Editorials -- By: Anonymous

Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 108:430 (Apr 1951)
Article: Editorials
Author: Anonymous


Editorials

“My Lord Delayeth His Coming”

These words, spoken of an “evil servant,” are found in Matthew 24:48 in a context which warns Israel of the unexpectedness of the glorious appearing of her Messiah King at His second coming. This will occur at a time when that nation shall have come by revelation to know something of the plan of God for them in the return of their King. That they will comprehend to some extent is indicated in Matthew 24:33 by the words “When ye shall see.” That this is addressed only to that nation, as is all of the Olivet Discourse, need not be proved here.

The sin of the evil servant is that in carelessness he assumes that his Messiah is not coming soon. Doubtless he will have supposed that other important things must be accomplished before the King returns. Thus, with some degree of sincerity, he assumes that the return of the King is not imminent. Therefore he is led to say: “My lord delayeth his coming.” At that time and under the existing circumstances the one great event before the nation is the glorious appearing of their King, and the evil servant will have been informed that that event is near, “even at the door.” The servant is nevertheless disregarding the word of his Lord. That the conditions existing on earth will have been greatly changed is most evident from the context. It also is true that this servant is “evil” because of his smiting other servants and being drunken, but the real charge against him is that he assumes that his Lord is not coming soon in spite of the word of warning.

Another event—revealed only to the Church in the New Testament—is often thought to be one and the same or in some way a phase or stage in that final appearing of Christ. This event, predicted only in the New Testament, belongs

exclusively to the Church and so the nation of Israel is never said to share in it as a people. And in the same manner it does not belong in any way to this world or its judgments, as does the glorious appearing of the King which is the hope of Israel. One fact which forms a parallel between Judaism with its return of the King in glory and Christianity with its resurrection and rapture of the Church is that God withholds any knowledge of the time when these events occur. The same sin of saying “My Lord delayeth His coming” may therefore be committed with either the glorious appearing for Israel or the rapture of the Church. That is not to say that those who commit this sin of saying “My Lord delayeth His coming” add to it the sin of drunkenness or of smiting a fellow servant, but the sin, in any case, consists in saying “My Lord del...

You must have a subscription and be logged in to read the entire article.
Click here to subscribe
visitor : : uid: ()