shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven.” He Himself had declared, “ I will come again.” The centuries have passed and sometimes that hope has grown dim but it has never disappeared. Critics scorn His return just they make light of His resurrection but there are still those who trust Him and love Him the world around — they look for Him Who shall appear the second time apart from sin unto salvation. Scoffers ask, “ Where is the promise of His coming?” Extremists have set dates and gathered on mountain tops to await His return but neither infidels against nor fanatics for that blessed hope have kept faithful Christians from looking and longing for their coming King. Just as the Japanese drove MacArthur from the Philippines, sin and death drive us mortals from life into the grave. But the Christian can say with His Lord, “ I SHALL RETURN.” Death has lost its sting and the grave its victory. Because He lives, we shall live also. The graveyard is not the end of the journey. It is only a station where the traveler changes clothes for the next phase of the journey. The Scriptures tell us that the saints shall live and reign with Christ a thousand years. The devil will be in the bottomless pit and sin will be held in abey ance. The world will be at peace and God’s will will be done on earth as in heaven. God’s people will judge the earth and angels. Animals will not prey on each other. The lion and lamb will lie down together. Disease and death will have no power. No longer will the air be polluted or the waters poisoned, and the beauty of the landscape will not be bulldozed away. ¡ God will have His own anti-poverty and beautification program . . . and it will work! At the end of the millennium, the devil will return for one more fling, only to meet his eternal doom in the lake of fire. The new heavens and earth will begin, the old having been burned up. Just what the new earth will be like transcends our fondest dreams. I have enjoyed my years on this old earth. Marred by sin as it is and only a wreck of its former glory, it is still lovely in spots. I like it in spite of all that the devil and disease and death and decay have done to spoil it. It is the only planet I know and whatever the astronauts may find in space, I will spend what years remain on this speck of dust. It has been good to me and has afforded me much pleasure. I shall take leave of it with reluctance for much of it is dear to my heart and loaded with precious memories. But when the day of my departure comes I shall not leave for good. I SHALL RETURN. I believe not only in the redemption of man but also in the re demption of creation. Paul tells us that the whole creation is on tiptoe, waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God. When Adam sinned, he pulled all creation down with him. The earth is now under the bondage of sin and corruption but that bondage will be broken when Christ returns to reign on a redeemed earth. That earth will be as infinitely more wonderful than this present planet as our resurrection bodies THE KING'S BUSINESS
SHALL RETURN by Vance Havner
W hen General Douglas MacArthur was driven out of the Philippines by the Japanese invasion, he said, “ I shall return,” and return he did. The great American thus immortalized three words that have other glorious applications. Our Lord departed this life at Calvary but He had promised to return from the dead after three days, and return He did. The world has not believed it. Crit ics have ridiculed it and now we hear from an atheist that our Lord plotted a fake resurrection by drinking a drug on the cross and returning to consciousness in the tomb. He appeared only to His own and we who love and trust take His word for it and the testimony of those who saw Him after He arose. After the resurrection came the ascension. When our Lord ascended, the angel said: “ This same Jesus 30
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