HOW FREQUENTLY we receive letters containing statements like this: “I don’t have much to live for since John died. When he left us the lamp of my life went out, and nothing seems to matter now. Every day is just an aching void, and darkness brings a nightmare of loneliness.”
Friends, that is but an echo of the despairing cry that goes up from sorrowing hearts all over the world. Sorrow is no new thing. It has been the common lot of all mankind in all ages, for it is the eldest child of sin. How true the words of Cowper:
“The path of sorrow, and that path alone,
Leads to the land where sorrow is unknown;
No traveller ever reached that blest abode
Who found not thorns and briers in his road.”
No matter how great our sorrow, it is bearable if one knows and believes that God has allowed it to come our way for a purpose. The reason may never be revealed this side of the kingdom, but we must have faith to believe, as the Apostle Paul declares, that “all things work together for good to them that love God,” and that some day we shall understand.
In the Book of John, the eleventh chapter, and verse thirty-five, we read that Jesus wept when He talked with Mary, the sister of His departed friend, Lazarus. But His were neither tears of hopelessness nor despair; they were, rather, tears of sympathy and compassion. The picture of the weeping Christ fills us both with awe and hope — awe that the Majesty of heaven, the mighty Creator, should have His face bathed in tears, and hope because we know He really cares, that He is touched with the feelings of our sorrow.
He came from the courts of glory to bear our griefs and to carry our sorrows. (Isaiah 53:4). He alone is the answer to the cry of the ages, “Is there no balm in Gilead” for wounded and broken hearts?
Thank God, our sorrow need not drive us to despair, for a remedy for sorrow has been found. The Great Physician has “an oil of joy for mourning,” a “garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.” He has a “blessed hope” that reaches within and beyond the tomb. What it cost to make possible this remedy for sorrow only the heart of God knows, but “God so loved the world,” with its guilt and sorrow and woe, that He gave His gift, and the results of that gift constitute the sweetest story ever told in heaven or earth. It is the “blessed hope.”
For six thousand years the gateway into the valley of dark shadows has opened and closed in endless rhythm. As far as we know, only two exceptions (Elijah and Enoch) have been made in the grim reaper’s record, which is pictured so pointedly in the words, “as in Adam all die.” But, God be praised, there is more to this text than the dismal wail, “all die.” There is the promise of life: “Even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:22). As all die, so all, because of Christ, shall live. The “all” includes those near to us by the ties of nature who were so rudely torn from our hearts and homes. What a day is before us! How it thrills the soul and quickens the emotions! It is the comfort for our sorrow, hope for our despair, joy for our tears. The poison of the sting of death has been removed by the gospel balm, and now we “sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). But rather do we look forward to that time when “there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away.” Revelation 21:4.
No longer does death mean an eternal separation from those we hold dear. In God’s great plan it now becomes but a little rest, a quiet sleep, until the storm is passed; then comes the call to eternal life. How good is our God to take away the sting of death! How comforting are those little words, “sleep” and “rest!” David, speaking of death, says: God, “giveth His beloved sleep.” (Psalms 127:2). Like a weary child, God’s “beloved” drops off to sleep, knowing full well that his Father will call him in the dawn of His tomorrow, and in glad anticipation he writes, “I will behold Thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Thy likeness.” Psalms 17:15.
The great Apostle Paul, eager that none should worry about death, also uses the peaceful expression “sleep” in describing the death of the righteous. “I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. . . . For this we say unto you by the Word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent [ or precede ] them which are asleep.” 1 Thessalonians 4:13-15.
Then he goes on to tell of the call to awake from death at the second coming of our Lord: “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: 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: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18. (See also Psalms 13:3; Daniel 12:2; Acts 7:60; Revelation 14:13.).
With this view of death God’s children are unafraid of its presence. As Paul faced the executioner, he cried: “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?. . . . But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:55-57. Christ has gained the victory over death for every soul. When He arose in triumph over the grave that resurrection morning, He made possible the release from the prison house of death of all who have felt its cruel bondage. From the courts of glory Jesus shouts in triumph: “I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore; . . .and have the keys of hell [ grave ] and of death.” Revelation 1:18.
While upon earth Jesus, in a few instances, manifested His power over death and the grave. This He did because of the compassion and sympathy of His soul for the sorrowing, and to beget confidence in Himself as the Resurrection and the Life. When the people stood in awe at His power, He cried: “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth.” John 5:28, 29. What a glorious morning that will be! No words of man can describe the joy of that hour. In response to the voice of King Jesus, which echoes and re-echoes to every part of the earth and sea, the dead come forth, clad in immortal youth. “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. . . . Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.” 1 Corinthians 15:52-54. Truly, “God’s tomorrow is a day of gladness, and its joys shall never fade.” Though “weeping may endure for a night, . . . joy cometh in the morning.” Psalms 30:5. Just to know that the morning of the resurrection is hastening on apace is enough to dry falling tears, to revive perishing hopes. It is only “a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry.” Hebrews 10:37.
Possibly the words of this little poem will bring to some sorrowing heart the message that God would have you hear just now:
“One night, when my life was young and strong,
I was crooning a lullaby
To my sweet wee tot three summers old,
When the babe began to cry
For the dollies my mother-hands had made,
And I soothed her childish sorrow
With the words: ‘Your babies are put away;
You may have them again tomorrow.’
