King's Business - 1913-03

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THE KING’S BUSINESS

cerning th e resu rrection o f all who shou ld believe on H im . A m y stery is a D ivine se c re t to ld out, so th e A p o stle says, '"Behold, I show you a m ystery— w e shall n o t all sleep, b u t w e shall all b e ch a n g e d .” T h a t is ou r su b je c t ton igh t. It connects itself v e ry closely w ith th e m y stery of th e b o d y o f which w e are th e living m em bers, a n d w ith th e m y stery o f th e B ride. F o r w h en th e b o d y is com p lete, this th ird m ystery, th e m y stery o f th e ch ang e w ithou t seeing d e a th , will b e accom plished o r fulfilled. A n d th e n th e B ride­ g ro om w ill h a v e H is B ride. F irst o f all, distinguish w ith m e b e tw e en th is m ystery, now first re ­ v e a led , th a t w e shall n o t all sleep, w e Christians, b u t w e shall all b e changed . I w a n t you to distinguish th a t from th e prom ise in th e O ld T e s­ tam e n t an d th e New o f th e glorious a n d visible a p p e a rin g o f th e L o rd w hen H e re tu rn s again to this earth . T h a t w as no m ystery, th e O ld T e s­ tam e n t has th e tw o a d v e n ts clearly d ifferen tiated , th e fou r G ospels h av e th e tw o ad v e n ts clearly d ifferen ti­ a ted . In H is g re a t O liv e t discourse, o u r L o rd spoke, as H e h a d before, o f H is re tu rn in g lo ry to th e earth , a n d o f th e even ts th a t w ould p re c ed e a n d a c com p an y H is re tu rn to th e e a rth a n d all th e saints w ith H im . H e re is som eth ing th e n th a t is d if­ feren t, an d I w an t to say fo r m y ­ self, w h e th e r I c a rry you w ith m e ju st a t th e p re se n t o r not, th a t n e ith ­ e r a re w e to con sid e r th is m y stery in th e fifteenth o f F irst C o rin th ian s as a p h a se o r p a rt o f th e glorious a p ­ p e a rin g o f th e L o rd , n o r a s co n c e rn ­ ing th e re tu rn o f th e L o rd in g lo ry to this ea rth . W e a re given signs, th e re a re ce rta in ev en ts co n n e c ted w ith a n d p re c ed in g th e glorious ap p e a rin g o f th e L o rd . This m ystery, th e com ­ ing o f th e L o rd fo r H is saints, is n o t co n n e c ted w ith an y sign; it is sign­ less, timeless, u n re la ted . A g re a t

m any peop le, w ith in th e la st th re e o r fou r years, h av e g o t in to a g o o d d e a l o f d ark n e ss a b o u t th e blessed h o p e o f th e church, becau se th ey h av e b e e n to ld th a t th e L o rd could n o t re tu rn an d set up H is k ingdom until certain th ing s h a d ta k e n place, an d w ithou t going in to th a t question a t all, I re p e a t th a t I w a n t us to see ton igh t, fo r w e easily m ay, even w ithin th e lim it o f tim e set m e to ­ night, th a t this is a new th ing n o t co nn e c ted a s a ph ase o f th e glorious ap p e a rin g of th e L o rd again up o n th e e a rth to ju d g e th e nation s a n d se t up H is k ingdom . T h e first em e rg ­ ence o f this tru th , this m y stery o f th e fifteen th o f F irst C o rinthians, you m ay find in th e fo u rte en th o f J o h n— w e a re v e ry fo n d o f q u o ting it, b e ­ cause it is full o f com fo rt— “L e t no t y o u r h e a rt b e tro u b le d ; y e b elieve in G od , believe also in Me. In My F a th e r s house a re m an y m ansions. If it w ere n o t so, I w o u ld h a v e to ld you. I go to p re p a re a p lace fo r you (o b se rv e H e is in th e u p p e r ch am b e r w ith H is disciples. T h is is n o t a n a d ­ d ress to Israel th e nation , th e m ixed m u ltitu d e com po sing th e Church, a n d th e k ingdom , b u t in th e seclu­ sion o f th e u p p e r ch am b e r a fte r th e su p p e r in th a t g re a t u p p e r ch am b e r discourse o f ou r L o rd ’s ) , a n d if I go an d p re p a re a p lace fo r you, I w ill com e ag ain an d receive you un to Myself, th a t w here I am th e re y e m ay b e a lso .” T h e A p o stle tak in g up, a s it w ere, this m ere hint, tells us th a t it concern s one o f th e m y s­ teries, “ I show you a m ystery. W e shall n o t all sleep. O u r L o rd h a d n o t said th a t. T h is is an ad d itio n a l revelation . In th e first o f his w rit­ ten epistles, F irst The'ssalonians, first chronologically, h e tak e s up th e d e ­ tail o f this m ystery, “w e shall n o t all sleep, b u t w e shall all b e ch a n g e d .” “ If I go a n d p re p a re a p lace fo r you, I will com e again a n d receive you u n to Myself, th a t w h ere I am , th e re

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