TWO MEN
[p. 95] TWO MEN
Luke 24:4; Acts 1:10,11; Luke 9:29,30
Each of these three passages presents two men, but in three different settings. In Luke 24 two men are at the place of Christ’s resurrection; in Acts 1, two men are at the place of His ascension; and in Luke 9, two men are at the place of His glorification.
The incarnation, and Christ’s work, His ascension and glorification have in view that men should be found in the realm which He has entered; thus a vast field of enquiry opens up, for this marvellous realm has the saints in view in relation to the counsels of God. This counsel relates to men, for when God created Adam He had Christ in view, because Adam was “the figure of him to come” (Romans 5:14); and it was a question not only of Christ personally but also of the assembly, for Moses says, “Male and female created he them”, Genesis 1:27.
When the Lord Jesus became Man, it says, “In him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4), which indicates that angels were not the immediate objects of the light, but that men were in view in the light which was shining. These three passages show that it is not only a matter of men on earth — they will be blessed, and the knowledge of God will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. Indeed, all shall know God from the little one among them unto the great one among them, not in any superficial or temporary way, but this knowledge will be abidingly impressed upon men, truly written in their minds and in their hearts. But these three passages have in mind the heavenly order of man; as it is said, “As we have borne the image of the one made of dust, we shall bear also the image of the heavenly one”, 1 Corinthians 15:49. Heaven will therefore be inhabited by men, and they will enter there in the order presented in these passages. First we shall be raised or quickened. In writing to the Corinthians the apostle says, “Behold,
[p. 96] I tell you a mystery: We shall not all fall asleep” (verse 51). Many will fall asleep, that is to say, they will die, but those who will be living when the Lord Jesus comes will be transformed into conformity to His body of glory. Nevertheless there must be a changing for all, for it says, “the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed”. Resurrection is particularly emphasised in 1 Corinthians 15, and, beloved brethren, we are all going to have part in the reality of the fact of resurrection. Resurrection is God’s victory; “thanks to God, who gives us the victory by our Lord Jesus Christ”.
The two men in Luke 24 were witnesses of this great occurrence; no doubt they were angels, but they are not referred to as such, for God presents them as men. He did not bring forward Moses or Elias at the sepulchre, but they were reserved for a higher thought — that of representing the heavenly saints; they are representative of glorified men having bodies like Christ’s body of glory. These two men at the sepulchre are witnesses to the fact that there must be men there, and that they must be ‘raised men’. We must take account of their clothing described as “shining raiment”, Luke 24:4. When we are raised we shall shine like this, these bodies of humiliation will be transformed into conformity to His body of glory. This does not mean that the shining should not exist now; it should exist; the divine thought is that in our testimony down here we should reflect the radiance of heaven. Alas! that it should not always be so; it should be a matter of exercise to us to “appear as lights in the world”, Philippians 2:15. It may not always be true of us now, but it will be true of us for ever when we have received our bodies as raised from among the dead. As raised, we shall be conformed to Christ risen and glorified. The bodies which we shall receive will take character from Christ, not only as risen, but glorified. In John 7:39 we are told that “the Spirit was not yet, because Jesus had not yet been glorified”, the Spirit is here as having come from a glorified Christ, and eventually we shall have glorified bodies like Christ’s glorified body. He “shall transform our body of humiliation into conformity to his body of glory”, Philippians 3:21. But the first great thought, dear brethren, is that which appears in resurrection; either we shall come forth from the grave, if we have entered it, or if living we shall be changed and made like Christ as raised from among the dead.
In the second scripture it is a question of white clothing, the point now being the ascension, and the interval between the ascension and the return of Christ to the world. What should mark this interval is purity, for during this interval we are left in a corrupt world, so it is significant that these two men are in white clothing. The ascension bears upon the testimony down here, because the Lord will return, “This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven, shall thus come in the manner in which ye have beheld him going into heaven”, Acts 1:11. The idea of ascension should mark us, for it is to be understood while the assembly is sojourning on earth. It is a question of the manner of His going, and the manner of His return; in other words what marked Christ ought to mark us, and enters into the order of assembly service. That is why it says of the Lord in this chapter, “being assembled with them”, the manner of His assembling with them indicating how we ought to assemble. The manner of His assembling and of His going away should be a guide to us in these things, for this reason we should never imitate man’s way of doing things. When the Lord Jesus was about to speak of His assembly, He left the Pharisees and went away; then later on He tells His disciples to “see and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (Matthew 16:6), indicating thus that while we may have separated from people because of evil marking them, we may yet bring away some of their leaven. We might possibly even participate in the [p. 98] service of God in the assembly in the same way as men carry on their religious services. These two men in white clothing would testify against that, their clothes setting forth purity, and their words indicating an order of things governed by the conduct and ways of Jesus. They do not refer only to His ascension, but to what His disciples saw when they beheld Him going into heaven, so that this order of man, as well as the manner of His going, may characterise the service of God in the interval between the ascension of Christ and His return. Compare 2 Kings 2:9 - 12.
In the third passage in Luke 9, the men appeared “in glory”. Do we think about this kind of clothing, dear brethren? How do I appear in the assembly? How shall we appear soon in heaven? Not only shall we have white, shining raiment, but glorious garments. Much could be said about the way in which this glorious raiment is produced today. The contemplation of the glory of the Lord has much to do with it; “we all, looking on the glory of the Lord, with unveiled face, are transformed according to the same image from glory to glory”, 2 Corinthians 3:18.
We may well ask ourselves, ‘How do I enter the meeting-room? How do I sit down there? What is my heart filled with? What is occupying my mind?’ These two men were speaking with Jesus. Am I glorious when I rise to speak to the Lord? I shall be made glorious if the Holy Spirit is free to operate in me, and when the love of God fills my heart my countenance will shine. How the Lord loves to look on such faces! On the other hand how grieved He is to see dull, unresponsive faces; the love of God filling my heart as I come into the meeting should make my face shine. These two men were speaking with Jesus; it does not say that Jesus was speaking with them. If I lift up my eyes to speak to Jesus does my face shine? Does it reflect the love produced in my heart by the Holy Spirit given to me? Stephen’s face shone like the face of an [p. 99] angel; that does not mean he was going to be an angel, for in glory we shall be men, but it means that Stephen was reflecting what was in heaven; likewise when the Lord Jesus lifted His eyes to heaven, what expression there was on His face! Not only did He pray or give thanks, but He “lifted up his eyes to heaven”, (John 17:1) and this is what God is looking for in the assembly, that we should be able to lift up our eyes and be “all glorious”, as is said of the king’s daughter in Psalm 45. The Lord Jesus was in glory; “the fashion of his countenance became different”, (Luke 9:29) suggesting what He is now, as John says, “as he is”, 1 John 3:2. He is all glorious and if we are to come into the assembly to speak to Him, we must also appear “in glory”.
These are the thoughts that were before me, dear brethren, and I wish above all to stress the thought of glory attaching to our position as men. The ministry that proceeded from Sinai began with glory, but christianity subsists in glory, and “we all, looking on the glory of the Lord, with unveiled face, are transformed according to the same image from glory to glory”, 2 Corinthians 3:18. Let us then serve in the assembly in this glorious raiment with the same liberty as Moses and Elias; they spoke with Jesus in glory; the Lord would have us to understand that we can have such freedom in speaking to Him. Why should brothers remain seated in silence in the assembly, and not speak to the Lord? He says, “Let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice”, Song of Songs 2:14. Why should I refuse Him what He is looking for? He wants us to remember Him at the Supper, but He also is longing that we should speak to Him with faces shining with divine love. May the Lord bless these few thoughts.