“And now, as I travel the sunset road
‘Mid the twilight soft and deep,
While my empty arms are starving
For the forms once hushed to sleep,
My Father in love bends over me,
And there’s hope instead of sorrow,
As He says: ‘Your babies are safe asleep;
You may have them again tomorrow.’ “
God forbid that the grief of despair should rob us of our vision and strength. Rather should our sorrow and loss lead us to a complete consecration of every fibre of our being to God. Jesus is coming, and coming soon! The long, dark reign of death is about to end. The signs of that event are everywhere. No longer should the wail, “I don’t have much to live for since John died,” pass our lips. We have everything to live for — Christ, eternal life, meeting our loved ones, heaven, eternal home!
The great Apostle Paul was thinking of just such a prospect when he wrote: “Comfort one another with these words.”
PRAYER: Dear heavenly Father, we thank Thee again for the promises of Thy Word so helpful and appropriate for every need of man. Lord, while we do not understand the reason for many of the tragic happenings of life, which include the removal of our loved ones by death, we thank Thee for the blessed assurance that to those who love Thee the parting is not for ever. We rejoice in anticipation of that glad day when we will meet never to part again. We thank Thee for buoying up our spirits with the Blessed Hope of the glad re-union day, so soon to dawn. Help us to keep on looking up, we pray in His precious name. Amen.
THE GREATEST EVENT IN HISTORY
That one supreme event toward which all creation moves and toward which all history is tending, is the second coming of Christ.
Nineteen centuries ago, our Lord entered this world via Bethlehem’s manger. He remained here thirty-three years, and then returned to the world of glory and light whence He came. His first advent is the greatest and most important fact in human history — so great that today all history is reckoned as before or after His birth. (B.C. or A.D). We have noted that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, by reason of that visit, and by what He did and taught while here, became and has remained the greatest figure of all time.
It naturally follows, then, that the most important announcement that one could bring to the people of this generation is that He who has wielded such great influence in human affairs, is about to appear in this world the second time. On His first visit to this planet, He laid the foundation of human salvation. When He returns He will put into effect the eternal principles of His kingdom, and he will establish righteousness, justice, and equity in all the earth.
While this may all sound fanciful and improbable to many, it is, nevertheless, no cunningly devised fable. Our Lord will surely come again. In fact, we say on the authority of God’s Word, that the second advent of Christ is an absolute, assured certainty. There is nothing more positive and certain in God’s programme for the salvation of mankind. Events all about us, in fulfilment of Bible prophecy, are shaping with amazing positiveness to this very end. Yes, Tennyson was right when he wrote, “One far-off divine event to which the whole creation moves,” with the exception that that event is not now so far off.
Every person who believes in God, every person who accepts Jesus and would be counted as a Christian, every person who holds the Bible to be God’s Word, must believe in the second coming of Christ and that He will return in the near future. This doctrine is one of the outstanding teachings in the Bible which is the foundation of our Christian belief. I suppose no subject of the Scriptures is more pronounced or more clearly stated than this one, for there are at least three hundred positive statements regarding the second coming of Christ in the New Testament alone. It would appear that every writer insists upon it, so it is not a matter of interpretation.
When we deal with this subject, we are dealing with one of incontrovertible fact. Jesus Christ is coming again, and what is more, He is coming in our time, and if we understand the Bible aright, His coming will change the face of this world. His coming will solve all the vexing problems facing the nations just now. His coming will usher in an eternal kingdom of peace. His coming will mark the inauguration of a new kingdom in which there will not be found any of the things that make this life so sad. His coming will mark the end of evil, sin, and suffering, and the bringing in of righteousness, peace, and everlasting joy.
In support of our contention that the Lord will come again, we read Hebrews 9:28: “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” To those who are ready when He returns, this will be the greatest of all days in their experience, for it is recorded of them in Isaiah 25 that they will gaze heavenward in that glad day and say, “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.” Verse 9. So, to His followers who are waiting and praying for their Lord’s return, this will be the culmination of their every hope, the realization of their every desire.
To others, however, His coming will be as a thief in the night, and they shall mourn when they ultimately view His appearing. John the revelator, in the sixth chapter of the Book of Revelation, has outlined the reaction of those who are not prepared to meet the Lord when he returns in all His glory. Here it is recorded: “And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: [17] For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” Revelation 6:14-17. Now is the time to prepare our hearts for that great day, for whether the world approves or not, whether men desire Him or not, Jesus our blessed Lord and Redeemer is coming again.
Let us turn to God’s Word once more and see how absolutely certain these things are. We base our belief in the second coming on the authority of the infallible word of Jesus Himself. When Jesus says He is coming again the second time, that settles the matter for ever for us, and Jesus has said just that. Immediately prior to His death upon the cross, He said to His disciples, “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; that where I am, there ye may be also.” John 14: 2, 3.
Here in the words of the greatest of all authorities, Jesus Himself, is a clear-cut unequivocal promise and pledge, the meaning of which there is no possibility of mistaking. “I will come again,” said our Lord. And in the twenty-eighth verse of John 14 He repeats this promise in these words, “I go away, and come again unto you.” To the unbelieving Pharisees and scribes just before His betrayal, He declared “Ye shall not see Me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord.” Matthew 23:39.
Replying to the questions of His disciples as to what would be the signs of His coming and of the end of the world — and those signs are all clearly outlined in Matthew 24 and Luke 21 — Jesus said, “Then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: . . . and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” Matthew 24:30.
On another occasion, he said to His disciples, “the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels.” Matthew 16:27. On the occasion of His trial, when adjured by the High Priest, Jesus replied, “Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.” Matthew 26:64.
