THE
MANNER OF OUR
LORD’S RETURN
AND
APPEARING
Harmony of the Manner of Our Lord’s Second
Advent with Other Features of
the Divine Plan—How and When The Church shall See Him—How and When the
Glory of the Lord shall be so Revealed that All
Flesh shall See it Together—Statements Apparently Conflicting
Shown to be Harmonious—He Comes “As a Thief”—“Not with
Outward Show”—And
yet “With a Shout”—With “Voices”—And “With
the Sound of the Great Trumpet”—“He Shall be Revealed in
Flaming Fire, Taking Vengeance”—And yet, “He Shall So
Come, in Like Manner” as
He Went Away—Importance of Prophetic Time in this Connection
Shown—Harmony of Present Indications.
The view just had, of the speedy close of Gentile
Times, and the assurance that the consummation of the Church’s hope must
precede
their close, only whets the appetite of those now waiting for the
consolation of Israel. Such
will be hungering for whatever information our Father may have supplied
through the prophets, touching the “harvest,” the end, or closing
period of this age—the separating of wheat from tares among the living
members of the nominal Church, and the time of the change of the
overcomers, to be with and like their Lord and Head.
But in order to appreciate the reasonableness of the
prophetic teaching on these deeply interesting subjects, it is absolutely
necessary that we have clear views both of the object of our Lord’s second coming, and of the manner
in which he will be revealed. That
the object
of his coming is to reconcile “whosoever will,” of the world, to God,
by a process of ruling, and teaching, and disciplining, called judging and
blessing, we trust all present readers have been convinced in the reading
of Volume I. The manner of the Lord’s
coming B_page 104 and appearing, therefore, is of paramount importance,
before proceeding in our study of the time of the harvest, etc. The
student must hold clearly in mind the object while studying the manner of
our Lord’s return; and both of these, when he comes to study the time.
This is needful as an offset to the erroneous views, already
preoccupying many minds, based upon false ideas of both the object and the
manner of our Lord’s coming.
Grasp and hold in mind as firmly as possible the fact
already demonstrated, that God’s plan is one harmonious whole, which is
being wrought out through Christ; and that the work of the second advent
stands related to the work of the first as effect to cause: That is, that
the great work of Restitution at the second advent follows the work of
Redemption accomplished at the first advent as a logical sequence
according to the divine plan. Therefore
the Lord’s return is the
dawn of hope for the world, the time for the bestowment of the
favors secured by the redemption—the Gospel Age being merely an
intervening parenthesis, during which the bride of Christ is selected, to
be associated with her Lord in the great work of restitution which he
comes to accomplish.
And since the Church of Christ, which has been
developing during the Gospel age, is to be associated with her Lord in the
great restitution work of the Millennial age, the first work of Christ at
the second advent must be the gathering of his elect Church, to which
reference is made through the Prophet (Psa. 50:5), saying, “Gather my
saints together unto me—those that have made a covenant with me by
sacrifice.” This gathering or harvesting time is in the lapping period
of the two ages. As will be
shown, it is a period of forty years, which both ends the Gospel age and
introduces the Millennial age. (See
Vol. I, pages 219-221; B_page 105 234-237; and the Chart of the Ages.)
This harvest period not only accomplishes the separation of wheat
from tares in the nominal Gospel church, and the gathering and
glorification of the wheat class, but it is also to accomplish the burning
(destruction) of the tares (as tares, or imitation wheat—not as
individuals: the fire of destruction is symbolic as well as the tares),
and the gathering and destruction of the corrupt fruitage of “the Vine
of the earth” (human ambition, greed and selfishness), which has been
growing and ripening for centuries in the kingdoms of this world and in
the various civil and social organizations among men.
Although, when treating of the object of our Lord’s
return, we showed that it would be a personal
coming, let us again guard the student against confusion of thought in
considering the two apparently conflicting expressions of our
Lord—“Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world” (aionos age), and, “I
go to prepare a place for you, ...and will
come again and receive you.” (Matt. 28:20; John 14:2,3) The
following incident will serve as an illustration of the harmony of the two
promises: One friend said to another as they were about to part, Remember,
I will be with you through all your journey.
How? Certainly not in
person; for there they took trains to go in opposite directions to distant
points. The idea was that in
love, and thought, and care one for another, they would not be separated.
In a similar yet fuller sense, the Lord has always been with his
Church, his divine power enabling him to oversee, direct and assist them,
from first to last. But we
are now considering, not our Lord’s presence with us in this figurative
sense, but the manner of his second personal presence and appearing,
“when he shall come to be glorified in his saints and to be admired in
all them that believe in that day.”
The Scriptures teach that Christ comes again to
reign; that he must reign until he has put down all enemies—all
B_page 106 opponents, all things in the way of the great
restitution which he comes to accomplish—the last to be overthrown being
death (1 Cor. 15:25,26); and that he will reign for a thousand years.
It is therefore only as should be expected, that we find a much
larger space in prophecy devoted to the second advent and its thousand
years of triumphant reign and overthrow of evil than to the thirty-four
years of the first advent for redemption. And as we have found that prophecy touches the various
important points of those thirty-four years, from Bethlehem and Nazareth
to the gall and vinegar, the parted raiment, the cross, the tomb and the
resurrection, so we find that prophecy likewise touches various points of
the thousand years of the second presence, particularly their beginning
and ending.
The second presence of our Lord will cover a much
longer period of time than the first.
The mission of his first advent was finished in less than
thirty-four years, while it will require a thousand years to accomplish
the appointed work of his second presence.
And thus it may be seen at a glance that, while the work of the
first advent was no less important than that of the second advent—yea,
though it was so
important that the work of the second advent could never have
been possible without it—yet it was not so varied, and hence
required less description than the work of the second advent.
In considering the second advent we must not, any
more than at the first advent, expect all prophecies to mark one
particularly eventful moment of our Lord’s arrival and to call the
attention of all men to the fact of his presence.
Such is not God’s usual method: such was not the case at the
first advent. The first
advent of Messiah was not marked by any sudden or surprising
demonstration, out of the usual order of things, but it was manifested and
proven by the gradual fulfilment of prophecy showing to thoughtful
observers B_page 107 that the events which should be expected were being
accomplished on time. And
thus it will be at his second advent. It is of less importance that we
discover the exact moment of his arrival than that we discern the fact of
his presence when he has arrived, even as at the first advent it was
important to be able to recognize his presence, and the sooner the better,
but much less important to know the exact date of his birth.
In considering the second advent, the act of coming and the moment
of arrival are too frequently the thought, whereas it should be thought of
as a period
of presence, as was the first advent.
The precise moment at which that presence would begin would then
seem less important, and his object and work during the period of his
presence would receive the greater consideration.
We must bear in mind, also, that our Lord is no
longer a human being; that as a human being he gave himself a ransom for
men, having become a man for that very purpose. (1 Tim. 2:6; Heb. 10:4,5;
1 Cor. 15:21,22) He is now highly exalted, to the divine nature.
Therefore Paul said, “Though we have known Christ after the
flesh, yet now, henceforth, know we him [so] no more.” (2 Cor. 5:16)
He was raised from the dead a life-giving spirit being (1 Cor. 15:45), and not a man, of the earth earthy.
He is no longer human in any sense or degree; for we must not
forget what we have learned (See Vol. I, Chap. 10)—that natures are
separate and distinct. Since
he is no longer in any sense or degree a human being, we must not expect
him to come again as a human being, as at the first advent.
His second coming is to be in a different manner, as well as for a
different purpose.
