TO WAIT for God's Son out of the heavens, Who rescues us out of the
coming indignation (1 Thess.1:10) is the privilege and portion of all who have turned to
Him in this era of grace and salvation. Before He comes to Israel on the mount of Olives
there will be signs and portents, hence they are exhorted, "watch, then, for
you are not aware what day your Lord is coming" (Matt. 24:42). In an hour which they
are not supposing the Son of Mankind is coming. They shall hear of battles, but are bidden
not to be alarmed, for these are not the immediate signs of the consummation. Famines and
earthquakes are only the beginning of pangs (Matt.24:6-8). Not signs on earth but in
heaven are the immediate precursors of His advent. The sun and moon will be darkened and
stars will fall when the sign of the Son of Mankind will appear, and He shall come on
clouds with power and much glory.
When Paul went among the nations he told them of these things, and concerning the
apostasy of the end time, and the man of lawlessness (2 Thess.2:1-5). He explained the
times and the eras, especially as to the coming of the day of the Lord (1 Thess.5:1). In
contrast to the coming of Christ Himself, the day of the Lord is to come as a thief in the
night. When they say "Peace and security"--when man seems, at last, to have
attained the goal of man's day--then extermination is standing over them, for the Lord
will commence to set things right with His iron club, and God's indignation will sweep
through the earth.
God, however, did not appoint us to indignation, but to the procuring of salvation, so
that the terrors which, of necessity, inaugurate the day of Jehovah, are not for us. We
will find no "peace and security" until Christ Himself, the Prince of Peace, is
present. We, who have the later epistles of Paul, should have a more accurate knowledge of
the grace of the present era than they. Salvation through faith in grace would
never allow us to come under divine indignation, such as will be poured out when the day
of the Lord begins. They may not escape, but we will.
How shall we escape? That is the especial burden of the Thessalonian epistles. By the
word of the Lord Paul reveals a previous expectation (Eph.1:12), a presence of our Lord in
the air before the day of Jehovah. In that day the living will have precedence. The dead
will not he roused until seventy-five days after His advent. But, in this gracious scene,
the dead in Christ will rise first, and will go together with us who survive to meet the
Lord in the air. It will not depend on us at all. Those who are dead will not come later,
those who are drowsing will not be left behind. All will be living at the same time,
when together with Him (1 Thess.5:10). We may be drowsy, we may die, but nothing will
interfere with this gracious and glorious tryst! What consolation and edification is in
this revelation!
To understand this portion of Thessalonians it is helpful to see that Paul uses the
teaching concerning times and eras which he had already given as a contrast to this
new revelation. Note the negatives. We are not of the night. We will not be
overtaken by the day of the Lord. We are not appointed to indignation, we are to wait
for a Person, not to watch for signs. During the whole time until now this blessed
expectation has been kept before every believer. Sometimes there were no signs. At other
times signs have led astray. The true signs have to do with the day of Jehovah, which we
escape. Instead, we enter the day of Christ (Phil.1:10; 2:16), for then He will have His
day when we are with Him.
The saints have suffered much in the past through the apparent failure of predictions
which foretold the time of the end. We should be very slow to seek for the fulfillment of
prophecies in this secret administration. The apostasy from the faith is, no doubt,
proceeding apace.
That we are living in the last days seems certain*. The Lord's presence is impending as never before. It would
be no surprise if this publication found all its readers snatched away at the presence of
the Lord when it reaches their homes. But no signs belong to this era of grace. Yet it
does seem as if we are having a foretaste, a preview, some indications of the era that
looms up ahead, among the nations, but especially in Israel. It may be that the leaders of
Zionism are the fishers, that are drawing Israel to the land, and the many opponents are
the hunters who are chasing them there in accord with Jeremiah's prophecy (16:16). Already
the exigencies of war and economics are forcing on the nations forms of government such as
will be found under the great dictator at the time of the end. Much else seems to belong
to that coming day. These we may watch. But we wait for our Lord from
heaven. How soon?
[*written in May 1940]
