The Saints' Inheritance.
By J. N. Loughborough
THE DISCIPLES OF CHRIST EXPECTED A LITERAL KINGDOM.
WHEN our Saviour commenced his teaching, the Jews were expecting the Messiah, not, however, in the form in which he came; but as a king, to take to himself the scepter of the kingdom, and reign over Israel, and destroy his enemies. We see from the movements of the disciples of our Lord, that their minds were strongly impressed with the same idea; namely, that Christ was then to take possession of his kingdom. With this view of the subject, we can understand the meaning of their words, when they said, "If thou art the king of the Jews, tell the people plainly." And at another time when Jesus had performed a notable miracle, he "perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, and he departed into the mountains."* Again, when Christ rode up to Jerusalem, seated upon a colt, what a shout of "hosanna to the son of David" was raised by the people. What caused them thus to shout? Did they understand that in a few hours he was to hang upon the rugged cross, and expire, while all nature should be convulsed? No; they supposed he was riding to Jerusalem to take possession of the kingdom and throne of his father David. But Jesus died. Sadness filled the hearts of his disciples, and when on the morning of the resurrection he appeared to the women of their company, it was "as they mourned and wept." Why this mourning if they understood the plan of God for the salvation of lost man? Why such sadness if they really had faith in Jesus' resurrection? Why were they not looking forward with joyous hope to the third day, when they should again see him whom their souls loved? Instead of their manifesting such feelings as we should expect, had they understood what was to be accomplished by the death of Christ, we behold two of them conversing sadly of their disappointment as they walked in the way to Emmaus. We read that Jesus drew near and walked with them, "and said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another as ye walk, and are sad?" They answered, "Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things that are come to pass?" He said, "What things?" They said, concerning Jesus of Nazareth: "the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him. But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel; and beside all this, to-day is the third day since these things were done. Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulcher; and when they found not his body, they came, saying that they had seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive." "Astonished" to hear of the resurrection of Christ! Who would claim, with such testimony before them, that they understood the plan of redemption to be accomplished through his death and intercession? If they understood it, what necessity for Jesus to begin "at Moses and all the prophets," and expound "unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself?" Their testimony then in this conversation, that they trusted Christ would redeem Israel, must, and does, to our mind, embody the idea that they supposed Christ would redeem them from under the hand of the Romans, by whose Tetrarchs they were then ruled in their civil affairs. If Christ redeemed them from this, it would simply be by establishing his kingdom. This company returned to Jerusalem, however, believers in Christ's resurrection, and with their minds enlightened on the subject of Christ's death. But did they banish from their minds the idea that Christ was then to commence his reign? We will see. In Acts 1:6, we read: "When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?" They were now more than ever satisfied that Christ was the one whose right the kingdom was. He had been raised from the dead and himself had shown them that it was necessary that this should take place, that the Psalms, &c., might be fulfilled. And now, seeing nothing in the way of its establishment, they asked the above question respecting the kingdom: "Wilt thou at this time restore it? Israel once had it, but lost it in the days of Zedekiah. The question is, Will Christ now restore it! They had not yet seemed to get the force of the parable which Jesus spake when he was nigh to Jerusalem, for the benefit of those who thought the kingdom of God was immediately to appear, in which he showed that the Son of man (like the nobleman) must "go into a far country, and return,"† before the kingdom could be established. The light also seemed to be obscure from their minds, which Christ gave them when their hearts were saddened on account of his telling them, "I go to him that sent me." "Whither I go, ye cannot come." Said he, "I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself."‡ But we ask, What is his reply to their question concerning the restoration of the kingdom? Does he tell them that he will never restore it? "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in his own power." This is virtually admitting that the kingdom was to be restored to Israel: not after the flesh; but as Paul says (Rom. 9:8), "The children of the promise are counted for the seed." "But," he says, "ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." This seems to indicate that they would understand this matter, after they should receive the Holy Ghost and be endowed with power from on high. Christ said, "When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth; for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak; and he will show you things to come."§ Peter was among those who received this power, and has borne testimony concerning the matter. His testimony we will notice when we come to look at the time for the establishment of the kingdom. It is claimed that the expression used by Christ, "The kingdom of God is within you," is sufficient to prove that the disciples were not taught to look for a literal inheritance. We will quote the testimony: "And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: neither shall they say, Lo here! or Lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." Was even the kingdom of grace established in the hearts of hypocrites? It was, if Christ meant to teach them by this testimony that the kingdom of God was in their hearts. The thing demanded in this text is, When shall the kingdom of God—the saints' inheritance—come? Christ does not say, as some would claim, that it had already come; but his very answer shows that the coming of the kingdom was a future event. He says, "Neither shall they say [when it comes], Lo here!" &c. If Christ meant to teach in this text that the kingdom had already come, what can you make of the prayer he taught his people to pray (Matt. 6:10), "Thy kingdom come?" Every saint, to the end of this age, may pray, "Thy kingdom come," because the75kingdom will not come till the "nobleman" returns, "having received the kingdom." The idea we gain from Luke 17:20, 21, is that when the kingdom of God comes, it will not be in a secret manner, but all will know it, and there will be no opportunity nor necessity for any to say, "Lo here! or, Lo there!" for the kingdom of God will be within you, or, as the margin reads, "among you." That this is the idea Christ meant to teach, is plain from what he immediately told his disciples. Verses 22—24. "And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it And they shall say to you, See here! or, See there! go not after them, nor follow them; for as the lightning that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day." This language agrees with that used by our Saviour concerning his second coming. Matt. 24:26, 27; Mark 13:21, 23. And instead of Luke 17 forming an objection to the position we have taken, it shows that the kingdom is yet future. But if we were to admit that the kingdom was spiritual (mystical), and that it was established in the days of Christ's first advent, we should find ourselves involved in a great difficulty on Dan. 2, which shows that the kingdom of the God of Heaven is not set up till the Roman Empire is divided into ten parts; whereas in the days of Christ, and for 300 years after, no such ten parts existed. The Roman Empire was divided into ten parts between the years 356 A.D. and 483. Then the image could not be smitten on the feet prior to 483 A. D., therefore the kingdom of the God of Heaven, brought to view by Daniel, was not established in the days of Christ's first advent. Were we to claim that the image was smitten in the days of Christ, and that since that time the kingdom has been gradually set up, we should find facts against us; for if you call the gospel the kingdom, where has it had the power to break one toe of the image in pieces? Facts show that instead of the stone's smiting the image, the image has smitten the stone all the way through the present dispensation; and, for proof of this, read the history of the persecutions that have befallen the gospel church by the hands of the pagan and papal powers; for which see Fox's Book of Martyrs, and Buck's Theological Dictionary. J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH. (Continued.)