What a wonderful Saviour!
And now He reigns and rules within,
What a wonderful Saviour!"
We have seen our Lord proclaimed King at Jerusalem and accepting the
title. Although rejected and crucified, His every word and action was
kingly up to the last moment of His earthly life. He spoke openly of His
Kingdom to Pilate, for when Pilate asked Him, "Art Thou a King then?"
[Footnote: St. John xviii. 37] He answered, "I am." The purple robe, the
crown of thorns, the sceptre, though offered in mockery, were all kingly,
for the superscription over the Cross, THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE
JEWS, [Footnote: St. Matt. xxvii. 37] was true. The Cross was the way to
the Throne. "I beheld, and lo in the midst of the Throne stood a
Lamb, as it had been slain." [Footnote: Rev. v. 6]
In that dark, dark hour of Christ's agony on the Cross, there was only one
man who recognised Christ as King, and that was the dying thief. It was a
very real cry that broke from his lips in his utter need--"Lord, remember
me when Thou comest into Thy Kingdom." [Footnote: St. Luke xxiii. 42] It
was wonderful faith. Can you think of any other as wonderful? He
recognised Christ as King--not a dying King leaving His throne--but a
victorious King about to enter His Kingdom. The penitent thief saw even
more than this, he saw that it was a Kingdom of souls rescued from sin's
bondage and slavery; not a Kingdom of the great ones of earth, but for
outcasts such as he was, so he cried, "Take me as I am and give me a place
in the Kingdom."
But the answer to the cry was as wonderful as the cry itself--"To-day
shalt thou be with Me in Paradise." When the King said "With Me," He
meant, "I am passing from darkness into Everlasting Light. Come with Me. I
have broken the chains of sin, I am setting the prisoners free. Come with
Me." From that moment the penitent thief was identified with Christ in His
death and in His Risen Life. Is this true of you?
When earth rejected the King, not only was Heaven opened to receive Him,
but a triumphant reception awaited Him. Heaven resounded with the joyful
chorus of the angelic hosts--"Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye
lift up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of Glory shall come in"!
[Footnote: Ps. xxiv. 7.]
So for nineteen hundred years the heavens have received Him, but once
again the everlasting doors will open, and the Son of Man will come in
"the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." [Footnote: St. Matt.
xxiv. 30.]
What has been going on during all these years? Kingdoms and world powers
have risen up one after another, but all have failed to give what the
world really needs, "A King to reign in righteousness." [Footnote: Isa.
xxxii. 1.] God is still saying, "Why do the heathen rage and the people
imagine a vain thing?" [Footnote: Ps. ii. 1.] But in spite of man's
rebellion and forgetfulness of God, God's purpose will stand firm, "Yet
have I set My King upon My holy hill of Zion." [Footnote: Ps. ii. 6.]
God's purpose is to have all power placed in the hands of One Man, and
that is Christ. What will be the final winding up of Earth's suffering and
struggles? The veil will be drawn aside and
"The Glory of the LORD will be revealed." [Footnote: Isa. xl. 5.]
It is the glory of the Personal Presence of the Son of God. When? Where?
How? will the glory be seen.
Look back into the Garden of Eden. God gave man control over all, but he
listened to another voice and then he lost control. The question was
raised, "Who was to rule, Satan or God?"
By and by another veil will be drawn aside and we shall see how the unseen
powers of darkness have been at work behind all the wars and sin and
rebellion of this poor world. "An enemy hath done this." [Footnote: St.
Matt. xiii. 28.] It is the devil who blinds the eyes, hardens the hearts,
and deadens the conscience of mankind. But we must not lose heart or think
that Satan is getting the upper hand. The Word of God enables us not only
to trace some of his plots and schemes, but it shows us _why_ God has been
so long silent and _when_ God intends to break that silence. [Footnote:
See Ps. 1] The victory is sure, but whose victory? The Victory of the Son
of God.
But first the Jews must return to their own land, and then "the kings of
the earth and of the whole world" will be gathered to the battle of the
great Day of God Almighty. All these nations will fight against the Jews
at Jerusalem in the place called Armageddon. It is really a desperate
attempt of the devil who is sending forth these nations to make war with
the Lamb. Jerusalem will be taken, and when the enemy is rejoicing over
the victory and the destruction of the Jews seems certain, then suddenly
they see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and
great glory, [Footnote: St. Matt. xxiv. 30] "the armies" which are "in
Heaven" following Him. [Footnote: Rev. xix. 14]
Then shall the Lord go forth and fight against those nations, and His feet
shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, [Footnote: Zech. xiv. 3,
4] and "every eye shall see Him." [Footnote: Rev. i. 7] The armies of the
enemy will be destroyed and God's people will be delivered. In this
marvellous way the Lamb shall overcome, for "He is Lord of lords and King
of kings and they that are with Him are called, and chosen, and faithful."
[Footnote: Rev. xvii. 14]
It will not only be the deliverance of the Jews from their enemies, but
the wonder of that great day will be that at last their eyes will be
opened to see Him as the Messiah, so they will be converted and restored.
The Lord says, "I will pour upon them the spirit of grace and of
supplication and they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced."
