The Second Coming of Christ - The Only Christian Hope, continued

And they had noted the teaching of our Lord himself to the same effect in the following recorded instances: "Blessed is that servant whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily, I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods" (Matt. 24v 46, 47). "And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents; behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, l will make thee ruler over many things" (Matt. 25v 20, 21). "And he said unto him (that had gained the ten pounds), Well, thou good servant, because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities" (Luke 19v 17). Again, Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the Jews, "The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof" (Matt. 21v 43).

At the time Jesus used the last quoted words, the chief priests and rulers were in possession of the kingdom of Israel, which having been originally established by God, was called the kingdom of God. Now the generality of people can understand the meaning of this predicted taking of the kingdom from them. They know as a matter of history that the Jewish polity was abolished, and that in fulfilment of Christ's prediction, its rulers were deposed from their seats of authority, and in fact, "miserably destroyed" in the awful judgments that overtook the city of Jerusalem. But when directed to the second part of the statement, they stumble. "It shall be given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof." Most people understand the taking, but what about the giving? The thing taken is the thing given; so, the kingdom of Israel, which was taken from the chief priests and Pharisees, shall be given to "a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof." This is self-evident. The only question requiring settlement is as to who are the fruit-producing nation; and this is easily answered. Jesus said to his disciples, "Fear not, little flock: for it is your Father's good pleasure to give YOU the kingdom" (Luke 12v 32). He further said, in answer to Peter's question, "Behold, we have forsaken all and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?"

"I say unto you, that ye which have followed me, in the regeneration, WHEN the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of his glory, YE hi. SO SHALL SIT UPON TWELVE THRONES, JUDGING THE TWELVE TRIBES OF ISRAEL" (Matt. 19v 27, 28).

Again, when the disciples were assembled at the last supper, he said unto them:--

"Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, AND SIT ON THRONES, JUDGING THE TWELVE TRIBES OF ISRAEL" (Luke 22v 28-30).

Here is a complete identification of "the nation bringing forth the fruits thereof." That nation consists of the disciples of our Saviour, who is himself at their head as "THE HEIR." They are styled by Peter (I Epist. 2v 9), "a chosen generation, a ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, an holy nation, a peculiar people"; agreeing with the testimony that they will yet inherit the kingdom of God which was taken from the Pharisees, and which, though now in ruins, is to be restored in glorious plenitude.

If the disciples were so egregiously mistaken as they are supposed to be, in their idea of Christ's Kingdom, and the position which they should hold in it, it is remarkable that we never read of any correction by Christ of that mistake. There were three occasions which would have elicited such correction had it been required.

The first was when "the mother of Zebedee's children" came with her two sons--James and John--saying, "Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom" (Matt. 20v 21). Now, according to the popular view, here was the time to launch forth in condemnation of the earthliness and carnal misdirected ambition supposed to be indicated in the request; and doubtless the Saviour, who was never slow to correct the misconceptions of his disciples, nor even to rebuke with severity, would have done so if the request had really been of the nature to call for it; but how different from anything of this kind is his answer. Not a word of censure! Not the softest whisper of implied rebuke! Rather a direct and signal confirmation of the idea embodied in the fond mother's petition. "Ye know not what ye ask," says he... "To sit on my right hand and on my left, is not mine to give, BUT IT SHALL BE GIVEN to them for whom it is prepared of my Father." So that instead of pronouncing her request inadmissable, he actually declares that the position requested will be given to those for whom it is prepared (verses 22, 23).

The second occasion occurred after the resurrection. Jesus joined two of his disciples as they walked to the village of Emmaus (Luke 24v 13), but held their eyes that they should not know him; and they conversed with him on the subject of his own death. In the course of conversation, one of them, giving expression to the view shared by the disciples generally, said: "We trusted that it had been he WHICH SHOULD HAVE REDEEMED ISRAEL" (verse 21). Here again was the time to explain their misconception, had it been such; but here again there is an entire absence of any remark of that nature. He uttered a rebuke, but it did not refer to what they did believe, but to what did they did not believe. "O fools," exclaimed he, "and slow of heart to believe ALL that the prophets have spoken! Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?" (verses 25, 26). He reproached them for disbelieving in his sufferings, and not for believing in his kingly glory.

The third time was immediately prior to the ascension. It is stated in Acts 1v 6, that when Jesus and his disciples were come together, the disciples asked him, saying, "Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?" They had had their eyes opened to the fact and necessity of his sufferings; but seeing that these were now accomplished, and that he had been gloriously resurrected from the dead, they evidently thought that the time had at last arrived when their cherished hope of national restoration under the Messiah should be realised; and so they asked him if he would at that time bring their desires to pass.

Now it is a notable circumstance, that this question was put after Christ had spoken to the disciples of "the things pertaining to the kingdom of God" during forty days (verse 3). This fact suggests the supposition that the question was based on the teaching they received during that time. At any rate, how was the question received? With discouragement and rebuke? Nay: but, as in the previous case, with confirmatory answer: "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power" (verse 7). This was equivalent to affirming that "times and seasons" had been provided for the event contemplated in their question--that is, that the event, "the restoring again of the kingdom to Israel," would really come to pass in process of time, but that it was not proper for them to know when. How inappropriate would such an answer have been, had their supposition as to the fact of such restoration been mistaken.

But the fact is, there was no question as to the event itself. Jesus had been enlightening them during forty days, in reference to it. Their enquiry related purely to the time of the event, and his answer was confined to that same thing. They supposed the event would then transpire. "They thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear" (Luke 19v 11). This was the peculiar error of early times. They did not err in believing that God would establish His Kingdom on earth, and that Christ should visibly manifest himself as the "king over all the earth" (Zech. 14v 9); for these things have been abundantly testified in the prophets and proclaimed by Jesus himself. Their mistake lay in supposing that they would be accomplished in their own day.