In the last chapter of the Bible, this same Jesus repeats three times to His servant John this great truth of His second coming: “Behold, I come quickly,” and “Behold, I come quickly,” and “Surely I come quickly.”
After reading these precious promises, it would seem only natural that every person who accepts Jesus as his guide and teacher must have a conviction created in his heart regarding the certainty of the second coming of Christ. These things admit of no doubt.
Not only did our Lord make these plain, positive statements giving assurance of His second coming, but during His public ministry He uttered many parables in which He forcefully presented this great truth.
In the parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25), He admonishes His people, “Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.” And He appeals to every disciple to be ready.
In the same chapter, in the parable of the talents, He represents Himself as a man travelling into a far country who, before going away, delivered His affairs in this world — the work of human salvation — into the stewardship of His servants, giving them special privileges and opportunities to carry forward His work. Then He declares that after a long time He will come again and reckon with them all in a final judgment.
In the parable of the tares, recorded in Matthew 13, He plainly declares that the end of the world is to be connected with a work of separation between the righteous and the wicked, at the establishment of His kingdom.
In parable after parable, Jesus sets before the world in His public teaching, the truth of the coming of His kingdom, at which time final judgment of the world, and ultimate rendering of rewards and punishments, take place. In His model prayer, He taught His disciples to pray, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.” Plainly then, the immutable Word of God teaches the second coming of Christ. Nothing can prevent its occurrence. Unbelief will not hinder it. Opposition will not stop it. Fear of it will not keep it from coming, for it is predicted in the infallible Word of God.
In the early days of the last war when the German invasion was on, a bomb was dropped near the Warsaw Depot of one of the great Bible societies, blowing out windows and doors. Only one little pane of glass remained unshattered, on which was printed, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My Word shall not pass away.” These words remained on that small fragment of glass for all to see during the long months and weary years of the war, and passers-by often took off their hats saying, “It is a miracle.” Yes, and God’s Word, too, is a miracle. We should thank Him every day for it, especially for those precious promises concerning our Lord’s second coming.
It may be difficult for you to appreciate that fact that Christ is coming, and coming soon. Nevertheless, He will come, and we pray that you will be among those who will greet Him with joy when He returns.
A gentleman who lived on Long Island, New York, had for many years wanted to buy a good, reliable barometer. The price asked for these delicate instruments seemed more than he could afford; but one day in 1938, he satisfied his long ambition by buying a barometer made by a reputable firm. It was shipped to his home. You can imagine his disappointment when, after unpacking it, the instrument registered, “Hurricane.” He shook it vigorously to dislodge the needle, but it still stayed on the “storm” area on the dial. He was not only disappointed, but he was angry, and returned the barometer to the firm with a strong letter of complaint. Upon returning to his Long Island home the next evening, he found his home was missing. The barometer was right. A hurricane had swept away his home and all he possessed.
Many people today are sceptical about the barometer of God’s Word of prophecy; but, friends, a fair and impartial study of the prophecies will lead any honest man to discern that God’s barometer has predicted present world conditions. We are living in that “storm” period immediately prior to the second advent. But beyond the storms and tempests there lies, in sunny peacefulness and rest, the glory that is to be revealed, the kingdom of the Most High, joy unspeakable, and life eternal. May God keep us calm as we face the future, and may His abiding presence be with us all as we keep on looking up till He comes to take us to our home above.
PRAYER: Dear heavenly Father, we thank Thee for the precious promise of our Lord’s return. We are happy in the knowledge that soon all sin and sorrow will be removed from the earth for ever. Like the disciples of old, we pray again this day, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” Grant that we might be there in that glad day, we pray in His precious name. Amen.
LOOK UP AND LIVE
NO BOOK in recent years has caused such a stir as William Vogt’s “Road to Survival.” Within its pages he charges the people who have lived upon this earth in the past three hundred years with behaving as if the earth’s resources were limitless. He declares that the present tremendously rapid growth in human population is frightening. It is causing mankind to face the kind of crisis that should cause us to study immediately ways and means of assuring our survival. In his own words he declares: “A brief survey of five continents makes it obvious that man has moved into an untenable position by protracted and wholesome violation of certain natural laws. Much has already been lost, but most of the wealth that still remains to us can be vastly increased, and man’s survival assured, if we hurry. The most critical danger is that we shall not realize how short we are of that one unrenewable resource — time! If we wait until next year, or next decade, to push our search for a solution, then our fate may be sealed. Never before in history have so many hundreds of millions of people teetered at the edge of a precipice.”
William Vogt is but one of many individuals who, while not particularly familiar with Bible prophecy, are so deeply stirred by the swift-moving events of our day, and conditions prevailing at the moment, that they wonder if there is really time left in which to plan a rescue of the human race. We want all who are discouraged by these prophets of doom to lift up their heads and rejoice, for our Deliverer will soon be here. The road to survival lies, we believe, in the second coming of Christ. He is our only hope. In John 14:1-3 we read His own precious promise concerning His return: “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. 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; that where I am, there ye may be also.” And further, in Luke 21:28: “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”
We have referred to these texts because we do not wish you to question for a moment the fact that the Lord Jesus will come again. Not only does Jesus refer to this glorious event time and time again, but His disciples bound it up with every doctrine they taught, and with every exhortation to holy living. When the Apostle Paul earnestly entreated the Christians of his day to faithfully attend church services, he did so by appealing to the imminency of the Lord’s return. He said, “Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24, 25. When he endeavoured to inspire them to live godly lives, he exhorted them by saying, “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.
