E. W. Bullinger

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September, 1897 | Vol. IV July 1897 - June 1898 | Main Index

Things to Come

My answer to this question is an affirmative one, and I believe our Lord's ascension will probably give us a clue.

In John 20:17 the Lord Jesus said to Mary, "Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my Father, but go to my brethren and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God," whereas eight days later the Lord said to Thomas, "Reach hither thy finger and behold my hands, and reach hither thy hand and thrust it into my side, and be not faithless but believing."

I can only suggest one way of explaining this mystery. Our Lord appears to have fulfilled Leviticus 23:11, the "Wave sheaf," this was presented as a type of Christ in Resurrection the day after the Sabbath, and was fulfilled if our Lord ascended and presented Himself to the Father. It is unnecessary to my present purpose to point out the significance of the fifty days which we know pointed to Pentecost, or the "two loaves of fine flour baken with leaven," which we know represent the Church. Suffice it to say, that as our Lord before His ascension (as we commonly understand the phrase) fulfilled the wave sheaf type, so, I believe, He will come for His Church, before He comes in glory "with all his saints." Is there any other way of accounting for the words, "Touch me not?" and also "I ascend?" seeing that Thomas was so differently dealt with from Mary? and the ascension was some distance off when the Lord spoke to Mary?

To a thoughtful mind it is almost impossible to understand or to reconcile verses of Scripture unless we grasp "the two phases"; for example, take such a verse as "This same Jesus...shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into Heaven" (Acts 1:11). How different from 2 Thessalonians 1:7—"The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God." Or again in Amos 5:18, we have "Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord." In 1 Thessalonians 4:18, "Comfort one another with these words."

Let me however, clearly say that I have no wish to prove:—

(1) That a monopoly of wisdom is vested in those who hold certain views, be they "historic" or "futurist."

(2) I am not of necessity going to teach a "secret" rapture.

To many minds the phrase—"The Second Coming of the Lord" implies several clearly marked events, which, of necessity, imply a considerable space of time. For example:—

(1) We have "the Rapture" clearly taught in 1 Thessalonians 4 (this I hope to show means the removal of the complete Church to meet the Lord in the air).

(2) We have also the scene on earth depicted after the Church is taken (in Rev 6) by the breaking of "the seals" of the seven sealed book.

(3) Also, the reign of a last personal Antichrist, who is known as "the man of sin," "the Beast," the wilful king, etc.

(4) The gathering of a great multitude who are seen in Revelation 7, and who are declared to have been brought out of "the Tribulation, the great Tribulation," but who have no "crown," in the description given them.

It seems impossible that these should belong to the Church, the body of Christ.

(5) The gathering of the Jewish Remnant to their own land (see Zech 8:12 and other Scriptures), that they may be at the appointed place to meet the Lord when He comes in glory "with all His saints," to be seen of those who pierced Him, to destroy His arch-enemy, "the man of sin," and to fulfil the second psalm establishing the Kingdom on earth which will last 1,000 years.

Now let us deal a little more in detail with these points. There is to be a "glorious appearing," and undoubtedly a multitude of redeemed sinners will "meet the Lord in the air"; all can say "yes" to this, but now alas, we part company, for many think that:—

A. A favoured few are to be caught up whilst the majority, on account of worldliness or spiritual deficiency, are left to go through the tribulation.

B. Others think that the whole church on earth, i.e., those who have not fallen asleep in Jesus during past centuries, will go through the tribulation, and that "the Rapture" of necessity takes place after the tribulation (unless they get out of the difficulty by teaching "a first-fruits ascension"); whilst a third section believes:—

C. That the Church will not go through the tribulation; to this latter view I absolutely and firmly adhere for the following reasons:—

(1) The Apostle Paul said, "Christ the firstfruits, afterward they that are Christ'sat His Coming" (1 Cor 15:23). (2) He also said, "WE which are alive and remain shall not prevent those who are asleep"; does he in these words hint at any sub-division? (3) So long as grace is grace, and so long as grace and works as a title must be kept separate and distinct, who can believe that works, or experience, or faithfulness can add to the Title? What would be our Title on a dying bed to-day? Surely the Precious Blood? If that does not secure "an abundant entrance," what will? True, the Irvingites, the Christadelphians, a certain few Romanists, and other individuals far more deeply taught in the Word, severally teach that the "translated" are the few, and each in turn teaches the translation of the coterie to which he belongs! Did I share these views, modesty would compel me to omit myself from the faithful and distinguished few! The idea seems utterly foreign to Scripture.

Are there not foreshadowings of the glorious appearing?

