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Scripture Reading: 2 Pet. 3:11; 1 Cor. 1:7; 1 Thes. 1:9-10; Phil. 3:20; Titus 2:11-13
(The following message was given by Watchman Nee in Kuling on September 23, 1948, as part of the "New Believers" series. It was later excluded from the published version of the series. This abbreviated record is compiled from notes taken by Brother K. H. Weigh.)
The Bible contains a wonderful promise of the Lord's return. From the Old Testament through the New Testament, every book touches on the subject of the Lord's return. Bible students have counted the number of times that the New Testament speaks of this subject and have told us that one out of every twenty verses in the New Testament speaks of the Lord's return. This is an important subject. Do not think that everything was finished when God's Son came and accomplished the work of redemption. The Lord will come back to this earth. From Genesis to Malachi, the Old Testament repeatedly speaks of Christ's second coming. The same is true in the New Testament from Matthew to Revelation. We can say that this subject is the greatest subject in the Bible. The biblical record of the Lord's first coming is considerably smaller than that of His second coming. We should pay much attention to the subject of His second coming. We should memorize at least a few passages of the Scripture concerning this subject. Please carefully read these references: John 14:1-3, Acts 1:10-11, and Hebrews 9:28. A fourth reference appears in the last book, the book of Revelation. This book was written over sixty years after the Lord's ascension. Jerusalem already had been destroyed, and the first generation of apostles was almost all gone. Even then, however, the Holy Spirit spoke in Revelation 22:20 of the coming again of the Lord Jesus.
Today we not only look back at the work of the cross; we also look forward to the second coming of Christ. We are not only here serving the Lord, but we are here waiting for His coming back. It is not our only intention to serve Him here on earth. In the past we have spoken several times concerning the subject of the breaking of bread. Our breaking of bread is a remembrance of the Lord; this remembrance will last until He returns. Every Christian's eye should be set on Christ's second coming. While it is true that we preach obedience, praise, service, and many other subjects, it is not our only intention to be serving in this way forever. Our hope is that the church will become the bride of Christ one day. Everything we do is with the view of the second coming of Christ. Although we emphasize the local church and our work, we are not building anything on earth today. We are waiting for the Lord's coming back. We are not preaching the doctrine of the Lord's second coming; we are truly waiting for His coming again. Our calling is a heavenly one; it is not earthly. Our ministry and service are heavenly. We are not looking for a great building on earth. Everything on earth will pass away one day. Five great signs in the Bible indicate to us that the Lord's coming is very near.
The Christian life on earth is a life of waiting for the Lord's return. What does it mean to wait for His return? To wait for His return means that while we live as others do, we have an expectation of His return always within us. Miss M. E. Barber was a person in whom I found no trace of thought of remaining on earth for a long time. She was genuinely waiting for the Lord's return. Once I was walking with her on a street, and she said, "Perhaps, I will meet the Lord when we turn this corner." She asked me to walk at a distance from her on the other side of the sidewalk, and repeated, "I do not know whether this will be the corner for me." Those who wait for the Lord's return are like a man walking down a precipitous hill; he does not know for sure when he will turn a corner and meet someone walking up the same path. Our sister genuinely expected the Lord's return daily and hourly. Notice that we are speaking of our expectation of His return, not our belief in His return. Many people can speak about the Lord's return. They study the Lord's return and believe in His return, but this does not mean that they are expecting His return. Many people pay much attention to such subjects as the rapture, the judgment seat of Christ, the millennium, the New Jerusalem, and the new heaven and new earth. Many people are very familiar with the prophecies concerning the Lord's return, but they are not necessarily waiting for His return. We have to remember that we are heavenly citizens. We should be taught by grace to expect the Lord's return. We put no hope in this earth. We know that this earth will never change for the better. While we serve, work, and labor with God here on earth, we are calling and gathering a group of people to come under the Lord's name for His satisfaction. We serve and work for the sake of His second coming.
Christ has two comings, and these two comings are different. In His first coming to earth, He died on the cross for the remission of sins. Through this, sinners are reconciled to God; they can draw near to God and partake of His life. But this work for man is only half complete. The problem of sin has been settled, but sin itself is still around us. The power of death is finished in us, but our body still has to pass through death. Although we have a new life within us, we do not yet have a new environment. If Christ does not come again, nothing will be completed. The more holy we become inwardly, the darker, more sinful, and more lawless the world is to us outwardly. Our lips were once unclean. One day the holy fire came and cleansed our lips. However, we are still living among men with unclean lips. The second coming of Christ will not settle our personal sins but will settle all the sins in this world. In His first coming, He settled our personal sins. In His second coming, He will settle the sins of this world.
