The Fundamentals 118 the high priest, when He calmly acknowledged the claim to be the Christ, the Son of God: “Nevertheless, I say unto you, henceforth ye shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven” (Matt 24:64). He did not look like the Messiah at that moment as He stood there with bound hands before His accusers. His appearance seemed to belie His words. But the time would come when they would see that His claim was true. This was what was in His thoughts. Through all the shame of those awful hours, the vision of His return in glory to the world that was rejecting Him now shone like a beacon upon His soul; and for the joy that was set before Him, He endured the cross, despising the shame.” At His ascension the same truth was brought again to the minds of tne disciples. As they stood gazing in wonder towards the place where the Lord had disappeared from their view, the two angels were sent to remind them of His re- turn. This same Jesus who is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven (Acts 1:11). It was this thought that sent the dis- ciples back to Jerusalem with the joy which Luke describes in the closing verses of his Gospel. I t is very clear, therefore, that when Jesus departed from this world after His first com- ing He left His disciples radiant with the joyful assurance of His coming again. 2. The apostles taught their converts to wait for the com- ing o f the Lord. All the New Testament churches have the expectant attitude. No matter in what part of the world or in what stage of development they are found, they have this characteristic in common. The conversion of the Thessa- lonians is described as “turning to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven” (1 Thess. 1 :9, 10). The Corinthians “come behind in no gift, waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 1:7). To the Galatians Paul writes, “We through
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