I think so? Look for example, at Hebrews 11. How are we to account for the Divine order, and the Divine omissions of that chapter? Why does the Holy Spirit begin with Abel and then mention Enoch, the seventh from Adam? Why go from Enoch to Noah? Surely Abel shews the truth concerning the first appearing of our Lord "to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself," whereas Enoch shews the truth of the second appearing "without sin unto Salvation." Enoch was caught away, he was not, just as we shall be, caught up or raptured. Enoch was taken immediately before the flood (the tribulation which our Lord uses in Matt 24 to point on to another tribulation yet future). Surely the inference is strong! but see how it is supported by another instance.

The cities of the plain are doomed, where is Abraham? In Genesis 19:27 we are told that Abraham was "standing before the Lord" when the judgment fell! Then he was safely out of the tribulation which fell upon the doomed cities. "As it was in the days of Lot so shall it be."

Yea further, what about Lot himself? Surely his experience was not such that on the ground of grace plus works he was delivered? Yet the Lord "delivered just Lot." He could not do anything "till Lot be come thither." Why not? Because it would have been contrary to a Divine principle witnessed through Scripture, viz., that judgment can never touch one of the Lord's own people. We all remember about the saints at Jerusalem escaping to Pella before the overthrow by the Roman armies.

The Rapture then means the translation of all the saints then alive, to meet those who have been asleep in Jesus, their Title being "the Blood" alone—Sovereign grace.

I hesitate to give foreshadowings of "the day of the Lord," they are so numerous—the overthrow of Pharaoh at the Exodus is perhaps the most significant.

So soon as the Church is gone, the seals of the seven-sealed book are broken, and Antichrist in Revelation 6 is seen on "the white horse" going forth conquering and to conquer, followed by war, famine, pestilence, martyrdoms for the Word of God, and the great earthquake. This we get in Revelation 6 after we have seen the Church in glory in Revelation 5. Some are looking for Antichrist, but I know of no verse to warrant their doing so. We are "to wait for the Son from Heaven," and to look for Him. We must not confuse those who sing the new song in Revelation 5 with those who cry for vengeance in 6:10.

When is the Rapture?

It may be at any time. The Lord says, "Behold, I come quickly," the words were uttered many centuries ago, but they were uttered in the right place! Such words could not have been used to the Churches of Ephesus or Smyrna, which mystically represented early church days, but one of the seven "Lampstands" represents (mystically) our own day, viz., the Philadelphian, and, of course, it is to that Church that the Lord says, "Behold, I come quickly," and to the same Church we have that remarkable verse, "Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from [i.e., out of] the hour of temptation which shall come to try them that dwell upon the earth."

Strongly do I believe that we escape that "hour," equally strongly do I believe that the "quickly" should be caught by every hearing ear.

In every passage of Scripture careful discernment will shew that the promise is in beautiful sequence with the lapse of time, and that "the time of the end" is strictly in view, wherever the word "quickly" is used. I have omitted all reference to the deeply interesting Jewish topic. God's purposes are ripening fast in the East, and never were newspapers scanned with greater eagerness than now, especially by those who "lift up their heads knowing that their redemption draweth nigh."

It is, however, not necessary that the Jews should go back before the Rapture. I look only for "a remnant" to return to their own land, and statistics are already interesting and suggestive. It is enough for us to know that the "Time of the Gentiles" have nearly run out, that then blessing reverts to Israel, but not prior to the Church's removal, for surely all uncertainty would be at an end if we saw Israel in possession of the heritage given to Abraham. The eleventh chapter of the Epistle to the Romans is not difficult, nor is Matthew 24, if we keep in mind that the latter chapter refers to events entirely, after the Rapture, except in-so-far as Jerusalem's overthrow by the Roman armies was a foreshadowing of that greater tribulation referred to in verse 29. Nor does Luke 21 afford any disproof of this opinion.

The pivot words of these chapters have lead me to this conclusion; notice them, "Temple," "Mount of Olives," "Abomination of desolation," "Holy place," "Judea," "Sabbath day," "Fig tree," "This generation," "Synagogues," etc., surely these words do not take our thoughts to the Body of Christ which is the Church?

We do well to cease looking for signs except in-so-far as we discern the general aspect of the days, "the Signs of the Times" generally. St. Paul fully, in his epistles, (for example, 2 Tim 3:1) has given us leading characteristics, they are sufficiently clear to warrant our belief that "the night is far spent, and that the day is at hand." How many choice servants of the Lord have gone home who knew this! Were they wrong? I believe not! Was it not their incentive to godliness; to zeal in evangelistic, pastoral, and missionary work? Shall it not be ours? If careful comparisons of Scripture lead us to the conclusion that the time is indeed short, surely our conduct must be regulated by such a solemn consideration, and by such a "blessed hope."

September, 1897 | Vol. IV July 1897 - June 1898 | Main Index  

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