The Appearing Of The Glory Of Our Great God And Saviour Jesus Christ

by J. DORRICOTT | Category: The Appearing Of The Glory Of Our Great God And Saviour Jesu | Mar 1943

In two previous articles (see NEEDED TRUTH, Vol. XLIX. 1947; 166) we wrote concerning our Lord coming for His saints, and our waiting attitude for His return, expressed in the words "Looking for the blessed hope." Not only are we told to expect this fully, but also the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ who gave Himself for us. For the sake of younger ones in Christ, we desire to make clear at the outset that the Lord's coming for His saints, and His coming with His saints are two distinct things, yet they are put together from the point of longing and desire in Titus 2., and for both we look forward. If the Lord's coming for us is one of the most comforting truths for His saints, our Lord's appearing in glory and majesty with His saints is one of the most heart-stirring and soul-stimulating truths. Paul set this before Titus in regard to his responsibility as a servant of Christ upon earth; for that day will reveal to others our love to the Lord or our lack of it in His holy service. It is one of the most thrilling truths of the Sacred Writings. The distinction between His coming for His saints and coming with His saints is seen in 1 Thessalonians 4.15-18, 1 Corinthians 15.50-54, and 1 Thessalonians 3.13, Colossians 3. 4, :2 Thessalonians 1. 7-10. There is then the blessed (happy) hope of His coming for the Church, and the manifestation to the world of the brightness, yea the splendour of His glory, when He comes with her; also with other glorified saints of past periods, and myriads of holy angels. What an appearing indeed!

It should also be noted that there will be an interval between the two aspects of His coming of at least seven years, for the unfulfilled week of years (called the 70th) must run its course after the Church has been caught up to be for ever with the Lord. The truth of the present Church period which was hid in God from eternal times, and unrevealed in Old Testament Scriptures (as we have before stated) is the great parenthesis, gap, or unlimited period between the 69th. and 70th weeks of the prophetic utterance to Daniel. See Daniel 9. 24-27. The cutting off of Messiah at the close of the 69th week through His rejection 'by His people, proved by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, and through the atoning death of Christ to be the opening wide of the door of grace and mercy to Jew and Gentile alike, and the revelation of the mystery of Christ and the Church. This unlimited period is outside the prophetic chart of time, and seasons and times do not belong to this dispensation, but belong to Israel and the nations. The coming of the Lord for His saints closes this period. After this God commences His work again with His ancient people, the Jewish nation, which was broken off through the rejection of their Messiah. The Gospel of the kingdom will be again proclaimed. It will not be limited to the land of Palestine as when the Lord sent His apostles forth at the first, but will be preached as a testimony to all nations, telling of the Coming King and His kingdom. We digress to say that the character of this gospel will be similar to what the Lord sent His apostles and disciples to preach to follow up the testimony of John the Baptist. The Gospel of the Grace of God is the glad tidings for this dispensation (Acts 20.24), bringing the one who receives the Saviour by the power of the Spirit into one Body-the Church, of which Christ is Head. The Gospel of the kingdom proclaims a coming King,-the King of Israel, and is a gospel of preparation for the reception of the Messiah at His appearing. We will not enter into the events of the seven years preceding His appearing, years of sorrow and tribulation. The Jews will pass through these to cleanse, purge and make a remnant ready to receive their King; for some will say :-" Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him."

We now refer to some events in heaven preceding the coming of our Lord as Son of Man, when He comes with power and great glory, which of course is after "the great tribulation." It will be noticed in Revelation '7. that there is a white-robed throng who have come out of the great tribulation, the victors with palms of victory; they are seen before the throne of God. Then follows the opening of the seventh seal, chapter 8.1, when there was silence in heaven for the space of half an hour (a limited time). Why, we ask, is there this great suspension of the praise and service of Heaven? In the writer's understanding this synchronises with the time of Revelation 19. 5-9, the glorious scene in heaven after the great tribulation and the judgement of the great whore, corrupt Christendom. All heaven is seen to acquiesce in this judgement with their "Amen" and "Hallelujah" expressed three times, "for true and righteous are His judgements." Then when the false woman has met her righteous doom upon earth a glorious proclamation is made in heaven which takes all heavenly beings by surprise, and fills them with wonder and amazement. No wonder that there is silence in heaven for the space of half an hour! for what is proclaimed must take place ere He can come forth, all must be brought to fruition concerning

THE MARRIAGE OF THE LAMB.

This is the proclamation that causes "silence in heaven," as the writer understands it :

"And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunders, saying, Hallelujah:for the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigneth. Let us rejoice arid be exceeding glad, and let us give the glory unto Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready. And it was given unto her that she should array herself in fine linen, bright and pure : for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

"And He saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they that are bidden to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And He saith unto me, These are true words of God" (Revelation 19.6-9).

So great and so wonderful is this proclamation, so surprisingly felt in that celestial sphere, that the words are added, " These are true words of God."

It was necessary that this blessed union in marriage should take place, and the celebration of it with the bidden ones ere the Bridegroom should come forth with her at His glorious appearing, only in a different character. That blissful time had come which had been the subject of eternal counsel, when those whom Christ loved, and for whom He gave Himself, should be manifestly united in this blissful, eternal relationship. If the word "Bride" suggests youthful beauty and pristine state, then the word "Wife" conveys the thought of a relationship, in this case, eternal. The words "the Lamb" (wife of the Lamb) would ever remind her of the great Sacrificial offering of Himself at Calvary. His wife has not only made herself ready to be a companion for eternal relationship with Him as the wife of the Lamb, but she has been adorned with an adornment from Himself, arrayed in fine linen white and pure, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Not the robe of the righteousness of God which is unto all, and upon all them that believe, but their deeds of righteousness which have been done, not as before men, but as before their Father which is in heaven. These have been made manifest and their outstanding conspicuousness will then be displayed, and yet He gave the grace and power to do them. How true are the words

"The saints shall shine in glory,

As Christ shall them array."

How blessed to know that He has not only made us one with Himself, but He is going to manifest that union to an astonished world, "when He shall come to be glorified in His saints and to be marvelled at in all them that believed!"

"Soon, soon shall come that glorious day,

When seated on Thy throne,

Thou wilt to wondering worlds display,

That Thou with us art one."

Going back a little in our thoughts, we are reminded that the sounding of the seventh angel also coincides with what takes place just prior to His glorious manifestation with His saints.

" And the seventh angel sounded, and there followed great voices in heaven, and they said, The kingdom of the world is become the kingdom of our Lord, arid of His Christ: arid He shall reign for ever and ever" (Revelation 11. 15).

The time of asking has come which is given in Psalm 2.

"Ask of Me, arid I will give Thee the nations for Thine inheritance,

arid the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession."

The Son of Man receives these possessions and the kingdom and the glory from His Father on the ground of redemption. Did He not purchase the field for the sake of the treasure in it? He receives these because of the mighty stoop He made in His humiliation when He became the Son of Man and offered Himself a Ransom for all. Well may we pray after this manner :

"Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, arid the glory, for ever. Amen" (Matthew 6.10-13, A.V.).

J. DORRICOTT | Mar 1943
The Appearing Of The Glory Of Our Great God And Saviour Jesu