[Footnote: Zech. xii. 10.]
What an overwhelming sight! The same Jesus whom they despised and rejected
is come down from heaven to deliver them, but they only think of Him as
the One whom they have pierced. The glory which meets their eye at that
moment is the glory of the love and compassion of the Crucified One. The
result of looking is mourning. They get such a view of their sin against
His love that they are filled with godly sorrow. When the eye of faith is
turned to Jesus then the tears flow. Oh, how perfectly will all Satan's
evil influence in man's heart be destroyed in the presence of Jesus.
"In that Day we have seen what has taken place at the beginning of that
day, and now before it closes a fountain will be opened to the house of
David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness."
[Footnote: Zech. xiii. 1.] With the opening of that fountain there is
grace given to _use_ it, for God says, "I will pour upon them the spirit
of grace." Many see the fountain now who never use it!
Precious fountain, of all things most precious to poor sinners such as you
and me. No one but God's dear Son, and nothing but His atoning death on
Calvary, could open that fountain. The fountain is still flowing--has it
cleansed you?
Then the Kingdom of God is set up on earth. Who can tell the good news so
well as these restored and converted ones?
The question is sometimes asked, Has the Gospel lost its power? Is
Christianity a failure? No. The Gospel will yet be preached throughout the
whole world. Who will be the preachers? Converted Jews, [Footnote: Isa.
lxi. 6] "a mighty angel, [Footnote: Rev. xiv. 6] and glorified saints, for
they shall be priests of God." [Footnote: Rev. xx. 6]
What will be the result of their preaching? There will be a world-wide
revival. "The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the
waters cover the sea." [Footnote: Hab. ii. 14]
When Christ comes to us now, it is to rule in the hearts of His people,
but _then_ He will reign over a believing world without opposition, for
Satan will be bound and Christ will take the Kingdom which is His by
redemption, and His glory will be seen on Mount Zion. "Out of Zion, the
perfection of beauty, God hath shined." [Footnote: Ps. 1. 2]
And the seventh angel sounded and there were great voices in heaven
saying: "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord
and of His Christ and He shall reign for ever and ever." [Footnote: Rev.
xi. 15]
After reigning on earth for a thousand years there will be the Judgment of
"the Great White Throne," [Footnote: Rev. xx. 11-15] when all those who
had no part in the first resurrection will be raised, and all whose names
are not "written in the Book of Life" will be "cast into the lake of
fire."
"This is the second death."
Has your name been entered in the Book of Life?
One more glorious Vision of the Kingdom is unfolded
before us, and the glory grows brighter and brighter,
for it is "THE EVERLASTING KINGDOM."
"I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first
earth were passed away and there was no more sea.... And He that sat upon
the throne said, Behold I make all things new...." [Footnote: Rev. xxi. 1,
5] "And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the
Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him; and they shall see
His face and His name shall be in their foreheads.
"And there shall be no night there: and they need no candle, neither light
of the sun, for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for
ever and ever." [Footnote: Rev. xxii. 3-5] How wonderful that God should
promise us an abundant entrance into His Everlasting Kingdom. [Footnote: 2
Pet. i. 11] What does an abundant entrance mean? It means that we shall
not, as it were, just creep into heaven by a side door, but that we shall
have a grand welcome from the glorified ones there and from the Lord
Himself, all the doors, as it were, being thrown wide open to receive us.
Are we preparing for it? A mother who was dying called her little daughter
who was ten years old to her bedside and said tenderly, "I want you to
learn this little prayer, 'O God, prepare me for all Thou art preparing
for me.'" And the prayer was answered, for that little girl was Frances
Ridley Havergal, who lived a consecrated life, and passed away singing
about the Lord whom she loved.
I must give you some words spoken by that holy man Samuel Rutherford who
was persecuted and put into prison for Christ's sake. "I wonder many
times," he said, "that ever a child of God should have a sad heart
considering what the Lord is preparing for him. When we get Home above and
enter into possession of our Brother's fair Kingdom, it will be like one
step from prison to glory." These words came true, for soon after this he
received notice to appear before his judges in court, but before the day
of the trial came he died. So it was literally one step for him from
prison to glory. His own account of it is given in the following lines----
"They've summoned me before them,
Thither I may not come;
My King says, Come up hither,
My Lord says, Welcome Home."
What will it all be like? No words of ours can describe it, but God
Himself tells us what He will be to us and what He will do for us in the
Eternal Kingdom.
"And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of
God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His
people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God." [Footnote:
Rev. xxi. 3-4]
"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no
more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more
pain, for the former things are passed away."
The Crown of it all is that "God Himself shall be with them and be their
God." [Footnote: 1 Cor. xv. 28] All creatures will say, "God is everything
to me," for GOD will be "All in All."'
We have traced out some of the wonderful truths which God has revealed to
us about Himself. "This is Life Eternal that they might know Thee, the
only True God and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent." [Footnote: St. John
xvii. 3]
Apart from God, all is death and ruin for ever; to _know_ God, to _trust_
God, to _love_ God is Eternal Life.
The great question is, What is God to me? Can you say--"O GOD, THOU ART MY
GOD"?