Noting the fact that our Lord’s change
from human to divine nature at his resurrection was even a greater change
than the one which occurred some thirty-four years previously, when he
laid aside the glory of spiritual being and
B_page 108 “was made flesh,” we may with great profit
consider very minutely his every action during the forty days after his
resurrection before he went “to the Father”; because it is the
resurrected Jesus of those forty days who is to come again, and not the man Christ Jesus who gave
himself as our ransom, in death. He
who was put to death a flesh being was also in his resurrection quickened
[made alive] a spirit being. 1 Pet. 3:18*
—————
*In
this passage, the words “in the” and “by the” are arbitrarily
supplied by the translators,
and are misleading. The Greek
reads simply—“Put to death
flesh, quickened spirit.” Our
Lord was put to death a fleshly or
human being, but was raised from the dead a spirit being.
And since the Church
is to be “changed” in order that
she may be like Christ, it is evident
that the change which occurred in the Head was of a kind similar
to that described as in reservation for the overcomers, who shall
be changed from human to
spiritual nature, and made like him—“partakers
of the divine nature.” Hence,
the following description of the change of
the saints is applicable also to their Lord; viz., “It is sown in
dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in
power; it is sown a natural
body, it is raised a spiritual body.”
At his second advent he does not come to be subject
to the powers that be, to pay tribute to Caesar and to suffer humiliation,
injustice and violence; but he comes to reign, exercising all power in
heaven and in earth. He does
not come in the body of his humiliation, a human body, which he took for
the suffering of death, inferior to his former glorious body (Heb. 2:9);
but in his glorious spiritual body, which is “the express image of the
Father’s person” (Heb. 1:3); for, because of his obedience even unto
death, he is now highly exalted to the divine nature and
likeness, and given a name above every name—the Father’s name only
excepted. (Phil. 2:9; 1 Cor. 15:27) The
Apostle shows that it “doth not yet appear” to our human understanding
what he is now like; hence we know not what we shall be like when made like him, but we (the
Church) may rejoice in the B_page 109 assurance that we shall one day be with him, and like
him, and see him as
he is (1 John 3:2)—not as he was at his first advent in
humiliation, when he had laid aside his former glory and for our sakes had
become poor, that we through his poverty might be made rich.
If we consider the wisdom and prudence of our
Lord’s methods of manifesting his presence to his disciples after his
resurrection, as well as previously, it may help us to remember that the
same wisdom will be displayed in his methods of revealing himself at his
second advent, both to the Church and to the world—methods not
necessarily similar, but in each case well suited to his object, which
never is to alarm or excite men, but to convince their cool, calm
judgments of the great truths to be impressed upon them.
Our Lord’s first advent was not a startling, exciting or alarming
event. How quietly and
unobtrusively he came! So
much so that only those who had faith
and humility were enabled to recognize in the infant of humble
birth, in the man of sorrows, in the friend of the humble and poor, and
finally in the crucified one, the long-looked-for Messiah.
After his resurrection, the manifestation of his
presence would in the nature of the case be a more astounding fact,
particularly when his changed nature is taken into consideration. Yet the
fact of his resurrection, together with the fact of his changed nature,
had to be fully manifested, not to all the world at that time, but to
chosen witnesses who would give credible testimony of the fact to
succeeding generations. Had all the world been made acquainted with the
fact then, the testimony coming down to our day would probably have been
much less trustworthy, being colored and warped by men’s ideas and mixed
with their traditions so that the truth might appear almost or quite
incredible. But God entrusted it only to chosen, faithful and worthy
witnesses; and as we notice the account, let each mark how
B_page 110 perfectly the object
was accomplished, and how clear, positive and convincing was the proof of
Christ’s resurrection and change offered to them.
Mark, too, the carefulness with which he guarded against alarming
or unduly exciting them while making manifest and emphasizing these great
truths. And be assured that
the same wisdom, prudence and skill will be displayed in his methods of
making known the fact of his glorious presence at his second advent.
The cool, calm judgment will be convinced in every case, though the
world in general will need to be brought by severe discipline to the
proper attitude to receive the testimony, while those whose hearts are
right will have the blessed intelligence sooner.
All the proofs of his resurrection and change to spiritual nature
were not given to his disciples at once, but as they were able to bear
them and in the manner calculated to make the deepest impression.
During the three and a half years of our Lord’s
ministry, his disciples had sacrificed friends, reputation, business,
etc., to devote time and energy to heralding Messiah’s presence and the
establishment of his kingdom. But
they had necessarily crude ideas regarding the manner and time of their
Master’s exaltation, and of their promised exaltation with him.
Nor was full knowledge then necessary: it was quite sufficient that
they should faithfully take each step as it became due; hence the Master
taught them little by little as they were able to receive it.
And near the close of his ministry he said, “I have yet many
things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
Howbeit, when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you
into all truth... and show you things to come, and bring all things to
your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” John 16:12,13; 14:26
Who can tell their great disappointment, even though
so B_page 111 far as possible they had been armed against it, when
they saw him suddenly taken from them and ignominiously crucified as a
felon—him whose kingdom and glory they had been expecting and declaring,
and which only five days before his crucifixion had seemed to them so near
a realization. (John 12:1,12-19) Though
they knew him to be falsely accused and wrongfully crucified, this did not
alter the fact that their long cherished national hopes of a Jewish king,
who would restore their nation to influence and power, together with their
own individual hopes, ambitions and air-castles of important offices and
high honors in the kingdom, were all suddenly demolished by this
unfavorable turn which matters had taken in the crucifixion of their
king.
Well did the Master know how desolate and aimless and
perplexed they would feel; for thus it was written by the Prophet, “I
will smite the Shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.” (Zech. 13:7;
Mark 14:27) And during the
forty days between his resurrection and ascension, it was therefore his
chief concern to gather them again, and to re-establish their faith in him
as the long-looked-for Messiah, by proving to them the fact of his
resurrection, and that since his resurrection, though retaining the same
individuality, he was no longer human, but an exalted spirit being, having
“all power in heaven and in earth.” Matt. 28:18
He broke the news of his resurrection gradually to
them—first, through the women (Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, Mary the
mother of James and Salome, and others with them—Mark 16:1; Luke
24:1,10), who came early to the sepulcher to anoint his dead body with
sweet spices. While they
wondered whom they should get to roll away the stone from the door of the
sepulcher, behold, there was an earthquake, and when they came they found
the stone rolled B_page 112 away, and an angel of the Lord sat upon it, who
addressed them, saying, “Fear not, for I know that ye seek Jesus which
was crucified. He is not
here; for he is risen, as he said. Come,
see the place where the Lord lay. And
go quickly and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and
behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him.” Matt.
28:5-7
It seems that Mary Magdalene separated from the other
women and ran to tell Peter and John (John 20:1,2), while the others went
to tell the rest of the disciples, and that after she had left them Jesus
appeared to the other women on the way, saying (Matt. 28:9,10), “All
hail.” And they came and held him by the feet and worshiped him.
Then said Jesus unto them, “Be not afraid: go tell my brethren
that they go into Galilee [their home], and there shall they see me.”
And with fear and joy they ran to tell the other disciples. In
their mingled feelings of surprise, perplexity, joy and fear, and their
general bewilderment, they scarcely knew how to report their strange and
wonderful experience. When Mary met Peter and John she said sadly, “They
have taken away the Lord out of the sepulcher and we know not where they
have laid him.” (John 20:2) The other women told how at the sepulcher they had seen a
vision of angels who said he was alive (Luke 24:22,23), and then how they
afterward met the Lord in the way. Matt. 28:8,10
The majority of the disciples evidently regarded
their story merely as superstitious excitement, but Peter and John said,
We will go and see for ourselves; and Mary returned to the sepulcher with
them. All that Peter and John
saw was that the body was gone, that the grave clothes were carefully
folded and laid by, and that the stone was rolled away from the door.
So in perplexity they turned away, though Mary still remained there
weeping. As she wept she
stooped down and looked into the sepulcher and saw two
B_page 113 angels, who said, “Woman, why weepest thou?”
