The Wahpeton times. [volume] (Wahpeton, Richland County, Dakota [N.D.]) 1879-1919, 1918-02-21
GODS Program
Wonderful Plan Comprises Three
Appeariays of Christ as Re-
yeaIed in Scriptures.

God is a wonderful program-maker.
If man. made in his image. is power
fully impressed with the value of
plan, how much more is it to be ex-
pected that the Creator himself shall
rule in his universe with very definite
and perfect purposes. God has been
misunderstood and the Bible misinter-
preted in large part, because men
have failed to search the Bible for
Gods programs. They are there.
Between the eternity Of the past
and the eternity Of the future God has
formulated clearly defined program
for the conduct Of the earth. The
failures Of man resulting in the
"wrecks Of time" have made it neces-
sary for God to begin over again many
times, but, praise his name, he has al
ways done so. His program for time
and for earth Is a flexible one. He is
able with infinite versatility to adjust
himself to unfortunate conditions
brought about by the devils subtilty
or mans frailty. God never gets to
the end Of his row.
The Specific Program Outlined.
The specific program for the age Of
grace, or the Christian era, is outlined
in the ninth chapter of Hebrews, says
the Sunday School Times. Three zap.
bearings" are there spoken of. All of
them are appearings of the Lord Je-
sus Christ. Each of them is of out
standing Importance in the mind of
God. They are the three pillars which
support the plan of salvation. Over
them arches til" glorious rainbow
sweep Of the atonrm'nt. We dare not
say that one is mHr" important than
the other two. mitch as one may he in
clined to eill,ha>ii:" the first appear
Ing. They are Il trinity. They stand
or fall together.
These appeHringS have reference to
sin. They help to give Ms Il more ade-
quate idea of the exceeding Sinfulness
of sin. So terrible is sin that the Son
OF God m:st necessarily tabernacle
among us to walk tempted but I'M
touched for tllirty-thrce years till he
came to the cross, a Lamb without
spot and without blemish, and there
became a vicarious, expiatory. substi-
tutiOnary sacrifice. The first appear
ing is found in the twenty-sixth verse,
snow once in the end of the world
(age) hath he appeared to put away
sin by the sacrifice Of himself" The
result is that now, therefore, "where
sin abounded, grace did much more
abound" This is Gods marvellous age
Of grace.
The Second Appearing.
The second appearing is found in
the twenty-fourth verse: "For Christ
Is entered into heaven itself,
now to appear in the presence of God
for us. This second appearing begins
with the ascension of Chtist, his tri-
umphal procession as the victor over
death and over devils, and over all
other enemies that may have. opposed
themselves to his going back to heaven
to prepare place for us, and to send
the Spirit down to the earth to pre-
pare us for the place. Here he is
seated at the right hand of God the
Father as our great High Priest, our
Advocate, our InteScessor, making it
possible for US to have continual VIC
tory over the power of sin in our
lives.
The Third Appearing.
The third appearing is written into
the program in the twenty-eighth
verse: "Unto them that look for him,
shall he appear the second time, apart
from the sin question, unto salvation"
Here the pen Of inspiration is under
scoring the tremendous importance Of
the great hope Of the church, which is
the literal, visible return of the Lord
to the earth.
The remarkable way in which the
Scriptures fit into and harmonic with
these three great high places in the
program Of the age of grace is in itself
an evidence that this is really the
program. Consider a few illustra-
tons: ! 49,
Take, for instance, the name Of Je-
shoyah as defined In the beginning Of
Revelation. He 'who is and who was
and: who is to come, the Almighty"
He that was," hung on the cross In
his first appearing to save us from the
penalty of| sin; ''he that is" is our
aacehded Advocate. appearing now for
s:Is to save; us from the power Of sin;
and che, that is to come" at his third
appearing will save us forever from
the very possibility Of sin. And then
overreaching the whole age from CAL
vary to the coming, the wondrous
name-the Almighty!