Today the world is full of all kinds of problems. How will these problems be solved? What should be our attitude towards these problems? Many social reformers pay much attention to the problems in society. Some say to Christians, "Your personal problems have been solved. But what do you say about the existence of classes, the poverty of the peasants, the suffering of livestock, and the proliferation of sinful establishments such as theaters, brothels, dance halls, and gambling casinos?" Those who pay attention to society are disturbed to see many social ills such as crime, sickness, poverty, and inequality still prevailing. They ask us what should be done about these things. We must tell them that God is not oblivious to these problems. God is not merely for individuals being saved, forgiven, and going to heaven. We must tell them that the salvation spoken of in the Bible is not only for individuals. Heaven is not merely related to the matter of individual salvation; it relates to a time when the whole world will turn to Christ. (However, we are not talking about universalism.) The Bible first speaks of personal salvation. But this does not mean that it ignores social problems. We cannot tackle social problems now, because they are not within our ability to solve at the present time. According to the Bible, God has called us to a heavenly calling, which means that Christians are only responsible for the preaching of the gospel. The responsibility of the church is to gather men into the name of Christ. Our hope and work are not on the earth. We are not here to improve society. The Lord said that there is no hope or peace in this world. All social problems will be settled when the Lord comes back again. When He comes back, all social ills will be removed. Christianity does address these problems, but there is a matter of time as to when they will be addressed. When the Lord comes again, these problems will be solved.
God's children have no other obligations besides leading men to Christ and waiting for His return. We do not expect class distinctions in this world to be removed. We do not expect sin and crime to be eradicated from this world. One day the Lord will deal with all the problems that the sociologists and scientists cannot handle today. Our expectation is different from that of the world. We expect the day of the Lord's return, and this day is drawing near. There are two aspects to the Lord's return, the personal aspect and the world's aspect. Personally, we wait for His return because we want to see Him. As far as the world is concerned, the Lord's return will solve its many problems. Many Christians try to reform society, and in the end they are corrupted by society itself. Many good Christians try to change the world, and in the end they themselves are defiled. We should never be tempted to engage ourselves in these works, because we know that these are the Lord's work.
Today many people say that animals are suffering and abused and are even near the point of extinction. They say that we should do something to protect them. The trouble is that humans today are treated worse than cows and horses. How can we first take care of the lower forms of creatures? In other countries there are advocates of animal rights. Romans 8 says that the whole creation groans for deliverance. We know that one day the whole creation will be freed from the bondage of corruption. Then, as foretold in the Old Testament, the world will be a place where "the wolf will dwell with the lamb;/And the leopard will lie down with the kid,/And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; /And a young boy will lead them about./The cow and the bear will graze;/Their young will lie down together; /And the lion will eat straw like the ox" (Isa. 11:6-7). We know that one day all the creatures will be delivered. But that day is not today. Today, protecting the animals is not our work.
Every group of politicians in every nation of the world is vying for the center stage, and every nation in this world is trying to take advantage of other nations. There are strife and unrest nationally and internationally. We are not called to engage ourselves in the work of the League of Nations; our work is not to help weak and struggling countries. The angels one day will proclaim that the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ (Rev. 11:15). We can answer the unbelievers even today with this word.
Christians' personal problems are solved by Christ's first coming. The social problems of this world will be solved at the time of Christ's second coming. Then the world will not be like the world we have today. All of the problems listed above will disappear in the twinkling of an eye.
What then should Christians do in this world? A Christian should do his best to render help to others. For example, a doctor should do his best to help others by treating their diseases. A scientist should do his best to help others by improving nutrition and other things. But one thing should be kept in mind: We should remain pure before the Lord. We should not be contaminated by the world. Neither should we close our eyes to the affairs of this world. During His first coming, Christ labored on individuals; He did not try to do anything about the social system. In the same way, today Christians should labor on individuals; they should not try to build up any system or institution. Before our personal problems or the world's problems were solved, we were sinners and we lived among sinners. Today we have believed in the Lord. We have become the righteous among the sinners. But there will be a day when the righteous will be among the righteous. All the problems will be solved on that day when the Lord comes back. Today we should give to others what we can afford to give. We should not engage in any form of revolution. Revolutions happen because there are bad institutions. Men start revolutions because they hate these institutions. They even sacrifice their blood for their revolutions. But we cannot sacrifice our blood for the sake of destroying any social system. When Christ comes the second time, He will change all social systems and institutions. Today, if we engage in such a work, there is a great possibility that we will be disapproved. It is foolish for us to sacrifice ourselves today. The world has become what it is today because too many innocent people have sacrificed themselves. Christians should not aspire to change any institution of this world.
