235
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
May 1930
When He is manifested in glory, then we shall be mani fested with Him. Christ was manifested in humble garb when He came to suffer; but when He comes again, He will be revealed in splendor, and we shall be with Him. It is said of the New Jerusalem that “the Lamb is the light thereof” ; so, too, it is said of the glorified church, she has “the glory o f God,” (Rev. 2 1 :23, 11). Then shall the saints reflect the splendor of the Lord, and He will be admired in them (2 Thess. 1 :10) ; for He is “glorified in the saints,” just as the saints are glorified in and with Him. What a wondrous identity ! C onformity to T ype The purpose of God is that we are to be “conformed to the image o f his Son,” and “as me have borne the image o f the earthy, me shall also bear the image o f the heaven ly” (Rom. 8 :2 9 ; 1 Cor. 15:49). This must be so, for when we see Him, we shall be like Him, and we shall be presented “faultless before the presence o f his glory with exceeding joy” (1 John 3 :2 ; Jude 24). The references in these verses do not directly refer to the moral likeness which believers bear to Christ, but to the actual glory which they shall possess when He returns. We cannot comprehend all that conformity will mean; but whatever Christ is, we shall be, for, as Bishop Moule points out, the “likeness is not by accident, but of essence. The Greek literally is, ‘conformed ones o f the image,’ etc.; as if their similitude made them part of what they resembled.” This thought is borne out by the meaning of the word “conformed.” ^ It is rendered in Phil. 3:21, “fashioned like unto,” where the reference is to our glorified bodies, which will be fashioned like unto His glorious body. The word means “jointly formed,” so that there shall be sim ilarity without any difference. E tern ity of B liss “’Tis the Divinity stirs within u s; ’Tis heaven itself that points out an hereafter, And intimates eternity.” Yes, but there is more than a mere intimation of eter nity to the child of God. The adjective “eternal” is asso ciated with certain words which proclaim unending felic ity ; and, more than this, every one of the sentences pro claims an opposite. “Eternal life” speaks of an abiding union with Christ, but it also stands out in unmistakable contrast to eternal death. “H e that believeth on the Son hath eternal life ; but he that obeyeth not the Son shall not see life” (John 3 :36, R. V .). The bright bow of grace stands out in vivid contrast to the black cloud of doom. The safety of Noah in the ark is in contrast to those who perished in the flood outside of it. “Eternal salvation” proclaims the glad and perpetual safety of the believer in Christ, for Christ is “the author o f eternal salvation” (Heb. 5 :9) ; but it also suggests the lost estate of those who “suffer punishment, even eternal destruction from the fa ce o f the Lord” (2 Thess. 1 :9, R. V .). The salvation of Israel at the Red Sea stands out in contrast to the overthrow of the Egyptians in it. “ Eternal redemption” unfolds the hallowed liberty into which the Lord Jesus has brought His own, by means of His death upon the Cross (Heb. 9 :12) ; but it also speaks of those who will be wrapped in the bondage of “everlasting fire” (Matt. 25 :41 ). The deliverance of Is rael, by the blood of the paschal lamb, stands out in con trast to the doom of the firstborn of the Egyptians. “Eternal inheritance” reminds us of the estate of in corruptibility for which the ransomed are kept (Heb. 9 :
He Leads Us On B y N. L. Z inzendorf In “The Evangelical Christian”
H e leads us on, By paths me did not knom,
Upward H e leads us, tho’ our steps be slow, Though o ft we faint and falter on the may — Though storm and darkness o ft obscure the day; Yet, when the clouds are gone, We knozv H e leads us on. H e leads us on, Through all the unquiet years, Past all our dreamland hopes and doubts and fears. H e guides our steps. Through all the tangled maze O f losses, sorrows, and o’erclouded days;
We knom His will is done, And still H e leads us on. And He, at last, A fter the weary strife,
A fter the restless fev er we call life, A fter the dreariness, the aching pain, And wayward struggles zvhich have proved in vain, Will give us rest, at last.
15), but it also brings to our remembrance the “eternal damnation” from which they have escaped (Mark 3 :29 ). “Eternal glory” impresses us with its vista of coming splendor, shared with, and because of, our Beloved (2 Tim. 2 :10 ; 1 Pet. 5 :1 0 ); but it also points to the “ever lasting punishment” which will be the portion of the unbe liever. The bliss of Lazarus in Abraham’s bosom is seen in contrast with the torment of Dives in hell. “Eternal weight o f glory” and the house which is “eternal in the heavens” (2 Cor. 4 :1 7 ; 5 :1 ), are seen in contrast to the “ sufferings o f this present time.” The Gethsemane of suffering leads to the ascension of glory. “Eternal kingdom” of Christ’s rule and glory, which the faithful shall share with Him, stands out in contrast to the shifting scenes of earth, and the impotency of man’s rule, for we receive a kingdom which cannot be moved (2 Peter 1:11). Does not the blackness of the contrast make the brightness the more vivid? It is a solemn fact that God says more about the doom of the wicked to His children than He does to the wicked themselves. “Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do?” (Gen. 18:17), said God to Himself as He thought of the doom coming upon the cities of the plain. He told Abraham what He was about to do. The Lord does not hide from us the wrath coming upon the unbeliever. Why? Because He would- have us know from what we have been saved. But He also ddsire’s us to know to what we are saved. What it all means we cannot tell, but there will be: Love without passion, for we shall be “like him.” Service without weariness, for “his servants shall serve him.” Holiness without alloy, for “his name shall be in their foreheads.”
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