The Sacred Import of the Christian Name # 1
"The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch" (Acts 11:26).
Mere names are empty sounds, and but of little consequence. And yet it must be owned, that there are names of honor and significance; and, when they are attended with the things signified by them, they are of great and sacred importance! Such is the Christian name; a name about seventeen hundred years old. And now when the name is almost lost in party-distinctions, and the things signified by the name are almost lost in ignorance, error, vice, hypocrisy, and formality - it may be worth our while to consider the original import of that sacred name, as a proper expedient to recover both name and thing.
The name Christian was not the first by which the followers of Christ were distinguished. Their enemies called them Galileans, Nazarenes, and other names of contempt. And among themselves they were called Saints, from their holiness; Disciples, from their learning their religion from Christ as their Teacher; Believers, from their believing in Him as the Messiah; and Brethren, from their mutual love and their relation to God and each other.
But after some time they were distinguished by name of "Christians." This name, they first received in Antioch, a heathen city, a city infamous for all manner of vice and debauchery; a city that had its name from Antiochus Epiphanes, the bitterest enemy the church ever had. Antioch was a very rich and powerful city, from whence the Christian name would have an extensive circulation; but it is long since laid in ruins, unprotected by that sacred name. In such a city was Christ pleased to confer His name upon His followers; and you cannot see that the very choice of the place reveals His wisdom, grace, and justice.
The original word, which is here rendered "called," seems to intimate that they were "called" Christians by divine appointment, for it generally signifies a declaration from God; and to this purpose it is generally translated. Hence it follows that the very name Christian, as well as the thing, was a divine original; assumed not by a private agreement of the disciples among themselves - but by the appointment of God! And in this view it is a remarkable accomplishment of an old prophecy of Isaiah, chapter 62:2, "The nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will bestow." So Isaiah 65:15, "Your name will be a curse word among My people, for the Sovereign Lord will destroy you and call His true servants by another name."
This name was at first confined to a few; but it soon had a surprisingly extensive propagation through the world. In many countries, indeed, this name was lost. Yet the European nations still retain the honor of wearing it. A few scattered Christians are also still to be found here and there in Asia and Africa, though crushed under the oppressions of Mohammedans and Pagans. This name has likewise crossed the wide ocean to the wilderness of America, and is worn by the sundry European colonies on this continent.
We, in particular, call ourselves Christians, and would take it badly, to be denied the honor of that distinction. But do we really understand the meaning and sacred import of that name? Do we really know what it is to be Christians indeed? That is: are we in reality - what we are in name? Certainly it is time for us to consider the matter; and it is my present design that we should do so.
Now we may consider this name in various views; particularly as a name of distinction from the rest of the world, who know not the Lord Jesus, or reject Him as an impostor.
It is also a family name, pointing out the Father and Founder of our holy religion on the Christian church; as a badge of our relation to Christ as His servants, His children, His bride.
It intimates our unction by the Holy Spirit, or our being the subjects of His influence; as Christ was anointed by the Holy Spirit, or replenished with His gifts above measure, (for you are to observe that "anointed" is the English of the Greek name "Christ", and of the Hebrew, "Messiah." It signifies that we are the property of Christ, and His peculiar people.
My present design confines me to consider the Christian name only in two views: namely, as a universal name, intended to bury all party denominations; and as a name of obligation upon all that wear it to be Christians indeed, or to form their temper and practice upon the sacred model of Christianity.
1. Let us consider the Christian name, as a universal name, intended to bury all party denominations. The name Gentile was odious to the Jews, and the name Jew was odious to the Gentiles. The name Christian swallows up both in one common and agreeable appellation. He who has taken down the partition wall, has taken away partition names, and united all His followers in His own name - as a common denomination. For now, says Paul, "there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free - but Christ is all and in all" (Col. 3:11). "And you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3:28). According to a prophecy of Zechariah, "The Lord shall be king over all the earth; and in that day there shall be one Lord, and His name one" (Zech. 14:9).
~Samuel Davies~
(continued with # 2)
Saturday, April 27, 2019
The Self-Abhorrence of Job
The Self-Abhorrence of Job
Read Job 42:1-6
Before Job's trials began, we read of him that he was "perfect and upright - and one who feared God, and turned away from evil." Nay, the Lord Himself spoke of him thus to satan: "Have you considered My servant Job - that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one who fears God and turns away from evil?"
But satan got permission to try him - and then trial after trial came upon him. His children died; his property was lost; and he was smitten with a loathsome disease! How did Job bear it?
Let him answer the question himself. "Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know." Here he speaks of himself and describes how he had felt and spoken under his afflictions. With all his patience and trust in God, such trust as led him even to say, "Though He slays me - yet will I trust in Him" - yet we do find in him some signs of a lack of thorough submission to the will of God, some repingings and complaints, some rash and inconsiderate words. And if we can trace such things in him - much more doubtless did his own heart accuse him of, when he became truly and deeply humbled before God.
But did such a man as Job need humbling? It seems so. As good and upright as he was - we find in him at first some disposition to justify himself and to take his stand upon his own integrity. It is not until he has been long and sorely tried, that we hear him say, "Therefore I despise myself - and repent in dust and ashes." It is said of him indeed at the very first, that he was a perfect man. But this does not mean that he was without fault, but only that he was sincere and upright before God, desiring to do all His will. He had much to learn - and much did God teach him by means of affliction. The chief lesson seems to have been humility. He was a far more humble man after his trials than before them.
satan meant to do him harm - but God intended him nothing but good. The tempter overshot his mark. His design was to lead this holy man into sin, and to bring him in his distress to curse God. But God brought this design to nothing, and overruled all for the good of His servant. Far from rebelling against his Master - he was brought into a more entire submission to His will. The trials that were designed by satan to separate him from God - brought him nearer than ever; and, not to speak of the prosperity which God restored to him, it was perhaps the greatest blessing of his life that he was brought to say from the heart, "Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes!" Thus did God, in infinite wisdom and goodness - disappoint the design of satan, and turn that to good which was meant for evil.