She answered, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know
not where they have laid him.” And as she turned about she saw Jesus standing, but did not
know him. He inquired,
“Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou?”
And she, supposing him to be the gardener, answered, “Sir, if
thou hast borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will
take him away.” Then, in
the old familiar tone which she quickly recognized, the Lord said,
“Mary!”
That was enough to establish her faith in the
statement of the angel, that he had risen, which until now had seemed like
a dream or an idle tale; and in her joy she exclaimed, “Master!” Her
first impulse was to embrace him, and to tarry in his presence.
But Jesus gently informed her that there was a very important
mission for her to perform now, in bearing witness to the fact of his
resurrection, and that she should be in haste to carry the message and
establish the faith of the other disciples, still in perplexity and
uncertainty, saying, “Touch [Greek, haptomai,
embrace] me not [do not tarry for further demonstration of your affection
now]; for I am not yet ascended to my Father [I will be with you for a
short time yet]: but go to my brethren and say unto them, I ascend unto my
Father, and your Father, and to my God, and your God.” (John 20:17)
Through the other women also he had sent them word that he would
meet them in Galilee.
Next, he overtook two of the sad and perplexed
disciples as they walked from Jerusalem to Emmaus, and inquired the cause
of their sadness and despondency. (Luke 24:13-35) And one of them
answered: “Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the
things which are come to pass there in these days?
And he said unto them, What things?
And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth,
B_page 114 which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before
God and all the people: and how 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 besides all this, today is the third day since these things
were done. [Here they were
probably calling to mind John 2:19,21,22.]
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 also seen a
vision of angels, which said he was alive.
And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulcher, and
found it even so as the women had said; but him they saw not.”
No wonder they were perplexed; how strange it all
seemed! how peculiar and thrilling had been the events of the past few
days!
Then the stranger preached them a stirring sermon
from the prophecies, showing them that the very things which had so
disheartened them were the things which the prophets had foretold
concerning the true Messiah: that before he could rule and bless and lift
up Israel and all the world, he must first redeem them with his own life
from the curse of death, which came upon all through Adam, and that
afterward, raised to life and glory by Jehovah, their Master would fulfil
all that was written by the prophets concerning his future glory and
honor, as truly as he had fulfilled those prophecies which foretold his
sufferings, humiliation and death. A
wonderful preacher! and a wonderful sermon was that!
It started new ideas and opened new expectations and hopes.
As they drew near the village they constrained him to tarry with
them, as it was toward evening and the day was far spent.
He went in to tarry with them; and as he sat at meat with them, he
took bread and brake and gave it to them.
Then their eyes were opened; and he vanished out of their sight.
B_page 115
Not until that moment did they recognize him, though
they had walked, and talked and sat at meat together.
He was known to them not by face, but in the simple act of blessing
and breaking bread in the old familiar way, thus assuring their faith in
what they had already heard—that he had risen, and would see them
again.
Then the two surprised and overjoyed disciples arose
that same hour and returned to Jerusalem, saying to each other, “Did not
our hearts burn within us while he talked with us by the way, and while he
opened to us the Scriptures?” Arriving in Jerusalem they found the
others rejoicing also, saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and hath
appeared to Simon.” And
they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them
in breaking of bread. Probably
they were nearly all there that evening, homes, business and everything
else forgotten—Mary Magdalene with her tears of joy, saying, I knew him
the moment he called my name—I could not credit the angel’s assurance
of his resurrection until then; and the other women telling their
wonderful experience of the morning, and how they had met him in the way.
Then Simon had his story to tell; and now here were two other
witnesses from Emmaus. What
an eventful day! No wonder
they desired to meet together on the first day of every week after that,
to talk the matter over and to call to mind all the circumstances
connected with this wonderful event of the Lord’s resurrection, and to
have their hearts “burn” again and again.
While the excited and overjoyed little company were
thus met and relating to each other their several experiences, the Lord
Jesus himself suddenly stood in their midst (Luke 24:36-49) and said,
“Peace be unto you!” From where had he come?
All such meetings were held secretly with closed doors, for fear of
the Jews (John 20:19,26), but here was a sudden appearance without any
visible B_page 116 approach; and they were terrified, and supposed they
had seen a spirit. Then he
comforted them, told them to calm their fears, and showed them his hands
and his feet, saying, “It is I, myself; handle me and see; for a spirit
hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.”
And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto
them, “Have ye here any meat?” and they gave him a piece of a broiled
fish, and he took it and did eat before them.
Then he opened their understanding,
their mental eyes, and expounded the Scriptures to them, showing from the
law and the prophets that these things had come to pass exactly as
foretold. But Thomas was
absent (John 20:24); and when the other disciples told him that they had
seen the Lord, he would not believe it, but said, “Except I shall see in
his hands the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will
not believe.”
Eight days passed without further manifestations, and
they had time calmly to think and talk over the experiences of that
wonderful day, when, the disciples being again assembled as before, Jesus
stood in their midst, just as on the first evening, saying, “Peace be
unto you.” (John 20:26) This time Thomas was present, and the Lord
addressed him, saying, “Thomas, reach hither thy finger, and behold my
hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side; and be not
faithless, but believing.” He
thus showed that he knew what Thomas had said without being told, and he
gave that proof of his resurrection which Thomas had said would satisfy
him; and with joy Thomas answered, “My Lord and my God!”
After this, there must have been quite a long
interval before there was any further manifestation of the Lord’s
presence, and the disciples who were Galileans began to think of home and
the future; and remembering the Lord’s message by the women, that he
would go before them into Galilee, B_page 117 they went thither.
Probably on their way, the Lord met them, as Matthew relates, in a
mountain. They were
perplexed; they no longer felt the same familiarity they once had toward
him; he seemed so greatly changed since his crucifixion from what he used
to be—he appeared and disappeared in such peculiar times and places; he
no longer seemed like “the man Christ Jesus”; so Matthew says “they
worshiped him—but some doubted.”
After a few words with them the Lord “vanished” from their
sight, and left them to wonder what next would happen.
For some time after their return to Galilee nothing unusual
occurred, and there was no further indication of the Lord’s presence.
Doubtless they met together and talked over the situation, and wondered
why he did not appear to them more frequently.
As they waited, the days and the weeks seemed long.
They had long ago given up the ordinary pursuits of life, to follow the
Lord from place to place, learning of him, and preaching to others, “The
kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matt. 10:5-7)
They did not now wish to go back to the old pursuits; and yet, how
should they proceed with the Lord’s work?
They comprehended the situation clearly enough to know that they
could no longer preach as formerly the kingdom at hand; for all the people
knew that their Master and King had been crucified, and none but
themselves knew of his resurrection. While all of the eleven were thus perplexed and anxious,
waiting for something, they knew not what, Peter said, Well, it will not
do to remain idle: I will go back to my old fishing business; and six of
the others said, We will do the same: we will go with you. (John 21:3) And
probably the rest also turned again to their old employments.
Who can doubt that the Lord was invisibly present
with them many times as they talked together, overruling and
B_page 118 directing the course of circumstances, etc., for
their highest good? If they
should have great success and become swallowed up by interest in business,
they would soon be unfit for the higher service; yet if they should have
no success, it would seem like forcing them; so the Lord adopted a plan
which taught them a lesson such as he often teaches his followers, viz.:
that the success or failure of their efforts, in any direction, he can
control if he please.
The old firm of fishermen reorganized: got together
their boats, nets, etc., and went out for their first catch.
But they toiled all night and caught no fish, and began to feel
disheartened. In the morning a stranger on shore calls to them to know of
their success. Poor success! We have caught nothing, they answer. Try again, said the stranger.
