HIS APPEARING AND HIS KINGDOM
Further meetings in Brighouse at which Mr Stoney and Mr Raven were present: the speakers were not identified in the available notes.
I think it is interesting to note the moral character of the saint personally. This you get in verse 35 - your candle burning. At the end of chapter 11 you learn that the candle of the body is the eye, "If thine eye be single thy whole body is luminous"; you are personally this; "full of light" does not give a correct idea. Light characterises you personally, your whole bearing is light. Your moral purpose comes first, "your loins girded about and your lights burning" - the character of the man is light. One is outside and the other inside. The power or effect of light is described in chapter 12. First, you do not fear them that kill the body, you have no fear from outside; and secondly, you have no care within. It is a happy state, all from having your eye on the light.
You would not limit the light to that, because that is rather negative?
No, I do not limit the light to these characteristics, but you must be characterised by them. I thought that the idea of lights burning goes a little further, that it is the giving of a clear testimony?
No doubt, it could not be otherwise; you seek the kingdom of God.
You unite that with the Father's kingdom? Quite so.
You are seeking the things there? Of course. I quite agree.
Would it not be the exposure of the world as contrary to God?
Yes, by the character of those who seek the kingdom of God. You are characterised as a body of light. Every one is liable to be affected by fear from without or care from within.
I think the care within is almost the worse of the two.
It is more distracting.
What is the idea of the loins girded? Preparation for service, going to work. Be like unto men that wait for their Lord. The man waiting for his Lord is on the alert doing his work carefully. A lamp burning describes him characteristically.
Was Paul in prison at Philippi like this? Assuredly. Practically speaking, when the wise virgins trimmed their lamps they went forth to meet the Bridegroom. There is no light in the world but from God.
Do you understand the lamps to be you are a lamp yourself?
Yes, quite so; your candle is your eye; that is the great secret of light; if you lose the source of the light all you have is memory; the Lord is not before you in power.
What is the difference between the light in chapter 8 and in chapter 9?
Light in chapter 8 is connected with the parable of the sower; the good of a candle is that it gives light. This is the effect of the word received in power. The candle in chapter 11 is your own eye, and the light you give out depends on the light which your eye takes in.
There are two kinds of hypocrisy - one is pretending to be what you are not, the other is concealing what you are.
There is a great deal of difference between knowledge and light.
Yes, knowledge is not light.
A man may have a great deal of knowledge without light.
Yes, very true. Light must come direct from its source. If you go into a room well lighted you see all there; but if the light be extinguished you do not see anything; you can only remember what you had seen.
The Father's kingdom and the present treasure in the Father's house for us?
Yes. Thus you are prepared to be like unto men that wait for their Lord.
Are these the two things that mark the man who is really waiting for the Lord?
I believe this should be his course or attitude here. You must bear in mind that you are in a scene of darkness where Christ is rejected.
And that Christians are the medium of light? Exactly.
We ought not to be merely depositaries of the truth but living expressions of it.
Quite so.
When He comes it is to take His kingdom? Certainly. The true heart is always set on His concerns. We are in a place where He has been wrongfully refused. The attempt of Christendom has been to ignore His rejection and to dedicate churches and chapels to Him as if He were not rejected.
I think the body as the vessel of testimony a most important point?
Assuredly, as it embraces the whole bearing of the man.
It is the body, not merely the mind. One feels at times that there is something about a stranger which commends him to you.
In Romans 13, "Put on the armour of light" ... and "make no provision for the flesh" is in keeping with this?
Precisely; you are taking your place in the wilderness. It is very interesting that it is a grace common to all; any one may be a body of light, not merely the one who is engaged in public service - you give a colour to the place. There is a great lack in a place where there are no spiritual women; like Anna the prophetess, who departed not from the temple. I see places where a great deal of work is going on but there is a lack of spiritual power.
A body of light is the opposite to darkness.
Exactly. I believe you get it in 2 Corinthians 3: 18, "Beholding the Lord's glory we are changed into the same image". You would be changed without knowing by what you were changed; you would have a new idea about things although you might not know the scriptural authority for it; you have got a different view of things; but you will get the scripture to confirm you. The Lord's presence has had the effect of giving you a new impression, and that impression will be confirmed by the word.
Your will is to do His will.
Yes, you are transformed into the same image.
Does that passage in 2 Corinthians 3: 18 explain the effect of having a single eye?
With that intent I quoted it. The practical difficulty with us all is to get so apart from ourselves that we have nothing to affect us but Himself. I must turn to the Light and be taken up with the Light.
The next thing seems to be that you are waiting for the returning Lord?
Exactly.
Why is it when He returns from the wedding?
I really cannot tell you; my impression is that nothing takes place till after the wedding.
You think verse 36 is merely used as a parable to give the idea of preparedness?
Precisely.
The waiting for the Lord here is not waiting for the rapture?
Plainly not.
It is the master coming.
It is evidently waiting for some moment which keeps people on the alert.
Quite so. Christ does not come here until after the wedding. The examination takes place before the marriage - the wife hath made herself ready.
I have always thought that was the Lord's coming for us?
How could it refer to the rapture? It has not helped souls to be exclusively occupied with the rapture; they are only thinking of their relief from the troubles here. The rapture is only spoken of once in Thessalonians and implied in John 14. The Thessalonians knew nothing of the rapture until the first epistle was written. They were waiting for His Son, but they were afraid that those who had died would not be in the kingdom. If they had known the unity of the body, as has been said, they would have known better; the first wave of Christ's power will be to remove all from the earth who belong to Him.
