Anti-Christ will bring about the binding of the devil and the setting up of our Lord’s Kingdom. The children of Israel are now going back in large numbers to their na tive land. They are going back, still in blindness; never theless, they are turning their steps toward the land of their forefathers. The Return o f Christ in Glory In a little while Heaven will open, and the Lord Jesus will come in clouds of glory. What a sight that will be! “ Look up, for your redemption draweth nigh!” I often think of Rev. 1:7: “ Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him.” Now, that verse does not have reference to the translation of the Church, because every eye shall not behold that mysterious and awe-inspiring spectacle. The world will scarcely know that the Church has been taken. They will know only that some of their loved ones have disappeared and are seen no more in their midst. “Two shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come” (Matt. 24:40-42). But when He comes as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, He will come with clouds, and every eye shall behold Him. What a glorious sight that will be! I was walking along the streets of Chicago one day, when the airplane was in its infancy, when the sight of one soaring through the heavens was something new and wonderful. I noticed people staring upwards as I passed a comer, and wondered what the attraction was, for I saw nothing unusual. As I passed on, I saw more people, and still others, gazing up into the heavens with intent faces. Then I stopped, too, and looked in the same direction with them. Presently, a tiny dot appeared, black against the blue of the sky; then it grew larger and larger; and at last we could see the silver wings of the plane as it whirred its way through space. As I beheld this spectacle, I was impressed by the fact that there were literally thousands of people staring up at that airplane. Then suddenly there came to my mind the thought of that text, “ Every eye shall see him ;” and my whole being thrilled at the thought that, when He comes in clouds of glory, the men and women in China, in England, in America, in the islands of the sea, will behold Him in His majesty and splendor! What a mar vellous time it will be, when He comes! Characteristics o f The Reign o f Christ 1. Christ Shall Be the King of the Whole Earth. The Son of God will be on the earth in person. He will be King in as definite a sense as the world has ever known a king to be, only His Kingdom will have a wider sphere than that of any earthly king. His rule will be more autocratic; its sway will be limitless. And He will have a throne. Did you ever notice carefully those verses in the first chapter of Luke, where we read of how Gab riel came to announce to Mary the astounding news that she was to share with God in bringing into the world His Son? As recorded there, the angel said to her con cerning the Lord Jesus: “ He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end” (Luke 1:32, 33). Have you ever thought of the fact that this prophecy has never been fulfilled? Christ has never yet sat upon the throne of David; He has never yet ruled over the house of Israel. But when He returns in glory, Israel will “ look upon him whom they have pierced;” and Jesus, as the Son of David, will sit upon the throne of David. Moreover, that
Body of Christ; yet God knows just how many are to constitute that Body. We learn this truth from Rom. 11: 25, where Paul writes: “ For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is hap pened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.” The Greek words translated “ fulness of the Gentiles” refer to the full number of Gentiles who are to come into the Church; and when that “ full number” is brought in, the Body of Christ will be translated. Then God will deal with Israel, and they shall again become a nation. I know of nothing that will stir one’s very soul, as does the thought that every time he preaches a sermon, or gives out a tract, or teaches a Sunday School class, or talks to an unconverted man or woman about his or her soul, he may be doing something that will add the last member to the Body of Christ, thereby making possi ble the translation of the Church. The business of those who have been saved is to co-operate with the Spirit of God, to help Him complete the real Church, to help hasten the coming of Christ’s Kingdom. The business of the Church is not to amuse people; not to run a gym nasium; not to have oyster suppers, cantatas, and other activity. It is not the primary business of the Church to attend to the physical welfare of people, or to pro vide features for their entertainment. The duty of the Church is to preach the Gospel and win people to Christ! If every minister in every denomination throughout the Church age had been giving himself to the real task which is his, no doubt the Body of Christ would have been completed long ago! 2. The Church Must Be Translated.. The next thing that must happen, before the Kingdom age can come in, is that the Church must be translated, caught away to be forever with Christ. This we call the Rapture of the Church. 3. The Anti-Christ Must Be Revealed. Following the Rapture of the Church, the Man of Sin must be revealed. He must take his place and rule over the nations. The apostate Church will continue for a time, the true Church having been translated. Then the devil will be in control, through the agency of the Anti-Christ. 4. Israel Must Return to Palestine. The fourth thing that must come to pass, before the Kingdom age can begin, is that the nation of Israel, or a portion of it, must be back in the land of Palestine. The children of Israel are now going back to their homeland, even as all of these things which I have mentioned are in the process of completion in our own day. There are more Jews in Palestine today than there were in the days of our Lord’s ministry. 5. The Devil Must Be Bound. We shall never have a millennium while the devil is loose. And surely he is loose today! The only One who can bind him is the Lord Jesus Christ; and when He comes in His glory, He will do this very thing. Then He will set* up His King dom on the earth. When all these things have come to pass—when the Church has been completed; when the Church has been translated; when the Anti-Christ has had his little time of power and authority; when Israel has returned to her native land; and when the devil has been bound— then, and not till then, will our Lord return in glory to set up His earthly rule. Then will begin the millennial reign of Christ on earth. These events can transpire quickly. In fact, the completion of one event will natur ally and inevitably bring about the next. The Church completed means the Church translated; the Church translated means the beginning of the tribulation period and the rule of the Anti-Christ; the overthrow of the
THE K IN G 'S BU SINESS
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