The Morning-Star
It was early in the morning/ while it was yet dark,” that Jesus rose from the dead. Not the sun but only the morning-star, shone upon his opening tomb. The shadows had not fled, the citizens of Jerusalem had not awoke. It was still night — the hour of sleep and of darkness, when he arose. Nor did his rising break the slumbers of the city.
So it shall be very early in the morning,” when it is yet dark,” and when nought but the morningstar is shining, that Christ’s body, the church, shall arise. Like him, his saints shall awake when the children of the night and darkness
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are still sleeping their sleep of death. In their arising they disturb no one. The world hears not the voice that summons them or if it hears shall only say, “It thunders,” as did the unbelieving Jews when the Father’s voice responded to the prayer of Jesus. (John xii. 29.) As Jesus laid them quietly to rest, each in his own still tomb, like children in the arms of their mother; so, as quietly, as gently, shall he awake them when the hour arrives.
He is the Morning-star. I am the root and offspring of David, the bright and morning-star.” (Rev. xxii. 16.) And this name is given to him not only because of the glory of his person and the brightness of his appearing, but because of the time when he is to appear.
The first act, at his appearing, when he comes in glory, — the first indication of his arrival, while yet aloft ^rin the air,” is likened to the shining of the morning-star.
Afterwards he shall come forth as the Sun of righteousness,” filling the whole earth with his brightness and shadowing the nations with his healing wings (Mai. iv. 2); but at first he shows himself as the Morning-star, — big with the hope of day, yet not the day; brighter than other stars and eclipsing all of them, yet not the Day-star; forerunner of the sun, yet not the sun; foreteller of the dawn, yet not the dawn.*
Hence his promise to the conqueror is, I will give him the morningstar” (Rev. ii. 28); that is, I will give myself to him as the morning-star; I will show myself to him as such; I will confer on him this pre-eminence, this special blessedness.
We read in Scripture of the eye-lids of
* “F airest of stars, last in the train of night.
If better thou belong not to the dawn:
Sure pledge of day, that crown’st the smiling morn With thy bright circlet, praise him in thy sphere, While day arises, that sweet hour of prime.**
Paradise Lost. Book V.
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the morning; ’’ and the morning-star is the first beam shooting from under these lids as they begin to re-open, that the eye of day may again irradiate the earth. It is only they who awake early that see the first opening of these eye-lids, or gaze upon the morning-star, or breathe the morning freshness, or taste the morning dew. So is it with those of whom it is said, Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection.” To them come the quickening words, Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust.” (Isa. xxvi. 19.) Into their tomb the earliest ray of glory finds its way. They drink in the first gleams of morning, while as yet the eastern clouds give but the faintest signs of its uprising. Its genial fragrance, its soothing stillness, its bracing freshness, its sweet loneliness, its quiet purity, all so solemn and yet so full of hope, these are theirs. Oh the contrast between these things and the dark night through which they have passed! Oh the contrast between these things and the grave from which they have sprung! And as they shake off the encumbering turf flinging mortality aside and rising, in glorified bodies, to meet their Lord in the air, they are lighted and guided upward, along the untrodden pathway, by the beams of that Star of morning, which, like the star of Bethlehem, conducts them to the presence of the King.
There seem to be more periods than one (if times so very brief may be called by that name) opening out upon us when the Lord comes. Just as there are more scenes than one, and more acts than one, in the day of the Lord,” so there are more periods than one. And it is interesting to notice these in connexion with the Morning-star.
All the time up to the moment of his appearing is reckoned night. Then the scenes change, and, step by step, the day with its full sunshine is brought in. Firsts
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there is the period of the Morning-star y during which the dead saints awake and the living saints are changed; then that which is sown in corruption is raised in incorruption, that which is sown in dishonour is raised in glory, that which is sown in weakness is raised in power, that which is sown a natural body is raised a spiritual body; and then they that have long dwelt in dust awake and sing. In every land they have found a grave, and every land now gives up the sleeping clay. They come forth in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning,’’ like the ten thousand times ten thousand dew-drops of the night, made visible by the morning-star, and sparkling to its farcoming glory. (Psa. cx. 3; Isa. xxvi. 19.) It is long since light was sown for the righteous,” (Psa. xcvii. 11,) and this is the first-fruits of the harvest.
Next there is the period of the twilight. This is the time when the light shall not be clear nor dark,” like the morning spread upon the mountains.” (Joel ii. 2.) Then has the last battle-strife begun; then the Lord with his rod of iron is breaking his enemies in pieces like a potter’s vessel; then he cometh forth from his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; then, with all his saints, he executes the infinite vengeance, delivers Israel, destroys Antichrist, lays waste the world with sore calamity and purging fire.
Before the morning he is not,” says the prophet, foretelling the ruin of the great enemy of Israel and the church. (Isa. xvii. 14.) *
Next there is the morning. The enemy has disappeared; each wreck that marked
* It is either to this or the close of the preceding period that such passages are to be referred: “All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee.** Ezek. xxxii. 8. “The day of the Lord is darkness and not light.*’ Amos v. 18, 20. “While ye look for light he turn, it into the shadow” of death.’* Jer. xiii. 15. “The light is darkened in the heavens thereof.** Isa.
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either his dominion or his destruction is gone. The face of the earth is renewed, the storm is laid to rest, and the glory of an unclouded sun and an unsullied firmament makes creation sing for joy. The voice of the Beloved is heard, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the fiowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; the fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.” (Sol. Song ii. 10 — 13.)
