“And we shall see Him, know Him and be conformed to His image,” said Mrs. Travilla in joyous tones. “‘It doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.’”
“What a delightful thought!” exclaimed her daughter, Mrs. Leland. “Oh, it is strange that we can ever be so taken up as we are with worldly matters. Do you think, captain, that His second coming is near?”
“There are many things which make that seem probable,” replied Captain Raymond. “Don’t you think that we should try to live as if it might be any day—or indeed at any moment?”
“I certainly do,” she answered; “especially as death may take us into His presence at any moment.”
“Yes, that is true,” he answered; “and we should all strive to live as when death comes we shall wish we had. Live near to Him—to His honor and glory—that whenever He shall come we may be found ready. He tells us, ‘Watch, therefore, for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.... Be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh.’ That warning word ‘watch’ is repeated again and again. ‘Watch, therefore; for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh.’”
“‘Be ye also ready,’” repeated little Elsie reflectively. “Papa, please tell us just how to get ready—just what we must do.”
“Give ourselves to the Lord Jesus who says, ‘Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out.’ ‘God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.’”
“Doesn’t everybody believe that it’s all true about Him, papa?” asked Ned.
“It is not enough to believe simply that Jesus lived in this world years ago, and died the cruel death of crucifixion; we must believe also that He was God as well as man; for otherwise He could not save us; had He been only a man His death would not have atoned for the sins of the world—or of all in it who have believed or will believe on Him. But the Bible tells us these things as plainly as words can speak. In the first chapter of John’s Gospel we are told, ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.’ And Jesus Himself said, ‘I and my father are one.’”
“Yes,” said Mrs. Leland, “it is incomprehensible to me how any one can profess to believe the Bible to be the Word of God and yet deny the divinity of Christ—so plainly is that taught in it again and again.”