This history throws light upon the case of many of God's servants. We all need humbling. We need to have all remaining self-righteousness brought down and to be led to that deep self-abasement which is expressed in the words of Job, "Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes!" God often does this work in us, by means of affliction. Sometimes perhaps the affliction is more allowed - than sent by Him, as in the case of Job. But whether sent or only allowed - it comes by the will of God (it could not come without), and God works good by it to the soul.
satan means the affliction to cause pain, sorrow, vexation of spirit and departure from God. But God ordains it to produce humility, patience, trust, resignation to His will, and the drawing of the heart nearer to Himself. How wonderful are His dealings - how wise, how gracious! We can see a little of this now - we shall see more hereafter.
It was a happy thing for Job, to be brought to such deep humility. It is a happy thing for any. But why? Merely for the sake of the humility itself? Merely that we may cast away pride, and take our right place before God? No - far more than that.
To speak now not of Job, but of ourselves - the more deeply we repent, and the more we abhor ourselves for the sin which we discover in ourselves - the more simply an firmly shall we cling to the hope set before us in Christ. It is not until a man learns in heart that he is a sinner - that he looks to Christ in faith at all. And even after he has learned to look to Him - still, as he grows in the knowledge of his own sinful heart - so does he grow in the knowledge of Christ as his All-sufficient Saviour.
At the close of his long trial Job said, "I had heard of You by the hearing of the ear - but now my eye sees You!" What did he mean? Probably that while he had long known God, as having heard of Him, and in a measure believed in and served Him, yet now he knew Him far more deeply and closely, now he had experienced His dealings, now he had had great searchings of heart, now he had learned far more of God than ever he knew before.
How many of us can say the same! How many can think of some time of sore affliction - and see that at that season and by that means, they learned to know God in a way they had never known Him before - more closely, more deeply, more lovingly. Yes, more lovingly. For this is what God is leading His children to by all His dealings - to know His love to them more, and to love Him more in return.
What sweet thought of Christ are given - what a sense of pardon, what peace, what love, what a manifestation of Christ to the soul! These are the gifts of God - the work of His Spirit the Comforter - the blessings of sanctified affliction!
Shall we repine when God's chastening hand is laid upon us? Ah, no! Rather let us look well into our own hearts, and search out the roof of self-righteousness, and humble ourselves before God, and shelter ourselves more closely under the shadow of His wing.
He is teaching us and blessing us now. And if, under His teaching, we find ourselves distressed by a new and deeper feeling of sin - yet let us then think that we are but learning Job's lesson; and let us be led to cast ourselves more earnestly and entirely upon the merits of Christ our Saviour, that in Him we may find rest to our souls.
~Francis Bourdillon~
(The End)
Read Job 42:1-6
Before Job's trials began, we read of him that he was "perfect and upright - and one who feared God, and turned away from evil." Nay, the Lord Himself spoke of him thus to satan: "Have you considered My servant Job - that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one who fears God and turns away from evil?"
But satan got permission to try him - and then trial after trial came upon him. His children died; his property was lost; and he was smitten with a loathsome disease! How did Job bear it?
Let him answer the question himself. "Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know." Here he speaks of himself and describes how he had felt and spoken under his afflictions. With all his patience and trust in God, such trust as led him even to say, "Though He slays me - yet will I trust in Him" - yet we do find in him some signs of a lack of thorough submission to the will of God, some repingings and complaints, some rash and inconsiderate words. And if we can trace such things in him - much more doubtless did his own heart accuse him of, when he became truly and deeply humbled before God.
But did such a man as Job need humbling? It seems so. As good and upright as he was - we find in him at first some disposition to justify himself and to take his stand upon his own integrity. It is not until he has been long and sorely tried, that we hear him say, "Therefore I despise myself - and repent in dust and ashes." It is said of him indeed at the very first, that he was a perfect man. But this does not mean that he was without fault, but only that he was sincere and upright before God, desiring to do all His will. He had much to learn - and much did God teach him by means of affliction. The chief lesson seems to have been humility. He was a far more humble man after his trials than before them.
satan meant to do him harm - but God intended him nothing but good. The tempter overshot his mark. His design was to lead this holy man into sin, and to bring him in his distress to curse God. But God brought this design to nothing, and overruled all for the good of His servant. Far from rebelling against his Master - he was brought into a more entire submission to His will. The trials that were designed by satan to separate him from God - brought him nearer than ever; and, not to speak of the prosperity which God restored to him, it was perhaps the greatest blessing of his life that he was brought to say from the heart, "Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes!" Thus did God, in infinite wisdom and goodness - disappoint the design of satan, and turn that to good which was meant for evil.
This history throws light upon the case of many of God's servants. We all need humbling. We need to have all remaining self-righteousness brought down and to be led to that deep self-abasement which is expressed in the words of Job, "Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes!" God often does this work in us, by means of affliction. Sometimes perhaps the affliction is more allowed - than sent by Him, as in the case of Job. But whether sent or only allowed - it comes by the will of God (it could not come without), and God works good by it to the soul.
satan means the affliction to cause pain, sorrow, vexation of spirit and departure from God. But God ordains it to produce humility, patience, trust, resignation to His will, and the drawing of the heart nearer to Himself. How wonderful are His dealings - how wise, how gracious! We can see a little of this now - we shall see more hereafter.
It was a happy thing for Job, to be brought to such deep humility. It is a happy thing for any. But why? Merely for the sake of the humility itself? Merely that we may cast away pride, and take our right place before God? No - far more than that.
To speak now not of Job, but of ourselves - the more deeply we repent, and the more we abhor ourselves for the sin which we discover in ourselves - the more simply an firmly shall we cling to the hope set before us in Christ. It is not until a man learns in heart that he is a sinner - that he looks to Christ in faith at all. And even after he has learned to look to Him - still, as he grows in the knowledge of his own sinful heart - so does he grow in the knowledge of Christ as his All-sufficient Saviour.
