For those who have joined us by this evening only, I just repeat that we close our season around the Lord’s Table, the special object being to give testimony to that wonderful grace of God which is drawing to Himself many out of different nations and peoples. Sometimes quite a few of those are represented in our gathering at this time.
The meeting will not be prolonged for that. We shall seek to get through in good time for those who have to leave and travel.
Now, from what I said this afternoon, there were two remaining peaks on the horizon of Christ to be considered. From certain intimations in our singing this evening, I take it that you have arrived at your own conclusion as to what it is that we come to this evening as the final epoch, the final peak in the cycle of the mission and work of our Lord Jesus. That is, His coming again.
There is a very real sense in which the coming again of the Lord Jesus—His return—horizons everything else. And we come to that conclusion from the Word of God itself.
It may surprise some of you—though not those who know their Bibles well—that this matter of the coming again of the Lord Jesus is given a larger place in all the Bible than any other matter. You may want to challenge me on this, but I have said it quite deliberately. You may not be able to corroborate it from your knowledge, but there it is.
It is really, in some form or another, mentioned through the Scriptures more often than anything else. And that fact, if it is true—and it is a fact—means that this is the horizon over everything: the coming again of the Lord Jesus.
Of course, it is not always spoken of in just those terms, but you can clearly see it in types, in figures, in symbols, in analogies, in parable, in psalm, in metaphor, in prophecy, in narrative, in doctrine, in exhortation, and in appeal. Every one of those, and all of those, relate to the coming again of the Lord Jesus. It comprises the Bible.
You are hardly into your Bible before great and terrible things happen in the garden, and the matter is not finished before the Lord is saying to the serpent:
He shall bruise thy head,
And thou shalt bruise His heel.
That was partially wrought through the cross of the Lord Jesus. It has not been fully accomplished until He comes again. The word is to the church:
And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly.
— Romans 16:20
And that surely relates to His coming. So this thing comes right into view at the beginning of the Bible. And you know quite well that at the very end of the Bible it is there:
Yea: I come quickly.
— Revelation 22:20
All the way between Genesis and Revelation, we have this manifold intimation, suggestion, and indication: this is the end. Then you do not get far into your Bible in the book of Genesis before you get Enoch and his prophecy:
Behold, the Lord came with ten thousands of His holy ones.
— Jude 1:14
So you go on. I am not going through the Bible—do not be worried about that. I am only indicating to you that this is the thing which horizons everything, and is, after all, the circle within which all the activities of God and interests of God are performed and fulfilled, even unto His coming.
In the next place, you will find that every fundamental doctrine of Christianity is bound up with the coming again of the Lord.
Redemption has begun. It is only consummated in His coming.
Redemption has begun within the hearts of believers all through the centuries. It is to be completed in the completed, charged, and holy nation, and then in the creation itself. The creation is to be delivered from the bondage under which it is groaning, and it will be at Christ’s coming that the creation itself shall know its full redemption.
As a part of that creation, we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting—waiting—for our own full redemption, and, as the crown of our spiritual redemption, the redemption of our bodies at His coming.
Redemption, which is a great doctrine through the Bible, is completed in this creation at His coming.
The whole doctrine of sanctification is given to us in the light of His coming. Why? Why should we be holy? Why should we walk before the Lord in holiness? Why the whole doctrine of sanctification? It is consummated at His coming. It is unto His coming.
We have got to walk here in this life in the light of His coming. Some people think that it does not matter very much about now and how they walk. When He comes, it will all be all right; they will be completely changed, willy-nilly.
But you know quite well that the weight of the Bible comes right down upon this:
And every one that hath this hope set on Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure.
— 1 John 3:3
The coming of the Lord is a motive for holiness, an object for sanctification. Walking with the Lord is a great doctrine in the New Testament—walking with the Lord. In a figurative and symbolic way, this is consummated in His coming, when we shall walk with Him in white.