Again, whenever he was called upon to comfort the hearts of those bereaved of loved ones, he did so by reminding them of the coming of the Lord in these words of assurance and hope: “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: 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: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18. I do not know of any more comforting promise than this: that in the day of the Lord’s return, our loved ones will be restored to us again.
Maybe there is someone who is saying to himself, “Well, suppose Jesus doesn’t come, what does it matter?” We answer this question in detail. If Christ does not return, then not one grave in this world containing the mortal remains of a child of God will ever give up the dead. And every Christian who has died in the hope of a glorious resurrection, has hoped in vain. You cannot show us one promise of the resurrection that is not somehow bound up with the second coming of Christ. Turn back to the patriarch Job, and find what he has to say about it: “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.” Job 19:25, 26. The hope of Job was bound up with the return of his Redeemer to this earth. The Apostle Paul says the dead in Christ shall rise when he comes. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18.
Again, if Christ should not return, not one child of God would ever be rewarded for anything that he had ever done for the cause of our Lord. The great apostle declared just before his execution: “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 at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:7, 8. To what day does Paul refer? Why, to the glad day when Jesus returns, for we read in Revelation 22:12 that when He returns He will bring rewards with Him. Paul has been dead nearly nineteen hundred years, but he will not be rewarded until the day of Christ’s return. If Jesus doesn’t come again, he will not be rewarded at all, and neither will any other martyr who has laid down his life for the cause of Christ.
We state unhesitatingly, that if Christ should not return, then there is absolutely no hope for this world. No matter how sincere men may be in their efforts to correct things just now, conditions can never be righted until Jesus comes. Wars and rumours of wars, uncertainty and fear, with earthquakes, pestilences, and famines, are our lot in spite of the tremendous efforts that men are making to bring order out of chaos and restore balance to a topsy-turvy world. This is all in harmony with the prophetic forecast given by our Lord in the long ago. (See Matthew 24 and Luke 21). Thank God there is a day coming when the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, and nations shall never learn the art of war again; when the lion shall eat straw like the bullock, and the desert shall blossom like the rose. There is coming a day when we will have heaven upon this earth, but that day is always associated in God’s Word with the return of Jesus.
No doubt some farmers and orchardists will read these lines. What hope is there for you under present conditions? Isaiah says, the earth will grow old and “wear out like a robe.” (Isaiah 51:6, Moffatt’s translation). The prophet Joel warns that toward the close of this age pests will increasingly attack the fruits of the earth, causing men to become discouraged. Read the first chapter of Joel, verses 11 and 12, for his description of farming conditions in the last days. Among other things he says: “The farmer is downcast, the vine dresser wails, . . . the fig tree withers, pomegranate, palm, and apple; every tree of the field is adrooping, and joy fades from man.” (Moffatt’s translation).
Any farmer will tell us upon request, of numerous difficulties associated with farming today. Our grandparents remember the time when apples had no codlin moth, when stone fruits were impervious to disease, when potatoes and tomatoes had no blight, and wheat no rust. But today one cannot successfully farm without the aid of insecticides and fungicides. Our livestock is being more and more ravaged by disease. Man himself has to live in an atmosphere of approximately two thousand diseases. Our public and private hospitals are crowded to the doors, while thousands of patients badly in need of hospitalization await admission. It is certainly a sick old world in which we live.
In addition, insanity is increasing at an alarming rate, and is making serious inroads in our midst. The strain of the times is such that there are, according to the statisticians, twice as many insane people in the world today as there were forty years ago. Since that day when the atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima, a new and terrible fear has gripped the hearts of all men. That original bomb devastated two square miles only. Today men are experimenting with bombs calculated to destroy everything within an area of one thousand square miles. Dr. Hans Thirring, the man who discovered the principle behind the hydrogen bomb, says: “The radio activity released would be sufficient to kill all organic life on earth — yes, birds, beasts, fish, plants, and the human race in its entirety. . . . It is too late to stop the development of this or any other atomic weapon.” Scientists and geneticists are still uncovering through experiments with mice and other animals the horrible and frightening effects of atomic radiation that are yet to be seen in future generations of men. They state unhesitatingly that should the results of some of these experiments be repeated in the human race, then the doom of mankind is already determined by the atomic explosions of the past. Someone has well said, “This old world of ours is aging rapidly, and the signs of its abating activity are on every hand. Its pulse beat is abnormally fast. Racked by fire and flood, lashed by storm and tide, cleft by quake and the lightning terror, it has left yawning chasms, gaping holes, rugged rocks — the wounds of nature in its mute struggle with the forces of iniquity.” But release is coming, for I read, “Thou, O Lord, in the beginning didst lay the foundations of the earth . . . and they will all grow old like a garment, . . . yes, like a garment, and they will undergo a change.” Hebrews 1:11, 12, Weymouth’s translation.
If Christ should not return, nature would never be set free from enslavement, decay, and disease. But I read in 2 Peter 3:1-13, that in the day of the Lord’s return this old world will be purified and cleansed by the fire of His own kindling, and the Apostle Peter says (verse 13 ) , “Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.”
We repeat, the second advent of Jesus is our one and only hope of survival. Surely we should view with hope this coming day, and look with joy to the future when all that would destroy us shall be removed! Jesus said in the long ago: “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring: men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” Luke 21:25-28. We thank the Lord for this invitation to look up, to lift up our heads, to be of good cheer, for the future is bright for the child of God.
PRAYER: Dear heavenly Father, we thank Thee for the blessed promises of Thy Word. At this time when men’s hearts are failing them for fear as they contemplate the future without Thee, we gladly respond to the admonition to look up and live. In Jesus name. Amen.
