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The Story of Redemption
Disappointed but Not Forsaken
But again they were destined to disappointment. The time of ex-
pectation passed, and their Saviour did not appear. With unwavering
confidence they had looked forward to His coming, and now they
felt as did Mary, when, coming to the Saviour’s tomb and finding
it empty, she exclaimed with weeping, “They have taken away my
Lord, and I know not where they have laid Him.”
John 20:13
.
A feeling of awe, a fear that the message might be true, had
for a time served as a restraint upon the unbelieving world. After
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the passing of the time this did not at once disappear; they dared
not triumph over the disappointed ones, but as no tokens of God’s
wrath were seen, they recovered from their fears and resumed their
reproach and ridicule. A large class who had professed to believe in
the Lord’s soon coming renounced their faith. Some who had been
very confident were so deeply wounded in their pride that they felt
like fleeing from the world. Like Jonah, they complained of God,
and chose death rather than life. Those who had based their faith
upon the opinions of others, and not upon the Word of God, were
now as ready to again exchange their views. The scoffers won the
weak and cowardly to their ranks, and all united in declaring that
there could be no more fears or expectations now. The time had
passed, the Lord had not come, and the world might remain the same
for thousands of years.
The earnest, sincere believers had given up all for Christ, and
had shared His presence as never before. They had, as they believed,
given their last warning to the world, and, expecting soon to be
received into the society of their divine Master and the heavenly
angels, they had, to a great extent, withdrawn from the unbelieving
multitude. With intense desire they had prayed, “Come, Lord Jesus,
and come quickly.” But He had not come. And now to take up again
the heavy burden of life’s cares and perplexities, and to endure the
taunts and sneers of a scoffing world, was indeed a terrible trial of
faith and patience.
Yet this disappointment was not so great as was that experienced
by the disciples at the time of Christ’s first advent. When Jesus
rode triumphantly into Jerusalem, His followers believed that He
was about to ascend the throne of David and deliver Israel from her
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