Now cast your net on the other side of the boat.
No use, stranger, we have tried both sides all night long, and if
there were fish on one side, there would be on the other.
However, we will try again and let you see.
They did so, and got an immense haul.
How strange! said some; but the quick and impressible John at once
got the correct idea, and said, Brethren, the Lord only could do this.
Don’t you remember the feeding of the multitudes, etc?
That must be the Lord on shore, and this is another way that he has
chosen to manifest himself to us. Don’t
you remember that it was just so when the Lord first called us?
Then, too, we had toiled all night and caught nothing until he
called to us, saying, “Let down your nets for a draught.” (Luke
5:4-11) Yes, surely that is
the Lord, though, since his resurrection, we cannot recognize him by his
appearance. He now appears in
a variety of forms; but we know each time that it is he by some peculiar
circumstance like this calling to mind some marked incident of our past
acquaintance with him.
And when they got to shore they found that Jesus had
bread as well as fish, and they learned the lesson, that under
B_page 119 his direction and care and in his service they would
not be left to starve. (Luke 12:29,30)
They did not ask him if he were the Lord; for on this as on other
occasions, the eyes of their
understanding being opened, they knew him, not by physical sight,
but by the miracle. Then
followed the instructions of that delightful hour, reassuring Peter of his
continued acceptance notwithstanding his denial of the Lord, for which he
repented and wept. He now
learned afresh of his Master’s love, and of his continued privilege of
feeding the sheep and the lambs. We
seem to hear the Lord say, You need not go back to the fishing business,
Peter: I called you once to be a fisher of men, and, knowing your heart to
be still loyal and zealous, I renew your commission as a fisher of
men.
“And, eating together with them, he commanded them
that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of
the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with
the holy Spirit not many days hence.” (Acts 1:4—margin)
So they came to Jerusalem as instructed, and here it was, forty
days after his resurrection, that he met with them for the last time and
talked with them. They
summoned courage this time to question him about the kingdom he had
promised them, saying, “Lord, wilt thou at this time restore the kingdom
to Israel?” This thought of
the kingdom was the one uppermost in the mind of every Jew.
Israel, they understood, was to be chief among the nations under
Messiah, and they knew not of the long Times of the Gentiles, and saw not
yet that the chief blessing had been taken from fleshly Israel (Matt.
21:43; Rom. 11:7), and that they themselves were to be members of the new
(spiritual) Israel, the royal priesthood and holy nation, through whom, as
the body of Christ, the blessing of the world would come.
They as yet understood none of these
B_page 120 things. How
could they? They had not yet
received the holy Spirit of adoption as sons, but were still under
condemnation; because, though the ransom-sacrifice had been made by the
Redeemer, it had not yet been formally presented on our behalf in the Most
Holy, even Heaven itself. (John 7:39)
Hence our Lord did not attempt any explanatory answer to their
question, but merely said, “It is not for you
[now] to know the times and seasons which the Father hath put in his own
power. But ye shall receive power*
after that the Holy Spirit 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.” Acts 1:7,8
—————
*This
promised power to know and to understand times and seasons, and
all things pertaining to a proper witnessing,
applies to the whole Church from
first to last; and under the guidance and power of the holy Spirit,
meat in due season concerning every feature of the plan is
provided, in order that we
may be his witnesses, even to the end of this age. Compare John
16:12,13.
Then the Lord, who was walking with them, when they
reached the Mount of Olives, lifted his hands and blessed them, and he was
parted from them and went upward; and a cloud received him out of their
sight. (Luke 24:48-52; Acts 1:6-15) They
began to see something more of God’s plan now.
The Lord who came down from heaven had returned to the Father, as
he had told them before he died—had gone to prepare a place for them and
would come again and receive them—had gone afar to receive the promised
kingdom, and to return (Luke 19:12); and meantime they were to be his witnesses in all the earth to call and make ready a people to
receive him when he would come to be glorified in his saints, and to reign
King of kings and Lord of lords. They
saw their new mission, of proclaiming to every creature a coming king from
heaven, “with all B_page 121 power in heaven and in earth,” to be a much more
important work than that of the preceding years, when they heralded “the
man Christ Jesus,” and followed him who was “despised and rejected of
men.” Their risen Lord was
changed indeed, not only in his personal appearance—appearing sometimes
in one way and place, and again in a different way and place, manifesting
his “all power”—but he was changed in condition or nature also.
No longer did he appeal to the Jews, nor show himself to them; for
since his resurrection none saw him in any sense except his friends and
followers. His words, “Yet
a little while, and the world seeth me no more,” were thus verified.
Thus was the faith of the apostles and of the early
Church established in the fact of the Lord’s resurrection. Their doubts
were scattered, and their hearts rejoiced; and they returned to Jerusalem
and continued in prayer and supplication and study of the Scriptures,
waiting for the adoption promised by the Father, and their endowment with
spiritual understanding, and with special miraculous gifts of power, to
enable them to convince true Israelites, and to establish the Gospel
Church, at the day of Pentecost. Acts 1:14; 2:1
Though our Lord at his second advent will not
manifest his presence in the same way that he did during those forty days
after his resurrection, yet we have his assurance that the “brethren
shall not be in darkness.” Nay,
more: we shall have an aid which they could not and did not have to help
them during those forty days, viz., “power
from on high,” to guide us into the understanding of every truth due to
be understood, and, even as promised, to show us things to come. Hence in due
season we shall have full understanding of the manner, time and attendant
circumstances of his appearing, which, if carefully watched for and
marked, will be no less convincing than were the evidences of our Lord’s
resurrection B_page 122 furnished to the early Church, although of a
different kind.
That our Lord at his second advent could
assume the human form, and thus appear to men, as he did to his disciples
after his resurrection, there can be no question; not only because he thus
appeared in human form during those forty days, but because spirit beings
have in the past manifested the power to appear as men in flesh and in
various forms. But such a manifestation would be out of harmony with the
general tenor of God’s plan, as well as out of harmony with the
Scriptural indications given, relative to the manner of his
manifestations, as we shall see. Instead,
it is the Lord’s plan that his spiritual kingdom shall communicate,
operate, and manifest its presence and power through human, earthly
agencies. Just as the prince
of this world, Satan, though unseen by men, exercises a wide influence in
the world through those subject to him, and possessed of and controlled by
his spirit, so the new Prince of Peace, the Lord, will chiefly operate in,
and manifest his presence and power through, human beings, subject to him
and possessed of and controlled by his spirit.
Seeing with the natural eye and hearing with the
natural ear are not all there is of seeing and hearing.
“No man hath seen God at any time” thus, yet all God’s
children have seen him, and known him, and held communion with him. (John
1:18; 5:37; 14:7) We hear God’s call, our “high calling,” we hear the voice of our
Shepherd, and are constantly looking
unto Jesus, and see
the prize, the crown of life which he promises—not by natural sight and
hearing, but by our understanding. Far
more precious is the sight we have of our glorified Lord as the spiritual,
highly exalted King of glory, our Redeemer as well as our King, by the
eyes of our understanding and faith, than the sight afforded to the
natural eye before Pentecost. B_page 123
There was a necessity for our Lord’s appearing in
the manner he did to his disciples, after his resurrection, which will not
exist at his second advent. His
object then will be better served in a different way.
In fact, to appear so at his second advent would be detrimental to
the purpose then to be accomplished.
His object in appearing to his disciples after his resurrection was
to convince them that he who was dead is alive forevermore, that they
might go forth as witnesses to the fact of his resurrection (Luke 24:48),
and that their testimony might be a sure foundation for the faith of
coming generations. Since no
man can come to God acceptably, to receive the holy Spirit of adoption,
without faith in Christ, it became necessary, not only for the sake of
the disciples then, but for all since, that the evidences of his
resurrection and change should be such as natural
men could grasp and appreciate.