Lastly, there is the day in its full brightness. For the path of this Just One is like the shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. Of that day, earth has never seen the like. For that day it waits in patient hope, struggling hard, meanwhile, with darkness, and labouring to throw off its long sad weight of ill.
It is as if the glory of the Lord when first coming within sight of the earth, showed itself in the far distance, as the star of morning; token most welcome and hopeful, recognised at once by those who knew the true light of the world, and who had often in other days looked out wistfully for the Star of Jacob. It is, next as if the same glory, when it neared the earth, showed itself in terrible majesty as the sign of the Son of man, in seeing which all the tribes of the earth mourn (Matt. xxiv. 30; Rev, i. 7); for just as in the morning’- watch the Lord looked through the pillar of fire and cloud and troubled the host of the Egyptians, (Exod. xiv. 24,) so, when he cometh with clouds, all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him.” It is, next, as if the same glory of the Son of man, coming still nearer, took up its destined position, and spread its skirts over earth as
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did the pillar-cloud over the tents of Israel. It is lastly, as if this glory, this more than Shechinah-splendour, showed itself as the Sun of righteousness, bearing healing in his wings, wherewith he heals the nations, so that the inhabitant shall no more say, I am sick; wherewith he heals the earth, so that the curse takes flight; wherewith he heals the air, so that it poisons no more. Then day shall utter speech to day in a way unheard of before; then shall their line go throughout all the earth, and their words to the end of the world, when out of that tabernacle which he hath set for the Sun,” that Sun shall come forth as a bridegroom out of his chamber, rejoicing as a strong man to run a race. Then shall come to pass the saying that is written. Behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east, and his voice was like the noise of many waters, and THE EARTH SHINED WITH HIS GLORY.”
(Ezek. xliii. 2.)
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With all of these in succession the saints have to do, from the time that they are roused out of their tombs by the first beams of the Morning-star, to have part in the first resurrection. But it is only the first of these that we are now considering.
The promise to him that overcometh” is, will give him the morning-star.’’ (Rev. ii. 28.) Of all the blessings symbolized or indicated by that star, he is made partaker. The first streak of dawn is his. He is summoned from the dust to meet morning ere yet one ray of it has touched the earth. The first glimpse of the longwaited-for glory his eye shall see, when other eyes abide in darkness. In thisr’first token of a coming Lord, his soul shall rejoice. At this, the first sound of the returning Bridegroom’s voice, he shall go forth with ready love. The first object that shall meet his eye on awaking from the tomb, shall be the Star of Jacob.
This earnest of creation’s better day
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is the portion of the saints. The deliverance of creation is at hand. The time of the manifestation of the sons of God ’’ is come. Now arrayed in lights themselves the sons of lights they shall shine as the brightness of the firmament and as the stars for ever and ever. Now, transformed into the image of the Morning-star — -themselves the stars of morning, they prepare to sing together over the new creation, when its foundations shall be fastened and its corner-stone laid by Him who is to make all things new.* Heath is now swallowed up of victory; the grave is rifled; the spoiler is spoiled; ashes are exchanged for beauty; the light that was quenched is rekindled; the sorrow passes into joy; and the darkness of a brief night ends in the uprising of the endless day.
As for those that are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord,” though they
See Job xxxviii. 6, 7, wkere the reference is of course to the old creationo shall not go before those that are asleep, yet they shall not be behind them in the blessedness. They shall have the same privileges of the early morning, — the same honour, the same glory. Their eye shall look upon that Star; and it shall be to them all that it is to those who were dwelling in dust.” Living in the last days of a God-denying world, — -days dark and hateful as those of Noah or of Lot, — their righteous souls vexed from day to day with wickedness that cannot rest,” casting up its mire and dirt” on every side, — danger pressing, conflict thickening, persecution assailing, sorrows multiplying, — how welcome shall that sign be to them, springing up like hope when all is hopeless, and fore-tokening life, refreshment, rest, gladness, to the troubled and despairing earth!
Like the anxious w’^atchman on some fortress, they have been wearying for the morning; and it has come at last! Like
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the belated traveller, pressing on over hill and moor and rock and waste and thicket, they have been seeking at every turn to catch the light of their cottage window; and it is seen at last! Like the tempesttost apostle, when neither sun nor stars for many days appeared, they wish for day/” and are glad beyond measure at the tokens of its approach. The glimmer of the lighthouse has hitherto been their comfort and their guide. By it they have shaped their way and cheered their hearts. But, of a sudden, the beacon seems to sink away, and ere they are aware, its light is lost amid the far-outrivalling brightness of the Morning- star.
But upon the unready and unwatching world that Star rises with no ray of blessing. It rises only to shed disastrous blight,” and give token of the desolations that are at hand. For as when Noah entered the ark the flood burst forth, or as when Lot entered Zoar the fire came down, so when the saints are caught up then the wrath is poured out and the door is shut.
Till then the gate of peace stands wide open, and into the chambers of safety all are beckoned. The most unready of all the children of men may go freely in; for the grace that invites makes no exceptions, but welcomes the unworthiest. It would fain allure the seekers of vain joy, from joys that are so vain. It would fain win the heart of the sorrowful, who mourn and yet have no comforter, because they have no God. It would fain draw in the secure into a place of true safety, ere the storm arise that is to break in pieces the strong foundations of the earth.
Children of the earth ! — you especially whose sorrows are multiplied, and whose hearts are sick with disappointment, — give heed to the gracious warning. Enter the
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hiding-place and be safe for ever. Thrice blessed are those griefs and disappointments that lead you out of lying refuges into the sure covert from the storm, that call you from the joy of the W’orld into the joy of God.