Heralds of the morning ...

Front matter

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LIBRARY-OF CONGRESS,

(-nap. — ... Copyright So

Contents

CHAPTER PAGE

I. " Watchman, What of the Night?" 9

II. He Will Come Again 14

Chapter Two

THOUGH the conditions before the world to-day are filling men with fear and perplexity, yet none need be cast down or give up to despair. All through the dark night of this world of sin, the second coming of Christ has been set before the children of God as a cheering hope. And the Word abounds in promises of that event. To His people in all the world the Master sends the joyful proclamation: "Let not your heart be troubled ; ye believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." John 14:1-3.

"Let not your heart be troubled," says the Saviour; "for I will come again." He had been telling His disciples that He was soon to suffer the death of the cross, rise from the dead, and return to His Father's throne. These statements filled their hearts with sadness. But the Master does not leave them in despair. He at once gives, not only to them but to us also, that most precious promise, " I will come again, and receive you unto Myself."

Again, at His ascension, while the disciples were yet intently (14)

HE WILL COME AGAIN. 1 5

looking into the heavens, whither He was going, angels of God were commissioned to say to them: "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven." Acts i :n. Note the promise, It is "this same Jesus!'

The disciples had found in Jesus the " Desire of all nations." Their hungry souls had feasted on the words of life that He spoke, and they were resting in the inexpressible joy experienced by those who are conscious of pardoned sin, and the invigorating powers of a renewed life. Naturally they desired to have Him remain with them. But, although they had tasted the bliss of a Christian's happy experience, they had not as yet grown into that fulness of faith and knowledge that would enable them to comprehend all that the Master had been seeking to instil into their minds. They did not understand the great truth, although it had been so plainly stated by the Saviour, "It is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you." John 16:7.

The Lord states His truth in plain language; but it takes time for it to be assimilated by the human mind. And when that truth has to uproot prejudices and errors of long standing, the task is a most difficult one. The idea that at His first advent the Messiah was to establish a temporal kingdom, and by force of arms overthrow the Romans, thus relieving the Jews from a foreign yoke, though a false hope, was dearly cherished and firmly fixed. So deeply entrenched was the thought that Christ was to be a temporal king and reign in Judea, that all His teaching to the contrary had not fully driven this delusion from the' minds of even the disciples themselves. For in His last conversation with them, and on the very occasion when He made His ascension to His Father's throne, it is stated that "they asked of Him, saying, Lord, wilt Thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?" Acts i :6.

The Master had taken particular pains to make it plain to all that His first advent was to be a time of hardship and suffering, finally culminating in His death on the cross. He had pointed to His resurrection, and expounded the prophecies that foretell the subsequent long night of darkness through which the church would have to pass ; and finally He had dwelt upon the great event of His second coming, to put an end to sorrow, suffering, and sin.

But the disciples had not understood nor realized the significance of the words of their Lord. Their minds were still engrossed with the idea of a temporal kingdom, to be established then and there, and in which they would act a prominent part. It seemed impossible to draw their minds away from this cherished error to the exalted sphere of the divine plan. God's ways and plans are always best ; but how hard it is for fallen humanity to surrender the false and accept the true! And so the Father permitted the disciples with their natural eyes to behold their Saviour as He made His ascension to the heavenly throne. Thus He forever cut off all possible hope of a temporal reign of the Messiah over the Jewish nation in Palestine.

Then while their minds were the most impressible, while they were yet with amazement watching their ascending Lord, the angels were bidden to remind them that "this same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven." Acts i :n. What a lesson of tender solicitude for the needs of His children is here given ! And how impressive is the thought that God will exhaust every means to elevate our minds from the bewitching entanglements of error to a knowledge and full enjoyment of His exalted truth!

And so the privileged disciples retired from the scene of their Lord's ascension, to engage in careful meditation and

HE WILL COME AGAIN. 1 7

earnest prayer. They tarried in their private lodgings at Jerusalem until the words of truth so carefully planted in their minds by the Master had prepared their hearts for the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Then error was driven out, and truth, enthroned within, was permitted to occupy its rightful place. Then they could proclaim with power a crucified and risen Saviour; they could present with confidence the sinner's never-failing Hope, telling all that the chains of sin and death were forever broken. Yes; and they knew the promise, too, that "this same Jesus" will "come again."

