(1 Thessalonians, chap. 4.)

The subject of the Lord's second coming is of deepest importance, and of greatest interest to the Christian, for whom it is called, "That blessed hope" (Titus 2:13). What strange anomaly, therefore, that though Christ is the one object of their faith, to some He is not object of their hope. Many think that the coming of the Lord means nothing more than that He comes for us when we die; and that at the last there will be one general resurrection and one general judgment. It would be difficult to say what is the hope of such, for all is indefinite; indeed, we may say it is confusion. Even as to the proper object of faith and its blessed results, all is dark and cloudy.

Nothing, surely, can be more natural, in a Christian sense, than that He who is the object of our faith should also be the object of our hope. But simple as this is, it is all important. Let us, then, trace this twofold path a little.

When we now Christ as the One who loves us, and died for us, we have no difficulty in trusting Him:we believe in Him-we have faith in Him. The knowledge of His love creates unquestioning confidence; the testimony of the Word to the power of His blood meets all our anxieties, and we are happy in Him. His love answers every desire of the heart, and His sacrifice every need of the conscience. With every need met, and every desire satisfied, we must be happy, and love and praise the Lord.

But why is He not equally the one proper object of hope? Why is He not the daily expectation as well as the daily rest of the soul? Most sure and certain we are, that when a Christian dies his soul is immediately with the Lord in paradise; and a blessed precious truth it is; yet it i« never spoken of in Scripture as the hope of the Christian. It is, rather, that we shall not die, but be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. There is no necessity why a Christian should die; since Christ has died for him. But if he should die, death to him is called a "falling asleep in Jesus"-a being "put to sleep by Jesus." How sweet, how blessed the thought, O my soul! This is the way a believer dies; the poor body is laid to sleep, and the soul ascends on angels' wings to be with Christ, till the morning of the first resurrection.

But what saith the Scripture? for faith can only rest on the word of God. Many speak of these things as the "peculiar views" of a particular class of Christians; but the one question is, Has God spoken plainly on the subject? On nothing more so; the difficulty is in the selection; but a passage from Paul's first epistle to the Thessalonians may be the most convenient to refer to now. There we have a special revelation from the Lord, for the express purpose of giving further truth in detail as to the coming of the Lord Jesus for His own. Carefully read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.

The Thessalonians, evidently, had been converted by means of a gospel that embraced the truth usually called "The Lord's second coming in glory." This is apparent from Acts, chap. 17, where we find their enemies giving a political turn to their accusations, by saying "These all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus." No doubt the apostle preached the truth of the Lord's coming to reign in glory. Hence it was, that from the time of their conversion, they were looking for His return. But in the mean time some of their brethren died. This troubled them greatly. Their sorrow was excessive. Not that they had any fear about the salvation of their friends, but because they would not be present to welcome the Lord, and to be received by Him. Where the apostle heard of their troubles, he wrote to them at once. They were comparatively uninstructed, and also greatly persecuted both by the Jews and heathen. Their opportunities of learning had been very few. The apostle was not allowed to remain long with them after their conversion, because of the persecution; and the books of the New Testament were not then written. But their ignorance and distress only gave the fitting opportunity for the Lord to reveal His mind more fully on this blessed subject.

In this new revelation which the apostle received, and communicates to them, the order of events is given. This is important; though no doubt given in the first instance to meet the sorrowing hearts of the Thessalonians, it is also intended for the instruction of the saints of God in all ages:but the best way will be to go over the verses as they stand; and, first, we would notice,

THE SORROW OF THE THESSALONIANS

Ver. 13. "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope." These warm, earnest-hearted, but young Christians had not been instructed as to how the dead saints could be with the Lord when He comes, and share His glory. They were so full of the expectation of the Saviour's return that they had never thought of any of them dying before He came; so that they were in great trouble when some of their brethren fell asleep. But now observe what the apostle says to them. Does he find fault with them for their too ardent hopes of the return of Jesus ? Did he say they were too much occupied with it? or that they were excited and lacked sobriety? We are familiar with such sayings from many of our fellow Christians; but no such word drops from the pen of the apostle. Their waiting for the Lord is mentioned in each chapter of both epistles, and most surely to their praise. Neither does he seek to comfort the bereaved-as is commonly done-by reminding them that they would soon follow, would soon rejoin their dear departed in heaven. No, indeed; true as that might be, he does not refer to it as a ground of comfort. The Thessalonians are maintained in the thought that they were still to look for the Lord during their life-time, and a fresh revelation is given to assure them that all who have fallen asleep in Jesus will have equally their part in the glory with those who are alive at His coming.

Ver. 14. "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him." The first thing that the apostle does is to fix the eye of the sorrowing ones on Jesus-on Him who died and rose again. True comfort is only to be found in looking to Thee, O most blessed Lord, and divine strength to glorify Thee in our deepest afflictions. There we see victory over death and the grave-there we see the One who died, was buried, rose again, and is now in glory. He is the believer's life. We triumph in Him. Our life is connected with Him who thus died and rose again, and belongs to the glory. All who have fallen asleep in Jesus will be raised, and leave the earth even as He did. "There is this difference," says one:"He went up in His own full right; He ascended. As to us, His voice calls the dead, and they come forth from the grave, and the living, being changed, all are caught up together. It is a solemn act of God's power, which seals the Christian's life and the work of God, and brings the former into the glory of Christ as His heavenly companion. Glorious privilege! Precious grace! To lose sight of it destroys the proper character of our joy and our hope" (Synopsis of the Books of the Bible).