After they had become partakers of the holy Spirit and understood
spiritual things (See 1 Cor. 2:12-16), they could have believed the angels
at the sepulcher, that he had risen from the dead condition, even if they
had seen the fleshly body of the man Christ Jesus still lying in the tomb;
but not so before—the body must be away to make faith in his
resurrection possible to them. After
the holy Spirit had enabled them to discern spiritual things they could
have believed the testimony of the prophets that he must needs die, and would
rise from the dead, and that he would be highly exalted as King of
glory, without its being needful for him to appear as a man, and
assume various bodies of flesh as a garment, so that they could handle him
and see
him ascend. But all this was
needful for them and for all natural men.
By believing, we come to God by him and receive forgiveness of sins
and the Spirit of adoption, to understand spiritual things.
Even while removing the natural obstacles to faith, by assuming human form, etc., our
Lord convinced
the disciples, B_page 124 and made them witnesses
to others, not by their natural sight and touch, but by reasoning with
them out of the Scriptures: “Then opened he their understanding, that
they might understand the Scriptures, and said unto them, Thus it is
written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead
the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be
preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
And ye are witnesses of
these things.” (Luke 24:45-48)
Peter also states this object clearly, saying, “Him God raised up
the third day, and permitted him to become manifest—NOT TO ALL THE PEOPLE, but to
those witnesses previously chosen of God, to us, who did eat and drink
with him after he arose from the dead. And he commanded us to proclaim to
the people that this [the resurrected Jesus] is he who has been appointed
by God the judge of the living and the dead.” Acts 10:40-42. Diaglott translation.
With our Lord, after his resurrection, it was simply
a question of expediency as to which way of appearing to his disciples
would best accomplish his object, of making known his resurrection and
change of nature. Had he appeared as a
flame of fire, as the angel appeared to Moses in the burning bush
(Exod. 3:2), he might indeed have conversed with them, but the evidence
thus given would have been far from being as convincing as the method he
did adopt, both to the apostles and to the world at large to whom they
witnessed.
If he had appeared in the glory of the spirit form,
as the angel did to Daniel (Dan. 10:5-8), the glory would have been
greater than the witnesses could have borne.
They would probably have been so alarmed as to be unable to receive
instructions from him. To
none except Paul did the Lord ever thus show himself; and Paul was so
overcome by that glimpse of his glory that he fell to the ground and was
B_page 125 blinded by its brightness, which was above that of
the sun at noonday.
In our examination of the method of manifestation
adopted by our Lord during those forty days, we saw that he “permitted”
himself to become manifest even to the chosen witnesses only a few times,
and then but briefly. The
entire time that he was manifest to them, had it all been crowded into one
day instead of being at intervals during the forty days, would probably
have been less than twelve hours, or one eightieth of that entire time.
This being true, it is evident that he was present with them unseen
about seventy-nine eightieths of that period of forty days.
And even when they did have manifestations,
they were not (except once, repeated to St. Thomas) in a form exactly like
the one they had known so intimately for three years, and had seen but a
few days before. It is not
once intimated that they knew him by the familiar features of his face,
nor even that he was recognized by the same appearance as in other
manifestations.
Mary supposed him to be “the gardener.”
To the two on their way to Emmaus he was “a stranger.” He was also a stranger to the fishermen on the sea of
Galilee, and to the eleven in the upper room.
On every occasion he was recognized by his actions, his words, or
the familiar tones of his voice.
When Thomas declared that only the proof which
addressed his natural sight and touch would be acceptable to him, the
Lord, though he granted that demand, gently reproved him, saying, Because
thou has seen me, thou hast believed; blessed are those who believe, not having seen. (John 20:27-29) The stronger evidence was that which was not addressed to
natural sight, and more blessed are those who hold themselves in readiness
to receive the truth through whatsoever proofs God is pleased to
substantiate it. B_page 126
He thus showed them, not only that he now had the
power to appear in a variety of ways and forms, but also that no one of
those bodies which they saw was his spiritual, glorious body, though the
facts of his resurrection and presence were thus manifested to them.
The different forms, and the long intervals of invisible presence
with no outward manifestation, made evident the fact that though their
Lord and teacher was alive and not yet ascended to the Father, he was now
a spirit being, really invisible to human sight, but with ability to
manifest his presence and power in a variety of ways at pleasure.*
—————
*The
occurrence recorded by Luke (4:30) should not be regarded as a case
parallel to his appearing and vanishing after his resurrection.
That was not a
disappearance in the sense of becoming invisible to the people.
It was merely an
adroit, prompt movement, by which he eluded the murderous
design of his enemies. Before
they had executed their plans for his
death he turned about, and, passing through their midst, no man had courage or power to molest him, because his hour had not yet
come.
The creating of the body and clothing in which he
appeared to them, in the very room in which they were gathered, was proof
unquestionable that Christ was no longer a human being, though he assured
his disciples that the body which they saw, and which Thomas handled, was
a veritable flesh and bone body, and not a mere vision or appearance.+
As a human being he could not come into the room B_page 127 without opening the door, but as a spirit being he
could, and there he instantly created and assumed such a body of flesh and
such clothing as he saw fit for the purpose intended.
—————
+Let
no one hastily suppose that we are here following Spiritism,
Swedenborgianism or any other ism. We are simply following and logically connecting the apostolic account. The vast difference between the Bible teaching and that counterfeit of it promulgated by Satan,
known as Spiritualism, we
distinctly discern and shall examine in a succeeding volume.
Suffice it here to point out that Spiritism affects to communicate
between dead men and living men,
while the Bible condemns this (Isa. 8:19),
and teaches that such communications as were true have been made only
by spirit beings, such as angels, and by our Lord; and not by our
Lord while he was “the man
Christ Jesus,” nor while he was dead, but after his
resurrection change, when he had become a life-giving or
“quickening spirit”
being.
Nor can we for a moment admit the suggestion offered
by some, that our Lord opened the doors without being observed; for the
record is plain and clear that he came and stood in their midst while
the doors were shut—probably very carefully barred and bolted
too—“for fear of the Jews.” John 20:19,26
The lesson of his changed nature was still further
emphasized by his manner of leaving their sight: “He vanished
out of their sight.” The
human body of flesh and bones, etc., and its clothing, which appeared suddenly while the doors were shut, did not go out of
the door, but simply disappeared
or dissolved into the same elements from which he had created them a few
moments before. He vanished
out of their sight,
and was no longer seen of them when the flesh and bones and clothing in which he
had manifested himself were dissolved, though doubtless he was still with
them—invisibly present; and so also much of the time during those forty
days.
On special occasions, for special instruction, God
has granted similar power to other spirit beings, angels, enabling them to
appear as men, in bodies of flesh and bones which ate and talked to those
they instructed, just as our Lord did.
See Gen. 18; Judges 6:11-22; 13:3-20; and the comments on these in
Vol. I, pages 178 to 184.
The power manifested by our Lord, and the angels
referred to, to create and dissolve the clothing in which they appeared,
was just as superhuman as the creating and dissolving of their assumed
human bodies; and the bodies were no more their glorious spiritual bodies
than were the clothes they wore. It
will be remembered that the seamless
B_page 128 robe and other clothing which our Redeemer wore
before his crucifixion had been divided among the Roman soldiers, and that
the grave clothes were left folded away in the sepulcher (John 19:23,24;
20:5-7), so that the clothing in which he appeared on the occasions
mentioned must have been specially created, and probably was the most
appropriate for each occasion. For
instance, when he appeared as a gardener to Mary, it was probably in such
apparel as a gardener would wear.
That the bodies in which our Lord appeared were real
human bodies, and not mere delusions, he gave them clearly to understand
when he ate before them, and invited them to handle him and see that the
body was real flesh and bones, saying, “Why are ye troubled?...Behold my
hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.”
