The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God
lives forever. Dear children, this is the last hour. (1 John 2:17,18 NIV)
Over wide stretches of the earth
the people of God are being driven, scattered, having everything outward
taken. The question is: Why does the Lord allow it? Why is it so, if the Lord
is wise, and almighty, and gracious? It is to discover how much the Heavenly
Christ is to His people, and how much they depend upon the earthly order of
things, even the Christian order.
“That
which was from the beginning.... Little children, it is the last hour...
the one who
does the will of God lives for ever”.
Do you see the link? If at the end, at the last hour, it is as it was from the
beginning, then it will abide for ever, but if it has become something else,
it will go. This whole question of heavenly relationship with the Lord is a
tremendously searching one, the fact that Christ has transferred everything to
heaven and that nothing less than a life in heavenly union with Him will stand
the test at any time. We will ask the Lord that He will take this – if it
really is the truth – and search us. It may be that some of us will find
comfort, because we shall see this is exactly what the Lord is doing with us.
Why isolation? Why the testings? Why the loneliness in spiritual life? To save
us from things unto Himself, even Christian things, so that God’s end that
Christ may be all and in all shall be reached; not things, but Christ; not
Christianity, but Christ; not Christian work, but Christ.