At the close of his long trial Job said, "I had heard of You by the hearing of the ear - but now my eye sees You!" What did he mean? Probably that while he had long known God, as having heard of Him, and in a measure believed in and served Him, yet now he knew Him far more deeply and closely, now he had experienced His dealings, now he had had great searchings of heart, now he had learned far more of God than ever he knew before.
How many of us can say the same! How many can think of some time of sore affliction - and see that at that season and by that means, they learned to know God in a way they had never known Him before - more closely, more deeply, more lovingly. Yes, more lovingly. For this is what God is leading His children to by all His dealings - to know His love to them more, and to love Him more in return.
What sweet thought of Christ are given - what a sense of pardon, what peace, what love, what a manifestation of Christ to the soul! These are the gifts of God - the work of His Spirit the Comforter - the blessings of sanctified affliction!
Shall we repine when God's chastening hand is laid upon us? Ah, no! Rather let us look well into our own hearts, and search out the roof of self-righteousness, and humble ourselves before God, and shelter ourselves more closely under the shadow of His wing.
He is teaching us and blessing us now. And if, under His teaching, we find ourselves distressed by a new and deeper feeling of sin - yet let us then think that we are but learning Job's lesson; and let us be led to cast ourselves more earnestly and entirely upon the merits of Christ our Saviour, that in Him we may find rest to our souls.
~Francis Bourdillon~
(The End)
Saturday, April 20, 2019
Gof Reasoning With Lost Sinners
God Reasoning With Lost Sinners
Read Isaiah 1:16-20
"Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow. "Come now, and let us reason together," says the Lord. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword." For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
Because "the mouth of the Lord has spoken it" - it must be true. Every threat will be made good - every promise will b fulfilled; every warning and exhortation is of the most solemn importance. It is not man who speaks, not even the prophet - but the Lord Almighty Himself. He is speaking to sinners. What does He say?
"Come now, and let us reason together." How kind and gracious! He does not yet say, "Come, stand before the judgment seat. Come, and receive the punishment due for your sins" but, "Come now, and let us reason together." God, whom he has offended invites the sinner to speak with Him, to hear what He will say, to listen to His offer.
And what an offer! Nay, more than an offer - a promise, plain and sure. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool." God does not shut His eyes to what the sinner has done; his sins are all before Him, many and great, deep-colored, red like crimson or scarlet. Nor must the sinner himself shut his eyes to them. He must not deny them or refuse to look at them. God calls him to look at them and shows them to him as they are, with no veil or excuse - red like crimson. Then God says that they shall be as white as snow; and, as if to make it more certain, He says it again in other words, "they shall be as wool." He will forgive them all. he will fully forgive them. So fully, that not a stain shall be left. What is whiter than wool - or purer than snow? So white and pure - will God make the sinner in His sight.
How is this? We know now, under the gospel, how it is. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's dearly beloved Son, was shed on the Cross. It is that precious blood that washes our sins away and makes us clean. It is for His sake that sinners are forgiven. "He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5).
We must believe in Him. We must be "willing and obedient"; obedient to the gospel call, willing to give up all for Christ - all sin, all self-righteousness, all hope and trust in Him. We must draw near to God with broken and contrite hearts, seeking mercy for Jesus' sake. This is what God invites us to do when He says, "Come now, and let us reason together."
We are not to argue the matter with our Maker and Judge, to make excuses, to put our case in the best light. We are to confess all, to humble ourselves before Him, and simply to plead that Jesus died for us. Then God will be gracious to us. He will surely pardon us. The blood of Jesus will wash away our guilt. Our sins will become as white as snow. "For the mouth of the Lord has spoken it."
But let none think to find forgiveness - and yet to continue to willful sin. This would be to "refuse and rebel," not to "be willing and obedient." This would be to "turn the grace of God into a license for sin" (Jude 4). Where there is a true coming to Christ for pardon - there will be also a change of heart; and where there is a change of heart - there will be a hatred of sin. A living faith will certainly lead us to strive continually, that we may "cease to do evil" and "learn to do good."
The pardoned sinner cannot but love his Saviour; and Christ and sin cannot be loved together. There can be no real work of grace in the heart, no true faith in Christ, and no pardon of sin - unless there is the fruit of love to Him who redeemed us by His blood; and love will certainly be shown by striving to keep His commandments. Jesus said of one penitent sinner, "Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little" (Luke 7:47). He said to all, "If you love Me - you will keep My commandments" (John 14:15).
~Francis Bourdillon~
(The End)
Read Isaiah 1:16-20
"Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow. "Come now, and let us reason together," says the Lord. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword." For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
Because "the mouth of the Lord has spoken it" - it must be true. Every threat will be made good - every promise will b fulfilled; every warning and exhortation is of the most solemn importance. It is not man who speaks, not even the prophet - but the Lord Almighty Himself. He is speaking to sinners. What does He say?
"Come now, and let us reason together." How kind and gracious! He does not yet say, "Come, stand before the judgment seat. Come, and receive the punishment due for your sins" but, "Come now, and let us reason together." God, whom he has offended invites the sinner to speak with Him, to hear what He will say, to listen to His offer.
And what an offer! Nay, more than an offer - a promise, plain and sure. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool." God does not shut His eyes to what the sinner has done; his sins are all before Him, many and great, deep-colored, red like crimson or scarlet. Nor must the sinner himself shut his eyes to them. He must not deny them or refuse to look at them. God calls him to look at them and shows them to him as they are, with no veil or excuse - red like crimson. Then God says that they shall be as white as snow; and, as if to make it more certain, He says it again in other words, "they shall be as wool." He will forgive them all. he will fully forgive them. So fully, that not a stain shall be left. What is whiter than wool - or purer than snow? So white and pure - will God make the sinner in His sight.
How is this? We know now, under the gospel, how it is. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's dearly beloved Son, was shed on the Cross. It is that precious blood that washes our sins away and makes us clean. It is for His sake that sinners are forgiven. "He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5).
