A Good Word from Orthodoxy.
EVERY lover of Christ and his appearing, will find a rich treat in the following article. It is from the Northern Christian Advocate. Amid the general apostasy of religious teaching on this subject, it is an encouraging feature of the times, that persons are occasionally found, who, through popular journals, dare utter in the ears of the error-loving multitude such sentiments as these. What S. D. Adventist could have spoken more to the point? A stray expression about consciousness in the intermediate state, the church being the bride, &c., the reader can correct for himself in the light of Scripture. We hope such articles will not be without their influence in preparing hearts for the full reception of the truth. LOVING CHRIST'S APPEARING A TEST OF PREPARATION FOR A CROWN OF LIFE.
“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith; henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord the righteous Judge shall give me in that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” 2 Tim. iv, 7, 8. In the preceding verse the apostle says, “I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.” This time of being offered and of departure, said to be at hand, must be the time of death and not the time of receiving the crown of righteousness. The time when Paul and “all them also that love his appearing” shall receive the gift of the crown of life, will be “that day,” doubtless referring to the day of his (Christ's) appearing. Such are the teachings of Christ that “the righteous shall be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.” Whatever may be the nature or degree of the bliss of holy departed spirits in the intermediate state, Christ most clearly directs our faith and hope to the time of his coming in the following language: “And behold I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give to every man according as his works shall be.” To this bright, focal point “the exceeding great and precious promises of God all point, and on these only can our faith and hope safely rest. It would be in vain to attempt to conceal the fact that the eye of the Christian world has, by some suspicious influence been diverted from this point, this faith and hope. Instead of loving Christ's appearing, and looking for it, this great and precious truth seems quite generally obscured by the mist of plausible and popular error, and thus lost sight of by most of the religious teachers of our day. Numerous theories and sophisms abound, the object of which seems to be to prove in substance that “my Lord delayeth his coming,” as if that were a most important and desirable point to gain. According to the popular teaching and theology of our day, the coming and kingdom of Christ is not to be expected or looked for as a literal reality. That is, the real appearing of the real Jesus who was once on earth, was crucified, rose from Joseph's tomb, conversed with the disciples on their way to Emmaus, while their hearts burned within them, ascended from Olivet, and was thus taken up as a cloud received him out of their sight. The same actual return of this very same personal Jesus is not a joyful and most welcome thought even to the professing Christian world. The very idea is met with frowns and decided opposition. The present Gentile Church is not yet ready to see the Lord of life and glory, and who will attempt to make it appear that the professed Christians of our day do generally really love Christ's appearing? The inventive powers and literary taste of our age have created several other theories of Christ's appearing, which very much relieve the objections and fears of those who are not quite ready for his real personal appearing. Hence, frequently the hobby funeral text is gravely used in good faith as usual, “Be ye also ready, for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of man cometh.” That is, death cometh!—Learned Commentators have amused themselves, and others with a coming of Christ to destroy Jerusalem in the shape of a Roman army under Titus. All having been fulfilled, This of course is very learned, and withal serves as a comforting fable for the self-deception of those who, not being prepared, would not like to see the blessed Saviour coming with power and great glory. There is still another appearing of Christ, advocated by the popular religious teachers of our day, very generally received by the churches as an orthodox theory, and yet this appearing and kingdom of Christ, so called, is not his real appearing and kingdom. Hence it is called his spiritual coming and kingdom, where Christ is to reign in some secondary sense in his personal absence, or as we would say, reign by proxy, in his name, but under the auspices of the Holy Ghost, which of course, in all fairness and common sense, would not be the kingdom and reign of Christ, but in reality, of the Holy Spirit, whose person, office, and work is distinct from, and not the same as, that of Christ the Son. In the light of the sacred oracles, the reign of the Holy Spirit is a reign of grace over the heart or man's inner nature, a reign of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. This is the only reign of the Holy Ghost, which the Scriptures reveal. This reign of grace in us constitutes our bodies temples of the Holy Ghost; thus the true believer becomes both a subject and an heir of Christ's future, everlasting kingdom, which shall come “at his appearing,” and in no comprehensible sense before. The future coming kingdom and glorious reign of Christ on the renewed and restored earth, will be as real and personal as was his first coming, incarnation, humiliation, suffering, and death. The return of Christ to this world as its heir, conqueror, and king, is the world's hope, and especially the only hope of the church, which he has purchased with his blood. There is meaning in that expression spoken by the holy prophet, “The desire of nations shall come.” The ancient worthies looked forward through the vista of coming ages to this hope, to this coming glory of the Messiah. The apostle speaks of them thus, “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” All these “received not the promise” for the reason that “God having provided some better things for us,” they were not to be made perfect in their attainments and bliss “without us,” that is, all saints are to participate at the final consummation, the marriage supper of the Lamb, the coronation of the King and crowning of him with all his saints. This is really the theme and burden of prophetic song through Moses and all the prophets. From these scriptures a few only can here be specified. Among them the language of Job is very remarkable for clearness, considering the age in which he lived. He certainly must have loved Christ's appearing, as appears in the following words: “For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. And though after my skin-worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God; whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.” Job xix, 25-27. No comment can add to the clearness of the meaning here intended. How significant that precious gospel name, “my Redeemer,” and how unmistakable is that reference to the resurrection of “the blest and holy” when Job should see his Redeemer standing on the earth, when he, the Redeemer, should dwell with them and be their God. Rev. xxi, 3. The prophet refers to this same glory thus, “Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.” Isa. xxiv, 23. What reign can this be, so glorious, if not that of David's Son on