Friends, that is but an echo of the despairing cry that goes up from sorrowing hearts all over the world. Sorrow is no new thing. It has been the common lot of all mankind in all ages, for it is the eldest child of sin. How true the words of Cowper:
“The path of sorrow, and that path alone,
Leads to the land where sorrow is unknown;
No traveller ever reached that blest abode
Who found not thorns and briers in his road.”
No matter how great our sorrow, it is bearable if one knows and believes that God has allowed it to come our way for a purpose. The reason may never be revealed this side of the kingdom, but we must have faith to believe, as the Apostle Paul declares, that “all things work together for good to them that love God,” and that some day we shall understand.
In the Book of John, the eleventh chapter, and verse thirty-five, we read that Jesus wept when He talked with Mary, the sister of His departed friend, Lazarus. But His were neither tears of hopelessness nor despair; they were, rather, tears of sympathy and compassion. The picture of the weeping Christ fills us both with awe and hope — awe that the Majesty of heaven, the mighty Creator, should have His face bathed in tears, and hope because we know He really cares, that He is touched with the feelings of our sorrow.
He came from the courts of glory to bear our griefs and to carry our sorrows. (Isaiah 53:4). He alone is the answer to the cry of the ages, “Is there no balm in Gilead” for wounded and broken hearts?
Thank God, our sorrow need not drive us to despair, for a remedy for sorrow has been found. The Great Physician has “an oil of joy for mourning,” a “garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.” He has a “blessed hope” that reaches within and beyond the tomb. What it cost to make possible this remedy for sorrow only the heart of God knows, but “God so loved the world,” with its guilt and sorrow and woe, that He gave His gift, and the results of that gift constitute the sweetest story ever told in heaven or earth. It is the “blessed hope.”
For six thousand years the gateway into the valley of dark shadows has opened and closed in endless rhythm. As far as we know, only two exceptions (Elijah and Enoch) have been made in the grim reaper’s record, which is pictured so pointedly in the words, “as in Adam all die.” But, God be praised, there is more to this text than the dismal wail, “all die.” There is the promise of life: “Even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:22). As all die, so all, because of Christ, shall live. The “all” includes those near to us by the ties of nature who were so rudely torn from our hearts and homes. What a day is before us! How it thrills the soul and quickens the emotions! It is the comfort for our sorrow, hope for our despair, joy for our tears. The poison of the sting of death has been removed by the gospel balm, and now we “sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). But rather do we look forward to that time when “there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away.” Revelation 21:4.
No longer does death mean an eternal separation from those we hold dear. In God’s great plan it now becomes but a little rest, a quiet sleep, until the storm is passed; then comes the call to eternal life. How good is our God to take away the sting of death! How comforting are those little words, “sleep” and “rest!” David, speaking of death, says: God, “giveth His beloved sleep.” (Psalms 127:2). Like a weary child, God’s “beloved” drops off to sleep, knowing full well that his Father will call him in the dawn of His tomorrow, and in glad anticipation he writes, “I will behold Thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Thy likeness.” Psalms 17:15.
The great Apostle Paul, eager that none should worry about death, also uses the peaceful expression “sleep” in describing the death of the righteous. “I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. . . . For this we say unto you by the Word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent [ or precede ] them which are asleep.” 1 Thessalonians 4:13-15.
Then he goes on to tell of the call to awake from death at the second coming of our Lord: “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: 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: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18. (See also Psalms 13:3; Daniel 12:2; Acts 7:60; Revelation 14:13.).
With this view of death God’s children are unafraid of its presence. As Paul faced the executioner, he cried: “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?. . . . But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:55-57. Christ has gained the victory over death for every soul. When He arose in triumph over the grave that resurrection morning, He made possible the release from the prison house of death of all who have felt its cruel bondage. From the courts of glory Jesus shouts in triumph: “I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore; . . .and have the keys of hell [ grave ] and of death.” Revelation 1:18.
While upon earth Jesus, in a few instances, manifested His power over death and the grave. This He did because of the compassion and sympathy of His soul for the sorrowing, and to beget confidence in Himself as the Resurrection and the Life. When the people stood in awe at His power, He cried: “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth.” John 5:28, 29. What a glorious morning that will be! No words of man can describe the joy of that hour. In response to the voice of King Jesus, which echoes and re-echoes to every part of the earth and sea, the dead come forth, clad in immortal youth. “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. . . . Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.” 1 Corinthians 15:52-54. Truly, “God’s tomorrow is a day of gladness, and its joys shall never fade.” Though “weeping may endure for a night, . . . joy cometh in the morning.” Psalms 30:5. Just to know that the morning of the resurrection is hastening on apace is enough to dry falling tears, to revive perishing hopes. It is only “a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry.” Hebrews 10:37.
Possibly the words of this little poem will bring to some sorrowing heart the message that God would have you hear just now:
“One night, when my life was young and strong,
I was crooning a lullaby
To my sweet wee tot three summers old,
When the babe began to cry
For the dollies my mother-hands had made,
And I soothed her childish sorrow
With the words: ‘Your babies are put away;
You may have them again tomorrow.’