Some Christians draw very absurd conclusions from
this expression of our Lord as to the verity of his assumed flesh and bone
body. They regard the assumed
body as his spirit body, and declare that a spirit body is flesh and
bones, and just like a human body, excepting that an indefinable
something, which they call spirit, flows through its veins instead of
blood. They seem to disregard
the statement of our Lord, that this was not a spirit body—that a spirit
being has not flesh and bones. Do
they also forget John’s statement, that “It doth not yet appear”
what a spirit body is, and that we shall not know until we are changed and
made like him and see him, not as he was, but as he is? (1 John 3:2)
Do they also forget the Apostle Paul’s express statement that “flesh
and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God?”—and his further
assurance that therefore
all the heirs with Christ must also “be changed?”
1 Cor. 15:50,51
Many Christians have the idea that our Lord’s
glorious B_page 129 spiritual body is the very same body that was
crucified and laid away in Joseph’s tomb: they expect, when they see the
Lord in glory, to identify him by the scars he received on Calvary.
This is a great mistake, which a very little consideration should
make manifest—Firstly, It would prove that his resurrection body is not
glorious or perfect, but scarred and disfigured: Secondly, It would prove
that we do know what a spirit body is, notwithstanding the Apostle’s
statement to the contrary: Thirdly, It would prove that our redemption
price was taken back; for Jesus said, “My flesh I will give for the life
of the world.” It was his
flesh, his life as a man,
his humanity, that was sacrificed for our redemption. And when he was
raised to life again by the power of the Father, it was not to human
existence; because that was sacrificed as our purchase price.
And if that price had been taken back, we would still be under the
condemnation of death, and without hope.
We have no more reason to suppose that our Lord’s
spirit body since his resurrection is a human body than we have for
supposing that his spirit body prior to his first advent was human, or
that other spirit beings have human bodies; for a spirit hath not flesh
and bones; and, says the Apostle Peter, our Lord was “put to death in
the flesh but made alive in spirit.”
Our Lord’s human body was, however, supernaturally
removed from the tomb; because had it remained there it would have been an
insurmountable obstacle to the faith of the disciples, who were not yet
instructed in spiritual things—for “the spirit was not yet given.”
(John 7:39) We know nothing
about what became of it, except that it did not decay or corrupt. (Acts
2:27,31) Whether it was
dissolved into gases or whether it is still preserved somewhere as the
grand memorial of God’s love, of Christ’s obedience, and of our
redemption, no one knows—nor is such knowledge
B_page 130 necessary. That
God did miraculously hide the body of Moses, we are assured (Deut. 34:6;
Jude 9); and that as a memorial
God did miraculously preserve from corruption the manna in the golden
bowl, which was placed in the Ark under the Mercy Seat in the Tabernacle,
and that it was a symbol of our Lord’s flesh, the bread from heaven, we
also know. (Exod. 16:20,33; Heb. 9:4; John 6:51-58)
Hence it will not surprise us if, in the Kingdom, God shall show to
the world the body of flesh, crucified for all in giving the ransom on
their behalf—not permitted to corrupt, but preserved as an everlasting
testimony of infinite love and perfect obedience.
It is at least possible that John 19:37 and Zech. 12:10 may have
such a fulfilment. Those who
cried, “Crucify him!” may yet, as witnesses, identify the very body
pierced by the spear and torn by the nails and thorns.
To regard our Lord’s glorious body as a body of
flesh would not in the least account for his peculiar and sudden
appearings during those forty days prior to his ascension. How could he so
suddenly appear and then vanish? How
was it that he kept himself almost constantly invisible during those forty
days? And why was it that his
appearance each time was so changed as not to be recognized as the same
one seen on any former occasion, or as the one so well known and loved by
all, before his crucifixion, only a few days previous?
It will not do merely to say that these were
miracles, for then some use or necessity for the miracles should be named.
If his body after his resurrection were flesh and bones, and the
same body that was crucified, with all the features and scars, why did he perform
miracles which not only did not establish that fact, but which were
likely, we see, to teach the opposite?—that he himself was no longer
human—flesh and bones—but a spirit being who could go and come as the
wind, so that none could tell whence he
B_page 131 came or whither he went, but who, for the purpose of
instructing them, appeared as
a man in various bodies of flesh
and bones which he created and dissolved as occasion required.
Before our Lord’s crucifixion, he had been on
familiar terms with his disciples, but after his resurrection, though he
loved them none the less, his manner toward them was more reserved.
This was doubtless to impress them more forcibly with the dignity
and honor of his high exaltation, and to inspire due reverence for his
person and authority. Though as a man Jesus never lacked that dignity of
deportment which commands respect, yet a greater reserve was necessary and
expedient after his change to the divine nature. Such reserve has always
been maintained by Jehovah toward his creatures, and is expedient under
the circumstances. This reserve marked all our Lord’s interviews with
the disciples after his resurrection.
They were very brief, even as he had said, “Hereafter I will not
talk much with you.” John 14:30
Those who believe that our Heavenly Father is a
spirit and not a man should find no difficulty in realizing that our Lord
Jesus, who is now exalted to the divine nature, and who is not only a
moral likeness of God but in fact “the
express image of the Father’s person,” is no longer a man but a
spirit being, whom no man hath seen nor can see without a miracle.
It is just as impossible for men to see the unveiled glory of the
Lord Jesus as it is for them to behold Jehovah. Think for a moment how
even a reflection of the spiritual glory affected Moses and Israel at
Sinai. (Heb. 12:21; Exod. 19; 20:19-21; 33:20-23; 34:29-35)
“So terrible was the sight,” so overwhelming and
fear-inspiring, “that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake.”
And though Moses was supernaturally strengthened to behold the
glory of the Lord, so that for forty days and forty nights, alone with
B_page 132 God, overshadowed by his glory and without either
food or drink, he received and wrote the divine law (Exod. 34:28), yet
when he desired to see the Lord face to face he was told, “Thou canst
not see my face; for there shall no man see me and live.” (Exod. 33:20)
All that Moses ever saw, therefore, was an appearance
representing God, and nothing more was possible. This accords, too, with the Apostle’s statements: “No man
hath seen God at any time”; he is the King immortal, invisible, whom
no man hath seen nor can [ever] see. (1 Tim. 6:15,16) But that
spirit beings can and do see God, who himself is a spirit being, is
clearly stated. Matt. 18:10
If our Lord is still “the man
Christ Jesus, who gave
himself a ransom for all” (1 Tim. 2:5,6)—if being put to death
in the flesh he was raised again in the flesh, and not, as the Apostle
declares, a life-giving spirit—then instead of being exalted higher than
angels and every name that is named in heaven as well as in earth, he is
still a man. And if he
retains the form of a servant, which he took for the purpose of suffering
death for every man, and is still a little lower than the angels, he never
can see God. But how unreasonable such a view when fully examined in the
light of apostolic testimony. Consider, too, that if our Lord’s flesh,
that was pierced and wounded with nail and spear and crown of thorns, and
marked with sorrow, is his glorious spiritual body, and if the scars and
marred human features are part and parcel of the exalted Lord, he would be
far from beautiful, even if we should love the wounds endured for us.
