The
Things Which Shall Be Hereafter
by
Septimus Sears
(Mr Sears was the esteemed pastor
at Clifton in Bedfordshire from 1853 to the time of his being taken to glory in
1877. It will be seen, therefore, that it is 150 years ago since he commenced
ministry at Clifton. In view of this special anniversary, we thought it timely
to include in 'Watching and Waiting' what he wrote in his introduction to the
book by him which was published under the above title in 1876, just the year
before his homecall. We still have copies of Mr Sears' book available at £2.50
per copy).
Soon after I tasted something of the preciousness of
Jesus, I saw, but in a very dim way, that the present dispensation would give
way to a future and glorious one, during which Jesus would personally reign with
His saints; but having then but little learned to answer correctly the question
of Eliphaz, 'To which of the saints wilt thou turn?' and meeting in print with
remarks from some experimental Christians against the study of unfulfilled
prophecy, I endeavoured to turn my mind from this subject; besides which, I
became so fearfully exercised about my own interest in the blessings of the
covenant of grace, that I felt this branch of truth lay very far from me while
in a doubting position of soul. That which lay nearest my heart was the making
of my own calling and election sure; but, after frequent minor helps towards
clearing my election, the Lord at length very mercifully gave me to realise that
I was scaled by the Holy Spirit of promise unto the day of redemption. From that
memorable period, when, with indescribable softness and gratitude of heart, I
could say, '0 my Jesus, Thou art mine, with all Thy grace and power. I am now,
and shall be Thine when time shall be no more.'
I have at various times had my mind drawn to search
God's Word upon the future, and feel that I have arrived at some certain
conviction about what we are to expect in the course of the future history of
the world and the Church, and that I ought not to keep back from others what I
see to be the clear teaching of Scripture on this subject. I have been
encouraged and prompted to the search into these things from consideration of:
1. The
example of the ancient prophets, who foretold the coming of Christ to redeem His Church.
They 'enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace' that should
come to us; and in prosecuting this inquiry they searched 'what, or what manner
of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified
beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow'(1 Peter
1:10‑11). And it must be obvious to all who read the word with care, that
the Jews would not have been so stumbled in Jesus had they taken more pains to
understand the predictions of their own Scriptures respecting the promised
Messiah. Now they are fulfilled, we feel that such Scriptures as Isaiah
53, and Psalm 22, are more like
history than predictions; and doubtless, by the aid of that blessed Spirit Who
is promised to show us 'things to come,' we may now arrive, by means of the
unfulfilled prophecies, at some certainty about what is to be expected in
future. How could we follow the Saviour's directions, 'Now learn a parable of
the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know
that summer is nigh: so likewise ye. when ye shall see all these things, know
that it (or 'he,' margin) is near,
even at the doors' (Matthew 24:32‑33)?
I say, how could we see these things as signs, without searching the Word
where they are put down as signs?
2. The
rich blessing in Revelation 1:3. I have a
desire to claim as my own, 'Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the
words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the
time is at hand'. I desire to read intelligently, and observe practically, that
prophecy of the future in the book of the Revelation, and thus be among those
blessed ones; and certainly I am far from envying those who see nothing in the
blessing of the Lord here pronounced to make them long after it.
3. That
all Scripture is proritable. I see that 'all Scripture is given by inspiration of
God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly
furnished unto all good works.' And,
since a large portion of all Scripture is unfulfilled prophecy, it would ill
become me to treat that subject as if it were not profitable, when God has said,
'ALL Scripture is profitable.' The Word of God is like a physician's
prescription, to be taken properly, every ingredient must be present. One
ingredient cast aside, because not liked by the patient, might greatly nullify
the good effects of the other drugs. The Scriptures, too, like a full meal
scientifically prepared, only contain what is necessary for the building up of
the spiritual man. 'That the man of God may be perfect,' he must 'not live by
bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.'
4. I feel
bound to seek to preach the whole Word, holding the position of a minister of the Word, and
having long been accustomed to do some little in the way of Christian
authorship; and I desire to be amongst those faithful and wise servants whom the
Lord has made rulers over His household, to give them meat in due season, and
thus get the blessing of 'that servant whom his Lord, when He cometh, shall find
so doing.' And I feel that this is a 'due season' when this particular portion
of meat should be given to the people of God. There seems to be a general spirit
of inquiry raised about the future, and this has led to many such fanciful and
contradictory interpretations and speculations upon this subject, that
some have been ready to turn from it altogether with disgust. Now, I feel,
is the time to bring forward 'the law and the testimony' upon this subject, and,
by gathering together kindred portions of prophetic Scripture', to echo God's
voice in His word to the people of God. I do not claim to be the author of the
following pages, but merely the collector of the testimony of the infallible
Author of the Holy Word upon these important themes (Mr
Sears’ book is mainly quotation from Holy Scripture ‑ Ed.). I wish, too, not to be understood, in the heading of the different
sections of this work, as stating some doctrine by Scripture, but as giving, in
a few words, the truth gathered out of the Scriptures that follow each numbered
sentence.
5. We
should watch the signs. I
have the more desired to get at and to give God's mind upon these subjects, as I
see that the minds of many are very falsely excited to think that the day of the
Lord is at hand. When the Thessalonians had been 'troubled' by such teachers,
Paul was moved to show them there were certain things that must take place
before that day arrived, and I feel constrained to point the Lord's people to
the 'things that are noted in the Scriptures of truth,' that must take place
'before that great and notable day of the Lord come.'
It is a sad thing to be wise above what is written, but
it is a blessed thing to be wise in what is written, and no doubt the nearer the
arrival of 'the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all
the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth,' the more need have we to
learn from the word of the Holy Ghost the character of the coming flatterer,
blasphemer, and persecutor, that we may not be entangled in the meshes of his
bewitching flatteries, be any way startled by his miraculously confirmed
blasphemies, nor stumbled at his terrible persecutions.
I trust no Christian reader will look upon this as a
merely speculative subject. I am well sure that if the Holy Spirit should give
the spiritual reader graciously to read the testimony of God's word about the
things which shall be hereafter, they will have upon his heart and ways an
experimental and practical effect.
It will be well to name here, that one thing that was
formerly a stumbling‑block in the way of my viewing the prophetic
Scriptures in their own light was the fear I had of making those Scriptures,
that the Holy Spirit often blesses to the souls of God's people now, seem not to
belong to them. This stumbling‑block has long been removed out of my way
by my seeing that the literal future, as well as the literal past, of Israel, is
the spiritual present of the New Testament Church. A proof of this we have in
comparing Hosea 2:23 with Romans
9:25‑26. In Hosea 2:23, it is
clear from the whole connection that a promise is made of literal Israel's
future restoration, when the Lord will call them no longer Lo‑ruhamah: not
having obtained mercy: but will 'say to them ... Thou art My people; and they
shall say, Thou art my God.' But when Paul quotes the passage (Romans
9:24‑26) he speaks of it as fulfilled spiritually, 'not of the Jews
only, but also of the Gentiles.'
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