The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1888-05-03
THE JUDGMENT DAY.

lllk JUUGMENI DAY.
LESSON VI. SECOND QUARTER. IN
..TERNATIoNAL SERIES, MAY 6.
Text Of the Lesson. Matt. XIV, 3l-40.
y Golden Text, Matt. XIV. 40-Memorixe
Verses 31-40-Comments by Rev. H.
s. Hoffman.
condensed from Lesson Helper Quarterly, by
permission Of H. s. Hoffman, Philadelphia, pub
lisher.l
Notes. Nations, the whole human race
Cor. v, 10; Rev. XIX, l2, lS. Sheep, CON-
mon term for Christ's people. John K,
lille; xxi, l5-l6. Inherit, possess as heirs,
excludes their own merit Did it to me,
what is done to Christ's people out of
: love TO him, he regards as done to himself
= Matt <, 40; Acts tx, 4. Everlasting, eternal,
I the saiile Greek word for both and means
! endless duration. The original word, aio-
nion. occurs sixty six times in the New Tes-
lament. OF these, in fifty -one instances it is
used to describe the duration of the happi-
ness of the righteous; in two, of Gods exist
ence; In six, of the church and Christ's king
dom. and in the remaining seven of the
future punishment Of the wicked
In the last days of our Lords earthly life,
less than three days before his crucifixion, he
parts tho veil which separates from the great
future, and by wonderfully interesting pic
ture of the final Judgment unfolos to us tls
kingly and judicial character and glory, and
how he will exercise Judgment upon all the
nations of the earth and upon all the genera
tions of men. He shows that men will be
judged by the view they take of him and the
conduct of men toward his followers because
they are his followers. His sentence intro
duces separation which must bring the
earth itself, in its ancient form, to an end
The good are received into the kingdom of
his father and the wicked are cast into hell
This presupposes the general resurrection
and forms the conclusion of the Lords coming
and paroasia in this present state of things
V. 81 Within less than two days of his
crucifixion be fitly sets forth the glory of his
triumph. Helooked beyond the cross. He
had never said so much until he was about to
suffer. His foresight was more than human:
it was divine.
The word 'when" points to definite occa
sion, namely, in connection with his second
coming. When now speaking be was in a
state of humiliation, a man. poor despised,
unknown, rejected and to be crucified But,
looking forward. he spoke of coming 'in his
glory" in his own true nature, divine, hon.
ored and worshiped as King of kings. Now
he was about being elevated on a cross, then
he would ascend 1.-THE throne of his glory,n
| sharing the glory with ''the ancient of days. "
V..-& II r.. l.. q.
then would have an immense retinue of "holy
! angels with him. Seated on his throne i'm
| plies his complete victory. The contrasts
are striking. Now in the position of pris-
oner before earthly judges, then he would be
a king and judge; now the cross, then the
| crown; now in shame then in glory; now
| the conflict, then the triumph; now the
| judged, then the judge OF ALL
V. 50. The assembly at the Judgment SEEM
| to include all mankind; the nations repre-.
senting all peoples of all climos and regions
The lesson presupposes the universal nominal
ChristianiEation of the world.
| That the verse should teach, as some sug-
gest, that only heathen nations and all ex-
cept Christians, should be judged, does to the
simple reader seem strange and perplexing.
| The obvious meaning seems to be that the
whole human race will appear before Christ,
the King and Judge The earthly distinc-
| tions and dividing lines will then disappear.
Sheep and goats pasture together, and east
| ern travellers say that only the practiced eye
of the shepherd can distinguish them AT
| night they are separated by him. Thus now
| good and bad are intermingled and the
keenest observation often cannot discern the
difference. Christ the Great Shepherd, all
the while knows his people; and there is O
day coming when he will declare publicly
who are, and who pretend to be, his true dis,
| ciples.
v. 80. The gentleness, inofrensiveness
peacefulness and tractability of sheep sym
bolizes the character of Christ's true people
Goats combine uncleanness and stubbornness
and thus typify the evil character of the un
godly. In the Hebrew there is one woro
which means both goat and demon The
fright hand" was the place of honor
| V. a. "Here for the first and only time
does the Lord give himself the name OF
| king" Afford The kingdom was ''inherited, ,
not purchased nor earned; not theirs by any
human merit, but Gods free gift to them. Il
was prepared" in the councils of eternity
that such kingdom should be the inheri
| tance of each one of Gods believing children
Jesus further prepared" it after his as
cension.
| V. $780, "I,n ~, ;" ''unto men-"not unit,
me"-indicate how all good works done OF
earth to bear remembrance at the day o.
Judgment had to be done with regard Il
Christ, prompted by his spirit and love, dont
for and to him, for his sake and glory. Coco
works are to be remembered and rewarded
only when performed for him.
Y. 37-40. They had thought more of th,
| one in whose name they did these acts thar
they thought of the acts themselves. They
recognize no merit in their works; they ar,
surprised that the loving master should deem
them worthy of mention. The works ar,
not commended, but the love which prompted
them to the works.
". 41-46. Separation from the righteous i
the preface to final and eternal separation
from Christ, to the lowest depths of misery
and despair. The good which the wicket
did in the world was not done for or tc
Christ. but from worldly, human and selfisl
considerations. They lived in the worlc
without Christ. Their lives had no regart
to him. Hence in the future life they could
have no fellowship with him. Doing th,
deeds of Satan, they went to the place pre-
pared for Satan. Their sins of commission
are not named, but implied. The sins o.
omission mentioned prove that they had nc
| Ialtn ana ioVe toward Jesus. UnDelief
denial of the heart to him, are the creates
sins in the universe.
The wicked pretend that they were uneon
scious that their iphumanity was also impi
ETY., v. A. Were they not warned on earth
Were not the appeals of Cbrist's needy onei
rung in their ears9 Was not Christ agar
and again set before their eyesl They wer,
SO bad, SO indifferent that they did not ever
sec the true standard of living, Desttutio1
of Christ's love disquaiifes for blessednes
and Is sufficient without positive crimes t,
exclude from heaven.
1 V. A. 1t seems strange that such word
should fall from the lips of the most loving
Being in the universe and just as he is or
tho eve of showing the infnitude of bis low
on Calvary. But Is it not from the height
of love that the greatest depths of the gull
and danger Of sin can be scent The bliss o
the righteous and the woe Of the wicked ar
equally endless, since tho same Greek wore
MISUNDERSTANDING eternal-describes tn
duration of both.