“Walk with Him in white”—that symbolism of white raiment given to the saints—is the consummation of sanctification at His coming.
There is very much throughout the whole Bible about fellowship with the Lord in His sufferings. How much there is about the sufferings of the saints on this earth all the way along, because they are the Lord’s. Because they are the Lord’s, they suffer in a peculiar way.
We will say “they”; we suffer too, in a peculiar way, just because we are the Lord’s. A lot we should escape if we were not the Lord’s. A lot of people leave the Lord because they want it easier, and they can have it easier—less suffering.
But to know the fellowship of His sufferings has a very great deal of Scripture linked with it. Then there is encouragement, comfort, exhortation, and so on. At His coming, all this teaching and all this experience of the saints will be consummated; it will be ended.
And He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes;
And death shall be no more;
Neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more.
— Revelation 21:4
His coming is to bring the end to all suffering. One could go on with the many, many aspects of teaching in the Word of God, enumerating the great doctrines of the Bible. But you will see that, in every one, this is true: every fundamental doctrine is in some way linked with the coming again of the Lord, and in that coming all will have its final fulfilment.
Oh, what the cross means for Him, for us, for the church, will be vindicated at His coming. There is partial vindication, yes, seen through the ages and through the centuries—something of the travail of His soul.
But there is a great deal yet to be made up of the sufferings of Christ, and there is a great deal more for the cross to do. There is a larger vindication of His suffering and death on His cross, and that full vindication of Him and the offering of Himself will come to Him, and to us who share His cross, with His return.
And another thing about His coming: it will be then that the church, that elect body chosen in Him before the foundation of the world for a special purpose, will come into that special purpose, which is rulership over this world.
We are so familiar with that concept and that truth, but that is the crowning thing of the Bible record, represented again in the high symbolism of the city—the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven.
The symbolism is of the governmental centre of this universe through the eternal ages. That city is the church. At His coming, the church will take its place—the place which the prince of this world and the powers of Satan now occupy as the world rulers of this darkness, the hosts of wicked spirits, the prince of the power of the air.
That place will be taken by the church. It is to reign with Him. It is to govern with Him. It is to be over this world for good, in glory and in benefit, what the present powers are for evil and for harm.
That is the calling, the vocation, and the destiny of the church according to God’s eternal election. The church will, at His coming, enter upon the rule which Satan now exercises, when he is cast out of the air, cast down into the pit, and his rule is ended.
Christ and His church will take that place. We are called to that. Of course, we could dwell very much upon it and what it means, how it involves us, and how much of our present education is because of that calling and vocation in the ages to come.
But a lot is interpreted by that: how we are being taught now spiritual ascendancy; how we are in the battle for spiritual ascendancy over the forces of evil. We are in that now. The consummation of all of that will be when the church takes its eternally elected place to rule with Christ in this creation. That will take place when He comes again.
Again, at His coming, the universal reign of righteousness and peace on this earth will be established. That for which man has striven and failed all through the ages, for which they are striving today perhaps more than ever, and finding the frustration, defeat, and problems of world peace and state righteousness too great for them—it will be so to the end.
But at His coming, the reign of righteousness, the reign of peace on this earth, will begin.
Righteousness shall cover the earth
As the waters cover the sea.
It will be then that this creation shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious righteousness and peace which always follows righteousness at His appearing.
Now, I could go on for a very long time on what is going to happen when He comes back. It is not my intention to do so. I promised you that we shall not prolong this gathering. But this note must be struck as the final and crowning note of such a consideration as that with which we have been occupied through these hours of these days.
These are all things which are taught in the Word of God, and you probably know them, with many others. But I do feel that it is necessary for us to come closer to this matter because of how we are involved—not only in the glorious end and climax, but how we are involved in the final movement toward that end, that climax. And we are involved.
The Word of God indicates very clearly, very definitely, some of those things which will point to the imminence of His coming. The imminence of His coming—that is, that His coming draweth nigh.
