Arise and Shine for thy light is come

The Church of God is one, whether it be among Jews or Gentiles. That poor Church seemed left and forsaken; dark days came, and it looked as if the Church must even cease to exist, but it did not. Now, God has brought in many sinners of the Gentiles, and he will bring them in much more numerously in the future times of refreshing. They shall come in armies, in hosts, in nations, and the Church of God shall be exceedingly glorious.

All the strength of the land and of the sea,— the armies and the navies shall come and prostrate themselves before the Church of God. The supreme power on earth shall yet be the Christ in the midst of his Church.

The Easterns shall bow before the King; they that of old had some light shall come to the yet greater light. In those holy lands, which afterwards became so unholy, there shall yet be a return to the truth, and all the false prophets shall be expelled. Where Mohammed’s crescent has cursed the nations, there shall shine again the Sun of righteousness, with healing in his wings.

Wandering tribes of wild Arabs shall come and bow before Christ, and lay their wealth at his feet

The growing Church sees a greater multitude coming to her than even the populous East could muster; whence come they? Listen, brethren, and look around, and see for yourselves.

In ships from these remote islands, and from countries that were dimly spoken of, in the East, as “lands of Tarshish,” far away, great multitudes were to come to Christ. Are they not coming today from this Ultimo Thule, this distant land beyond the pillars of Hercules, are they not coming to Christ “as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows”?

In God’s good time, all this shall come to pass.

The subject of this chapter is, “The glory of the Church in the abundant access of the Gentiles, and the great blessings after a short affliction.”

There is nothing that breaks the darkness except the light from God’s face; and when that falls upon the Church, then the Church straightway begins to shine in the midst of the darkness, and multitudes come to the light, and even the great ones of the earth, the kings, come to the brightness of her rising.

There is no sign here of the Church of God being deserted, on the contrary, she shall become, through the grace of God, the center of attraction. Men shall come from distant lands to her, however far removed they were, they shall still come: “thy sons shall come from far.” She shall also be increased by the accession of those near at hand: “and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.”

O, that we might live to see this happy day, when we shall feel a holy awe because of God’s glory as revealed in his Church! This fear is not a servile dread but a holy awe of God, and then the heart shall be enlarged, we shall deal with great things, wish for great things, attempt great things, do great things, and see great things. “Thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged,” for the sailor far away upon the sea, and the whole strength of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.

These people had mostly been followers of false prophets, but they too shall forsake their fanaticism and their bigotry, and come to unite with the Church of God. Those least likely and furthest off from hope, shall be brought in by the sovereign grace of God.

The Church is astonished; she asks, “Who can they be?”

The Church of God is one continuously. At first, it was a Jewish Church, and it has never ceased to comprise within its bounds some members of the chosen race. But now, in these latter days, she has broken the narrow bonds of race, and from Tarshish and the distant isles of the sea, multitudes are already coming to the church of God, and they shall come much more numerously in the years that have not yet arrived.

Or, if they do not themselves come, their children shall; each generation shall include a remnant according to the election of grace; and, in due time, shall come the great ingathering.

“Amen! Amen!” so say we, with all our heart.