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TOPIC: Gordon, Samuel Dickey - Quiet Talks About Our Lord's Return (Other Topics in this Collection)
SUBJECT: 45. Love's Warnings
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Love's Warnings
Now there are two things that should be added here. They are about the present time, before the tribulation, and the Coming, and the Kingdom. The first is about something of a heartbreaking sort that one would much rather not speak of, because of the pain it gives. Paul is careful to tell us that we are not to look for our Lord Himself at any moment; and our Lord warns us not to follow those who will say that "the time (of His coming) is at hand." [Note: Luk_21:8.] There are certain things that will occur first. Our Lord says, "When ye see these things then lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh."
There will come a falling away from the faith among God's people. This is emphasized very solemnly as a warning. That falling away will continue and intensify until there comes upon the scene the one called the lawless one, who is to be destroyed by the Lord's appearance. The spirit of lawlessness, which will head up in this leader, was already in the world when Paul was writing, and has been, and is now in the world. But it is under restraint, and cannot do as it wants to because of this restraint. When that restraint is withdrawn the spirit of lawlessness, unrestrained, will run riot under its awful leader.
What is this restraint? It is distressing to think of the falling away, but here is something far more painful. The present restraint is the presence of the Holy Spirit. He is in every believer, and peculiarly He is in the Church. The being in each believer is not peculiar to the present time, it has been true of every time since creation. The distinctive thing of Pentecost was the coming of the Holy Spirit upon a body of people, forming it into the Church. There will come a time when, because of the conditions dominant in the Church, the Holy Spirit will withdraw from it.
By the Church, here, is meant, not the true body of believers, but the outer, historical organization known among men as the Church. Its main stem historically is the Roman Catholic Church; the Greek Orthodox, the Churches of England and Scotland, the Reformation Churches of Europe, the free Church bodies, and some others,—these all together make up what is termed the outer Church. This is the Church body, taken all together, from which some day the Holy Spirit will withdraw. Some of us may think that He clearly has withdrawn from certain portions of it already. Some day that withdrawal will be complete. When that sad day comes then the terrible end will swiftly be here. This is the first thing to note.
The second thing is about the true mission of the Church, and about our personal attitude to the coming of our Lord. There will be more to say about the Church in a later talk. Just now we want to note this: the one supreme mission of the Church is to be a witness, carrying the Gospel of Christ to the whole creation. It is to be a moving body, never settling comfortably down in any place, but, with the holy restlessness of a heart aflame, to be carrying the message of a crucified Christ to every bit and part of the creation. Whatever there is connected with the Church that cannot be so described is a part of that which some day will compel the withdrawal of the Holy Spirit, the Church's life.
That witness, be it keenly marked, is to be first of all, in every place and at every time, first of all to the Jew. Because the Jew is God's first messenger to the nation, and is to be the last great messenger. The great blessing to the world will be through the Jew. And the chief object ever in mind in this worldwide witnessing of the Church is to bring Christ back to the earth that He may set up His Kingdom. This is the great purpose of the Church's existence since its Pentecost birthday. Only as it is true to that is it true to Him who died, and who is surely coming back.
Our personal attitude toward our Lord's coming is continually spoken of, and emphasized, throughout the Book. We are not to be concerned with counting dates, nor figuring out probable times. Our one concern is to witness with our lives to Jesus Christ. We are to be watching and waiting for His return, and to be doing His will while watching and waiting.
Watching practically means that we live so that when He comes He will be pleased that, through His wondrous grace so freely given, we have been faithful; maybe not skilled nor reckoned successful, but faithful. And this faithfulness, in heart and purpose and life, to Him, hastens the day of His return.
This attitude of expectancy on our part is an echo. It is an echo of what is in His great heart. Our Lord Jesus is now sitting at the Father's right hand, looking forward with eager expectancy to the day of His return to earth; yet He waits patiently, that men may have the fullest opportunity at this present time. His eye, and the eye of His follower who is in close intelligent touch with Him and His plans, look forward together expectantly to the same day and event. And the expectant heart on earth prays, "Come, Lord Jesus."