The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-11-06

ana ministry OF Jesus as the coming oI
Christ. Tney learned to believe in
Jesus as the promised Messiah, but
they did not believe that he had come
in his kingdom,-had begun to reign
as the Messiah. To them he was the
Christ but he had not yet assumed
his royal Office, had not begun to
reign as the Christ.
This is evident from the fact that
they we're continually asking when
he would assume the throne of Israel.
When he would "come in his king
dom" and who should be greatest in
that kingdom. This state of mind
continued among them until after
his resurrection, for we remember
those disciples who went to Emmaus
on that afternoon of the third
day, said, But we trusted that
it had been he which should
have redeemed Israeli" and when all
the disciples were together with
Jesus just before his ascension they
ask: lord, wilt thou now at this time
restore again the kingdom to Israel7'
Surely they would not have asked
these questions if they had believed
that the earthly ministry of Jesus
was the coming of Christ. They
would not have asked when he would
come in his kingdom if they had be-
lieved that he had already so come.
To the disciple, therefore, Jesus whom
they believed to be the Christ had not
come as the Christ, had not come in
his kingdom; and they were eager
to know when he would so come.
But did Jesus sanction this idea?
Did he confirm them in the belieftha
he bad not yet come in his kingdom?
We answer that he most assuredly
did. On every occasion when this
matter was up for consideration he
pointed forward to some future time
when he would begin to reign, when
he would come in his kingdom. When
assembled on the Mount of Olives
few days before his crucifixion his
disciples asked him about "the sign of
his coming and the end of the world"
he proceeds to give them detailed
and definite answer. He points out
the signs at length and then he fixes
or limits the time. 1t is to be in that
generation. He does not know the
day or hour but he does know that it
shall be in that generation. 'Verily
say unto you, this generation shall
not pass, till all these things be full
filled" Again he says, There be
some standing here which shall not
taste of death till they see the son
of man coming in his kingdom"
Christ, then, was to come in his
kingdom during that generation, in
the life time of some of those then
living. In some way, in some manner
ne was to come during that genera
ton. This is as certain as anything
can be. The coming of Christ and
the beginning of the kingdom were
to take place before some of those
who heard Christ preach should die.
The time then is fixed by Christ him
self. 1t is not yet future, for it was
limited to the first century Of the
Christian era. Neither Christ nor his
disciples regarded his advent and
ministry as the coming of Christ in
his kingdom, but they looked forward
to the time when he would so come
and Christ fixes the time to that gen.
Grafton.
But perhaps we can get little
nearer to the time even than this. 1t
is no longer question that the phrase
"end of the world means the end Of
the age and not the end of the physi-
cal world or material universe. The
New Version translates, The con-
summation Of The age" Now it is
clear that Christ and his disciples
lived in the contamination or end
ing of that age. They lived when
that age was drawing to close.
Thus Paul says, Nov all these
things happened unto them for ex-
amples, and they are written for our
admonitiop, upon whom the ends of
the world are comes" and in Hebrews
we read: "Once in the end of the world
hath he Christi appeared to put
away sin by the sacrifice of himself"
The word world" should be age, for
Christ appeared in the end of that
age and the disciples lived toward
the close of it. This fixes the mean
ing of the phrase lend of the world. J"
1t means the end of that age. But
when was that age to end9 Evident
ly during that generation. For when
Christ was asked about his coming
and the end of the age, he limited
| the time to that gent ration. In that