“And now, as I travel the sunset road
‘Mid the twilight soft and deep,
While my empty arms are starving
For the forms once hushed to sleep,
My Father in love bends over me,
And there’s hope instead of sorrow,
As He says: ‘Your babies are safe asleep;
You may have them again tomorrow.’ “
God forbid that the grief of despair should rob us of our vision and strength. Rather should our sorrow and loss lead us to a complete consecration of every fibre of our being to God. Jesus is coming, and coming soon! The long, dark reign of death is about to end. The signs of that event are everywhere. No longer should the wail, “I don’t have much to live for since John died,” pass our lips. We have everything to live for — Christ, eternal life, meeting our loved ones, heaven, eternal home!
The great Apostle Paul was thinking of just such a prospect when he wrote: “Comfort one another with these words.”
PRAYER: Dear heavenly Father, we thank Thee again for the promises of Thy Word so helpful and appropriate for every need of man. Lord, while we do not understand the reason for many of the tragic happenings of life, which include the removal of our loved ones by death, we thank Thee for the blessed assurance that to those who love Thee the parting is not for ever. We rejoice in anticipation of that glad day when we will meet never to part again. We thank Thee for buoying up our spirits with the Blessed Hope of the glad re-union day, so soon to dawn. Help us to keep on looking up, we pray in His precious name. Amen.
THE GREATEST EVENT IN HISTORY
That one supreme event toward which all creation moves and toward which all history is tending, is the second coming of Christ.
Nineteen centuries ago, our Lord entered this world via Bethlehem’s manger. He remained here thirty-three years, and then returned to the world of glory and light whence He came. His first advent is the greatest and most important fact in human history — so great that today all history is reckoned as before or after His birth. (B.C. or A.D). We have noted that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, by reason of that visit, and by what He did and taught while here, became and has remained the greatest figure of all time.
It naturally follows, then, that the most important announcement that one could bring to the people of this generation is that He who has wielded such great influence in human affairs, is about to appear in this world the second time. On His first visit to this planet, He laid the foundation of human salvation. When He returns He will put into effect the eternal principles of His kingdom, and he will establish righteousness, justice, and equity in all the earth.
While this may all sound fanciful and improbable to many, it is, nevertheless, no cunningly devised fable. Our Lord will surely come again. In fact, we say on the authority of God’s Word, that the second advent of Christ is an absolute, assured certainty. There is nothing more positive and certain in God’s programme for the salvation of mankind. Events all about us, in fulfilment of Bible prophecy, are shaping with amazing positiveness to this very end. Yes, Tennyson was right when he wrote, “One far-off divine event to which the whole creation moves,” with the exception that that event is not now so far off.
Every person who believes in God, every person who accepts Jesus and would be counted as a Christian, every person who holds the Bible to be God’s Word, must believe in the second coming of Christ and that He will return in the near future. This doctrine is one of the outstanding teachings in the Bible which is the foundation of our Christian belief. I suppose no subject of the Scriptures is more pronounced or more clearly stated than this one, for there are at least three hundred positive statements regarding the second coming of Christ in the New Testament alone. It would appear that every writer insists upon it, so it is not a matter of interpretation.
When we deal with this subject, we are dealing with one of incontrovertible fact. Jesus Christ is coming again, and what is more, He is coming in our time, and if we understand the Bible aright, His coming will change the face of this world. His coming will solve all the vexing problems facing the nations just now. His coming will usher in an eternal kingdom of peace. His coming will mark the inauguration of a new kingdom in which there will not be found any of the things that make this life so sad. His coming will mark the end of evil, sin, and suffering, and the bringing in of righteousness, peace, and everlasting joy.
In support of our contention that the Lord will come again, we read Hebrews 9:28: “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” To those who are ready when He returns, this will be the greatest of all days in their experience, for it is recorded of them in Isaiah 25 that they will gaze heavenward in that glad day and say, “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.” Verse 9. So, to His followers who are waiting and praying for their Lord’s return, this will be the culmination of their every hope, the realization of their every desire.
To others, however, His coming will be as a thief in the night, and they shall mourn when they ultimately view His appearing. John the revelator, in the sixth chapter of the Book of Revelation, has outlined the reaction of those who are not prepared to meet the Lord when he returns in all His glory. Here it is recorded: “And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: [17] For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” Revelation 6:14-17. Now is the time to prepare our hearts for that great day, for whether the world approves or not, whether men desire Him or not, Jesus our blessed Lord and Redeemer is coming again.
Let us turn to God’s Word once more and see how absolutely certain these things are. We base our belief in the second coming on the authority of the infallible word of Jesus Himself. When Jesus says He is coming again the second time, that settles the matter for ever for us, and Jesus has said just that. Immediately prior to His death upon the cross, He said to His disciples, “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; that where I am, there ye may be also.” John 14: 2, 3.
Here in the words of the greatest of all authorities, Jesus Himself, is a clear-cut unequivocal promise and pledge, the meaning of which there is no possibility of mistaking. “I will come again,” said our Lord. And in the twenty-eighth verse of John 14 He repeats this promise in these words, “I go away, and come again unto you.” To the unbelieving Pharisees and scribes just before His betrayal, He declared “Ye shall not see Me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord.” Matthew 23:39.
Replying to the questions of His disciples as to what would be the signs of His coming and of the end of the world — and those signs are all clearly outlined in Matthew 24 and Luke 21 — Jesus said, “Then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: . . . and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” Matthew 24:30.
On another occasion, he said to His disciples, “the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels.” Matthew 16:27. On the occasion of His trial, when adjured by the High Priest, Jesus replied, “Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.” Matthew 26:64.
In the last chapter of the Bible, this same Jesus repeats three times to His servant John this great truth of His second coming: “Behold, I come quickly,” and “Behold, I come quickly,” and “Surely I come quickly.”