We must believe in Him. We must be "willing and obedient"; obedient to the gospel call, willing to give up all for Christ - all sin, all self-righteousness, all hope and trust in Him. We must draw near to God with broken and contrite hearts, seeking mercy for Jesus' sake. This is what God invites us to do when He says, "Come now, and let us reason together."
We are not to argue the matter with our Maker and Judge, to make excuses, to put our case in the best light. We are to confess all, to humble ourselves before Him, and simply to plead that Jesus died for us. Then God will be gracious to us. He will surely pardon us. The blood of Jesus will wash away our guilt. Our sins will become as white as snow. "For the mouth of the Lord has spoken it."
But let none think to find forgiveness - and yet to continue to willful sin. This would be to "refuse and rebel," not to "be willing and obedient." This would be to "turn the grace of God into a license for sin" (Jude 4). Where there is a true coming to Christ for pardon - there will be also a change of heart; and where there is a change of heart - there will be a hatred of sin. A living faith will certainly lead us to strive continually, that we may "cease to do evil" and "learn to do good."
The pardoned sinner cannot but love his Saviour; and Christ and sin cannot be loved together. There can be no real work of grace in the heart, no true faith in Christ, and no pardon of sin - unless there is the fruit of love to Him who redeemed us by His blood; and love will certainly be shown by striving to keep His commandments. Jesus said of one penitent sinner, "Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little" (Luke 7:47). He said to all, "If you love Me - you will keep My commandments" (John 14:15).
~Francis Bourdillon~
(The End)
The Father's Chastening of His Sons
The Father's Chastening of His Sons
Read Hebrews 12:5-8
"If ye endure chastening," wrote the apostle to the Hebrews - and that word "chastening" means child-discipline" for purposes of training - "If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is be whom the father chasteneth not: But if ye be without chastisement (or discipline), whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons" (Hebrews 12:7, 8).
If I should turn to the commentaries of Matthew Henry, Adam Clark, Jamieson, Fawcett, and Brown, or others, I should probably find some wise and useful comments on these verses. But life itself will furnish the best and most instructive comment to the man with opened eyes, who observes, meditates, thinks, and remembers the chastenings of his own youth.
For some days I have been amused and a deeply interested observer of the chastening or discipline of one of my little grandsons who is not yet a year old. He is almost bursting with energy. He simply bubbles over with life. One of his chief joys is to get into his bath. It is perfectly delicious to watch him as he kicks and coos and gurgles and splashed water all over himself and any one who comes near, and blinks when water pops into his eyes, and revels in one of the chief joys of his young life. But how the little ignoramus does loath being undressed and redressed before and following his bath! He kicks and flourishes his arms in impatient protest, cries and objects in all manner of baby ways, while his insistent mother ignores all his objections, not asking what he likes, putting on him such clothes as she thinks best, plumps him into his baby-carriage, and wheels the rosy little rogue out to the porch for his morning nap in the sunshine and soft spring winds.
All this to him is chastening, discipline, training. It is not severe, it is gentle and wise, but to him much of it is grievous. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, writes the apostle, "but grievous, nevertheless afterward" - let us note this "nevertheless afterward" and give thanks and be humble - "nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." The baby will learn slowly, but surely through this unwavering process that he must submit to rightful authority and superior wisdom, and that not that which is at present pleasant, but that which is right and good must come first; then some day he will discover that all this "grievous" insistence of his unyielding mother was but the expression of wise, thoughtful, sacrificial love.
"God dealeth with you as with sons." When the Lord loveth He chasteneth," "Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth; therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: For He maketh sore, and bindeth up; He woundeth, and His hands make whole' (Job 5:17, 18).
If his father and mother are wise, their chastening, or discipline, will grow with the growth and unfold with the unfolding of this baby boy. They will probably often find themselves sorely perplexed, their hearts will be searched, and they will discover that their own minds and spirits are being disciplined, chastened, in ways that to them are for the present "grievous". But if they are humble and prayerful and patient and trustful, and always putting the right and the good first, they will find that while they discipline the child, God in love is training them, and bringing them into intimate, understanding fellowship with Himself in His great and sore travail to save and train a fallen race that wants its own way and prefers pleasure to righteousness. And, if they are wise, will note that God is just as insistent in disciplining them as they are in disciplining their baby boy, and for the same reason - for their good.
But the child that will not be so guided should be taught by sterner ways. It is not true love that withholds proper discipline from the child.
Happy shall we be when we come to look upon the perplexing, painful, and harassing things of life, the grievous things, as well as the plain and pleasant things, as instruments in the hands of our heavenly Father for the chastening, polishing, perfecting of our character and the widening of our influence.
John Bunyan's enemies offered to release him from prison if he would preach no more, but he replied that he would let moss grow over his eyes before he would make such a promise,so they kept him in that filthy Bedford prison among the vilest criminals for twelve weary years. They thought to stop his ministry, but they only made his ministry age long and world-wide, for during those years he meditated, dreamed, rejoiced, and wrote his undying "Pilgrim's Progress."
The limitation imposed upon him in prison by man was God's opportunity to liberate his mental and spiritual powers.
Paul would have been lost and unknown to us in the dimness of antiquity, were it not for his letters written from prison. Nero put him in chains, and shut his body up in a dungeon, and through this limitation God liberated his influence for all time and for the whole race. It is a law that liberation comes by limitation. We die to live, we are buried to be resurrected, we are chastened to be perfected.
"Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out."
~Samuel Logan Brengle~
(The End)
Read Hebrews 12:5-8
"If ye endure chastening," wrote the apostle to the Hebrews - and that word "chastening" means child-discipline" for purposes of training - "If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is be whom the father chasteneth not: But if ye be without chastisement (or discipline), whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons" (Hebrews 12:7, 8).
