The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1905-06-09
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON xi, SECOND QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES. JUNE ~.


The title Of this lesson does not seem
20 reach far enough, for it is n message
from the Lord Jesus Christ not only as
risen, but some sixty years after He
had returned to the Fnther. count it
great privilege to have even two les
| sons from this marvellous portion of
Scripture, of which it is written,
''Blessed IS he that readeth and they
that hear the words of this prophecy
and keep those things which are writ
| ten therein. for the time is ut hand"
Q,3).
Note that the blessing Is upon all who
read and hear and keep the sayings of
| the book. 1t does not say those who
understand, but II is wonderful how
much we can understand If we only
read prayerfully and keep the sayings
1t is profitable to have an outline of any
book, and the following is the simplest
and best have ever seen of this book:
Chapter I, Johns vision of Christ in the
midst of the churches; ii and iii, Christ's
|
iv and V, the church in glory; yi-xvii,
the great tribulation; xix, the marriage
and the return; Xxx, the THOUSAND years;
xxi and xxi, the new heaven and earth.
1t is not called mystery, but a reve-
| lation, the revelation OF Jesu9 Christ,
! the record of His taking possession of
| the earth, but with special reference to
| His dealings with Israel and her enc
mics. Our lesson today is description
of Christ as He appeared to John in
Patmos while John was an exile there
for the word OF God and for the testi-
mony OF Jesus Christ (verse -. Com
pare the description given of Him
| again in chapter xix, 11-16, and we
would do we'll to memorize both por-
| tons. The whole book gives honor to
Him, as in /, 5-7;v S-14; vii, OH; Y, 1-3;
xii. II; xvii, Il; xix, z; Xxx, @; xxi, 8, 6;
xii, 1G. But these are only some of the
more prominent words that give glory
20 Him.
Would we see Him and honor Him,
we must be in the Spirit, as John was
| (verse 10; otherwise we will continue
blind to all His loneliness. Consider
! Simeon's blessings because of his being
controlled by the Spirit duke H. %, 90,
2O, and so It ever is, communion, guild
ance and oil else. To be exiled from
the world and filled with the Spirit are
indeed great blessings, among the
greatest. The Lords day may possibly
refer to the first day of the week, but
/ think that It rather refers TO the fact
that John was by the Spirit carried out
into the great events of the day of the
Lord so fully recorded in the Old Tesla
ment
Note the four times that we find in
this book our Lords title alpha and
Omega" Oversees 8, IL; XXI 6; xxi, 49,,
which, being the first and last letters in
the Greek alphabet, are at least sug-
gestive Of this-that there is nothing Of
! the souls need that letters can spell that
is not found in Christ The title First
and Last is also found four times
Oversees IL, II; ii, s; xxi, 49, and re-
minds us that In the whole Bible He is
first and last Gen. 1, i; Rev. xxi, 2D
and all the way through the one per-
son to be seen and known, for, seeing
Hin, we see the Father John XIV, 81.
1t was good thing that John turned
to see the voice, else he might have
missed the glorious vision. 1t was when
Moses turned aside to see the burning
bush that God called unto him (Ex. Ill,
3, A.. Because In the rush OF life we do
not always take time to consider the
way Of God and the voice or God we
miss so much.
Let US behold with reverence and
with love Him whom John saw in the
midst of the candlesticks. He is our
girded High Priest, girded for loving
ministry, for the girdle is about His
loins. Like Israel's high priest, He ev-
er carries His people on His shoulders
and His breast and fulfills to each one
(Rom. viii, 2S). The appearance of His
head indicates the intense purity of all
that is suggested by the head and its
contents, while His eyes as a flame Of
fire remind us that all things are naked
and open to the eyes of Him with
whom we have to do Heb. iv, 49,. His
feet suggest righteous judgment by vir-
tue of and in connection with His sac
rifice typifed by the braZen altar. The
best comment on His voice is Eek 1,
"a, in connection with III Thess. II, 8.
There are at least majesty and might
and power.
The seven stars are explained in
verse 90 and helpful comment is
found in Deut. xxxiii, 3; Jer. xviii 8;
John X, %, %, in His hand for safery
and service. The sharp sword is ex-
planned by Heb. ", -; lisa. ", II. His
countenance reminds us that "the Lord
God Is n sun and shield" ''the Sun of
Righteousness" and that the time will
come when the righteous shall shine
forth as the sun Ops lxxxiv, IL; Maj.
iv,.2; Matt. xiii, 43).
II John, whom Jesus loved and who
leaned on Jesus breast, fell at His feet
rs dead, what will the ungodly do when
compelled to face Him? An answer is
found In Rev. vi, Is. How gracious
His beautiful word, Fear noty And
He is always saying 1t to His people.