After reading these precious promises, it would seem only natural that every person who accepts Jesus as his guide and teacher must have a conviction created in his heart regarding the certainty of the second coming of Christ. These things admit of no doubt.
Not only did our Lord make these plain, positive statements giving assurance of His second coming, but during His public ministry He uttered many parables in which He forcefully presented this great truth.
In the parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25), He admonishes His people, “Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.” And He appeals to every disciple to be ready.
In the same chapter, in the parable of the talents, He represents Himself as a man travelling into a far country who, before going away, delivered His affairs in this world — the work of human salvation — into the stewardship of His servants, giving them special privileges and opportunities to carry forward His work. Then He declares that after a long time He will come again and reckon with them all in a final judgment.
In the parable of the tares, recorded in Matthew 13, He plainly declares that the end of the world is to be connected with a work of separation between the righteous and the wicked, at the establishment of His kingdom.
In parable after parable, Jesus sets before the world in His public teaching, the truth of the coming of His kingdom, at which time final judgment of the world, and ultimate rendering of rewards and punishments, take place. In His model prayer, He taught His disciples to pray, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.” Plainly then, the immutable Word of God teaches the second coming of Christ. Nothing can prevent its occurrence. Unbelief will not hinder it. Opposition will not stop it. Fear of it will not keep it from coming, for it is predicted in the infallible Word of God.
In the early days of the last war when the German invasion was on, a bomb was dropped near the Warsaw Depot of one of the great Bible societies, blowing out windows and doors. Only one little pane of glass remained unshattered, on which was printed, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My Word shall not pass away.” These words remained on that small fragment of glass for all to see during the long months and weary years of the war, and passers-by often took off their hats saying, “It is a miracle.” Yes, and God’s Word, too, is a miracle. We should thank Him every day for it, especially for those precious promises concerning our Lord’s second coming.
It may be difficult for you to appreciate that fact that Christ is coming, and coming soon. Nevertheless, He will come, and we pray that you will be among those who will greet Him with joy when He returns.
A gentleman who lived on Long Island, New York, had for many years wanted to buy a good, reliable barometer. The price asked for these delicate instruments seemed more than he could afford; but one day in 1938, he satisfied his long ambition by buying a barometer made by a reputable firm. It was shipped to his home. You can imagine his disappointment when, after unpacking it, the instrument registered, “Hurricane.” He shook it vigorously to dislodge the needle, but it still stayed on the “storm” area on the dial. He was not only disappointed, but he was angry, and returned the barometer to the firm with a strong letter of complaint. Upon returning to his Long Island home the next evening, he found his home was missing. The barometer was right. A hurricane had swept away his home and all he possessed.
Many people today are sceptical about the barometer of God’s Word of prophecy; but, friends, a fair and impartial study of the prophecies will lead any honest man to discern that God’s barometer has predicted present world conditions. We are living in that “storm” period immediately prior to the second advent. But beyond the storms and tempests there lies, in sunny peacefulness and rest, the glory that is to be revealed, the kingdom of the Most High, joy unspeakable, and life eternal. May God keep us calm as we face the future, and may His abiding presence be with us all as we keep on looking up till He comes to take us to our home above.
PRAYER: Dear heavenly Father, we thank Thee for the precious promise of our Lord’s return. We are happy in the knowledge that soon all sin and sorrow will be removed from the earth for ever. Like the disciples of old, we pray again this day, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” Grant that we might be there in that glad day, we pray in His precious name. Amen.
LOOK UP AND LIVE
NO BOOK in recent years has caused such a stir as William Vogt’s “Road to Survival.” Within its pages he charges the people who have lived upon this earth in the past three hundred years with behaving as if the earth’s resources were limitless. He declares that the present tremendously rapid growth in human population is frightening. It is causing mankind to face the kind of crisis that should cause us to study immediately ways and means of assuring our survival. In his own words he declares: “A brief survey of five continents makes it obvious that man has moved into an untenable position by protracted and wholesome violation of certain natural laws. Much has already been lost, but most of the wealth that still remains to us can be vastly increased, and man’s survival assured, if we hurry. The most critical danger is that we shall not realize how short we are of that one unrenewable resource — time! If we wait until next year, or next decade, to push our search for a solution, then our fate may be sealed. Never before in history have so many hundreds of millions of people teetered at the edge of a precipice.”
William Vogt is but one of many individuals who, while not particularly familiar with Bible prophecy, are so deeply stirred by the swift-moving events of our day, and conditions prevailing at the moment, that they wonder if there is really time left in which to plan a rescue of the human race. We want all who are discouraged by these prophets of doom to lift up their heads and rejoice, for our Deliverer will soon be here. The road to survival lies, we believe, in the second coming of Christ. He is our only hope. In John 14:1-3 we read His own precious promise concerning His return: “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. 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; that where I am, there ye may be also.” And further, in Luke 21:28: “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”
We have referred to these texts because we do not wish you to question for a moment the fact that the Lord Jesus will come again. Not only does Jesus refer to this glorious event time and time again, but His disciples bound it up with every doctrine they taught, and with every exhortation to holy living. When the Apostle Paul earnestly entreated the Christians of his day to faithfully attend church services, he did so by appealing to the imminency of the Lord’s return. He said, “Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24, 25. When he endeavoured to inspire them to live godly lives, he exhorted them by saying, “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.
Again, whenever he was called upon to comfort the hearts of those bereaved of loved ones, he did so by reminding them of the coming of the Lord in these words of assurance and hope: “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: 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: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18. I do not know of any more comforting promise than this: that in the day of the Lord’s return, our loved ones will be restored to us again.