THE ORDER OF EVENTS

Vers. 15-18. "For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we -which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not precede them which are asleep. 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." The apostle always wrote, we must remember, under the direct guidance and full sanction of the Spirit of God; but here there is something special-something that was required for the instruction and consolation of the sorrowing Thessalonians, therefore he introduces the new revelation with a "This we say unto you by the word of the Lord." We have a similar instance in 1 Corinthians 11, when the apostle says, "For I have received of the Lord that which I also delivered unto you." That was given to correct an abuse as to the observance of the Lord's supper; this, to correct a mistake as to the Lord's coming.

But mark the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ to these young disciples:He assures their hearts that, in the order of events connected with His coming, the first that takes place is the resurrection of those who had fallen asleep in Jesus, and that, in place of losing anything by having departed, they will be the first that are ready to go up to meet the Lord. "The dead in Christ shall rise first." So far from those who have fallen asleep in Jesus missing the joyful hour of His coming, they will be raised before the living are changed. This is grace, the grace of the Lord Jesus; at the same time we know that every event connected with His coming shall be accomplished in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, so that the interval cannot be estimated.

But now, observe with wonder the shining forth of this twofold glory of the Lord Jesus:He rises from His throne, He descends from heaven, He gives the word Himself, the voice of the archangel passes it on, and the trumpet gives a well known sound. The imagery is military. As well trained troops know the orders of their commander by the sound of the trumpet, so will the army of the Lord answer instantly to His call. All the dead in Christ shall rise, and all the living shall be changed; and they shall all enter into the cloud, and be caught up together, to meet the Lord in the air:and so shall they ever be with the Lord. No separation then:therefore the apostle adds, "Comfort one another with these words."

Thus the apostle explains to the Thessalonians how God will bring with Jesus all who sleep in Him. From verse IS to 18 is a parenthesis, which accounts for what is said in the 14th:"Even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. When the Lord returns in glory all the saints will be with Him; but, previously, He has awakened those fallen asleep, changed the living, and translated both to heaven.

This is the first resurrection-the resurrection of the righteous from among the dead before the millennium. The wicked dead are not raised till after the millennium -the day of judgment (l Cor. 15:23; Rev. 20:5,11-15). And now, the saints are gone-all gone-gone to glory-gone to be with the Lord for ever! What a thought- what an event, O my soul! None of the redeemed, none of God's children left in the grave; and not a believer left on the face of the whole earth! all caught up together in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. But who can think

-who can speak of the happy reunions on that morning of cloudless joy? Doubtless the person of the Lord will fix every eye and ravish every heart:still, there will be the distinct recognition of those, who, though long parted from us here, have never lost their place in our hearts. And all will bear the image of the Lord! Though every one will have his own identity, and his own special joy, yet all will be like the Lord, and the joy of each will be the common joy of all. "0 magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt His name together," will be a note of praise often sung, as we meet to part no more for ever.

"Bride of the Lamb, awake! awake!
Why sleep for sorrow now?
The hope of glory, Christ is thine,-
A child of glory thou.

Thy spirit, through the lonely night,
From earthly joy apart,
Hath sighed for One that's far away,-
The Bridegroom of thy heart.

But lo, the night is waning fast,
The breaking morn is near;
And Jesus comes, with voice of love,
Thy drooping heart to cheer.

He comes-for, oh! His yearning heart
No more can bear delay-
To scenes of full unmingled joy,
To call His bride away."

Yes, heaven is a home, a social place; and surely the blessed Lord who has prepared that home of love will ever have the first place; and He will connect the brightest scenes in glory with the darkest days of the wilderness. This is evident from what the apostle says in the second chapter. At the very moment when he was hindered by Satan from visiting his beloved Thessalonians, who were sorely persecuted, he looked beyond those troublous times and saw his children in the faith around him in the glory:-"For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For ye are our glory and joy." But there are many other scenes of earth that will have a bright reflection in the glory. Many cross my mind, some I well remember; but I forbear, their record is on high.

Let us pause here and meditate on this wondrous scene. Who will meet thee there? Who will greet thee with a joyous welcome in that happy land? Who will clasp thy hand, to be sundered no more for ever? But oh! how completely all are changed, and yet how perfectly all are identically the same. One cannot be mistaken for another and not one can be unknown. But chiefest of all thy joys that morning, and from which all thine other joys shall flow, will be to see His face, hear His voice, and behold His glory; or, as St. John says, and sums up all blessedness in two expressions; "We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." Surely God Himself could not have done more than to make us like Christ; and a richer blessing He could not have bestowed than to give us to see Him, and be His own for ever.

(Concluded in next number )