Comment By Torchlight

Signs of the Times

The first great epoch of human history ended with the judgement of the Flood. When our Lord spoke to His apostles of His return to this earth as the Son of Man, firstly to judge and then to reign, He indicated that conditions similar to those of the days of Noah would prevail in this world. "And as were the days of Noah, so shall be the coming of the Son of Man" (Matthew 24.37). The condition of things in those days is graphically portrayed in Genesis 6. Godlessness and violence covered the earth, Noah's preaching was unheeded, and then "the flood came, and took them all away" (Matthew 24.39).

If the conditions prevalent in the days of Noah are to be reproduced in the future, we may well ask ourselves whether the process is not already developing under our very eyes. The features of the last days described in 2 Timothy 3.1-5 are present in modern society to a marked degree and have increased considerably in the past few decades. We are told elsewhere in Scripture of the great apostasy or "falling away" which will precede the day of the Lord (2 Thessalonians 2.3). The rejection of Scripture as divine revelation leaves men devoid of an absolute authority. Human reason is deified and becomes the idol to which they look for deliverance. All this paves the way for the rising of the man of sin (2 Thessalonians 2.3).

Before the judgement of the Flood, we are told of the translation of Enoch, the seventh from Adam, whose name stands out in the divine record against the dark background of universal apostasy: "And Enoch walked with God... three hundred years... and he was not; for God took him" (Genesis 5.22-24). Jude reveals that Enoch not only walked with God but that he was also a prophet who warned of the coming judgement (Jude 14,15). Some have seen in this remarkable incident a foreshadowing of the rapture of the Church (1 Thessalonians 4.17). One of the great pioneers of prophetic study in the last century wrote: "God will remove His Church, as He removed Enoch, before the wickedness of man came to its worst. He will take away that which He Himself has called the salt of the earth, and then the corruption of all flesh will go on unchecked, and the world will speedily ripen for its doom" (Pember).

All this has a solemn voice for present-day believers. Firstly, we should guard against the corroding influences around us by a closer walk with God. Our Lord warned of the chilling effect of ungodliness in the fearful conditions of the end-time: "And because iniquity shall be multiplied, the love of the many shall wax cold" (Matthew 24.12). We need this warning, too. Our only safeguard is to spend more time in the presence of God:

"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High

Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty" (Psalm 91.1).

We need, too, an increasing awareness of our Lord's promise:

"Behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to render to each man according as his work is" (Revelation 22.12).

"Take Heed" (Galatians 5.15)

The importance of unity and harmony among God's people needs constant emphasis. When we look at the conditions of things in the world, as described on the previous page, we see the need for continued vigilance lest the strife and discord with which human relations are tainted should invade the assemblies of God's people. It is important that we recognize the danger and then guard against it.

If we consider our Lord's ministry addressed to His apostles we shall observe that He had in view a people who would dwell together in a fellowship of which they were the nucleus. Early in His ministry He began to inculcate principles in human relationships which were contrary to human standards and in advance of the standards laid down in the Law of Moses. An example of this occurs in Matthew 5.21-24, where our Lord attaches primary importance to a state of reconciliation among brethren. There are instances in the Gospels of contention arising among the apostles. Like ourselves, they were slow to learn. In Mark 9.33-35, the apostles had been disputing who was the greatest and, when challenged by the Lord to recount their conversation, they were silent - "they held their peace", no doubt from a sense of shame. A spirit of contention was among them even in the upper room on the night of the betrayal (Luke 22.24-27). How patient the Lord was with them! Among the memories He left with them that night was that of the Lord and the Master stooping to wash their feet. Maybe their cheeks burned with shame as His loving hands performed that lowly service. What a rebuke! Then came the new commandment, "that ye love one another; even as I have loved you" (John 13.34). Love is a much-abused word. It is not sentimentality, nor fussiness, nor mere niceness. It does not parade itself. Love finds "its happiness in the felicity of another" (Moule). "Love worketh no ill to his neighbour" (Romans 13.10). This is the high standard which should govern our relations with each other. We cannot attain it in our own strength. The Spirit of God alone can enable us, for "the fruit of the Spirit is love... "

(Galatians 5.22).

It is clear from the Epistles of the New Testament that the maintenance of unity and harmony among God's gathered people was a major problem in apostolic days. Internal strife and discord were a constant menace to the assemblies. There are frequent warnings against a wrong spirit among the disciples. The churches of Galatia were plagued with contending parties, and Paul's rebuke was severe, "if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another" (Galatians 5.15). The root of the trouble in Galatia was that the saints were lacking in the graces of the Spirit. Sinful human nature, here termed "the flesh", was asserting itself and breeding discord and strife. Paul attacks the canker at its root. The graces of the Spirit must replace the works of the flesh if the trouble is to be eradicated. Thus the well-known passage on the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5.16-26) is given to us in the context of the Galatian discord, and is on record for all time as the solution to a recurring problem among God's people.

We all need to look well to 6ur motives. Sometimes the works of the flesh may appear in a seemingly harmless guise, but whenever our attitude to fellow-disciples is motivated by them we become disturbers of the peace among God's people. This is a matter which calls for continual and rigorous self-examination. We can do no greater service to God's people than to promote the unity and harmony of which David sang:

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is

For brethren to dwell together in unity!

For there the LORD commanded the blessing"

(Psalm 133).

unknown | Sept 1968
Comment By Torchlight