We have thus far seen that what we are taught to look for is the coming of the Lord for His saints. Then we have 1St, resurrection—the dead saints raised. 2nd, the change—the living saints changed in a moment. 3rd, translation—all caught up to meet the Lord in the air, and so be forever with the Lord. Between our being caught up and taken to the Father’s house, and our coming out of heaven with the Lord in glory, all will be manifested at the judgment-seat, or bema, of Christ. Christ will present us to Himself a glorious church without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, and the marriage of the Lamb will take place. Thus the church will have her distinctive place in the glory.
“The sons of God” will be manifested when Christ comes out of heaven; for “when Christ who is our life shall appear, then shall we also appear with him in glory.” Now the sons of God are not manifested—“the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not;” but when the Lord is revealed from heaven, every eye shall see Him, He will be glorified in His saints, and admired in all them that believe; then the world will know that the Father has loved us as He has loved Jesus. All creation waits for the manifestation of the sons of God. We are told that “ the earnest expectation of the creature [creation] waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God... the creature [creation] itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty, [the liberty of the glory] of the children of God. Thus we see that the creation cannot be brought into deliverance before the sons of God are manifested, or revealed in glory with our Lord Jesus Christ.
It is, however, important to see that during the interval of our being caught up to meet the Lord in the air, and our coming out in manifested glory with Him, the judgments of the seals, the trumpets, and the vials in regard to men on the earth will take place. During this interval also the great struggle now going on between popery and infidelity will reach its climax. The great whore, (which may be wider than popery, but certainly includes it,) is judged and set aside; nor will the marriage of the Lamb take place, and his wife have taken her place as such, having made herself ready, before the corruptness is set aside under the judging and avenging hand of God. It does not appear that this Satanic imitation and foul corruption of Christianity in the great whore will be judged by the ministry of angels, or directly by the hand of God. The infidel power will be allowed of God to thoroughly destroy her, and sack her of her wealth. We read, “The ten horns which thou sawest, and the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are finished” (Rev. 17:16, 1716And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. 17For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. (Revelation 17:16‑17).) It is this which creates such joy in heaven. I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, “Alleluia; salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God: for true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up forever and ever.” (Rev. 19:1-31And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God: 2For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. 3And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever. (Revelation 19:1‑3).)
This Satanic system of corrupt Christianity having been thus judicially set aside, the bride is now seen, the marriage of the Lamb takes place, after which the Lord will come out of heaven in manifested glory, and His saints with Him.
What a moment that will be when the Lord comes out of heaven with His saints to judge and put all enemies under His feet! What consternation and distress will fill the minds of those who see Him coming! That all on earth will see Him is perfectly clear, for it is written, “Behold he cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him, and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him.”
What an awful event that will be! Like a thief in the night, not in the least expected, He will come. Men, wrapped in false confidence and carnal security by the power of Satan, will be crying “Peace and safety,” up to the very time when sudden destruction cometh upon them as travail upon a woman with child, from which there is no escape. Like the antediluvians who refused the testimony of Noah, and gave themselves to eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, and knew not until the flood came and took them all away, so shall it be when the Son of man cometh. How little men think now of the solemn seriousness of hearing the gospel of the grace of God! To many it seems only an idle tale. Who heeds the warning of coming judgment? Where are men fleeing from the coming wrath? Who bows to the Lord Jesus as the only Savior, and to the blood of His cross as the only ground of peace? Are not most people saying, by their ways, if not in actual words, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die?” How appalling is the fact that so many hear the sweet words of Jesus, who said, “Come unto me... and I will give you rest,” yet turn their backs upon Him, and listen unmoved, again and again, to the awful warning, “He that believeth not shall be damned.” Oh, that the power of God by His Spirit might be put forth in opening the eyes of many to see the precipice immediately before them, which can only plunge them into an abyss of eternal agony and despair. May multitudes around us hear effectually a voice behind them saying, “Turn ye, turn ye, why will ye die?” If the reader of this paper is unforgiven, and unsaved, we pray you in the name of the Lord Jesus to turn to Him, and receive remission of sins. Look to Him and live! Fall as a helpless, guilty sinner, into His loving arms, and taste and see His goodness and His grace! Go not another step as you are, but
“Stop, poor sinner, stop and think,
Before you further go:
Will you sport upon the brink
Of everlasting woe?
Once again, I pray you stop,
For, unless you warning take,
Ere you are aware, you drop
Into the burning lake.”
Christ appears before God for us, and we are to appear before the world for Christ.
We shall, throughout eternity, be the proof of the efficacy of Christ’s work.