If I should turn to the commentaries of Matthew Henry, Adam Clark, Jamieson, Fawcett, and Brown, or others, I should probably find some wise and useful comments on these verses. But life itself will furnish the best and most instructive comment to the man with opened eyes, who observes, meditates, thinks, and remembers the chastenings of his own youth.
For some days I have been amused and a deeply interested observer of the chastening or discipline of one of my little grandsons who is not yet a year old. He is almost bursting with energy. He simply bubbles over with life. One of his chief joys is to get into his bath. It is perfectly delicious to watch him as he kicks and coos and gurgles and splashed water all over himself and any one who comes near, and blinks when water pops into his eyes, and revels in one of the chief joys of his young life. But how the little ignoramus does loath being undressed and redressed before and following his bath! He kicks and flourishes his arms in impatient protest, cries and objects in all manner of baby ways, while his insistent mother ignores all his objections, not asking what he likes, putting on him such clothes as she thinks best, plumps him into his baby-carriage, and wheels the rosy little rogue out to the porch for his morning nap in the sunshine and soft spring winds.
All this to him is chastening, discipline, training. It is not severe, it is gentle and wise, but to him much of it is grievous. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, writes the apostle, "but grievous, nevertheless afterward" - let us note this "nevertheless afterward" and give thanks and be humble - "nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." The baby will learn slowly, but surely through this unwavering process that he must submit to rightful authority and superior wisdom, and that not that which is at present pleasant, but that which is right and good must come first; then some day he will discover that all this "grievous" insistence of his unyielding mother was but the expression of wise, thoughtful, sacrificial love.
"God dealeth with you as with sons." When the Lord loveth He chasteneth," "Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth; therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: For He maketh sore, and bindeth up; He woundeth, and His hands make whole' (Job 5:17, 18).
If his father and mother are wise, their chastening, or discipline, will grow with the growth and unfold with the unfolding of this baby boy. They will probably often find themselves sorely perplexed, their hearts will be searched, and they will discover that their own minds and spirits are being disciplined, chastened, in ways that to them are for the present "grievous". But if they are humble and prayerful and patient and trustful, and always putting the right and the good first, they will find that while they discipline the child, God in love is training them, and bringing them into intimate, understanding fellowship with Himself in His great and sore travail to save and train a fallen race that wants its own way and prefers pleasure to righteousness. And, if they are wise, will note that God is just as insistent in disciplining them as they are in disciplining their baby boy, and for the same reason - for their good.
But the child that will not be so guided should be taught by sterner ways. It is not true love that withholds proper discipline from the child.
Happy shall we be when we come to look upon the perplexing, painful, and harassing things of life, the grievous things, as well as the plain and pleasant things, as instruments in the hands of our heavenly Father for the chastening, polishing, perfecting of our character and the widening of our influence.
John Bunyan's enemies offered to release him from prison if he would preach no more, but he replied that he would let moss grow over his eyes before he would make such a promise,so they kept him in that filthy Bedford prison among the vilest criminals for twelve weary years. They thought to stop his ministry, but they only made his ministry age long and world-wide, for during those years he meditated, dreamed, rejoiced, and wrote his undying "Pilgrim's Progress."
The limitation imposed upon him in prison by man was God's opportunity to liberate his mental and spiritual powers.
Paul would have been lost and unknown to us in the dimness of antiquity, were it not for his letters written from prison. Nero put him in chains, and shut his body up in a dungeon, and through this limitation God liberated his influence for all time and for the whole race. It is a law that liberation comes by limitation. We die to live, we are buried to be resurrected, we are chastened to be perfected.
"Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out."
~Samuel Logan Brengle~
(The End)
Saturday, April 13, 2019
Second Coming Of Christ # 10
Second Coming Of Christ # 10
To say that the second coming of Christ is a pernicious thing to preach is the same as saying it would be a calamity for God to rule. It will be the culmination of the redemption of this world, and to say that it would put an end to all progress is as foolish as to say that putting the roof on a house would ruin it and throw the carpenters out of work.
There is nothing more clearly declared in the Bible than that Christ will come and reign earth during the Millennium, when all will be restored that was lost by the fall. Then and only then will God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
The scribes and Pharisees thought that business was going to be endangered by Christ's first coming. The only business that will be hurt by the second coming of Christ will be the devil's business. At the time of His coming there will be no general resurrection or judgment.
At the close of the Millennium reign of Christ the devil will be loosed out of the pit for a season, and look for the first time upon a world without sin. He will tempt people. They will be as foolish now and yield to his lies and subtlety.
He will gather his host and come against the saints to battle. Fire will fall from heaven and consume them. Then takes place the resurrection of the wicked dead. Then the judgment of the Great White Throne, with Christ to judge.
There is this about it, however; we are living nearer to it than anybody ever lived before, and when it does come it is going to come in a moment - in the twinkling of an eye, and the only safe course for us to pursue is to be ready for the Bridegroom when He comes.
"Take ye heed, watch and pray, for ye know not when the time is, for the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left His house and gave authority to His servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye, therefore, for ye know not when the Master of the house cometh, at even or at midnight or at the cock crowing, in the morning; lest coming suddenly He find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, watch" (Mark 13:33-36).
We are not told when Jesus will come, but we are told that His coming is sure, and we are charged to watch for it. How it would affect our lives and make hard things easy to bear if we would only do this and always be doing this. If we were continually looking for the coming of Jesus we would be as careful to keep our lives as clean as possible. The certainty of His coming would also be a constant source of comfort and inspiration to us, if we believed it to be near.
What an awful thing, then, to have the glorious privilege of living in this dispensation, with all that it means, and miss getting into the Body of Christ by refusing to become a Christian.
The preacher owes it to his people to look into these things, that he may show them their great privilege, and warn them of the awful things that may come upon them, if they miss their chance and have to go through the Great Tribulation. The preacher who has never qualified himself to preach a sermon on the sure and certain coming of his Master will have to answer for an awful breech of trust when he stands before Christ.