This glorious hope is a theme that has called out the most sublime utterances of the inspired writers in all the ages.

'■ Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints." Jude 14.

"Sing unto the Lord with the harp ; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm. With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the Lord, the King. Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. Let the floods clap their hands; let the hills be joyful together before the Lord ; for He cometh to judge the earth ; with righteousness shall He judge the world, and the people with equity." Ps. 98 : 5-9-

"And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us; this is the Lord; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation." Isa. 25:9.

" Marvel not at this ; for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life ; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." John 5 : 28, 29.

"For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of

God ; and the dead in Christ shall rise first ; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air ; and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." i Thess. 4: 16-18.

" Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him; and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him." Rev. 1 : 7.

"And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every freeman, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" Rev. 6 : 14-17.

"And, behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be." " He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen, even so, come, Lord Jesus." Rev. 22 : 12, 20.

Could promise and positive statement be made in more forcible or explicit language than is used in the foregoing scriptures? Not only is Jesus coming again, but He is coming as the Saviour of all who have not persistently rejected the sinner's Friend. For "Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation." Heb. 9 : 28.

So, then, while the world is filled with distress and wo, so that brave-hearted men tremble before the threatening evil, there are heralds of the coming morning. The Master has promised to return; and all who know Him are longing for the time to come.

THE CONSOLER,

Chapter Three

SAID the angel, "This same Jesus, . . . shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven." Acts t : 1 1.

The Word of God proclaims to all the world that Christ is the sinner's Friend. Every act of His self-sacrificing life was a living expression of the great truth that He loves us. As we read the Gospel story, we are touched by the deep compassion of the Saviour, and the tenderness with which He devoted Himself to fallen man. He came so close to us, and became so fully identified with us, that He is "touched with the feeling of our infirmities." Heb. 4:15. And when we are overwhelmed with sin and grief and pain, and know that there is no human friend that can understand us and give us sympathy and help, we may come with confidence to our Redeemer, and tell Him that we know He understands us fully. We can say to Him that He "feels" our "infirmities," and that He knows from a personal experience how to apply the healing balm to our aching hearts. Oh, what a sympathizing Saviour !

See Him at Bethesda, seeking for the lonely sufferer who said, " I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool; but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me." The active, throbbing power of life was in the words that the great Physician spoke to this afflicted man ; and he found complete healing for every ailment in the command of the Master, "Rise, take up thy bed, and walk." John 5 : 7, 8.

Why did the Lord pass by all others, and seek out this friendless and helpless one? Oh, it is because He has so closely united Himself with humanity that he feels our weakness and distress! How gracious ! how considerate ! how tender !

On another occasion we find Him at the tomb of Lazarus. About Him are the sorrowing sisters and friends of the dead. We feels the grief that rends their sad hearts, and not only their affliction, but pressing upon His soul of love is all the sadness to be wrought by sin and death adown the ages. The record says, " Jesus wept." John 1 1 : 35. What a universe of meaning to us now, as well as to them, is summed up in these two short words! Is it any wonder that the Jews standing by said, " Behold how He loved him"? And well may we all join the apostle in saying that "God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Rom. 5:8.

And so we may follow the Master all through His devoted life. And always do we find Him mingling with the people, sharing their joys and their sorrows, relieving their distress, and healing their sick. He gave Himself without any reserve to humanity — the great object of His love. And this love was not quenched when cruel hands and sin-hardened hearts were mercilessly torturing Him on the cross. Even there He poured out the prayer, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."

Then with what a thrill of joy must the words come to us, "This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven." Acts 1:11. He is the same Jesus; the same compassionate and tender Saviour; the same One who "hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows;" He who was "wounded for our transgressions," and "bruised for our iniquities," and with whose " stripes we are healed." How this good news should cause our hearts to overflow with joy!

THIS SAME JESUS.

n

And He is to "come in like manner as ye have seen Him go." Yes, "in like manner." When they saw Him go, He was the personal, literal Jesus that they had associated with and loved and adored both as their dearest companion and Saviour. And "in like manner" He returns: He comes as the same literal, personal Friend for all who will receive Him.

The apostle Paul says C~~T ' that "the Lord Himself

shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God ; and the dead in Christ shall rise first." i Thess. 4:16. "The Lord Himself" is coming. He returns to earth with a triumphant "shout, with the voice of the Archangel," and the "trump of God;" and then, standing not %...' at the tomb of Lazarus

only, but in the presence of all the chambers of death in which His people are awaiting His summons, the voice of the great Victor is heard, and "the dead in Christ" arise. Such is a part of the Lord's own description of His coming.