Maybe there is someone who is saying to himself, “Well, suppose Jesus doesn’t come, what does it matter?” We answer this question in detail. If Christ does not return, then not one grave in this world containing the mortal remains of a child of God will ever give up the dead. And every Christian who has died in the hope of a glorious resurrection, has hoped in vain. You cannot show us one promise of the resurrection that is not somehow bound up with the second coming of Christ. Turn back to the patriarch Job, and find what he has to say about it: “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.” Job 19:25, 26. The hope of Job was bound up with the return of his Redeemer to this earth. The Apostle Paul says the dead in Christ shall rise when he comes. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18.
Again, if Christ should not return, not one child of God would ever be rewarded for anything that he had ever done for the cause of our Lord. The great apostle declared just before his execution: “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 at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:7, 8. To what day does Paul refer? Why, to the glad day when Jesus returns, for we read in Revelation 22:12 that when He returns He will bring rewards with Him. Paul has been dead nearly nineteen hundred years, but he will not be rewarded until the day of Christ’s return. If Jesus doesn’t come again, he will not be rewarded at all, and neither will any other martyr who has laid down his life for the cause of Christ.
We state unhesitatingly, that if Christ should not return, then there is absolutely no hope for this world. No matter how sincere men may be in their efforts to correct things just now, conditions can never be righted until Jesus comes. Wars and rumours of wars, uncertainty and fear, with earthquakes, pestilences, and famines, are our lot in spite of the tremendous efforts that men are making to bring order out of chaos and restore balance to a topsy-turvy world. This is all in harmony with the prophetic forecast given by our Lord in the long ago. (See Matthew 24 and Luke 21). Thank God there is a day coming when the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, and nations shall never learn the art of war again; when the lion shall eat straw like the bullock, and the desert shall blossom like the rose. There is coming a day when we will have heaven upon this earth, but that day is always associated in God’s Word with the return of Jesus.
No doubt some farmers and orchardists will read these lines. What hope is there for you under present conditions? Isaiah says, the earth will grow old and “wear out like a robe.” (Isaiah 51:6, Moffatt’s translation). The prophet Joel warns that toward the close of this age pests will increasingly attack the fruits of the earth, causing men to become discouraged. Read the first chapter of Joel, verses 11 and 12, for his description of farming conditions in the last days. Among other things he says: “The farmer is downcast, the vine dresser wails, . . . the fig tree withers, pomegranate, palm, and apple; every tree of the field is adrooping, and joy fades from man.” (Moffatt’s translation).
Any farmer will tell us upon request, of numerous difficulties associated with farming today. Our grandparents remember the time when apples had no codlin moth, when stone fruits were impervious to disease, when potatoes and tomatoes had no blight, and wheat no rust. But today one cannot successfully farm without the aid of insecticides and fungicides. Our livestock is being more and more ravaged by disease. Man himself has to live in an atmosphere of approximately two thousand diseases. Our public and private hospitals are crowded to the doors, while thousands of patients badly in need of hospitalization await admission. It is certainly a sick old world in which we live.
In addition, insanity is increasing at an alarming rate, and is making serious inroads in our midst. The strain of the times is such that there are, according to the statisticians, twice as many insane people in the world today as there were forty years ago. Since that day when the atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima, a new and terrible fear has gripped the hearts of all men. That original bomb devastated two square miles only. Today men are experimenting with bombs calculated to destroy everything within an area of one thousand square miles. Dr. Hans Thirring, the man who discovered the principle behind the hydrogen bomb, says: “The radio activity released would be sufficient to kill all organic life on earth — yes, birds, beasts, fish, plants, and the human race in its entirety. . . . It is too late to stop the development of this or any other atomic weapon.” Scientists and geneticists are still uncovering through experiments with mice and other animals the horrible and frightening effects of atomic radiation that are yet to be seen in future generations of men. They state unhesitatingly that should the results of some of these experiments be repeated in the human race, then the doom of mankind is already determined by the atomic explosions of the past. Someone has well said, “This old world of ours is aging rapidly, and the signs of its abating activity are on every hand. Its pulse beat is abnormally fast. Racked by fire and flood, lashed by storm and tide, cleft by quake and the lightning terror, it has left yawning chasms, gaping holes, rugged rocks — the wounds of nature in its mute struggle with the forces of iniquity.” But release is coming, for I read, “Thou, O Lord, in the beginning didst lay the foundations of the earth . . . and they will all grow old like a garment, . . . yes, like a garment, and they will undergo a change.” Hebrews 1:11, 12, Weymouth’s translation.
If Christ should not return, nature would never be set free from enslavement, decay, and disease. But I read in 2 Peter 3:1-13, that in the day of the Lord’s return this old world will be purified and cleansed by the fire of His own kindling, and the Apostle Peter says (verse 13 ) , “Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.”
We repeat, the second advent of Jesus is our one and only hope of survival. Surely we should view with hope this coming day, and look with joy to the future when all that would destroy us shall be removed! Jesus said in the long ago: “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring: men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” Luke 21:25-28. We thank the Lord for this invitation to look up, to lift up our heads, to be of good cheer, for the future is bright for the child of God.
PRAYER: Dear heavenly Father, we thank Thee for the blessed promises of Thy Word. At this time when men’s hearts are failing them for fear as they contemplate the future without Thee, we gladly respond to the admonition to look up and live. In Jesus name. Amen.
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