The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1963-03-29
Literal or figuratiye?

| What is said about the Second
Coming is not entirely simple
and clear. 1t it were, there
would not be so many argu-
ments about it. One question that
no one can answer to every one S
satisfaction is: Are the predic
tons and the descriptions of it
to be taken literally or figura-
lively? Taken literally, they
raise difficulties. For example,
IN one Of the verses from Mark
IN this weeks lesson. it is said
that Jesus will come lin the
Clouds Does this mean literal
clouds such as you can fly
through, and often fly over?
Men come in the clouds to ev-
cry airport. What is special
about that? And if you say
that these are not ordinary wat
er-drop clouds, but something
never seen before, you have de-
clded the meaning must be
flgurative. But still the difficulty
Is not gotten rid Of: for a figure
OF speech always means some
thing. We could go through all
the expressions connected with
the Second Coming, and note
the difficulties of understanding
all OF them; but let us rather
TX our attention on few points
that we can at least partly un-
derStand.
The power and the glory
we may not be able to figure
out the clouds but we know
something Of what Power and
Glory mean. The main truth is
here that Christ's Second Com
ing Will not be obscure, humble
unWelcomed by most people, as
was the First Coming. Jesus will
reign; He reigns even now
IN the hearts of multitudes, but
HIS reign is not always visible.
HIS Second Coming will reveal
himself to the world with a
splendor and force that no man
can doubt. Sometimes a veal
thy person will fall in love with
another person who may be
quite poor by comparison. The
rich lover may conceal the fact
OF his wealth. He wants to be
loved for himself, not for his
stock and bonds. So it may be
that Christ. heir to the glory Of
the heavenly Father, wishes
now. in these present days, to be
loved for HimSeH,-to be obeyed
out of love and devotion. No one,
seeing Jesus in power and
glory, would wish to be any,
where else but on His side So
the power and the glory come at
the end. not at the beginning.
Live as If
Jesus said plainly that even
the Son (meaning Himself, does
not know of that day and that
hour so we waste cur ingenu-
ity making UP timetables for
Him. He will come when the
time is. One other thing Jesus
made plain: His followers ought
TO live every day as if that
Coming were to take place be-
fore tonight. This does not mean
that We must shut our stores
and factories and every one go
home and pray. 1t means that
Wherever We are, if we are on
THE right trail it is our God
gwen duty to stay on it. If we
are doing a good work it is our
duty to finish it, as it He were
coming to inspect it at six
O'Clock.
Live, in short, as in His
sight: this is the old and always
new command But is He not al
ways here? YeS-Hf can and
he does live IN the heart with
the opened door. We have to
remember this: God knows ex-
actly as much about our lives.
inside and out, as he could know
Ii Jesus III person walked in the
door with fountain pen in His
hand to make notes for a report
TOR the Last Judgment.
Biased on outlines copyrighted
by the Division of Christian Edu-
cation, National Council Of the
Churches Of Christ in the U. S.A.
Released by Community Press
Service.)