The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-11-11
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson VII.-Fourth Quarter, &c.
Nov 13, 1910.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.


The greater part of this great dis
course is recorded by both Mark and
Luke as well as by Matthew. AS they
left the temple one day His disciples
called His attention to the great build
ings with the goodly stones and gifts,
and they were evidently greatly sur
prised by His remark that all would
be thrown down and not one stone left
upon another. Four Of them came to
Him privately as He sat upon the
Mount of Olives and asked Him a
question which was really threefold.
though they probably thought it one.
The destruction Of the temple, His
coming again and the end Of the age
were two. IL not three, distinct events.
In His discourse he covered the reply
to all. The whole age until He shall
come again will be characterized by
wars, famines, pestilences and earth
quakes. with increasing wickedness
until it shall be as it was in the days
of Noah.
In Luke xxi, "a. He very plainly re-
ferred to the approaching destruction
Of Jerusalem and covered this present
age by the words, Jerusalem shall be
trodden down of the gentiles until the
times OF the gentiles be fulfilled"
With this verse we should associate
Rom. XII, %, &c. Many OF the circum-
stances connected with the destruction
of Jerusalem were foreshadowings OF
those at the end Of the age. and tho
warnings are therefore similar.
Verses 27-31 of our lesson chapter
speak plainly Of His coming in power
and glory Immediately after the great
tribulation at the end Of this age. The
destruction of Jerusalem was in no
sense His coming for it is written in
Psalm eff. 16, that when He shall ap.
pear in His glory He will build up
Zion, not destroy 1t. He Is coming
again to restore oil things of which
| the prophets have spoken (Acts i'll,
2D.
The events in the east today are
most startling If considered in the
| light of verses 1926 Of our lesson
and compel us to believe that the king
dom Of God is again at hand after the
| long interval of its postponement dur
| ing this age. The zeal and aim OF
Zionism. the new regime in Turkey.
her favor to the Jews, large part OF
the land given to Abraham (Mesopo-
tamia) being now offered to them. and
the unrest among the nations gen.
orally, all point to the approaching end
Of the age and the coming Of the king
dom. How maryelously has the gem
! Grafton or race or nation of Israel been
| preserved for the fulfllment of all
things (verse 34). and soon now shall
they be recognized as a nation. per-
| haps under the suzerainty of Turkey.
with Jerusalem as their capital. That
| will, however, mean for them the be-
ginning Of their great trouble DER.
Xxx. u ere Jerusalem shall become the
throne Of the Lord at His coming In
glory to set up His kingdom. That
Israel is Gods fig tree as well as His
vine, see Joel T. Z, and note the events
OF Joel Iii In their order. The utter
ungodliness Of the days Of Noah cam
not be fully manifest until after the
church is taken, but the manifesta-
tons already on every hand in church
and state are most unmistakable. The
war craze of nations, the unrighteous-
ness of government in cities and states,
the infdelity in the seminaries and in
the pulpits, the disregard Of God and
His word everywhere, should compel
us to cry. Come. Lord Jesus" At
the coming OF Christ to the air for His
saints the true church shall be taken,
all others left, but at the coming to-,
the earth with His saints at the end
Of the age the tares shall first be gath
cred in bundles for the burning.E
Ready is the great word for us all.
as we saw in recent lesson. No un-
saved person. whether moral or i'm.
moral, sober or drunken, drunken ac-
cording to lisa. xviii, Z, or xxx, o, is
ready except for the burning, the weep
ing and crashing of teeth (verse 81;
XIV, All. The readiness necessary has
been provided in Jesus Christ by His
great atonement, His pure life, His
death in our stead, suffering for our
sins, His resurrection from the Dead
and any who will not plead guilty and
accept Him and His righteousness must
perish and be separated from Him.
If we are redeemed and thus ready
to meet Him we must never cease to-
watch and pray, lest the world. the
flesh or the devil cause our light to-
fail or even to flicker, and we thus
dishonor Him. Faithful and wise Isl
the only motto that viii enable us to-
be approved Of Him (45). We must
beware of saying or even of thinking
MY Lord delayeth His coming" (4S).
lest we be found careless and cou-i
formed in some measure to this pres
ent evil age. The oil of the next chap
ter must fill our lamps. and the light
must so shine that men may see our
good works and glorify our Father
which is In heaven CMatt. ". 16). The
only proper attitude OF child Of God
Is waiting for His Son from heaven
!. looking for that blessed hope" Il
Thess. |, 10; Titus ii. 13). and while
thus expectantly waiting. aiming In
all things to serve the living and true
God. Ever ready to do whatever our
Lord the King shall appoint ell Sam.
XIV. 15S. Ready to every good work.
CRIT. iii. II. Ready always to give
an answer to every man that asketh
you a reason OF the hope that Is I'm
! you with meekness and fear
i