Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, they, and their children, and their children’s children, for ever: and David my ser vant shall be their prince forever. Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. My tabernacle also shall be with them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And the nations shall know that I am the Lord that sanctifieth Israel, where my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them forever more” (Ezek. 37:21-28). Sooner than anyone of these apostles realized, they were given a preview of the coming kingdom o f the Messiah. The plan of God does not wait for man, and the Messiah’s coming again for Israel is not far off. Dr. Guinness of England was speaking on “ The Imminent Return of the Lord Jesus.” He used this illus tration to show how he knew Christ’s coming was near. He had heard Handel’s “Messiah” with great delight the previous evening. Now if a man had asked him after the performance had gone on a couple o f hours, how long he thought it would continue, he would have answered, “ About five minutes.” “ But,” the man might have said, “ how can that be? It is in full swing, has been going on for two hours, and I see no reason who it should not continue for two hours longer. How do you know it will be over in five minutes?” “ Then,” said Dr. Guinness, “ I should have answered him, ‘Because I have the score. Don’t you remember that beautiful solo?’ And he would have said, ‘Yes.’ ‘And that chorus?’ ‘Yes.’ And then I should have said to him, ‘And I know it will soon be over because I have the score and they are singing the last chorus.’ ” It is a wonderful thing to “Have the score,” so you may follow events that lead to the advent. We are near His coming. How near no one knows for certain, but it cannot be long! Finally, we see that which transpired BELOW THE MOUNT The crowd at the foot of the mountain (Mt. 17:14) represents the nations in the kingdom after its estab lishment. Isaiah predicted: “ And it shall come to pass in that day, that the root o f Jesse, that standeth for an ensign of the peoples, unto him shall the nations seek; and his resting-place shall be glorious” (11:10). When Messiah comes again, He will find some ready to receive Him among the nations, and others not prepared. When He came from the Mount that day He found (1) a lost world; (2) powerless disciples; (3) a demon in a man; and (4) He cast out the demon. When He returns, He will find a world steeped in sin, professing disciples without power, demon power rampant. His answer to all this will be to consign the wicked to perdition. There will be many ready, thank God, but sad to say, some will not be ready. While the last Prince of Wales was on a visit to the Midlands, he went into a certain workingman’s house. Next day the man told his friends sadly: “ I never expected him, nor did my wife. The house was untidy, and I hadn't washed. We shall never forgive ourselves. If we had known he was com ing, we should have been ready for him.” The Messiah is coming again, in power to the earth, and you must make certain you will be ready to meet Him. To trust Him for salvation is to be ready.
A heart-stricken woman was once asked by a min ister, “ Are you in the habit of attending church?” “Yes,” said she, “ every church in town; but I come away as bad as I go. I read the Bible every day — always read it. I am sometimes a little comforted, but it leaves me as wretched as ever.” “ Do you ever pray for peace?” “ I pray for peace every day, and sometimes I get it, and then I lose it. I am a miserable woman.” “Madam, when you pray, to whom to you pray?” “Why, to God. To whom else should I pray?” “ To whom else? Stop, now, and read this verse, ‘Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ Who said that?” “ Jesus.” “ Have you ever been to Jesus for rest?” The woman looked amazed, and the tears welled up in her eyes. A light like that which flooded the top of the Mount of Transfiguration with glory beamed on her. Church, Bible, prayer, all van ished and her yearning heart saw no one in the uni verse save Jesus only. She was liberated from years of bondage on the spot. The old burden was lifted off, and her feet, like hinds’ feet, leaped for joy. It is very important to note that Moses and Elijah discussed the coming death o f the Messiah at Jeru salem. The word is literally exodus. His entrance on His ministry is called eisodus. See Acts 13:24. The pur pose of the Transfiguration was to confirm the neces sity of the Cross. Consider Luke 9:11. It is a mistake to think the Old Testament believers knew nothing of the sacrifice of the Messiah. The aim of all the law and the prophets was not only to testify to the coming Messiah, but to the dying Messiah also. His death was basic to the kingdom. A second feature of this remarkable scene is that which points to what transpired IN THE MOUNT Peter, James, and John were with the Messiah in the mount. They were witnesses three times of im portant events: the raising o f the daughter of Jairus (Mk. 5 :3 7 ); here at the Mount of Transfiguration; the agony in Gethsemane (Mk. 14:33). It is significant that each one of these three disciples knew suffering for the Lord. James was the first apostle to be mar tyred; Peter is said to have been crucified at Rome head downward; and John was persecuted for the faith, and exiled to Patmos. The apostles here are representa tives of Israel in the flesh in the future kingdom. Ezekiel the prophet foretold their coming time of glory: “ Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, whither they are gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: and I will make them one nation in the land, upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all; and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all; neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their trans gressions ; but I will save them out of all their dwelling- places, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God. And my servant David shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in mine ordinances, and observe my statutes, and do them. And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto
“God’s plan does not wait for man”
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SEPTEMBER, 1964
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