The Bible shows us a heavenly calling. Our calling is not on earth. This world is not our concern. We live day by day in this world. But nothing with us is permanent; nothing is indispensable for us, and nothing is compulsory. There is nothing in this world that we cannot live without, and there is nothing that we must have. We take what the Lord gives to us in this world. It is all right for us to have more and it is all right for us to have less. If the Lord arranges for us to have a smooth pathway, we can take it. If the Lord arranges for us to have a rugged pathway, we can take it as well. We are here to wait for the Lord's coming; we are not here to seek after worldly blessing. When Christ comes again, every earthly thing will be finished. While we live on earth, we do not live for ourselves, for our families, or for society; we live for the Lord. When the Lord comes again, that will be the happiest day of all days. Everything in this world is changing; only things pertaining to righteousness abide forever. If we do not belong to this world and do not settle down in this world, that day will be of unspeakable glory to us. On that day, the glory of the Lord will fill the church. His kingdom will come on earth, and the whole universe will be subject to Christ. This is why the church does not have any lingering love for the works of this earth.
When the Lord comes back, the first thing He will settle is injustice. Today the biggest problem in the world is injustice. Isaiah 11:4 says that the Lord will "judge the poor in righteousness,/And decide with equity for the afflicted of the land." To judge with justice is something more than what the world can do today. It is not a Christian's job. When the Lord comes again, He will execute justice.
When the Lord comes again, He will settle all wars. Today man cannot deal with the problem of wars. World War II has just finished, but many places in the world are still at war. Everyone agrees that there should be peace, but there is no real peace. Man cannot achieve peace through war. Yet Isaiah 2:4 says that when the millennium comes, men will "beat their swords into plowshares,/And their spears into pruning hooks,/Nation will not lift the sword against nation,/Nor will they learn war anymore." We should realize that we are not the ones to disarm others of swords and spears. We do not wage wars, and we do not stop wars in the hope of achieving peace. These are things beyond us. When Christ comes, He will annul all wars and bring in peace.
When Christ comes He will settle all sicknesses. Today many people pay attention to public health, hygiene, and medical aid. But sickness will never be thoroughly eradicated today. In the Bible the two books that speak of plagues the most are Ezekiel and Jeremiah. Both books show us that plagues are in the Lord's hand; the Lord is in control of these things. In the prophecies in Revelation and Matthew, we are told that plagues will increase in the end times. A Christian should not be given merely to the work of hygiene and medical aid. We must realize that sicknesses in this world will increase. Isaiah 33:24 says that when Christ comes, no one will say, "I am sick." Ezekiel 47:12 says that in the new heaven and new earth, the tree of the new city will be for the healing of the nations. Hence, when the Lord comes again, the problem of sickness will be solved.
When the Lord comes again, the problem of famine will also be solved. In China many people have recently turned their attention to the problem of famine. Some have done very commendable works. One interesting thing that our eyes have observed is that the harvest of man's labor always requires much plowing and tilling, whereas thorns, thistles, and weeds grow well without man's tending. The tares do not need sowing, yet they make their way through the wheat. No matter how hard scientists and horticulturists try, they cannot stop weeds from growing. In Genesis God cursed the land, and it no longer yielded its strength to man. This is a fact. Today the earth no longer yields its strength to man. We have never heard of a thorn that requires man's tilling. It is true that we have made achievements in irrigation and machineries, and improvements in seed and fertilizers, but we still cannot eliminate weeds. Neither have we been able to take care of all of man's other needs.
Man has to fight against nature and wrestle with it in order to survive. If he allows nature to take its own course, he will not have a harvest. We are not depreciating the efforts of the scientists. We are merely saying that such problems cannot be solved by man. God also has no intention for the church to solve these problems. We are here only for the Lord's return. The Bible says that when Christ comes back, the earth will once more yield its strength to man. Isaiah 43:19-20 and 35:1 speak of God making "rivers in the desert" and of the desert blossoming "like the rose." Isaiah 51:3 says that God will make the "wilderness like Eden." When Christ comes again, there will be no more desert, and the thorns and thistles will all pass away.
Educators and philosophers teach men about good and evil and to turn away from evil and to choose good. But no one can solve the problem of sin in man's heart. No educator can give a man the knowledge of God. Hebrews 8:10-11 says that when Christ comes back again, we will have the knowledge of God that comes from our intuition, and all will know God, from the least to the greatest.
There are many establishments of vice in this world. Many places are hotbeds of sin. The church and the Christians are saving men out of these sinful places. Yet these establishments remain unchanged. Matthew 13:41-42 says that when the Lord comes again, the angels will cast out all the stumbling blocks and those who practice lawlessness, that is, those who corrupt others. In an instant the Lord will cleanse the earth.
What we have spoken of can be considered as the social philosophy of a Christian. In other chapters we have seen various aspects of the Christian faith and walk. While we remain on earth, we should do what we need to do, but our hearts should always be set on the Lord's return. Our attention should be on the heavenly calling. We have no permanent plans for things of this world. Even the most spiritual things cannot bind us or imprison us in the earthly realm. Christians should not take root on this earth. The earth is not a place for Christians to plant their roots. God's Word is being fulfilled bit by bit, and the Lord is at the door. Today our eyes are not set on the problems of the church; we are waiting instead for the Lord's coming. This is our heavenly calling. May the Lord be gracious to us and may our eyes be set solely upon His return.
