, and that consequently he could not by any means whatsoever, "by works of righteousness” or "by deeds of law," extricate himself from his ruined condition. The cross declares not only that "all have sinned," but likewise” then were all dead," and this cardinal truth in one stroke annihilates the principle of "doing one's best” for salvation. To clinch the statement I quote one conclusive passage of Scripture: “If righteousness come by law, then Christ has died in vain." Oh! that people would learn this fact. They read their Bibles, indeed, but with blinded eye. Can they not read and understand the offering of Cain? Can they not hear the law as it thunders out its merciless curse upon “Every one that continueth not in all things written in the book of the law to do them." Yes, they hear as though they heard not, nor will they be charmed, charm we never so wisely.
“But how," asks my reader,” can any be ready How can it be known for certain that the oil is possessed, and that one is truly amongst the wise?”
Well, God is pleased to make the fact known by His Word and Spirit to the soul, which by grace believes on His Son. I say, God is pleased to do so. The work of salvation is the work of God the Father in giving His Son, of God the Son in giving His life, and of God the Spirit in revealing the Son, as Saviour.
As to the soul, the first experience is one of conviction of sin, or a sense of danger in view of judgment to come. This is produced by the Spirit of God. Then in despair the burdened and harrowed conscience finds in the blood of Christ that which fully meets all its need; since, indeed, all the need 'of justice has been met also by that same blood. Then, and thus secured peace is enjoyed, the promises are possessed, the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, His seal and earnest are made good, and God as Father known. Thus the believer, for all comes on the principle of faith, is in a new position, enjoys a new relationship, has a new destiny, and whilst waiting for the Son from heaven, he is amongst the "ready" who shall enter its unsullied courts. Thus, reader, your question is answered; but are you yet amongst the ready? J. W. S.