The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-12-16
Our Lords Parting Instructions


The disciples considered Jesus to be the
Messiah, and thought the Fathers time
had come for giving Him the kingdom.
! But they had been witnesses that the
kingdom of heaven had suffered violence
at the hands of the rulers, that the right
full Heir to the throne had been slain.
But He had risen from the dead, and
they now inquired whether it would be
at this time that the Masters kingdom
would be established. The answer was
significant: 1T is not for you to know
the times and seasons which the Father
hath kept in His own power"
The Master had already minated that
at the appointed time His discipes would
know the times and seasons. but 1t was
not due for them to understand those
things then. They must wait The devel-
| cpment of patience would 90 them good
| strengthening their faith and their char
acter For the Father to have I.'ade
| known the long interval of nearly 1900
| years before Messiah's reign would not
have been for the good of His people.
| who would have been discouraged by
the long delay. The Master therefore
merely intlmated that they must walk
| by faith and not by sight and especially
| that they must not expect to understand
nything respecting Gods programme
until after they would receive the anoint-
| ing of the Holy Spirit
!
| be Gods representatives and to speak
His message. They would be given, from
| time to time, the meat in due sen son.
| Thus they would not be in darkness with
! the world. and the Day of the Lord would
not come upon them a thief in the
night or snare. The Pentecostal
blessing qualified them fully for the work
! of the ministry, though it did not cover
J their natural blemishes: for 1t was after
! they had received the Holy Spirit that
the people perceived that they were ig-
| norant and unlearned men,"
Our Lords Ascension
| Our Lords ascension was spectacular
to His church or the world He had
! said, yet little while, and the world
! seeth Me no more They did not see
| Him during the 40 days. He showed
Himself to none except His faithful. con
| secrated ones. The ocular demonstrations
| so helpful to them eliminated with a Wis
| ible ascension of the Lord into the air in
the body in which He had just been with
them. Because they We're not yet spirit
| begotten. they doubtless needed just such
| a manifestation to help their faith, to
| lead them to understand that they would
| see the Master no more until He would
come with power and great glory to as
semble all His saints to Himself and to
| bless the world.
spoke of His ascension beforehand. The
F., ascending up where He was before should
| not, however be understood merely to
| signify return to a previous place. but
| rather to a previous conditional spirit
condition. which the Master had left to
be made flesh. that He might ransom the
| world.
| As Jesus disappeared from His disci-
| pies In the clouds, we assume that the
| body in which He had just appeared was
| dissolved, or dematerialized. The use OF
| 1t was merely to help establish the faith
of the disciples and as a means of in
| structon. After Jesus disappeared. an
| gels materialized and addressed them,
| saying, Eye men OF Galilee. why stand
| We here gazing up into the heavens?
This same Jesus which is taken up from
| you into heaven shall so come in like
bmanner as We have seen Him go into
heaven This statement has led some
i to believe that at His second advent
Jesus will appear in the fesh but to our
understanding they labor under a grave
misapprehension. The world is to see
Jesus no more. and the Church will see
Hin, only with the eye Of faith. until they
experience their change" in the end Of
this age.
The angels laid stress upon the manner
of the going. which agrees with what the
4 Bible tells us respecting our Lords Sec
ond coming He went quietly. secretly
unknown to the world He is to 'eturn
as a thief in the night. None will know
Of His return except those whose eyes
are opened to see the signs of the pres
ence of the Son of Man. These will be
His loyal, sanity few. So Jesus vex-
planned. that at His second coming It
! would be for q time as it was in the
days Of Noah-mankind would be eating.
drinking, planting. marrying, and know
not Of HIS presence.