And if he thus bears an imperfect, scarred, marred body, and if we
shall be like
him, would it not imply that the Apostles and saints who were
crucified, beheaded, stoned to death, burned, cut to pieces and torn by
beasts, as well as those who met with accidents, would each likewise bear
his blemishes and scars? And in that view would not heaven present a most awful
spectacle—to all eternity? But
this is not B_page 133 the case, and no one could long hold so unreasonable
and unscriptural a view. Spirit
beings are perfect in every particular, and so the Apostle reminds the
Church, who are heirs of heavenly or spiritual glory and honor, that,
though sown [in death] in weakness [with marks and wounds, etc.] it [the
being] is raised in power; though sown in dishonor [with lines of care and
sorrow, etc.] it is raised in glory; though sown a natural body
[literally, “an animal body”] it will be raised a spiritual body; and
that as we have borne the image of the earthly father, we shall bear the
image of the heavenly Lord. (1 Cor. 15:42-51)
Our Lord Jesus for our sakes took and bore the image of the earthly
also, for a while, that he might redeem us.
But in his resurrection he became the heavenly Lord (Rom. 14:9),
and we, if faithful, shall soon bear the image of the heavenly Lord
(spiritual bodies), as we now still bear the image of the earthly lord,
Adam (human bodies).
Remember Paul’s case—In order that he might be
one of the apostles, he must be a witness—must
see the Lord after his resurrection.
He was not one of those who saw the manifestations of resurrection
and presence during the forty days, hence he was given a special glimpse
of the Lord. But he saw him,
not as did the others—not veiled in flesh and garments of various forms.
And the merest glance at the unveiled glorious person of our Lord
caused him to fall to the ground blinded with a glory far “above the
brightness of the sun at noon-day”: from which blindness, to restore him
to even partial sight required a miracle. (Acts 9:17,18)
Did not Paul see the Lord as he is—a
spiritual being? And did not
our Lord during the forty days appear
as he was, i.e., as he had been previously, for the special purposes
and reasons already pointed out? There
is no room to doubt this. But the Lord had an object in appearing to Paul
thus, just as he had, and served another object by appearing differently
B_page 134 to the others. This
object Paul shows, saying: “Last of all he was seen of me also—as
by one BORN BEFORE THE DUE TIME.” (1 Cor. 15:8—literal rendering)
As the resurrection of our Lord was his birth
from the dead, to the full perfection of spiritual being (Col. 1:18; Rom.
8:29), so the resurrection of the Church, the body of Christ, is here and
elsewhere referred to as a birth. In
our birth or resurrection as spirit beings, we shall see the Lord as
he is, just as Paul saw him; but we, being changed or born then, as
spirit beings, will not be stricken down nor blinded with the sight of our
Lord’s glorious person. Paul’s
statement means that he saw him as
we shall see him—“as
he is”: he saw him as
all the body of Christ shall see him, but BEFORE THE DUE TIME, before he
was born from the dead, and therefore before able to endure it—yet “as”
each one so born shall in due time see him.
Moses, coming down from the mount to communicate to
Israel the Law Covenant, was a type of the greater Lawgiver and Mediator
of the New Covenant, who at his second advent shall come forth to rule and
bless the world. Moses typified, therefore, the entire Church, of which
our Lord is the Head. Moses’
face was caused to shine, so that the people could not look at him, and he
must thereafter wear a veil, as a type of the spiritual glory of Christ,
an illustration of the point we are now examining.
Christ has the real glory and brightness, the express image of the
Father’s person, and we shall be like him, and no man can behold that
glory; hence whatever manifestation of the Law-giver there will be to the
world when the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, the glory of the
spiritual persons cannot be seen. They
will speak through the veil—under the cover. This, as well as more, was
meant by Moses’ veil. Exod. 34:30-33
B_page 135
As we give the matter careful study, we come more and
more to recognize the divine wisdom displayed in the manner of revealing
the resurrection of our Lord to the apostles, that they should be
thoroughly satisfied and reliable witnesses, and that the meek of the
world might be able to receive their testimony and believe that God raised
our Lord from the dead—that they might recognize him as the one that was
dead, but is now alive forevermore, and, believing, might come unto God by
him. And as we consider him
under the leadings of the holy Spirit of truth, our minds expand and we
see him no longer the man Christ Jesus, but the Lord of glory and power,
partaker of the divine nature. And thus we know him, for whose coming and
kingdom the Church has so earnestly prayed and longed.
And no one properly recognizing his great exaltation can expect at
his second coming the man Christ Jesus in the body of flesh prepared for
sacrifice and wounded and given in death as our ransom.
Nor should we expect that at his second coming he would
“appear,” or manifest
himself, in various flesh and bone forms to the world—that was needful
for those early witnesses, but not so now.
He will, as we shall see, manifest his second presence very
differently.
From what we have seen regarding spirit beings and
their manifestations in times past, it is evident that if our Lord were to
manifest himself at his second advent either by opening men’s eyes to
behold his glory, as he did with Paul and Daniel, or by assuming a human
body, it would be detrimental to the plan revealed in his Word.
The effect of appearing in glory to the world, their eyes being
miraculously wrought upon to enable them to see him, would be almost to
paralyze them with the overwhelming sight, while to appear as
a man would be to lower the standard of dignity and give a lower
than the true estimate of the divine
B_page 136 nature and form.
As neither would seem to be necessary or advisable now, we cannot
presume that either of these methods will be adopted.
On the contrary, we should expect that the Christ
would be manifest in the flesh of mankind in the same manner as when the
Lord was “made flesh” and dwelt
among men, God was manifest in his flesh.
Human nature, when perfect and in harmony with God, is a likeness
of God in the flesh; hence the originally perfect Adam was a
likeness of God, and the perfect man Christ Jesus was also; so that he
could say to the disciple Philip, who asked to see
the Father, “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father”—he hath seen
the likeness of God in the flesh, “God manifest in the flesh.”
So, too, mankind in general, as its members come
gradually back to the long-lost image of God, will be fleshly images and
likenesses of the Father and of the Christ.
At the very beginning of the Millennium, as we have seen, there
will be samples of perfect manhood before the world (Vol. I, pages
287-293): Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and the holy prophets, already tried
and approved, will be the “princes” among men, the exponents and
representatives of the spiritual, invisible kingdom.
In these Christ will be manifested—in their
flesh—even as the Father was manifested in his flesh. And as
“whosoever will” reaches perfection and comes into full harmony with
the will of Christ, every such one will be an image of God and of Christ,
and in each of these Christ will be manifested.
Because created in God’s moral image, the perfect
man, fully consecrated, will be able to appreciate perfectly the holy
Spirit and Word of God; and the glorified Church will direct him.
No doubt, too, visions and direct revelations, and general
communications between the spiritual kingdom and its earthly
representatives and exponents, will be much more free and general than
similar communications B_page 137 ever were before—more after the order of the
communions of Eden, before sin brought condemnation and separation from
God’s favor and communion.
Nothing, then, either in reason or in Scripture,
demands that our Lord shall at his second advent appear in various bodies
of flesh and bones. That such
a procedure is not essential is evident from the success of Satan’s
kingdom, which operates through human beings as agents.
Those who partake of the spirit of evil and error represent the
great unseen prince, most fully. He
is thus manifest in their flesh though himself a spirit being, invisible
to men.
The Christ “changed,” made partakers of the
divine nature, shall be spirit beings as truly as is Satan, and equally
invisible to men. Their operations will be similar in manner, though directly
opposite in character and results; their honored agents, not bound and
made slaves by ignorance and weakness, as are most of the servants of
Satan, but made perfect, and “free indeed,” will act intelligently and
harmoniously, from choice and from love; and their appointments will be
rewards of righteousness.
Our Lord’s presence will be manifested to the world
by exhibitions of “power and great glory,” not, however, merely to the
natural sight, but to the eyes of their understanding, as they shall open
to an appreciation of the great changes which the new Ruler shall effect.
His presence and righteous authority will be recognized in both the
punishments and the blessings that will flow to mankind from his
reign.
It has long been generally believed that distress and
trouble come as punishments for evil doing, upon the wicked.