Certainly we can think of nothing so improbable as that He would complete His program for creation on schedule time, and yet would so tie His own hands by failure to anticipate and provide for all possible emergencies and contingencies that the train of His purpose for redemption would be so delayed or nearly wrecked that it would almost have to be abandoned.
Do not think it for a moment. God's purpose can no more be no more kept back a minute than the heavenly bodies can be delayed a minute. In redemption God is working by the clock as surely as in creation, and His chariot of salvation is not marked late by a single moment. Come, Lord Jesus!
~Billy Sunday~
(The End)
To say that the second coming of Christ is a pernicious thing to preach is the same as saying it would be a calamity for God to rule. It will be the culmination of the redemption of this world, and to say that it would put an end to all progress is as foolish as to say that putting the roof on a house would ruin it and throw the carpenters out of work.
There is nothing more clearly declared in the Bible than that Christ will come and reign earth during the Millennium, when all will be restored that was lost by the fall. Then and only then will God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
The scribes and Pharisees thought that business was going to be endangered by Christ's first coming. The only business that will be hurt by the second coming of Christ will be the devil's business. At the time of His coming there will be no general resurrection or judgment.
At the close of the Millennium reign of Christ the devil will be loosed out of the pit for a season, and look for the first time upon a world without sin. He will tempt people. They will be as foolish now and yield to his lies and subtlety.
He will gather his host and come against the saints to battle. Fire will fall from heaven and consume them. Then takes place the resurrection of the wicked dead. Then the judgment of the Great White Throne, with Christ to judge.
There is this about it, however; we are living nearer to it than anybody ever lived before, and when it does come it is going to come in a moment - in the twinkling of an eye, and the only safe course for us to pursue is to be ready for the Bridegroom when He comes.
"Take ye heed, watch and pray, for ye know not when the time is, for the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left His house and gave authority to His servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye, therefore, for ye know not when the Master of the house cometh, at even or at midnight or at the cock crowing, in the morning; lest coming suddenly He find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, watch" (Mark 13:33-36).
We are not told when Jesus will come, but we are told that His coming is sure, and we are charged to watch for it. How it would affect our lives and make hard things easy to bear if we would only do this and always be doing this. If we were continually looking for the coming of Jesus we would be as careful to keep our lives as clean as possible. The certainty of His coming would also be a constant source of comfort and inspiration to us, if we believed it to be near.
What an awful thing, then, to have the glorious privilege of living in this dispensation, with all that it means, and miss getting into the Body of Christ by refusing to become a Christian.
The preacher owes it to his people to look into these things, that he may show them their great privilege, and warn them of the awful things that may come upon them, if they miss their chance and have to go through the Great Tribulation. The preacher who has never qualified himself to preach a sermon on the sure and certain coming of his Master will have to answer for an awful breech of trust when he stands before Christ.
Certainly we can think of nothing so improbable as that He would complete His program for creation on schedule time, and yet would so tie His own hands by failure to anticipate and provide for all possible emergencies and contingencies that the train of His purpose for redemption would be so delayed or nearly wrecked that it would almost have to be abandoned.
Do not think it for a moment. God's purpose can no more be no more kept back a minute than the heavenly bodies can be delayed a minute. In redemption God is working by the clock as surely as in creation, and His chariot of salvation is not marked late by a single moment. Come, Lord Jesus!
~Billy Sunday~
(The End)
Second Coming of Christ # 9
Second Coming of Christ # 9
A worse time than the reign of Nero; worse than during the Spanish inquisition; worse than when Cortes destroyed the Aztecs; worse than during the French revolution and the communists, and worse than during the Dark Ages.
A worse time than when men were skinned alive; worse than when they were pulled asunder by horses; worse than when men, women and children were thrown to hungry lions, and worse than when they were dipped in pitch and burned as torches.
Do you want to live in that kind of a time? Well, the only thing that can surely save you from it is to have a part in that meeting in the air, for no others who are living at that time escape from it, and that awful time may be upon us within the next ten minutes, for it will begin at the very moment the Rapture takes place.
There is now not a single prophecy remaining to be fulfilled before the Lord may come, and the members of His Body be caught up to be with Him in the air.
It stands to reason that the tribulation must be the most awful time known, because for the only time in all history the devil will then be loose and have unhindered sway. Everything he can do that will add to human woe will certainly be done. Governments will go to pieces, and there will be no security of life and property. A man may be a millionaire one day and a beggar the next. Every chaos of crime and outrage of every kind will be turned loose. God will let the world and the universe see for a time what it will mean to live under the devil's rule, and will let those who pass through the tribulation see that the good they so long enjoyed was because of the presence of the good.
Some of you people who throw your votes and influence in favor of whisky and all kinds of hellishness that go with it may live to to find out in the bitterness of the tribulation just what is meant by sowing the wind and reaping the whirlwind.
It is supposed that the tribulation will cover a period of seven years. It might be seven hundred years, but it cannot be less than seven years. God in His mercy will make it as short as possible. That the real Church of God, believers, members of the Body of Christ, are to be taken out of the world before the world is saved is as clearly taught in the Bible as that through the atonement made by Christ man may have salvation from sin.
What will it mean to the world? Every believer will be instantly taken out of the world, homes will be rent in twain, husbands will be robbed of Godly wives, children will be taken out of the world and those left behind will wring their hands in grief.
No doubt newspapers will print extra editions. Universal consternation will reign. The world will neither see the Lord, neither will they see their loved ones go. Those who have died in the faith will be raised. The statement of Jesus shows that not all the people are to be caught up in the air in clouds,but one here and there.
"There shall be two men in the bed; one shall be taken and the other left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken and the other left" (Luke 17:34-36).
This makes it look as if the number caught up in the air would not be large. When will the meeting in the air occur? In regard to this Jesus said:
"But if that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven - neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch, watch and pray, for ye know not when the time is" (Mark 13:32-33).
But also said, after speaking of conditions that would prevail about that time: "So, likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors" (Matt. 24:33).
