The angels of Heaven announced His return. Turn to Acts 1:11 and read the record for yourself. The angels an nounced His birth (Luke 1:26-33) and they were right. We have every reason to believe that they are right as they tell of His coming again. The inspired Apostles speak in positive terms of His return. Turn in your Bibles and read together and comment on such wonderful passages as the following: Matthew 24:26; Rom. 13:11-14; 1 Thess. 4:13-5:11; Rev. 19, etc. Surely these Scriptures will warm your heart. The Manner of His Coming A careful study of the Word of God indicates that the Return of Christ will take place in two stages: He will come, first, for His saints; He will come shortly after this event with His saints to estab- I lish His reign on earth. First, then, Christ is going to return for His saints. The record of this is given in First Thessalonians 4:13-18. Read this passage carefully and discuss it in your group. Notice the certainty of this amazing event—it is just as sure as the very resurrection of Christ (v. 14); it is “by the word of the Lord” (v. 15). Note the subjects —“ them which sleep in Jesus,” i.e., the believers who had already died, and “we which are alive and remain,” i.e., believers living at the time of His coming. The rapture, or catching up (v. 17) is only for bom-> again believers. The world’s people have no part in this blessed experience (cf. Rev. 20:1-6). Seven years later (one prophetic week, cf. Daniel 9:24-27) the Lord will return with His saints to establish His king dom on earth (Matt. 24:29-31; Rev. 19: 1-20:6). During the thousand year King dom God will fulfill His promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (cf. Gen. 12:1-3; Deut. 30:1-10; Isa. 2:1-5, etc.). The Time of His Coming No man knows exactly the very mo- . ment of the Lord’s return (Matt. 24:36). But the believer is to be given under- | standing to detect the many signs that
God has given to indicate that the time of our Lord’s coming is very near (Matt. 24:33). We cannot take the time here to list the many indications of this won derful event. For those who wish to make a further study of this subject the writer suggests his book Handbook of Christian Truth. Four chapters of this book are devoted to an analytic outline study of Bible prophecy. Evidence is there given of some eighteen or more prophecies which have been or are being fulfilled in the past fifty years. The Handbook may be secured from the Biola Book Room, 558 South Hope Street, Los Ange les 17, California. Among the most significant of all recent world developments is the return of Israel to Palestine and the formation of the Israeli government (cf. Deut. 30: 1-10; Ezek. 37:1-14,21-28). Another no table sign is the rise of Russia and the northern powers (Ezek. 38). Still another significant development is the formation of world government of which the UNO is a striking shadow (cf. Rev. 13:1-10; 17:12-14; Dan. 2:40-45). The fourth sign is the formation of a world church. The recent formation of the World Council of Churches in Amster dam in 1948, is the foreshadow of the coming world religious organization which shall dominate the bodies and souls of men (Rev. 13:11-18). As we see these things come to pass let us look for the Saviour’s return (Matt. 24:32-44). April 19, 1953 THIS IS HOME MISSIONS John 4:31-38; Acts 16:4-40; Rom. 10:1-10 We speak oftentimes of “foreign mis sions” and “home missions,” but actually, in the sight of God, there is but one field of missions, and that is the entire world (John 3:16). There is danger, however, that in our interest in the lands across the sea we might forget precious souls that are nearer to us and yet who need the Saviour as much as any others. The church is responsible for needy souls at home as well as abroad. This truth is clearly brought out in the texts which head our lesson. The Biblical Basis of Home Missions Just before His ascension to Heaven our Lord gave His marching orders to the church. These orders included “Jeru salem,” “ Judea and Samaria,” and the “ uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). This is His order: first at home in Jerusalem, then to a broader area, and ultimately to the entire earth. We deplore the fact that the church has been slow in fulfilling our Lord’s command in cov ering the earth with the gospel. Many churches give nothing or almost nothing in the interest of world-wide missions. On the other hand it is very possible for a church to become so enthusiastic in the regions beyond that they forget their responsibility at home. The passage in John 4 depicts the
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