Rome, Turkey, and Jerusalem

It is impossible to imagine anything more delightful than the prospect of the promised return of our most blessed Saviour. How do the father and the mother feel when they welcome their long-absent son from India? How will many an English wife feel when she welcomes her husband from the Arctic Expedition? And how must the Church of God feel when, after her long night of toil and difficulty, she stands face to face before Him whom her soul loveth, and enters into the full enjoyment of the promise, ‘So shall we ever be with the Lord?’ There will be no tears then, for there will be no sorrow; no death then, for there will be no more curse; no sin then, for we shall see Him as He is, and shall be like Him. Then will be the time of resurrection, when all the firstborn of God shall awake to a life without decay and without corruption; and then the time of reunion, when the whole company of God’s elect shall stand together before the Lord, never again to shed a tear over each other’s grave; and then will be the time when those who have loved and longed after Him, as they have journeyed on alone in their pilgrimage, will find themselves on the right hand of His throne, and hear His delightful words, ‘Come, ye blessed children of my Father: inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world!’


No wonder then that the people of God are waiting with anxious hearts for the Advent; and no wonder that many are ready to say, ‘Lord, how long?’ and to ask, What hope is there of His quick return? Have we, or have we not, any reason to look out for it soon? To this inquiry I would endeavour to draw your attention this morning; and in doing so, I do not intend to examine into what are usually called ‘the signs of the times,’ but to study the great prophetic sketch of the world’s history as given to us by the prophet Daniel. This may be termed the backbone of prophecy, and almost all the great prophecies of Holy Scripture fit into it at some point or other; so that, if we wish to understand them, we must begin by studying it. I fear I may not interest those who aim simply to have their hearts warmed by the ministry. But they must remember that the real study of God’s Word requires work, and that work, though it lays the best possible foundation for feeling, does not at the time excite it. To-day, then, we are to work, and I hope the Lord may so bless His Word, that through work we may be led to feel.