245
B u s i n e s s
May 1930
T h e
K i n g ! s
minded of the necessity of being always ready and o f the futility of all attempts to fix the date. 34— [It is as in the case of] A MAN L IV ING ABROAD, HAVING L E F T H IS HOUSEHOLD—Christ is the man here referred to ; He has left His household the Church and is at present living elsewhere. AND GIVEN TO H IS BOND- SLAVES AUTHOR ITY—That is, to act as His representatives and labor in His name. AND TO EACH ONE H IS WORK— There is a special work for each one of us to do. No man can prescribe the work for another; H e gives the task; and it is for us to pray: "Lord, what wilt Thou have m>e to do?” AND COMMANDED TH E DOORKEEPER TO WATCH—The doorkeeper here would be the minister of the Gospel (as the Apostles were) : their business was to watch against the instru- sion of evil and to care for the safety and well-being of the household within (cf. Ezek. 3 3 :7 ; Heb. 13:17). 35— B E WATCHFUL—Not so much watching for His ap pearance (though that is a solemn obligation) as watchful to see that their duties were faithfully and diligently performed; if this were done it would not matter at what hour He should arrive. TH E LORD OF TH E HOUSE—To the unready He will come undesired and inimical, as the thief in the night (cf. Rev. 3 :3) ; but to His own as their welcome Lord. That it is impossible to fix the date of His appearance is plain from this passage, and also from the fact that by so many His advent will be unexpected when it occurs. AT EVEN , etc.—The four Roman night watches. It is noteworthy that He says nothing of coming in the middle of the day. Men think of life as the day, and of death as -the night; the Bible reckons this life as the night, and the future life as thé day (cf. Rom. 13:12). 36— L E S T COMING SUDDENLY H E F I N D YOU SLEEP ING—This was specially addressed to the Apostles and through them to the Christian ministers of all ages. The conse quences of slumber and unfaithfulness on their part are incal culable and the threatened punishment is terrible (cf. M att 24: 50-51). 37— BUT WHAT I SAY TO YOU, I SAY TO ALL, WATCH—Not only the ministers of the Gospel, but all men should be thus watchful; for every man has his duty assigned to him by, and is responsible to, Him who is not only Lord of the household, but Lord over all. É é The New Life Life is a journey. I will live it trustingly. "Though I w alk through the valley o f the shadow . . . I w ill fe a r no evil, fo r thou art with me” (Psalm 23 :4 ). Life is a task. I will live it obediently. "W e keep his commandments and do those things that are pleasing in his sight” (1 John 3:22). Life is a mission. I will live it helpfully. “B e kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one an other" (Eph. 4:32). Life is a contest. I will live it earnestly. “Watch ye, stand fa st in the faith, quit you like men, be strong" (1 Cor. 16:13). Life is a battle. I will live it courageously. “B e strong and o f good cou rage; be not afraid; fo r the L ord thy God is with thee” (Josh. 1 :9). •—Frank Ellsworth B igelow in “ Watchman-Examiner ."
to follow the other. TH E POW ERS THAT ARE IN TH E HEAVENS—The powers referred to in Eph. 6:12, q. v., where the A. V. "high places” should be rendered “heavenly places.” These evil powers shall be troubled by the portents which fore shadow their coming doom. 26— THEN SHALL TH EY S E E—At that time. The order is not strictly chronological, since His coming in the clouds must be before any literal and final fulfillment of verses 24 and 25. He to whom there is no such thing as “time,” does not arrange events in the precise order of their occurrence. TH E SON OF MAN—The title here is specially appropriate, since it is as man that the judgment of the world has been committed to Him, His humanity specially fitting Him to apportion rewards and pun ishments to men. IN CLOUDS—St. Matthew says "on the clouds o f heaven” (cf. Psa. 104:3; Dan. 7 :13-14; Acts 1 :9, 11). He went to the Father in a cloud when He left the earth; in a cloud He shall return. Since the departure was personal the return must be personal also, and they are clearly wrong who teach that His Second coming is merely spiritual. 27— THEN SHALL HE S E N D H IS ANGELS—His heavenly messengers in this case. This is not at His coming to reign, but at His final coming to judge the world. H IS ELECT S -T h e elect in the New Testament are the whole body of those who shall truly and effectually believe on Him, and who have been elected from all eternity on that accoun t: they are to be gathered together for the purpose of meeting Him in the air (cf. 1 Thess. 4:16-17). 28— FROM TH E FIG T R E E LEARN HER PARABLE —There is a parable in every created thing, had we but eyes to- read, and wisdom to understand it. WHEN TH E YOUNG BRANCH BECOMES TENDER—That is, for the purpose of putting forth leaves. SUMMER IS NIGH—In this case the time of barley harvest. 29— KNOW THAT IT IS NIGH—As surely as the fig leaves are the signs of the approach of summer, so surely are the things here foretold signs of the events related thereto. This statement refers both to the destruction of Jerusalem and to thé end of the age, different signs being given for each event. 30— TH IS GENERATION SHALL NOT PA SS AWAY, etc.—An obscure and difficult passage; clear as regards the de struction of Jerusalem, for many of those living at the time of its utterance were alive when the city was sacked; but obscure as regards the later events. It has been suggested that it means: (1) the human race, but the fact and the necessity of their existence when He comes is too self-evident to suit the suggestion; (2 ) the race of His elect, but there is nothing in the passage to support such a solution; (3) the Jewish race, which is the most probable exegesis. 31— HEAVEN AND EARTH SHALL PA SS AWAY— Things which to men seem most steadfast and imperishable— yet they are comparatively ephemeral. MY WORDS SHALL IN NO W IS E PA SS AWAY—Things which appear to be ephemeral, yet they are eternal. Mark the tremendous claim 1 32— An exceedingly difficult verse. It has been suggested: (a ) that He was referring to Himself as the Son of m an; (b) that “neither the Son” is a later gloss and not really a part of the Gospel at all. It does not occur in Matthew or Luke, and is said to be wanting in some early Greek manuscripts. It may be that we cannot interpret it ; but we are sure that nothing could have been hidden from Omniscience, and that He could not cease to be omniscient, else He must of necessity have ceased to be God ; which is unthinkable. 33— TAK E HEED, BE S L EE P L E S S , AND PRAY—Be alert, so that spiritual drowsiness may not overcome you, and pray that you may be ready for all that comes to pass. Y E KNOW NOT WHEN TH E SEASON IS—We are again re
Made with FlippingBook HTML5