The Christian's Blessed Hope

(The Pastor's Letter February 1970)

Dear Friends,

It was the taunt of the unbelievers in the early days of Christianity that Christ had failed to "come again" for His church, as He said He would. "Where is the promise of his coming?" they taunted. And, of course, they knew where to hit the believers hardest, for the great motivating power of the church of that days was the blessed fact that "this same Jesus," who has been taken up into heaven, would "so come again in like manner" as they had seen Him go into heaven. Jesus was coming again! That was all they knew and all they wanted to know. And although some of the saints had acted somewhat foolish with regards to the blessed hope, it was still the blessed hope for all that, and well the unbelieving sceptics realised it and so, used its apparent failure to occur as a handle for their attacks on that young church.

Now, the devil doesn't seem to stir up the unbelievers in our own day to throw doubts, and scorn, and disbelief of the truth of our Lord's coming again for His people, and this is significant. You see, as believers, we should be on the alert concerning, not only what the devil is doing, but what he is NOT doing. And why is he NOT attacking this great doctrine of the second coming of our Saviour – this blessed truth? Well, brethren, perhaps it's because it is not "a blessed truth," in the hearts and minds of so many in the Lord's professing church today. Oh! A truth, it may be, but a BLESSED truth it certainly does not appear to be.

Of course, some of the Lord's people have acted foolishly in the past with regards to the doctrine of our Lord's second advent – and there, the devil has been busy, filling the minds of many with mere speculation and fanciful fables. But surely, if ever there was an age that needed a firm grip of the FACT and the glorious prospect of Christ's appearing for His Bride, it is this age in which we find ourselves. Every one of us needs that same yearning that was in the heart of the church in the last chapter of the Revelation: "An the Spirit and the bride say, Come." She had got a glimpse of her Heavenly Bridegroom and she had heard His voice speaking to her and reminding her of His tender mercy in sending His Word of truth throughout the churches – "I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches." (Verse 16) He has also shown Himself to her in all His Kingly, Sovereign Majesty – "I am the root and the offspring of David." And, in all His enlightening grace – "And the bright and morning star." And, beholding that vision, the espoused of the Lord can do nothing else but plead for His appearing again: "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come."

Is the desire "of the flesh"? Ah, no; it is "of the Spirit" Who is dwelling in the church and holding sway in the church and prompting the desire for Christ's coming. And surely, brethren, the very absence of such a desire in the professing church of Christ today only betrays the absence of the Spirit of God in those places where the Name of Christ is named. It was said of Andrew Bonar that he would look out of his window every morning to see if "Christ was coming."

Why are we so impotent? So ineffective? So lacking in testimony? So compromising? So un-Christlike? So slothful in our day and age? WHERE IS THE PROMISE OF HIS COMING? In our plans? In our hearts? In our minds? In our behaviour? In our churches? In our words and actions? "Where is the promise of his coming?"

Would that we really felt the darkness of the days in which we live, then, perhaps, we would yearn – like the church in the Revelation – for the appearing of "the bright and morning star" to scatter our darkness. Would that we knew more of the burden and heat of the battle, for surely, that would put a new, much-needed song, into our mouth in these days.

Maranatha — The Lord Cometh.

Sincerely
W.J. Seaton.

" … I go to prepare a place for you; and if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also."