251
July 1943
The Second Coming of Christ
THE TRYST
By HELEN FRAZEE-BOWER
"Even so, come. Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22:201.
The Consummation of All His Offices
I have a tryst with my BeloVed. When The morning breaks along the eastern hills, And the long night of sin is over— then— I shall go forth to meet Him. Longing fills And overflows the brief cup of my heart; In dreams I see the eastern sky aflame With sudden light, and, out of dreams, I start— Thinking to hear the whisper of my name. Beloved, be not late: The way grows long, The night is dark; the lone heart cannot cope With life’s bewilderment. And yet the song— The steadfast joy— abounds: The blessed hope Of Thine appearing makes my lips to sing “We have a tryst— I am remembering!”
By NO RM AN F. DOUTY Rebersburg, Pennsylvania
E VERY INTELLIGENT Christian k n o w s that o u r Lord Jesus Christ holds t h r e e offices: He said that He was prophet in the past, is priest in the present, and will be king in the future. However, a little reflection will show that it is more accurate to consider the three offices as contemporaneous. They are parallel, not successive. Consequently, we should recognize that all three belong in part to the past, in part to the pres ent, and in part to ¡the future. It fol lows, therefore, that none of Christ’s offices can be considered consummat ed, thoroughly filled up', until the fu ture aspect is realized. Inasmuch as that future aspect relates to His second coming, we observe that only when Christ returns will His offices r,each their complete fulfillment. The Prophetic Office Consummated The second coming will be the con summation of Christ’s prophetic office. He entered upon this office at His bap tism. Referring to Isaiah 61 in the synagogue of Nazareth, He announced Himself as anointed with the Spirit in order to preach the gospel to the poor (Lk. 4:16-18). All that He said in the course of His public ministry belongs in this category. Christ’s pro phetic office entails His revealing the mind and heart of the Father. These He revealed more in what He was than in what He said, even; for He was the Father’s Word made flesh. In the upper room, that last evening, our Lord stated that He had much more to say, but that He would say it later—by the agency of the other Comforter. Luke in his opening words of the Acts seems to imply as much when he refers to all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day in which He was received up—as though
after His ascension, He continued these ministries. As a mat ter of fact, He did continue them. In the Acts He con tinued His doing; in t h e Epistles, His teaching. Only, now He operated medi ately through the instrumentality o f believing men. He is still carrying on these activities of His. If the indwel ling Christ is per mitted to live His life in us "tvho have received Him as our Redeemer, He will
is prophet, priest, and king. It is often
considers his highest knowledge in the present life as compared to that which he would enjoy in the Great Beyond and likens it to the outlook of a child as compared to that of the mature man. We are at best but babes here; the light to be enjoyed in the here after is too bright for us now. There are depths in God not yet perceived which we will perceive later on—and that, under the fuller unveilings to be made to us by our everlasting prophet. These unveilings, granted in measure to departed saints, will burst forth in increasing glory upon the entire church throughout the ages to be introduced by His return. Thus we see that the second coming means the. consum mation of Christ’s prophetic office. The Priestly Office Consummated The second coming will be the con summation of Christ’s priestly office. Into thisk office He was formally in ducted at His transfiguration. There in the holy mount “He received from God the Father honor and glory” (2 Pet. 1:17). In the Greek version of the Old Testament the same words which Peter uses were employed to denote Aaron’s garments—garments “for glory and for beauty.”
perform His works and speak His words through us. Of course, we must recognize that His works now are largely1spiritual, not physical; and that His words now are those already recorded in the Holy Scriptures. But it is one thing for us to be working and speaking for Christ; and it is another for-Him to work and speak through us. Let us see to it that through our sur render and trust, He may be free to live in us that we may be channels of His activity in the world. But, it is when He comes again that Christ will consummate His prophetic office. He has something more to say than He has yet said, and that further unveiling awaits the time of His re turn. In the Revelation, God the Father, is spoken of as the One Who was and is and is to come. Professor H. B. Swete maintains that the last clause relates to future divine manifestations. How ever, since the Father ever manifests Himself through His Son, these future disclosures will come through Christ. Thus will our Lord climax all His ministry as prophet in connection with His second coming and what is sues out of it. In 1 Corinthians 13, the Apostle J*aul
{This address was delivered at the Bible Institute o f Los Angeles. —EDITQR.]
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