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No.9.
pp. 172 - 175
We have seen that there was the possibility of the Lord's early return to the earth,
depending upon the repentance of Israel (Acts 3: 19-26). We wish now to show that this
is reflected in all the earlier epistles. Let us open the Book at I Thess. 1: Here the
Apostle Paul is commending the believers at Thessalonica; he says in verse 9: "For they
themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to
God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven."
They could wait for an event that is yet future even to us today, nearly 2,000 years later.
It must have been a possibility then. In the fourth chapter we are told that some had lost
loved ones and the Apostle wrote to comfort them: "For if we believe that Jesus died and
rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him." So the
Lord is coming back! Yes! "For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we
which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord . . . . ." So even he was
expecting, at this time that there was a possibility of his being alive, and the Thessalonian
believers at the Lord's Coming, "shall not prevent (shall not get before) them which are
asleep".
II Thess. 1: 7: Some were going through persecution and tremendous difficulty and
this was also written to comfort and sustain them. "And to you who are troubled, rest
with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels." The
second advent of Christ with the angels from heaven was something which these
persecuted saints were directed to hold fast to, because, when that happened, they would
experience rest from persecution. So the Lord's Coming was a possibility then, in their
lifetime, otherwise it would not have been a comfort to them under trial. Chapter 2: 1:
"Now we beseech you, brethren, by (or concerning or touching) the coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him." Their `gathering together unto
Him' is connected with His coming.
In I Cor. 1: 7 the Apostle here refers to the spiritual gifts that had been given to the
Corinthian church, "So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming (or the
revelation) of our Lord Jesus Christ". Now on to chapter 7: Certain problems had
arisen concerning marriage, but note what the Apostle says in verse 29: "But this I say,
brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they
had none." He is saying, in effect, the time is so short that marriage need not be
considered. And yet we find that, after the Acts period, the Apostle Paul urges the
widows to marry! But at this time, the time was short because the Lord's return was near,
and I Cor. 16: 22 emphasizes this: "If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him
be Anathema. Maran-atha." These are two Aramaic words: "Let him be accursed",
Maran-atha = "The Lord cometh". So here again the Apostle stresses the early return of
the Lord Jesus.
Let us go back to Rom. 13: 11, 12: "And that, knowing the time, that now it is high
time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The