I suppose we are very practically involved in some of the aspects of this matter every time you get into your motor car or into an aeroplane. You are involved in one of the final things of this dispensation. I hope that will not frighten you.
But you will recall tonight that the Scriptures definitely state and prophesy that at the end many shall run to and fro.
Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
— Daniel 12:4
Was there ever a time when men were running to and fro in the earth as they are today? If a week passes without someone from one part of the world rushing to another part of the world to try and solve some of this world’s deep problems, it is quite unusual.
They are just doing it: New York, Moscow, London, India—to and fro, this feverish movement, running to and fro. How descriptive that is.
The man who prophesied that probably never had any idea of jet planes or aeroplanes at all, or of motor cars, speedy vehicles. But the Lord knew, and it is not just strained interpretation, imagining things. Here we are.
I think that every morning we are occupied with something of this: many running to and fro, implying feverish concern, feverish anxiety, causing this tremendous activity—an intensification of activity in this creation and in this universe.
And is that not what is happening? The speeding up of movement, hurry, anxiety, and strain—just running to and fro, which involves us all in greater or lesser degree in some way or other.
That is, the intensified movement of our time is something indicative, hastening toward a climax. I will ask the question: where is all this going to end? Where is it going to end? If we go on like this, where is the end going to be?
Well, the Bible says that that is indicative of the near approach of the Lord. Many shall run to and fro.
And the next part of the statement is: “Knowledge shall be increased.” No one need stay with that.
But in the last five years, ten years—the increase of knowledge in this universe! Secrets which have always been hidden there brought out and common knowledge now; things that some of us in our younger days would have thought were real fabulous fables if we were told that this was happening or would happen.
All this intensification of the increase of knowledge—how it has been packed in, has it not? Hectic, concentrated. And the Bible says that that is enough: the end is near. This dispensation is coming to its end, and the end is the coming of the Lord.
Intensification, anxious, exciting, distracted movement, and the quest for knowledge—and knowledge that men would be well without. It is only the full development and consummation of that bid for knowledge in the garden.
“All right,” says the Lord, “you shall have it, but you shall have it to your own undoing.” And the end brings us to that intensified activity.
Then the Bible tells us that another sign of the near approach of His coming would be the intensification of evil and godlessness. Again, that is not something which needs to be argued and laboured.
Things have got right out of hand. We just cannot understand it. Why are our youth—our youth, our teenagers—just running riot in evil? Fine young men are being sent to the gallows. Why are prisons becoming overloaded with criminals?
And what is more, outside of them, apart from the crimes, look at the godlessness. I do not know how you felt on Friday. Perhaps we are a bit old-fashioned, or we would be called a bit old-fashioned. But on this very Friday, which Christendom in this so-called Christian country remembers, things were just carried on without any thought whatsoever of what that day represented.
Business, trade, and everything else went on just as though Christ had never died, as though this day had no significance whatsoever. We are not really greatly concerned to keep up the religious calendar and these things, but we do feel that the remembrance is something which ought to be sacredly guarded.
The godlessness—not only at such times, but on the Lord’s own day—and generally, how iniquity abounds. How evil in this world is intensifying; how godlessness is spreading. Well, the Word says that toward the end, quite distinctly and quite definitely, there will be an intensification of evil.
Again, the Word tells us that there will be at the end an intensified ripening of the two kinds of seed. There it is in the sowing of the evil one: his seed is ripening. There is an intensification.
Let both grow together until the harvest.
— Matthew 13:30
The mark, then, by which you will know, is the intensification of the nature of each—an intensifying process which will declare itself at the end.
While we are all here so easily able to discern the intensification of the evil seed, are we not today, perhaps as never before, in such a large way in the presence of this intensifying process where the children of God are concerned?
Perhaps here in the West we know something about it in our own spiritual life, in our own state. Things are getting pretty severe, are they not? They are getting intense for us. Spiritual life is becoming more and more difficult.