Will the world come to an end when Jesus comes and takes away the members of His Body? No, not for at least 1,000 years; perhaps longer. The Millennium must come after Jesus comes, and must have its beginning at the close of the great tribulation.
The real truth is, that great event will not bring destruction to anything that is good, but will, on the contrary, introduce an era of the greatest progress and prosperity the world has ever known.
The coming of Christ will bring the Millennium - the golden age of man in this world - when the arts and sciences, and everything else that man ought to delight in, will flourish as never before, and never until Jesus comes will the knowledge of the glory of God cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.
~Billy Sunday~
(continued with # 10)
A worse time than the reign of Nero; worse than during the Spanish inquisition; worse than when Cortes destroyed the Aztecs; worse than during the French revolution and the communists, and worse than during the Dark Ages.
A worse time than when men were skinned alive; worse than when they were pulled asunder by horses; worse than when men, women and children were thrown to hungry lions, and worse than when they were dipped in pitch and burned as torches.
Do you want to live in that kind of a time? Well, the only thing that can surely save you from it is to have a part in that meeting in the air, for no others who are living at that time escape from it, and that awful time may be upon us within the next ten minutes, for it will begin at the very moment the Rapture takes place.
There is now not a single prophecy remaining to be fulfilled before the Lord may come, and the members of His Body be caught up to be with Him in the air.
It stands to reason that the tribulation must be the most awful time known, because for the only time in all history the devil will then be loose and have unhindered sway. Everything he can do that will add to human woe will certainly be done. Governments will go to pieces, and there will be no security of life and property. A man may be a millionaire one day and a beggar the next. Every chaos of crime and outrage of every kind will be turned loose. God will let the world and the universe see for a time what it will mean to live under the devil's rule, and will let those who pass through the tribulation see that the good they so long enjoyed was because of the presence of the good.
Some of you people who throw your votes and influence in favor of whisky and all kinds of hellishness that go with it may live to to find out in the bitterness of the tribulation just what is meant by sowing the wind and reaping the whirlwind.
It is supposed that the tribulation will cover a period of seven years. It might be seven hundred years, but it cannot be less than seven years. God in His mercy will make it as short as possible. That the real Church of God, believers, members of the Body of Christ, are to be taken out of the world before the world is saved is as clearly taught in the Bible as that through the atonement made by Christ man may have salvation from sin.
What will it mean to the world? Every believer will be instantly taken out of the world, homes will be rent in twain, husbands will be robbed of Godly wives, children will be taken out of the world and those left behind will wring their hands in grief.
No doubt newspapers will print extra editions. Universal consternation will reign. The world will neither see the Lord, neither will they see their loved ones go. Those who have died in the faith will be raised. The statement of Jesus shows that not all the people are to be caught up in the air in clouds,but one here and there.
"There shall be two men in the bed; one shall be taken and the other left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken and the other left" (Luke 17:34-36).
This makes it look as if the number caught up in the air would not be large. When will the meeting in the air occur? In regard to this Jesus said:
"But if that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven - neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch, watch and pray, for ye know not when the time is" (Mark 13:32-33).
But also said, after speaking of conditions that would prevail about that time: "So, likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors" (Matt. 24:33).
Will the world come to an end when Jesus comes and takes away the members of His Body? No, not for at least 1,000 years; perhaps longer. The Millennium must come after Jesus comes, and must have its beginning at the close of the great tribulation.
The real truth is, that great event will not bring destruction to anything that is good, but will, on the contrary, introduce an era of the greatest progress and prosperity the world has ever known.
The coming of Christ will bring the Millennium - the golden age of man in this world - when the arts and sciences, and everything else that man ought to delight in, will flourish as never before, and never until Jesus comes will the knowledge of the glory of God cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.
~Billy Sunday~
(continued with # 10)
Saturday, April 6, 2019
Classic Quotes From Classic Ministers
Classic Quotes From Classic Ministers
The Solution for Anxiety
Do you sometimes feel as if you are carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders? Burdens come in all forms, but they have one thing in common—they weigh us down and wear us out. And the longer we carry them, the heavier they seem. Unless we deal with them properly, they can cloud our thinking, interfere with our work, and affect our family life.
The world’s answers for anxiety are temporary at best, but Jesus Christ offers the only permanent solution. He invites us to cast our worries and concerns on Him because He cares for us. He’s our faithful High Priest who sympathizes with our weaknesses and intercedes for us with His Father (Heb. 4:15; Heb. 7:25).
As the Son of Man, Jesus experienced firsthand the difficulties and burdens of earthly life. He knew how to live on meager financial resources without feeling anxious (Matt. 8:20) and how to trust His Father while under great emotional distress (Luke 22:42-44). He experienced betrayal by Judas Iscariot and rejection by His own people. And while Jesus never sinned, He faced temptations just as we do.
If you are struggling under the pressures of daily living, what is keeping you from giving your burden to Christ? Perhaps you’ve tried, but the heavy load of concern just seems to keep rolling back onto your shoulders. It takes humility to admit we can’t handle things ourselves, and it takes trust to allow God to work the situation out according to His will. But if we’ll surrender the burden to Him, the only thing we have to lose is our anxiety.
~Dr. Charles F. Stanley~
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Second Coming of Christ # 8
Second Coming of Christ # 8
Some time ago the President touched a golden key in the White House and in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, the acres of machinery at the great Seattle exposition, on the other side of the country, were in motion, and countless flags began to fly in the breeze; and that's the way the Lord will come.
Just that quick! Quicker than a clock can tick! Quicker than lightning can flash! Ten minutes before the President touched the golden key it looked as if the machinery would never start, but when the right moment arrived it was going. "Therefore, be ye ready, for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh." God's clock is never behind the smallest fraction of a second!
