and in Revelation 7:14 (R.V.). It will be a time of ter rible judgment on the earth, vividly depicted by the events connected with the seven seals, the seven trum pets, and the seven vials. This period will be brought to an end by Christ’s com ing in glory as King of kings and Lord of lords (ch. 19). We believe that this is the fulfillment of the prophecy in Daniel 2 concerning the Stone’s smiting the great image, bringing to an end the Gentile powers, and intro ducing our Lord’s glorious reign on the earth, that is, the millennium (20:1-6). Satan’s final rebellion and doom are revealed in 20:7-20. The doom of the unbelieving dead: “the last judgment” is vividly set before us in 20:11-15. The closing chapters (21,22) give a Wonderful picture of the new Heaven and earth. John heard a great voice out of Heaven—“And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” This will be the portion of the redeemed. What a terrible contrast is given of the condi tion of the unbelieving. “But the fearful, and unbeliev ing, and the abominable, and murderers, and whore mongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (21:8,27). If these lines are being read by anyone who is not a true believer in Jesus Christ, we plead with you to turn to Him at once, in compliance with the gracious invitation, “Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (22:17). “The last promise and the last prayer of the Bible” are connected with the return of our Lord (22:20). The promise, “Surely I come quickly,” and the prayer, “Eve* so, come, Lord Jesus.” May this glorious promise fill each believing heart with a joyful expectation, and may this last prayer arise frequently from the heart. *JUe>Gh/Mtmal Spinet (Continued from Page 6) torture to be devised in man’s inhumanity to man. We shudder at the thought of death by electrocution or by hanging; and if by chance we know of someone whose son has paid for sin in that fashion, we feel unspeakable compassion for him. We read in contemporary litera ture of the contempt expressed by Romans and Greeks for those who would worship anyone who had been crucified. Yet it was “obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” that marked the mind that was in our Lord Jesus Christ, in order that He might become our Saviour. The question then remains, how are we to show forth the genuine Christmas spirit—this lowliness of mind that brought our Lord from the loftiness of Heaven to the low level of the cross? Every day, not only on Christmas alone, we may witness by word and deed, from the depths of our hearts, that we are content with any place He gives us, with any service or lack of service He assigns, with any duty or drudgery He chooses for us. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is to be done “through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves" (Phil. 2:3). By such humil ity, welling up from our hearts because of Christ’s living out His life within us, we can show forth day by day the merits of Him who was meek and lowly of heart. Only in this way shall we be able to express the true Christmas spirit. DECEMBER, 1946
W h y jje h iA . G a m e
LOUIS T. TALBOT, D.D. y f T this time of the year, when men’s thoughts turn j t f t o the coming into the world of the Lord Jesus f §* Christ, it is well for those who know and love Him to recall clearly just why our Saviour came to earth. “No man hath seen God at any time; the only be gotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him” (John 1:18). In Old Testament days, men knew something of God. The psalmist speaks of the heavens’ declaring the glory of God and of the firma ment’s showing His handiwork. But there is more to be known of God than can be grasped through this revela tion in nature. And Jesus, as He walked among men, brought that fuller understanding. He said, in effect: “I am God uncovered; I am God unveiled.” If one would know who God is, and understand something of His nature and work, he must study the four Gospels, for therein is Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, revealed as Immanuel, “God with us.” In the days of His flesh, Jesus could point to Himself and say, “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.” If we want to know what God is like, all that we have to do is to study the words, works, and ways of His Son. Let this truth, then, be uppermost in our minds at the Christmas season, namely, that Christ came as the culmination of the revelation of the Father. The very word incarnation means to embody in flesh. Christ, then, by His birth became God manifest in the flesh. And it will not be forgotten that Jesus not only revealed and reflected God—He was God. He came to do a work of atonement, by means of which men alienated from God because of their sins, might live forever in His holy presence. To make possible this blessed relationship, Christ, the Sinless One, came into the world to die. He could say, as no man could ever say, “I lay down my life . . . No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself" (John 10:17, 18). Never theless, “The wages of sin is death,” and those wages must be paid. Justice must be satisfied. Penalties must be met. No mortal man could meet the requirements of divine law, but the Lord Jesus Christ, God incarnate, be came the sinner’s Substitute, and on the cross of Calvary the sin of the world was rolled upon Him. Since that day, God’s message to sinners has been to believe on Jesus, who died for their justification. Strange though it may seem, Jesus was born to die. He turned aside from the ivory palaces, not that He might become an example for us to follow, but to die as the Sinless Substitute for sinners. He clothed Himself with our humanity that He might take upon Himself the load and curse of our sin. Let it not be forgotten that He was born a Saviour, and that Mary herself recognized the stupendous truth when she sang, “My spirit hath re joiced in God my Saviour.” Our Lord’s incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection form a triad of truth upon which our minds never tire of meditating. In the virgin womb of Mary, the human body of Jesus was fashioned. In the virgin tomb of Joseph, the glorified body of Jesus was prepared. And the. Holy Spirit was responsible for both miracles. By His broken body, Christ made possible our salvation and by His resurrection, He guaranteed it. This may be our last Christmas. Who knows? Are you ready? If not, then why not fill the heart of Jesus with joy by surrendering yourself unreservedly to Him? Give Him a happy Christmas. Give Hint yourself! 13
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