Why Is Christ Coming?

PART II.

(Continued from p. 301)

Christ is coming because the earth must have a righteous Ruler. Human rulers are weak, sinful, ignorant, ineffective. How many have failed within a brief time and gone out of office. All human governments are selfish, some much more so than others, but they cannot rule impartially. Christ can. He had no selfish interest to serve when He was on earth; He will have none when He comes to reign. When we look about and realize a little of the terrible evils of human governments, we turn with joy and thanksgiving to such Scriptures as Psalm 72, which show what His reign will be. All through the Prophets are scattered references to His glorious reign, but in this psalm are gathered many more items of the glory of Christ's reign here on the earth. The certainty that not only all this glorious recital will be fulfilled, but that the reality will be far more glorious than any description that can be given, gives us patience to wait for the time of His coming. All the evil that is about us cannot dim for an instant the blessedness of the hope we have of seeing Christ for ourselves with our own eyes, and with the hope also of His setting all things right on the earth, judging the world in and with righteousness. Now there is so much power with the evil, Satan seems to get his way so much, and to be able to ruin that from which we hoped good would come, that it is very blessed to know surely that man's day is swiftly coming to an end, and that before long our Lord Jesus Christ will bring about righteous rule and procedure everywhere upon this earth.

Now, there is all this evil; then, Satan will be banished, righteousness will reign over the earth. Whenever we meet with any evil, we can know that it will not be in existence when Christ is reigning here. We can rest our souls upon this. Now, Christ is away and Satan and his minions are active here. Then, there will be no Satanic power at all, the power of Christ will be supreme. All governmental evils will be gone, as will unemployment, what men call "hard times," and human need. There will be none of the misery, want, and wretchedness which so darken the earth at present; no robberies, pillage, murders; no underworld to breed crime, wickedness and death.

1 Cor. 15:24, 25 indicates that the work of Christ in putting down "all rule and all authority and power" is to continue for some time. "For He must reign till He hath put all enemies under His feet." Does this mean human or spiritual enemies, or both? Rev. 19; 11-21 covers only a part of the earth-the part that has had the light of the gospel and rejected it, has become apostate. It is Christendom which organizes against Christ, that He will destroy; 2 Thess. 2:3-12 takes place in the civilized nations of the earth; it could not take place in the most of Asia or Africa. Christ will deal with each nation and kingdom in wisdom and with righteous judgment. Prophecy-even New Testament prophecy makes known only a small part of what Christ will do when He comes (that is, the steps and means of His work), but in His own way and time He will "put down all rule and all authority and power." How long this will take, or what means will be used, we do not need to know. But we know from Scripture that one of the results of Christ's coming will be His taking over the government of this earth.

Another work of Christ in His coming will be the fulfilment of His promises to His earthly people, the Jews. It is difficult for many to comprehend the relation of this people to the purposes of God. On the one hand, there is the teaching that there is no broad line of distinction between the Jews and the Church of God, but Romans 9-11 ought to settle that. God has a heavenly and an earthly people, and the relations between them and Christ are very different. Then there is the teaching that the Jews in the future are to be merged with the Church; Matt. 19:28 should show the unscripturalness of this.

All through the Prophets are promises to this people, to be fulfilled when Christ comes again. These promises were not made to the Church, they are never applied in the New Testament to her; the kingdom of heaven is not the Church. Hence one of the great results of Christ's coming will be His making good all the promises in the prophecies. Chapters 11 and 12 of Isaiah outline the result of Christ's coming for Jew and Gentile and the joy that comes to the world with His coming. There will be no joy for the haters of Christ, but for those who receive Him there will be the joy told out in Isa. 12 and in many of the psalms. How praise swells out from-hearts which are full of the joy that the presence of Christ gives!

Christians now know the joy that is the fruit of the Spirit, that joy which none can know apart from faith in Christ, the joy of the redeemed. "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid:for the Lord JEHOVAH is my strength and song; He also is become my salvation" (Isa. 12:2). These are words for "that day" of Christ's coming, but to His own now He said, "These things have I spoken unto you that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full" (John 15:11). Now we have this joy, His joy and His peace (John 14:27). What wonderful possessions to have in this world as it now is-the joy and the peace of Christ Himself! He gives us these fruits of the Spirit. They are for every believer, as the songs and psalms of praise will be for those who are ready for Him when He comes again.

Our joy, peace, and praise now are caused by Christ; by what He is and what He has done. The praises of Israel and the Gentile nations will spring from the same cause, Christ, what He is then to them and what He has done for them. Do you wonder at the praises and thanksgivings recorded of the heavenly companies in Revelation? How great the mercy that lays hold on lost sinners, and so cleanses them and fills them with His joy and His peace that they can thus join in praise to Him. Now His people are tried, tempted, walking by faith, but filled with His joy and peace. Soon they will be with Him forever, sharing in His eternal praises. Now the Jews are scattered as God foretold they would be, ignorant of their own history, destiny, and God's purposes. The nations are in uncertainty. How His coming will change all things for the Jews, the Gentiles, and the Church of God! J. W. Newton