Would not the affections of the bride think of the Bridegroom first?
Yes, but to satisfy her own affection would not be enough, she would necessarily think of that which was due to Him.
When it says, the Spirit and the bride say, Come, the bride is looking for Him to come and reign and have His true place here?
Quite so. Almost invariably those who sing about the coming of the Lord are not looking for Him. When any one gives out a hymn about the Lord's coming you would rightly expect to see such an one waiting for the Lord, his loins girt about and his candle burning. The last four churches look on to the kingdom.
Does not Thyatira get the morning star?
Yes. The morning star is the herald of the day, the harbinger of it, the first indication of it. Responsibility is connected with seeing Him as He is; he that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself as He is pure.
Is it not a higher thought that the Lord gets the church than the kingdom?
I quite agree, but you must not make the presentation to be union.
I think we can all thoroughly go with what you say, that the Lord should have His place where He has been dishonoured.
In Psalm 110 Christ was to sit on the right hand until all His enemies were made His footstool. By the first wave of His power He will change our bodies of humiliation into bodies of glory.
I do not think we enter into what it will be to the Lord to bring the church in and display God. I believe that will be His deepest joy to bring out the church as the display of what
He is.
I quite agree, but practically the Lord's coming has lost its power with us.
Do we not often see the rapture brought into a passage where it is not referred to.
I have already quoted the saying of another, that 1 Thessalonians is the only place where it is spoken of; in another place it is referred to.
I think it has been said that the coming of the Lord is , the word which means His presence as contrasted with His absence. We meet the Lord by the rapture. The epiphany is the event.
I think it helps us if Christ Himself is looked at as the hope of the church, and not merely the event of His coming.
The "blessed hope" in Titus, what is that?
It plainly is not the rapture. The popularity which the rapture has obtained is proof positive that there is a human apprehension of it. There is no sense of responsibility; the effect of the coming of the Lord is unknown.
"Without spot and blameless" when He comes, not merely what I shall lose or gain but that I should answer to His heart in that day.
Yes, the servants say, "that we may ... not be ashamed before him at his coming".
The rapture is at the beginning. There may be an interval before His appearing, but as you are found here at the rapture will be taken into account. You will pass the examination, that is, the judgment seat of Christ, before the appearing. You ignore the intent of this chapter if you leave out responsibility.
Would you connect the coming with both the judgment seat of Christ and the kingdom?
Yes, because it is at the judgment seat of Christ your place in the kingdom will be determined; you enter heaven in pure grace, but your place in the kingdom is according to your righteousness. There is much stress laid upon the state in which He will find you.
There is one thing perfectly certain, you cannot have the rapture in this chapter.
Very true.
Is not the idea in this chapter His coming to the earth?
Yes, but you do not know what time He will come.
In verse 40, "Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not".
It is the coming of the Son of man in glory to assert His rights.
Any one must see reading Psalm 110 that Christ was called away because He was refused.
I remark that no one is fully blessed until Christ is in His right place.
The rapture is only a means to an end, it is not the consummation.
The rapture was a special revelation as to those that had died. Quite so.
The responsibility of giving "meat in due season" is not to be confined to an apostle or a teacher?
Certainly not, every one is responsible to cooperate, brother or sister. Ask every earnest servant, What is the great desire of your heart before the Lord? It is not merely that he should preach a good sermon, but that he may receive something suited to his audience at the time. Your best sermon might not be "meat in due season". The servant who ministers the needed truth is ever effective.
If you minister to people with reference to some known trouble you are sure to make a mistake. Nothing has exercised me more than waiting to receive that which is suitable.
What you say is very important; it is very blessed to be cast on the Lord, to seek from Him what you should say.
As to that passage, "Ask and ye shall receive"? If I knew Christ as Head I should understand it. I think there is a loss when in prayer you overlook that all grace comes to you through Christ, such as the prayers in Ephesians. When you do, you lose something of the peculiar unction of the grace which He ministers.
It is administration.
The administration is from the Lord. Precisely.
The prayers are addressed to God and the Father?
Yes, but it is that God should impart to me from Christ, that I should get everything through Christ.
There are differences of administration, but the same Lord.
You would press the recognition of the Mediator?
Yes. By Him we rise to the Father.
By Him we have access by one Spirit to the Father.
I think it is an immense gain to see that every grace comes through Christ; it gives a different character to ministry.
I do not think anything could reach us except through Christ.
That is very important.
Is there a difference between addressing the Lord Jesus and addressing the Lord?
The general idea of the Lord is Christ.
"Lord, Thou art God, which hast made heaven and earth" etc.
There are two distinct things spoken of in connection with service; verse 37 - "Will come forth and serve them", that is the waiting ones, and connects itself more with the Father's house: and in verses 43, 44 - "Whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath". That is the answer to looking after the household.
What is the idea of being made a ruler over His household, verse 42?
In verse 42 it is present, it means being set to act, and in verse 44 it is future, with the same idea.
Watching is the test of reality, it is the test of a real Christian in contrast with a mere professor.
The watching is like a watchman at night.
The crown of righteousness is given to all those that love His appearing?
If you love His appearing you are in practical righteousness here; hence at His appearing you receive the crown of righteousness. Do we all love His appearing?
The watching and the waiting go on together; that is the test. We do not know but that it may take place at any moment.