The Tupelo journal., 1903-03-27
It was dark at Jesus, first coming. It

WILDE the blackness of midnight which
will wrap the world in its folds when
He comes again. The morning light
may be just breaking in the east,
awaking the world to another day. but
IL it marks the advent of the return
ing Lord, it will be the midnight of
the worlds sin. The sun may have
sailed majestically up the blue of the
heavens and be riding gloriously in its
ing in the chariot of the clouds and
heralded by the "voice of the arch
angel and the trump of God" shall
then come, it will be the midnight of
Satan's greatest triumphs over men.
The birds may have caroled their last
goodnight to the mighty king of the
day as gorgeously robed in scarlet
and gold he withdraws into his palace
behind the western hills, but if the
hand on the dial of Gods eternal pur-
poses has moved to the hour set by
| God for the return of Christ, the
Christ will come winging upon the full
ness of Gods time to earth, and His
obNSht VII lin ~ "olid WI q ~ III ne
midnight of its own thoughts and
plans and purposes.
AT midnight there was a cry made:
Behold, the bridegroom cometh."
EFTE CANNON know the day on the
AMs calendar of time which will echo
with the Heavenly shout and mark the
fight of the triumphant church from
the earth to meet its Lord in the up
per air. We may not discover the Won
derful secret by searching ever so
long and diligently in Gods Word, for
it is not there, but is locked in the in
nermost recesses of the heart of God.
We may not even dare to guess the
hour, for when God says no mapknow-
eth the day nor the HOUR, neither the
angels, and not even the Son, but the
Father only, it places the question alb
solutely outside the pale of human
reason or the right to deal with it in
an effort to fathom its mystery. 1t is
worse than folly to attempt to- figure
out a problem that the mighty angels
OF Heaven are not able to solve, and
of which even the Son on the throne
is kept ~lnignorance, and which He has
no desire to know, as He abides in the
will of the Father. 1t is enough to
know that God knows, and hat in the
%fuliness of His time the joy and hope
of the Christian heart will be realized.
1t is enough to know that this same
Jesus is coming again, and that when
He comes the dead in Christ Jesus will
rise from their graves. and with the
living saints will be caught up into the
air to meet their Lord. 1t is enough
for us to know this and to comfort
one another with these words" But
let us heed Christ's warning word:
"WATCH," and in faithful service be
patient unto His coming. For, James
goes on to say, "behold, the husband
man waiteth for the precious fruit of
the earth, and hath long patience fori it,
until he receive the early and the lat
ter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish
your hearts; for the coming of the
Lord draweth nigh"
FJUT although we may not know
~ the day nor the hour, God in His
Word has set certain sign posts which
will indicate to the believing heart
that the day is approaching. But, Paul
declares, that day shall not come, eX-
cept there come a falling away first.
and that man of sin be revealed, the
son OF perdition; who opposeth and
eXalteth himself above all that is called
God. or that is worshiped; so that he,
as God, stitch in the temple of God.
shelving himself that he is God" The
disciples desired to know the sign of
the coming of the Lord, and Jesus in
the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew
outlined to them some of the condi-
lions which would prevail in the world
previous to His second coming, and
closing with the declaration that this
Gospel of the Kingdom shall be
preached in all the. world for a witness
unto all nations; and then shall the
end come"
And these words of Jesus open up
to us two certainties in connection
with the second coming of Christ
which help us to mor clearly under
stand the significance of the mid
night hour as marking the advent of
the bridegroom, in the parable be-
fore us. First, the unbelief of the
world will be full, and second, the
church, the body of Christ, will be
complete. The preaching of the Cos
pei of Jesus Christ always does one
of two things: 1t either brings sal
walton to the soul, or it hardens the
soul to the point of at last finally
rejecting the Christ.
ENHE same sun which melts the
A1 wax so that it may be nodded
into new form bakes the clay into
the hardness of adamant. The mira
cles which were wrought by the hand
of Moses in the land of Egypt soft
ened the hearts of the Hebrew chill
dren so that they recognized Gods
claim upon them and were willing to
be led out of their bondage, while at
the same time they hardened the
heart of Pharaoh to the point of
final and absolute rejection of Gods
upon him, SO that, notwith-
standing every home in Egypt
was a house of death and the land
shook under the awful Judgment of
God, he dared to rush out with his
great army to fight against God, and
Gods people. 1t was the hour of
midnight which marked the close of
pharaoh,S nrohatiop onJ eorndo1 Al