And, further, the Word of God informs us that when the Redeemer comes the second time, the brightest glory will attend Him; "for the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and then He shall reward every man

This same Jesus . in like manner.

shall so come according to his works." Matt. 16:27. Arid again: "When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory." Matt. 25:31. Mark the description of His coming: "The Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father;" and, "the Son of man shall come in His glory." Thus in this event, as in everything else, the glory of both the Father and the Son is blended into one effulgent harmony

And, observe, the Scripture informs us that He is not coming alone. For with Him, in the shining brightness which God has given to each one of them, are "all the holy angels." Speaking of the number of the angels, it is said : " I beheld, and I heard the voice of manv aneels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders ; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands." Rev. 5:11. "Ten thousand times ten thousand" is a hundred million. But this is only a part of the vast throng; for the prophet immediately adds, "And thousands of thousands."

What a glorious event the second coming of the Lord will be! What majestic power and floods of dazzling light will shine forth from this mighty host when the Lamb of God returns in triumph for the trophies of His grace and love! "As the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." Matt. 24:27.

But the great deceiver does not want us to have a proper sense of what the second coming of Christ means to this sinful world, and so he seeks to becloud the minds of men in regard to both the nearness of the Master's coming and what the event really is. The Saviour tells us, "Many shall come in My name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many." Matt. 24:5. But no pretender can ever present to the world a literal fulfilment of all the specifications that are to mark the coming of the glorified Son of God. And yet it is said of these " false

THIS SAME JESUS. 25

christs and false prophets" that they "shall show great signs and wonders ; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." Matt. 24:24.

But the Word of God not only gives a faithful description of the manner and appearance of the second coming of the Lord, but it also unmasks the deceptions by which the enemy would ensnare and ruin us. Hence we should be faithful students of the Book of books. The ordinary reading of the Bible is not sufficient to barricade the heart against the deceptions prepared by the evil one for the last days. We must literally feed on the divine Word. We must commune with God through that Word and by prayer.

We may commune with God through His living Word, and by a daily contact with Him become so fully assimilated into His life and character, grow into such an intimate friendship with Him, and be made so sensible of the power of His coming, that we shall not be deceived. We shall know the voice of the true Shepherd, and no impostor, be he never so cunning, can possibly lead us astray. For when the true Shepherd "putteth forth His own sheep, He goeth before them. And the sheep follow Him ; for they know His voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him ; for they know not the voice of strangers." John 10:4, 5.

We know only "this same Jesus;" only Him with the perfect character; only Him whose life was so unselfishly sacrificed for lost mankind. Only "the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me," can ever fill the place that He has won in the Christian's heart. A cunning enemy may present deceptions, and, among his "great signs and wonders," may even show a brilliant spectacle that will cause some to think that Christ has already come ; but only those will be deceived thereby who have rejected or failed to heed the warnings of the Word of God.

Then receive the Redeemer as your personal Saviour. He says, " Behold, I stand at the door, and knock; if any man

HERALDS OF THE MORNING.

hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me." Rev. 3:20. And if you allow Him to draw you into this intimate association, you will learn to know Him as a personal Friend. You will become actually acquainted with the real Son of God. And the individual who really knows the Friend of sinners, earnestly longs for the day of His coming. He carefully observes every herald of the approaching morn ; and however this world may be filled with terrors, and however dark it may be to others, to him it is all lighted up by the sure promises that the eternal day is at hand. His heart is throbbing for the time, and his eyes are longing to behold "this same Jesus," the one object of his joy and love.

Chapter Four

ALTHOUGH the Word of God abounds in promises of the second coming of Christ, yet we are told, "Of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but My Father only." Matt. 24 : 36.

This scripture is so very plain that the truly loyal Christian will readily see that it is no part of his work to figure out a definite date on which the Lord is to come. The "day and hour" of that great event the Father has not seen fit to reveal. And we may rest assured that whatever is not made known is withheld because of a wise and good purpose. Then we should be content to leave all such matters in the hands of God, without troubling our minds over them in the least.