All signs point to the great event, some of which seemed to me to be:
A. Radical tendency to depart from the Christian life.
B. Prophecies fulfilled - the gospel has been preached in every nation.
C. The world-wide expectancy of His coming.
D. Revival among the Jews. They are flocking to Jerusalem.
E. The political unrest.
F. Extreme views on questions of government.
G. Concentration of wealth in the hands of a few.
5. If we have a part in that meeting it will mean that we shall be here in this world with the Lord during the Millennium - a thousand years - with the devil chained and cast out - not a saloon, gambling hell or brothel in the world, and everything just as we want it. Hear this: "And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled; and after that he must be loose a little season."
"And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them; and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the Word of God, and which had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years."
"But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection."
"Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection; on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years" (Revelation 20:3-6).
6. To have part in that meeting will be to meet those who have gone on before - fathers and mothers and other loved ones. Think of how glorious and blessed that will be, and there will doubtless be infinite surprises that the Lord will have in store for us, "For it hath not entered into the heart of man the things that the Lord hath prepared for them that love Him."
7. Think of how glorious it will be to live for a thousand years in this world with our blessed Master and be closely associated with Him: with bodies that will not wear out or grow old, always in perfect health, and with facilities for enjoyment a thousand times higher than we posses now. The millennium will be the greatest time ever known, for it will be the golden age of man. Poverty, sickness, war and pestilence will be unknown. There will be no devil to cause human suffering and woe.
Then think of the delight of coming back into this world, where we have had so much trouble and hardship and poverty and sickness, to live under such glorious circumstances.
8. It will also mean something like that with us in the millennium, perhaps, only vastly more glorious when we come back to have a good time here.
9. If we have a part in that meeting we shall escape the great Tribulation which is to come upon all the earth as soon as the members of the Body of Christ are taken out of the world. The Body of Christ is now the salt of the earth, and the light of the world. It is the army which God now holds in check the principalities and powers of evil. It is therefore evident that when this army is taken out of the world, the devil will have unhindered sway, and will immediately begin to make this world as much like hell as he wants it to be. In speaking of this awful time, Jesus said: "Then shall be great Tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there shall no flesh be saved; but for the elects sake those days shall be shortened" (Matthew 24:21-22).
And here is what Daniel says of it:
"And there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation even to that time, and at that time thy people shall be delivered (members of the Lord's body), every one that shall be found written in the book" (Dan. 12:1).
Human imagination is incapable of picturing the awfulness of this great tribulation, that is surely coming on the world, and may begin this very day - yes, even this very hour! Think of it! It is to be the worst time the world has ever known, or ever will know. A worse time than the flood; a worse time than the bondage of Egypt, and a worse time than the destruction of Jerusalem, when women and children were torn in pieces, and the very name of mercy was unknown.
~Billy Sunday~
(continued with # 9)
Some time ago the President touched a golden key in the White House and in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, the acres of machinery at the great Seattle exposition, on the other side of the country, were in motion, and countless flags began to fly in the breeze; and that's the way the Lord will come.
Just that quick! Quicker than a clock can tick! Quicker than lightning can flash! Ten minutes before the President touched the golden key it looked as if the machinery would never start, but when the right moment arrived it was going. "Therefore, be ye ready, for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh." God's clock is never behind the smallest fraction of a second!
All signs point to the great event, some of which seemed to me to be:
A. Radical tendency to depart from the Christian life.
B. Prophecies fulfilled - the gospel has been preached in every nation.
C. The world-wide expectancy of His coming.
D. Revival among the Jews. They are flocking to Jerusalem.
E. The political unrest.
F. Extreme views on questions of government.
G. Concentration of wealth in the hands of a few.
5. If we have a part in that meeting it will mean that we shall be here in this world with the Lord during the Millennium - a thousand years - with the devil chained and cast out - not a saloon, gambling hell or brothel in the world, and everything just as we want it. Hear this: "And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled; and after that he must be loose a little season."
"And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them; and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the Word of God, and which had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years."
"But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection."
"Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection; on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years" (Revelation 20:3-6).
6. To have part in that meeting will be to meet those who have gone on before - fathers and mothers and other loved ones. Think of how glorious and blessed that will be, and there will doubtless be infinite surprises that the Lord will have in store for us, "For it hath not entered into the heart of man the things that the Lord hath prepared for them that love Him."
7. Think of how glorious it will be to live for a thousand years in this world with our blessed Master and be closely associated with Him: with bodies that will not wear out or grow old, always in perfect health, and with facilities for enjoyment a thousand times higher than we posses now. The millennium will be the greatest time ever known, for it will be the golden age of man. Poverty, sickness, war and pestilence will be unknown. There will be no devil to cause human suffering and woe.
Then think of the delight of coming back into this world, where we have had so much trouble and hardship and poverty and sickness, to live under such glorious circumstances.
8. It will also mean something like that with us in the millennium, perhaps, only vastly more glorious when we come back to have a good time here.
9. If we have a part in that meeting we shall escape the great Tribulation which is to come upon all the earth as soon as the members of the Body of Christ are taken out of the world. The Body of Christ is now the salt of the earth, and the light of the world. It is the army which God now holds in check the principalities and powers of evil. It is therefore evident that when this army is taken out of the world, the devil will have unhindered sway, and will immediately begin to make this world as much like hell as he wants it to be. In speaking of this awful time, Jesus said: "Then shall be great Tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there shall no flesh be saved; but for the elects sake those days shall be shortened" (Matthew 24:21-22).
And here is what Daniel says of it:
"And there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation even to that time, and at that time thy people shall be delivered (members of the Lord's body), every one that shall be found written in the book" (Dan. 12:1).
Human imagination is incapable of picturing the awfulness of this great tribulation, that is surely coming on the world, and may begin this very day - yes, even this very hour! Think of it! It is to be the worst time the world has ever known, or ever will know. A worse time than the flood; a worse time than the bondage of Egypt, and a worse time than the destruction of Jerusalem, when women and children were torn in pieces, and the very name of mercy was unknown.
~Billy Sunday~
(continued with # 9)
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