THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NESS 9 Various reasons have been suggested by way of reply. Has the promise of His return been misinterpreted or misunderstood? Have the powers of darkness gained some victory in the unseen? Has the purpose of God been thwarted to any extent and the plan of the ages changed? The delay of nearly two thousand years cannot.be accounted for by any of these supposi tions. Blended with the New Testament exhorations to watchfulness and pre paredness for His coming are veiled intimations of delay. “ While the bride groom tarried.” “ After a long time the lord of those servants cometh and reckoneth with them.” A certain writer has said, “ Take away the certainty of the fact of Christ’s coming and tell us that He may never return and at once the wing of hope is paralyzed and the eye of vigilance closed. Take away the uncertainty as to the time of Christ’s coming and tell us that a thousand years of millennial blessedness stand between us and the advent, and the watchman’s vigil will cease and the virgin’s lamp be quenched.” The wise combination of the known and the unknown factors in prophecy maintain our expectant watchfulness and save us alike from presuniption and despondency. Our great High Priest has passed behind the cloud curtain of the heav enly sanctuary, as.of old the Hebrew high priest on the great day of Atone ment went into the most holy place, Since sin and salvation both begin in heaven, redemption must include both and the Redeemer must belong to both. ' Christ not only belongs originally to the heavens but He has a work in the heavens after becoming man. That work He is now performing previous to His more complete work in the earth at His second advent. Redemption must first be completed in heaven rather than in the earth since heaven rules the earth. Satan and his angels must be cast out of heaven but not until the church is caught up thither. (Rev. 12:5, 9). When the work of the Jewish high priest behind the veil had been accomplised, he came forth to bless the people. (Num. 6 -.24-26).^ Christ has not entered into the holy places made with hands which are the figures of the true but into heaven itself now to appear in the presence of God for us. When His work there is accomplished, since the heavenly things themselves must be purified with better sacrifices than the Old Testa ment prescribes, He shall appear the second time unto them that look for Him, to pronounce and dispense the blessings of the millennial age (Heb 9 :23-28>.—F. W. F. T H E R E A L R E A S O N the Gospel is Turned DovJn One argument tjtiat has been heard from the lips of many so-called church' leaders since the war is that Christianity has failed because people do not believe the facts as presented to them. Their reason and their sense of justice, we are told, have been greatly offended by the teachings of the Bible and intelligent people therefore cannot longer identify themselves with the church unless there comes a sweeping away of the old dogmas. But is this the real reason so many do not accept the Gospel and have no use for the church? Is it a fact that people are now compelled to reject the old Gospel because, having carefully examined the testimony of God,
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker