Clouds are formed upon dust once belonging to earth, now to heaven:so with the Church, once dead in trespasses and sins, now raised up and seated in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, and thus associated with the character of the glory with which the Father has crowned Him by placing Him on His throne-the greatest honor He could give to man-the most sublime spectacle in the universe today, or that ever will be. Do we realize the wonder and the glory of it ? It seems natural that sunset-the most brilliant scene in nature-should be the type of this.
The Church is the witness of this glory now to a world that is in darkness, and whilst the Lord is absent. So in the type it is only when there are clouds in the sky, and the sun has set, that sunset is seen at its best. We are looking for the Lord's return; but many of us may be called home before He comes. It may be through lingering illness, or intense suffering, or by sudden accident with but a few seconds' notice before we pass into the immediate presence of the One who loves us; but even then
this blessed thought may fill the soul and lift it clean above all fear:for not only have we the assurance that "underneath are the everlasting arms," but the next moment we shall open our eyes on the face of the Lord Jesus on the Father's throne in glory. This present glory of our Lord eclipses His millennial glory, when He will be seated on His own throne, in the measure that honor from the Father eclipses and outclasses all human and angelic glories. To see Him thus will much more than offset the trial of passing through even the most painful death. We shall exclaim,-
" It were a well-spent journey
If seven deaths lay between."
Paul saw it, and he says, " It is not lawful for a man to utter " what he heard. But we should not, and need not, wait till death to enjoy what is now the portion of the saints in light.
Notice, not the inheritance merely for the future, but our present portion up there even now, while yet down here-of course, only for faith now. The thought of this, Christ thus glorified, is able in the most trying moment to rescue the soul from the confusion around, and not only remove all the terror of death, but fill the heart with victory in the midst of it all. If we tarry till He comes, we shall escape death; but if not, we shall be with Him in that "excellent glory."
May every sunset speak in power to our hearts of our Saviour's present glory-and our own as identified with Him.
Sunset belongs then to the night, in contrast with the rainbow which is seen only when the sun is in
the heavens. This seems to fix the application of it to the Church, and that of the rainbow to Israel and earthly blessing promised in the Millennium. Israel is connected with the earth as the scene of blessing, and with the Law (a glorious Law, reflected on Moses' face) and with judgment, though followed by blessing.
THE RAINBOW.
The rainbow is a semicircle whose center is on earth; while the sunset has the absent sun for its center, below the horizon. The bow is seen only on a storm-cloud, and while the rain is falling; it is absent in Revelation, where the Church is the subject, but seen around the throne, in chap. 4:3, when God takes the earth in hand for judgment and blessing after the Church has gone.
The sunset is in contrast with this:there is no sign of judgment here, for the Church is linked with Christ in glory. Again, the bow is a mathematically accurate semicircle, perfect and invariable in size, shape, breadth and color, quite in keeping with the principle of law and order. The ten commandments, the ceremonial law, its worship-all was according to rigid rule.
Not so with the sunset, which we might call a freehand sketch. There is nothing of law or rigidity in the arrangement of the clouds, their formation or color:the scene is not laid out by rule and compass, but changes every moment. This is in harmony with the liberty in Christ Jesus, free from law:and as to worship, whatever the Spirit of God lays upon the heart according to our measure is free to overflow naturally toward God without any rules or regulations but that of the same Spirit. To bring in rules like those of Judaism would be like attempting to paint a sunset by the square and compass; all well enough for a rainbow, but a miserable failure for a sunset. This contrast is emphasized in the epistle to the Hebrews.
FAIR AND FOUL WEATHER. (Matt. 16 :1-3.)
If a king, out of pure good-will, should send his only and well-beloved son to one of his colonies in a far country, where an enemy had stirred up revolt, to reconcile his subjects and vindicate the king; if, through great hardships, he should gain signal victory and accomplish his mission; when he returned, his father would receive him with public honors, in which all departments of the government would join. A public festival would celebrate the event, and signal acts of mercy and good-will, as the pardoning of guilty ones, would be in order; but no king would allow such an event to be marred by the execution of his enemies. This would be put off, that the triumphant joy might not be marred. And is not this just what God has done ? Since the triumphant return home of Jesus nearly two thousand years ago, the Father has been holding a great festival, in which all in heaven have joined in willing worship to the Victor (Phil. 2:9-11). Along with this, He has sent out a proclamation of pardon to all His enemies on earth who will submit and in sincerity bow their knees to the Victor.
This proclamation of grace from God in honor of His Son is announced in Matt. 22 and Luke 14. What else could He do in keeping with such a victory as His beloved Son had won by the cross-a
victory which secures eternal salvation to every rebel who lays down his arms and bows the knee to Him, and which reconciles him to God forever ? No ! the feast shall not be marred by judgment. The moral complement of Christ on His Father's throne is a day of grace on earth, and a feast of love. A glorious sunset must be accompanied and followed by fair weather.
Any act of treachery or insult offered to the Victor during such a time would be considered a double outrage, and also a public insult to His Father and to the government, though punishment would be postponed till afterward (Heb. 10:28-31; 2:2, 3). Thus, after the festivities of Christ's present glory and resulting grace have closed, the next thing morally in order is judgment on those who have despised this, and have been offenders against it. Acts 17:31 declares the Judge appointed is the same Man who has been despised, even Jesus.
As surely as the sun sets, so surely will that same sun rise again; as surely as Christ was rejected, so surely must He come again in judgment:and this is what a glorious sunrise heralds-"foul weather." How wonderful that even the weather is governed by moral principles !
The red morning clouds announce the returning sun; evidently this is the Jewish remnant after the Church has been caught up. Matt. 24:14; Rev. 6:9 -ii, and other scriptures, show that such a testimony will go out just before His advent as the Sun of righteousness; Rev. 6. 12-17 and Jude 14, 15 give us the "foul weather."
The sunset fades away into darkness:this is but the history of the Church's testimony. The sunrise
grows brighter till the sun appears; just as the testimony of the Jewish remnant will. The foul weather will be fierce (Matt. 24:21, 22), unparalleled in history, but brief, and followed by a day of a thousand years "without clouds."
THE ASCENSION AND ADVENT.
Christ having been rejected by the world, all who receive Him now constitute this heavenly company pictured by the cloud of Acts 1:9; to it are added the martyrs of the Jewish remnant, the gleanings of the first resurrection (Rev. 6:9-11; 11 :3-12; 14:12, 13; 20:4). In the Lord's case a cloud received Him; He was the Center; while the two witnesses ascended up in a cloud; they were but part of it. All these shall come with Him and reign with Him.
FOG.
In contrast with the sunset-clouds, we have fog. This is exactly the same thing as a cloud; only, instead of being up. on high in view of the sun, it clings to the earth. Instead of reflecting the glory of the absent sun, it only hinders or obscures the vision. Nothing is seen distinctly, if seen at all, and it is the cause of many wrecks. Is not this a picture of worldly Christians who have their minds set, not on things above, but on things on the earth-its pleasures, its honors, or its affairs ? It is impossible for such to reflect the glory of Him who does not occupy the first place in their hearts and thoughts. Does not this mislead and befog others as to the value and reality of eternal things, and is it not the cause of the shipwreck multitudes are making for all eternity ?
Awake, awake, and arise from among the dead, ye sleeping children of God! "Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean; and I will receive you " (2 Cor. 6:17). How can the world believe your words when they see little or no difference between your pursuits and theirs ? T. M.