The testing of faith is becoming increasingly great and strong and deep. The Lord is proceeding with this intensifying process.
Your brother here last night, who spends much of his time behind the Iron Curtain, was telling me, having been there quite recently, “A wonderful thing of God is being done behind the Iron Curtain. You will find a quality of Christians that you will never find here in the West.”
So you may pity them and be sorry for them, but there is another standpoint. They have a knowledge of the Lord in their hearts that very few in this part of the world have, and it is all because of the intensely difficult situation in which they are found.
In China, in Russia, in Siberia, and elsewhere, the Lord is ripening the saints. Now, we may not be knowing the same kind of conditions and circumstances, but I do not think, dear friends, that you and I who really do seek to go on with the Lord are finding things becoming easier for the spiritual life. Indeed, they are very much more difficult.
We are being intensified by the very spiritual conditions at the end. And so it says the two seeds will come to ripeness, fruitfulness, by an intensifying process and through the testing and trial of faith—the faith of believers.
All this, and much more, comes within the compass of a mighty intensified activity on the part of the powers of darkness to contradict all that is true of Christ. Think about that: all that we have been saying about the Lord Jesus.
Put your finger upon one point only. God raised Him and set Him at His own right hand, far above all rule and authority and principality and power and every name that is named.
Far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named.
— Ephesians 1:21
Do you ever wonder how far that is true? May I dare say that? Just look at this intensified activity to contradict the absolute supremacy of the Lord Jesus in this world. That is what is going on—simply to deny the truth that He is Lord of lords.
You look at things. You look at your own experiences. You might find plenty of ground to say, “Is He really on the throne? Is He really far above all rule and authority?” The devil seems to have a good deal of liberty and power, doing very much as he likes.
He is seeking to establish a great contradiction to the truth of Jesus Christ. What is true in that connection is true in everything else. In everything else there can be found material which raises questions about everything concerning the Lord Jesus, if you are disposed to look for it.
But this is what is going to happen. This is just what is going to happen.
When the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?
— Luke 18:8
The point in that question is this: everything, everything, will seem to contradict the supreme and ultimate truths of the Lord Jesus. I do not want to dishearten you, but here it is: an intensifying movement in every direction and connection. The Word of God says it is a clear indication that the end is near.
Perhaps the final phase is gathered into that one statement:
Woe for the earth and for the sea: because the devil is gone down unto you, having great wrath, knowing that he hath but a short time.
— Revelation 12:12
Evil powers active in a way unparalleled; pressure from that realm as never in history. He has got to be in a hurry. He has got to do a lot in a short time because he knows that it is a short time. These are indicated signs that the coming of the Lord draws near.
But we cannot end on that, can we? We cannot close on that note. His coming, which is pointed to and indicated by all these things, is going to settle the whole question fully and finally and forever as to who is Lord, as to where the truth is, and who are the Lord’s.
Because you have these two glorious things revealed at His coming. First of all, He is manifested. He is revealed in all the value and the virtue of what He is and what He has done.
But His coming is not only His coming in personal glory. It says:
When He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be marvelled at in all them that believed.
— 2 Thessalonians 1:10
I always come to that statement with amazement—amazement and deep wonder. Principalities and powers of a higher order, intelligences that have been watching on, the great audience in the great spiritual galleries of this theatre, are going to point to the saints and say, “Isn’t He marvellous? Just look at them—in what He is in them!”
A marvel in all them that believe—that is what will happen when He comes. I am sure we are quite prepared to believe that, except that if we are going to be really glorified together with Him, it is going to be something for angels and all other intelligences to marvel at.
You—ah, being what we are—changed into His own glory, glorified together with Him. That is something to marvel at: to marvel at Him in all them that believe.
Then you see, a very, very comprehensive, far-reaching, many-sided matter—the coming of the Lord—can only just be pointed to and indicated as near at hand by some of those very evident fulfilments of the Word of God.
God give us joy in the prospect that His coming draweth near.