This seeming to be a natural and proper law, people in general have
accepted it, thinking that it should be so, even if it is not; yet the
hard facts of experience agree with the Bible, that in the past it has
been the godly who B_page 138 have oftenest suffered afflictions and persecutions.
(2 Tim. 3:12) But in the “Day of Trouble,” the period of forty years
introducing Messiah’s reign, this order will begin to be reversed. In
that day, evil powers are to be overthrown, and righteousness, established
by a gradual process, shall speedily work out a corresponding retribution
to evildoers, and blessings to them that do good—“Tribulation and
anguish upon every soul of man that doeth evil,...but glory, honor and
peace to every man that worketh good”—in that “day of wrath and
revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to every man
according to his deeds.” (Rom. 2:9,10,6,5)
And since there is so much that is wrong now, the retribution will
be very heavy at first, making a “time of trouble such as was not since
there was a nation.” Thus, in vengeance, and trouble, and wrath upon the
nations, will the Lord reveal to the world the fact of the change of
dispensations, and the change of rulers. And thus, “When the judgments of the Lord are in the earth,
the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.” (Isa. 26:5-11)
They will learn that under the new order of things right-doers are to be
exalted and evildoers restrained and punished.
For clear prophetic testimony relative to this kingdom and its
operation on behalf of the humble, the upright, the poor, the needy and
the oppressed, and its overthrow of monopolies and every system of
injustice and oppression, and the general equalization of human affairs,
read carefully Psalm 72:1-19; 37:1-14.
Our King will thus reveal himself gradually: some
will discern the new Ruler sooner than others, but ultimately “every eye
shall see [horao—discern] him.”
(Rev. 1:7) But “he cometh
with clouds”; and while the clouds of trouble are heavy and dark, when
the mountains (kingdoms of this world) are trembling and falling, and the
earth (organized society) is being shaken, disintegrated, melted, some
will B_page 139 begin to realize what we now proclaim as already at
hand—that the great day of Jehovah has come; that the foretold day of
trouble and wrath upon the nations is beginning; and that Jehovah’s
Anointed is taking to himself his great power and beginning his work, of
laying justice to the line and righteousness to the plummet. (Isa. 28:17) And “he must reign until” he shall have put down all authorities
and laws on earth, contrary to those which control in heaven.
As the trouble increases, men will seek, but in vain,
for protection in the “dens” and caves, the great rocks and fortresses
of society (Free Masonry, Odd Fellowship, and Trades Unions, Guilds,
Trusts, and all societies secular and ecclesiastical), and in the
mountains (governments) of earth; saying, “Fall over*
[cover, protect] and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the
throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of his wrath is
come.” Rev. 6:15-17
—————
*The
Greek word epi,
here used, is generally translated on,
but has also the significance
of over and about,
and is so translated many times in the
common version. The
thought is that of protection, not of destruction.
The common view of
this passage, that it teaches that wicked men will get
faith enough to pray for literal mountains to fall, is absurd.
The real fulfilment is
already beginning: the great, the rich, and no less the poor, are
seeking to the mountains and rocks and caves for shelter from the
darkening storm of trouble
which all see is gathering.
The idolatry of money in which the whole world has
gone mad, and which is to have so prominent a place in the trouble,
causing not only anxiety for its accumulation, but also for its
preservation, is to be completely overthrown, as shown in Isa. 2:8-21;
Ezek. 7:17-19.
The great day of trouble will be recognized, and from
its storm all will seek protection, though few will recognize the
judgments of the Lord then abroad in the world as the result of his presence,
the setting up of his authority, and the B_page 140 enforcement of his laws. In the end, however, all shall recognize [“see”] the King of glory;
and all who then love righteousness will rejoice to obey him and conform
themselves fully to his just requirements.
That will be a time of retribution upon all who by
fraud or force, sometimes in the name of the law and under its sanction,
have unrighteously grasped the rights or property of others.
The retribution, as we have seen, will come from
the Lord, through the uprising of
the masses of the people. In
their distress, loathe to part with a dollar or an acre, or an assumed
right or dignity long enjoyed and long undisputed, yet seeing the
approaching retribution, many will seek the covering of the hitherto
powerful organizations—civil, social and ecclesiastical—to promote and
shield their interests, feeling that alone they must fall.
But these shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the
Lord’s anger. The
approaching conflict and retribution will cause all the families of the
earth to wail; for it will be a time of trouble such as was not since
there was a nation—no, nor ever shall be again.
It will be “because of him” that
they will wail; because of his judgments producing in a natural way the
great trouble; because the Lord ariseth to shake terribly the earth, and
to destroy its corruptions. (Isa. 2:21)
So far-reaching will be the judgments and the trouble that none
shall escape. Ultimately
every eye shall discern the change, and recognize that the Lord reigneth.
The trouble might be greatly lessened could men see and promptly
act upon principles of equity, ignoring and relinquishing all unjust
privileges of the past, even though legalized; but this, selfishness will
not permit until the trouble shall break and overthrow the proud, humble
the powerful and exalt the meek.
But not until the great day of trouble is about
closing—not until the Gentile kingdoms are ground to powder and utterly
removed, no place being found for them (A.D.
B_page 141 1915, as shown in the preceding chapter)—not until
great Babylon is utterly overthrown and her influence over the world
broken—will the great mass of mankind come to realize the true state of
the case. Then they will see
that the great trouble through which they will have passed was that
symbolically termed “The battle of the great day of God Almighty”
(Rev. 16:14); that in proportion as they have aided error and wrong, they
have been battling against the law and forces of the new empire and the
new Ruler of earth; and that in proportion as their tongues, and pens, and
hands, and influence, and means, were used to support the
right and the truth on any subject, they had been to that extent
fighting on the Lord’s side.
Some will learn the significance of the trouble more
quickly than others, because more teachable.
And during all the trouble there will be in the world those who
will bear witness to its cause, declaring the Lord’s presence and the
setting up of his kingdom which is in opposition to the powers of darkness
to be the real cause of the trouble and shaking and overturning of
society, showing that all who oppose truth and righteousness are the
enemies of the new kingdom, and that unless they quickly surrender they
must soon suffer ignominious defeat. Yet the masses will be heedless of wise counsel, as they have
always been, until completely humbled under the iron rule of the new
kingdom, only at last realizing the folly of their course.
The true teacher and light bearer (Matt. 5:14), the
true Church, the body of Christ, is not to be left in darkness to learn of
her Lord’s presence by the manifestations of his wrath and power, as the
world will learn of it. For
her enlightenment special provision has been made.
By the sure word of prophecy, which shines as a light in a dark
place, B_page 142 she is clearly and definitely informed just what to
expect. (2 Pet. 1:19) Through
the prophetic word, she shall not only be shielded from discouragement,
and enabled to overcome the besetments, snares and stumbling stones so
prevalent in “the evil day,” and thus to stand approved of God, but
she becomes the light-bearer and instructor of the world.
The Church is thus enabled to point out to the world the cause of
the trouble, to announce the presence of the new Ruler, to declare the
policy, plan and object of the new dispensation, and to instruct the world
as to the wisest course to pursue in view of these things.
And though men will not give heed to the instruction until the
lesson of submission has been forced upon them by the trouble, it will
greatly aid them then in learning the lesson.
It is to this mission of the “feet,” or last members of the
Church, who will declare upon the mountains (kingdoms) the reign of Christ
begun, that Isaiah 52:7 refers.
There are some statements of Scripture with reference
to the manner of the Lord’s return and appearing which, until critically
examined, appear to be contradictory of each other.
And no doubt they have for centuries served the divine purpose of
concealing the truth until the due time for it to be understood; and even
then, from all except the special class of consecrated ones for whom it
was intended.
For instance, our Lord said, “Behold, I come as
a thief”; and, “As it was in
the days of Noah, so shall it be also
