Pastor David B. Curtis
Pastor David B. Curtis
The unwatchful Christians - Christianity was perpetuated by means of believers of the second rank. They, when the Bridegroom came to fetch the 'wise virgins' home to heaven, were left behind on earth, and were forever shut out from all share in the glory and blessedness of the Kingdom, because its advent found them, as death now finds many true Christians, lacking in earnestness and watchfulness.
The apostle John - Although, speaking in a general way, it is here maintained that in 70 A.D., the best and noblest of the believers then alive were withdrawn from earth to heaven, yet universal .statements admit of individual exceptions. It thus becomes possible and probable that the Apostle John, although perfectly qualified by his character to share at once in the glory and blessedness of Christ's kingdom, was yet specially exempted, and left behind on earth, for a time, in order to be to the world a spiritual guide and a fountain of pure Christian teaching. That John lived until the time of the Advent in 70 A.D., and yet survived it, is rendered fairly certain (1) by the traditions which state that he died in Asia Minor at the beginning of the second century ; (2) by the evidence which identifies him with the author of the fourth gospel, and dates that book after the destruction of Jerusalem It is also the only adequate explanation of a certain perplexing passage contained in the fourth gospel (xxi. 20-23). The other apostles rightly inferred from our Lord's words (" If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee ? ") that John was likely to remain on earth until Christ's return ; and they naturally imagined that if such should prove to be the case, it would exempt him from death. "This saying therefore went forth among the brethren that that disciple should not die." as a matter of fact, there was no real incompatibility between his living until the Second Advent and subsequently dying. The word until does not always imply an absolute limit of time. Often it simply omits all reference to what is beyond ; that being left. an open question! It says " thus far," but it does not necessarily mean " no further." For instance, the fact that John the Baptist was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel (Luke 1. 80) is quite consistent with his having also lived there afterwards. Paul's injunction to Timothy " Till I come, give heed to reading, to exhortation, to teaching " (I Tim. iv. 13) by no means implied that, on the apostle's arrival, Timothy was to cease to give attention to these matters ! In the fourth gospel, the beloved disciple corrects the hasty and erroneous inference of his fellow-apostles. " Jesus said not unto him that lie should not die ; but if I will that he tarry till I come what is that to thee" ? [1]
If, when he wrote the fourth gospel, the author knew that the Second Advent had already taken place, then a divine restraint prevented him from recording the fact. There have been other instances Of such enforced silence. Lazarus, on his return from the unseen world (John xi), if he remembered anything of his experiences there, apparently did not reveal them. Before the crucifixion, the disciples were repeatedly forbidden to proclaim Jesus as the Messiah. Of the Transfiguration scene (Matt. xvii., Mark ix., Luke ix.), which prefigured the glories of the Second Advent, we know that, in obedience to a divine restraint put upon them, the three Apostles, on descending, from the Mount, held their peace; and told no man (not even their fellow disciples) in those days any of the things which they had seen, until after He had risen from the dead. God has His own time for truth to become known, and thus it may often happen that facts of vast interest and importance which have been hidden from men for ages and generations, are at last proclaimed. [2] This is further illustrated by the gradual process of scientific discovery. The study of nature is constantly revealing to men, seemingly for the first time, much that has existed since the Creation. If, in these days, the fact that the Second Advent has occurred is now for the first time made sure to the Christian church, it may be that we by reason of our great, nearness to the final judgment are more interested in the matter than the intervening generations have been.
The New Testament - The knowledge of Christianity was maintained by the continued existence of the gospels and epistles of the New Testament As an analogous fact, it is to be remembered that in modern times and in heathen countries Christianity has been known by means of the printed Bible to spread through districts in which there were no living missionaries. Madagascar, New Zealand, and Tahiti are highly interesting illustrations of this, mentioned in Canton's Story of The Bible Society, Chapter xvii.
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A FURTHER NOTE ON JOHN xxi. 21-23 - It is possible to see in this passage a suggestion that the "rapture" or "translation" of the saints at the coming of the Lord would not exempt their earthly bodies from death, but would mean the ascension of their spirits, their real and innermost selves, to Heaven in new and glorified bodies, resembling that in which the Lord Jesus ascended (Mark xvi. 19 ; Luke xxiv. 51 ; Acts i. 9 ; 1 Cor. xv.51, 52). In that case if John lived until the Parousia, and the possibility of his doing so is hinted at here by our Lord, and instead of remaining longer in this world, shared at once the glory and blessedness of the event, this would not necessarily mean that he escaped death, but that, through his union with the Saviour, death became to him the gate of eternal life.
[1] See also note on page 92.
[2] See also page 1, chapter viii., page., 93-96