But though the Word of God is very explicit in telling us that the "clay and hour" of the Saviour's coming have not been made known, we shall find that it clearly shows that we may know when the event is near. The disciples asked Jesus, "What shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world ? " Matt. 24 : 3. The Saviour proceeded to glvQ a definite answer to this direct question, and concluded by saying: "And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven ; and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Now learn

" The swelling of the buds in the spring-time."

HERALDS OF THE MORNING.

a parable of the fig tree: When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh ; so likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things , know that it [margin, "He"] is near, even at the doors." Matt. 24:30-33. Luke, in the twenty -first chapter of his Gospel, records this same conversation between the disciples and Christ concerning His second coming. Speaking of the signs that are to precede His advent, the Lord says, "When these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads ; for your redemption draweth nigh." Verse 28.

Thus the Lord foretells certain signs that are to betoken His coming. He first points us to the signs, and then He tells that when these begin to come to pass, we may know that our redemption is near. We are not then to begin to conjecture that possibly He may be about to return, but to know for a certainty that He is "even at the door." The swelling of the buds in the spring-time is a never-failing evidence that summer is nigh. And upon the Master's own word, the tokens of His coming are to be relied upon with the same unmistakable certainty.

The language of the apostle Paul is equally clear upon this subject : " But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and

WE MAY NOT KNOW THE HOUR.

they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day; we are not of the night, nor of darkness." 1 Thess. 5 : 1-5.

From this scripture we readily see that those who stand in the light will know "the times and the seasons" of "the day of the Lord." Speaking to his "brethren," the apostle says, "Yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night." Verse 2. But that great day does not thus come upon all; for he says further, "Ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief." Verse 4. The "brethren" stand in the light, and so know "the times and the seasons" of "the day of the Lord."

Then there will be a class who will say, "Peace and safety," and upon whom "sudden destruction cometh;" and another class who "are not in darkness," and hence that day does not

'As a tliief in the night

"overtake them as a thief." This destruction comes upon the one class because they have chosen to hide away from the light, while the others are delivered because they have accepted "the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." John i :g. For "light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they arc wrought in God." John 3: 19-21.

Those here spoken of who "love darkness rather than light," will very naturally say, "Peace and safety," even though in the immediate presence of "sudden destruction." And while they remain in that blinding darkness, they can not see the evidence showing that " He is near, even at the doors." But the psalmist says, "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Ps. 119: 105. The reverent student who will open the heart and mind to the reception of that Word, will thereby stand among those who discern the signs of the times.

Our heavenly Father has seen fit to reserve to Himself the knowledge of the exact "day and hour" when the Saviour will come. But by every sign that foretells that event He who is the "Friend of sinners" is now inviting us to prepare for His glorious coming, and thus be ready to receive Him with joy when He shall "appear the second time without sin unto salvation." Heb. 9:28.

He is coming soon to gather all His people from this world of sin. All are entreated to be ready against that time. The invitation is, " Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." How can any one refuse this great salvation, — salvation from our personal sins now, salvation from the evils of this age; and then, at His coming, salvation and eternal bliss in the realities of immortal life?

Chapter Five

AFTER stating to His disciples that "of that day and that hour knoweth no man," the Lord said, "Watch ye therefore; for ye know not when the Master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning; lest coming suddenly He find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch." Mark

^3-35-37-

Satan is continually waging an active warfare against every

soul. He is determined that no one shall accept Christ if he

can possibly prevent it. Says the Scripture, "Wo to the

inhabiters of the earth and of the sea ! for the devil is come

down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that

he hath but a short time." Rev. 12:12. As the Lord's coming

draws nearer and nearer, Satan's time for working becomes

shorter and shorter. And when "he knoweth that he hath but

a short time," his "great wrath" is manifested by increased and

cunning deceptions, in order that he may bind as many as possible for the "sudden destruction" that awaits the wicked world. By his Satanic arts he seeks so to engross the mind in the things of this life that the evidence of our Lord's coming will not be seen, even though that evidence stands out before the world as plainly as an unobscured and blazing light. But we are put on our guard against the deceptions of the great adversary by the ringing words, "Watch," "lest coming suddenly He find you sleeping."

The great necessity of watching when the closing days of time are reached, is repeated and emphasized in the Word of God. Only by constantly reading and giving heed to these warnings can we preserve a realizing sense of their importance. By the apostle Paul w r e are told that " then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming; even Him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie; that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." 2 Thess. 2 :8-i2.