Israel's throne spoken of in so many of the precious promises of the holy Scriptures? And why may this not be the time when Job, with others, “shall see with his own eyes the King in his beauty and the land that was then afar off.” The Psalmist very frequently exultingly dwells on the same holy theme, and calls on all the works of God to praise him in joyful expectation. One of his sweet170strains reads thus, “Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad, let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof. Let the fields be joyful, and all that is therein; then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice before the Lord; for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth; he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with truth.” Ps. xcvi, 11–13. As this glorious event draws nigh, and the sorrows and tribulation of earth are sadly multiplying, certainly the joy of every heir of future glory should be no less than that of ancient saints. In view of it the Lord comforted his tried, suffering people of old, by the following words which he commissioned the prophet to speak to them, and all who shall come out of great tribulation, “Say to them that are of a fearful heart, be strong, fear not: behold your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense: he will come and save you.” Isa. xxxv, 4. In another place the prophet describes what may be regarded as the marriage-supper of the Lord: “A feast of fat things,” and further says, “and he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall be taken away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it.” This prophecy ushers us into the future dispensation of glory, where the vail shall be no more on the mind, but we shall see as we are seen, and where there shall be no cause for tears, and where “death shall be destroyed,” it being “swallowed up in victory,” as quoted by the apostle Paul. 1 Cor. xv, 54. This will most certainly be at the appearing and kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, as clearly appears from the next verse of the prophet, thus, “And it shall be said in that day, Lo! this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” Isa. xxv, 9. Such are some of the glowing, prophetic descriptions of the acclamations of welcome and joy with which the King of Israel will be hailed by those who love his appearing, when he shall again and finally return to our sin-ruined world as its Deliverer, Lord, and King. Not then, as when in meekness, a man of sorrow and acquainted with grief, he once rode into Jerusalem, but “with power and great glory.” In the New Testament Scriptures, this same truth is kept constantly before the mind’s eye, as a great central promise on which believers are to base their faith and hope. To this, Christ himself very often referred. In reply to the high priest he said, “Ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.” To the church at Colosse, Paul wrote, “When Christ, who is your life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” The apostle James writes to his afflicted brethren, “Be patient, therefore, brethren, stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.” The loving disciple, John, writes, “And now, little children, abide in him; that when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.” Again he says, “Beloved, 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.” The closing words of comfort in the Revelation of Jesus Christ to his servants are, “He that testifieth these things, saith, Surely I come quickly.” The weary bride responds, Amen. Even so come, Lord Jesus. Verily the return of Christ our Redeemer to our world, to save and rule over it as King of kings and Lord of lords, is its only reliable hope. Self-conceited humanity has been trying its vast resources and appliances for nearly two thousand years, in the personal absence of our blessed Lord. And what is the real result of this two thousand years’ experimenting on a large scale? Even with all the vast improvements of science and the arts, the intellectual and physical advance of our wonderful age, it would be well to stop to take breath and gravely ask, Where are we, in a moral or religious point of view? Alas for us, the world has not yet been regulated, for it still goes wrong in the last half of the nineteenth century. Look over the last five years, or a little more, beginning with the Crimean war. England and France allies with Turkey against Russia. Then the horrible rebellion in India, which cost the lives of so many Britons, suppressed for the time being. Then comes the war in which Austria, France, and Sardinia were involved in a fierce death-grapple, by which human gore flowed in torrents. Then came the outbreak of the Druses against the Christians, fertilizing the soil of ancient Lebanon with the blood of its slain. Then the Italian war, led by Garibaldi, somewhat changing the political phase of the Italians. Then the war of France with China, then France with Mexico, then Russia and Circassia and others. Still the great rebellion in the Chinese Empire is far from being subdued, though France and England have, from selfish motives, intervened. What of our own late, so prosperous and happy land? From darkness we step by step hasten to deeper gloom, and nothing but Divine interposition can perpetuate our national existence. Scarcely less cheerless are the prospects of other nations. The train seems already laid, and a straggling spark may at any time set the nations all ablaze in self-destructive war. How long, at this rate, will it take the church to convert the world, in the absence of her Saviour and Lord, so it will be fit for his return, according to modern theory? While expatiating on these things to be done before Christ could come again, a preacher recently told his congregation, in substance, that they need have no fears of the coming of Christ for several hundred and probably thousands of years. This of course was very consoling, quite conclusive, and perfectly satisfactory to those who had slighted the means of grace and neglected the great salvation. The effect of such teaching is morally ruinous, especially to a fashionable, worldly-minded church, and hence we see them asleep all around us. No oil in their vessels, no grace in their hearts, and therefore they do not love Christ nor his appearing, though it is so evident that all is lost unless Christ comes to us speedily. Like that ship in the midst of the sea, Christ sees us toiling and rowing, for the winds are contrary, and the warring elements seem to be in fearful conspiracy to hasten our doom: the night is dark and the storm is high, and hopes forlorn. Thus, on the troubled waters, Christ is again coming with vengeance on his enemies who “destroy the earth,” but with a recompense to save those that love him. To such as love and “look for him, he will appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” Why then should such be afraid or troubled? He comes on the rolling, troubled waters for our relief and rescue. He kindly speaks to us, if we have ears to hear, and says again, “It is I; be not afraid.” What sympathy in Jesus for suffering men. A bruised reed he will not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. Not to love the appearing of such a Christ, is not to love him. Not to love him is most unreasonable and inexcusable. Nay more, it is a damnable heresy reduced to practice. “If any man love not our Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha,” 1 Cor. xvi, 22, that is, accursed, for the Lord is coming.