CanTherebeUnity (continued)
Family affection lies at the root of a well-ordered society. It is one of the few good things which has survived the fall, and prevent men and women from being mere devils. It is the secret oil on the wheels of our social system which keeps the whole machine going, and without which the power of the machine is useless. May the Christmas day never arrive when there are no family gatherings! But, despite what I have just said, earthly gatherings also have something about them that is sad and sorrowful. The happiest parties sometimes contain disagreeable members. The merriest Christmas parties last only for a short time. Moreover, as the years roll on, the hand of death makes painful gaps in the family circle. Even in the midst of Christmas merriment we cannot help remembering those who have passed away. The longer we live, the more we feel that we are standing alone. The old faces will rise before the eyes of our minds, and old voices will sound in our ears, even in the midst of holiday merriment and laughter. People do not talk much about such things, but there are few who do not feel them. We need not intrude our inmost thoughts on others, and especially when all around us everyone is bright and happy; but there are many, I suspect, who reach middle age, who would admit, if they spoke honestly, that there are sorrowful things inseparably mixed up with a Christmas party. In short, there is no unmixed pleasure about any earthly "gathering." But is there no better "gathering" yet to come? Is there no bright prospect on our horizon of an assembly which will far outshine the assemblies of Christmas and New Year—an assembly in which there will be joy without sorrow, and merriment without tears? I thank God that I can give a plain answer to these questions; and to give it is the simple object of this paper. I ask my readers to give me their attention for a few minutes, and I will soon show them what I mean. 1. There is a "gathering" of true Christians which is yet to come. What is it, and when will it be?
The gathering I speak of will take place at the end of the world, in the day when Christ returns to earth the second time. He went away in the clouds of heaven, and in the clouds of heaven He will return. Visibly, in the body, He will return. And the very first thing that Christ will do will be to "gather" His people. "He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other." (Matthew 24:31) The manner of this "gathering" is plainly revealed in Scripture. The dead saints will all be raised, and the living saints will all be changed. It is written, "The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them." "The dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air." "We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed." (Revelation 20:13; 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17; 1 Corinthians 15:51, 52) And then when every member of Christ is found, and not one is left behind, when soul and body, those old companions, are once more reunited, then will it be the great "gathering." The object of this "being gathered" is as clearly revealed in Scripture as its manner. It is partly for the final reward of Christ's people: that their complete justification from all guilt may be declared to all creation; that they may receive the "crown of glory that will never fade away," and the "kingdom prepared for them since the creation of the world;" that they may be admitted publicly into the joy of their Lord! It is partly for the safety of Christ's people, that, like Noah in the ark and Lot in Zoar, they may be hid and covered before the storm of God's judgment comes down on the wicked; that when the last plagues are falling on the enemies of the Lord, they may be untouched, as Rahab's family in the fall of Jericho, and unscathed as the three children in the midst of the fire. The saints have no reason to fear in the day of gathering, however fearful the signs that may accompany it. Before the final crash of all things begins, they will be hidden in the secret place of the Most High. The great gathering is for their safety and their reward. "Do not be afraid," will the gathering-angels say, "for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified." "Go, my people," will their Master say: "enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until My wrath has passed by." (Matthew 28:5; Isaiah 26:20) (a) This gathering will be a great one. All children of God who have ever lived, from Adam, the first saint, down to the last born in the day that our Lord comes—everyone of every age, and nation, and church, and people, and tongue—everyone will be gathered together. No one will be overlooked or forgotten. The weakest and feeblest will not be left behind. Now, when "scattered," true Christians seem like a little flock; then, when "gathered," they will be found to be a multitude which no man can number. (b) This gathering will be a wonderful one. The saints from distant lands, who never saw each other in the flesh, and could not understand each other's speech if they met, will all be brought together in one harmonious fellowship. Those who live in Australia will find they are as near to heaven and will arrive there as quick as those living in England. The believers who died five thousand years ago and whose bones are mere dust, will find their bodies raised and renewed as quickly as those who are alive when the trumpet sounds. Above all, miracles of grace will be revealed. We will see some in heaven whom we never expected would have been saved at all. The confusion of tongues will finally be reversed, and done away. The assembled multitude will cry with one heart and in one language, "See what God has done!" (Numbers 23:23) (c) This gathering will be a humbling one. It will make an end of bigotry and narrow-mindedness forever. The