THE K I NG ' S BUS I NES S
January, 1937
New YearS-1937
A NEW YEAR’S ODE
this new year, looking for the any-moment breaking of a blessed and eternal “ New Year.” H ow S h o u l d W e S erve D u r in g T h is P artic u l a r Y e a r ? What effect upon our daily round should the per spective of the possible sec ond coming of our Lord have in this particular new year? W e remember the method by which a certain preacher sought to rebuke premille- narians. He said, in effect, “ If I believed as they do, I would build myself a little
The morning dawns in glory, and the night Wraps up its somber garments in its flight; My soul awakes from dreaming, And my eyes Survey God's sunburst beaming From the skies. I seem to hear Thee saying, "Soon the night Of earth will pass forever, and the light Of glory will be breaking Wondrous fair, Eternal morn be waking Over there."
saints, and thus enable them to prepare to greet the Lord at His coming to the Mount of Olives.
—R. E. NEIGHBOUR.
Thus, the perspective of the year 1937 should cause us to press every nerve in service toward others, inas much as our last warning word may soon be given. In our gifts also, and in our prayers, we now dare not falter. How S h o u l d W e L ive D u r in g T h is P a r t ic u l a r Y e a r ? There is no stronger incentive to holy living, and to heart readiness with lamps trimmed and burning, than the cry, “ Behold, the bridegroom cometh.” It was when they heard this cry the virgins arose to trim their lamps. There is tragedy in the word that “ they all slumbered and slept.” Shall we, like the evil and indifferent servant of Matthew 24:48, begin to eat and to drink with the drunken, saying that our Lord delayeth His coming? God forbid! Let us “ abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming” (1 John 2 :28 ). If the pen of the writer were the only pen that acclaimed the fact that our Lord, even now, seems to be standing at the Father’s right hand, ready to hasten downward, and to speak the word that will bring forth the bodies of the dead in Christ, and call the living to ascend together with them to meet Him in the air, the reader might question the immediacy of the event. But we are sure that many, very many of the sanest and most Scriptural students of prophecy, will be sounding forth a like call, with ours, at this particular New Year’s tide. Christ may not come within twelve months, and yet a mul titude of fulfillments of God’s W ord indicates that Christ will surely come ere much more of man’s day is allowed to pass. “ ’Tis not for long I’ll be away,” ’Twas this I heard the Master say; “ ’Tis but a little while, and then I will be coming back again.”
nest on the top of the wall of Jerusalem, and sit there with folded hands, with upturned eyes, awaiting the day of His coming.” Our Lord, to the contrary, sent two shining ones to speak to the disciples who, upon the Mount of Olives, stood gazing up into heaven. Those shining ones said: “ Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come again in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” . W e insist that the increasing imminency of Christ’s return issues no call to saints to become stargazers. How then does it affect the expectant heart? The imminence of Christ’s return gives an increasing zeal for the salvation of the lost. As the signs of the times multiply, true believers become the more zealous for souls. There is no place or time for lethargy when Christians are convinced that the advent is near. T o the contrary, there is just time for one more loud shout of warning to the unsaved, “ Behold, the bridegroom cometh.” The imminence of Christ’s .return imparts an earnest exhortation to carnal saints. Beyond a doubt the possible rapture of the saints during 1937 stirs us to a renewed ministry in behalf of all believers. W e must do all in our power to present them without rebuke at His coming. It 'is written: “ And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assem bling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching” (Heb. 10:24, 25). The imminence of Christ’s return inculcates a renewed missionary endeavor. There are the millions of unevange lized men, women and children. They must, if possible, have the privilege of hearing the good news of redemption before Christ returns; otherwise the church is truant to her task. Shall we leave out the Jews in our missionary service? By no means! Whether they hear, or forbear, we must let them know that our Christ is their Messiah. Even if they choose to reject our message and refuse our Christ, our word may be remembered by them after the rapture of the
His “ little while” is almost past; His absence can’t much longer last; His shout, e’en now, I almost hear; His coming back is drawing near. When strikes the hour, He will not stay; He’ll come to take us up, away; The day and hour we “ dinna ken,” . But this we know, He’ll come again.
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