The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1919-04-26

joys of heaven
,ss@M ~ into which death
- L will usher them,
while others
stress the expectation of the triumph
of the gospel, which they believe will
usher in millennial blessedness.
Neither of these, we venture to sug-
gest was the distinctive hope of the
early church. competent scholar,
Bishop Handley Moule, believes that
wherever hope" is used in the Greek
Testament as in this text, it refers to
that blessed hope" of Christ's re-
turn. 1t was for that return the
early church was looking, above all
things. AS the tenth verse of / Thes-
salonians l asserts, the Thessaionans
turned to God from idols to serve
the living and true God "and to wait
for his Son from heaven"
Prof. James Denney, a well-known
scholar, says the second coming twas
the great object of Christian hope.
Christians not only believed Christ
would come again; they not only ex-
pected him to come; they were eager
for his coming. How long, o Lord?
they cried in their distress. Come
Lord Jesus, come quickly was their
prayer" He adds pertinently: 1T
is matter of notoriety that hope in
this sense does not hold it's ancient
place in the heart of the church."
Great loss has accrued because of
the eclipse of the expectation Of
Christ's return. 1t was an incentive to
Christian service, for at the coming
Of Christ believers expected to receive
their reward. Thessalonians 1920
reads: "For what is our hope or
joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not
even We in the presence of our Lord
Jesus Christ at his coming? For We
are our glory and joy"
THE crown of rejoicing" is the soul
winners chaplet of laurel, to be be-
slowed by the King when he appears. <
Other crowns are spoken of in scrip
ture and will be awarded on that day
among them the "incorruptible crown"
the "crown of life," the "crown of
righteousness" and the "crown of
glory" Christians do not ego to
their reward" at death, but it comes
with the coming of the Lord. He says
Behold, / come quickly, and my re-
ward is with me, to give every man
according as his work shall be-" (Rev.
:12)
Christ's coming was an incentive to
holiness in the early church. l Thes-
salonians 3:12-13 reads: "And the
Lord make you to increase and
abound in love one toward another,
and toward all men, even SIS we do
toward you: to the end he may
establish your hearts unblemished in
holiness before God, even our Father,
at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ |
with all his saints"
He is praying for love that will |
be expressed in holiness, and that they |
may be confirmed unblamable in holt |
ness not only now, but at the coming |
of the Lord. What a day of mani
feStation that will be--before God |
our Father. in the presence of the
Lord Jesus, before all the saints Is |
1t not clear that man in whose heart
the hope of Christ's coming is living |
power, will purify himself even as
Christ is pure Il John 1929?
The following words of DR.. Robert
e. Speer suggest the practical value
Of this hope: II want to speak this
word to the man who would be free
from unclean personal sin: The next
time the temptation comes, fix your
mind on the hope of his coming. No
man can easily do an upclean ard
1nholy thing expecting at that mo-
nent that Jesus Christ might come.
Can cross the threshold of the ques-
.ionable place? Can read the ques-
.ionable book? Can be found with
hat questionable story on my lips?
Can / be caught on the verge of that
sin if am expecting that at that very
Jesus Christ may Gomez"
The Lords coming brought comfort
20 the early Christians when their
owed ones fell asleep. Our space
permits us only to quote / Thessalo-
lians 5:13-18, but no comment Ia
leeded: "But would not have you
o be ignorant, brethren, concerning
hem which are asleep, that We sorrow
lot, even as others which have no
lope. For II we believe that Jesus
lied and rose again, even so them also
which sleep in Jesus will God bring
With him. For this we say unto you
" the word of the Lord, that we which
re alive and remain unto the com
ng of the Lord shall not prevent (pre-
ede) them which are asleep. For
he Lord himself shall descend from
leaven with shout, with the voice Of
he archangel, and with the trump Of
Tod; and the dead In Christ sball riee