Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried. This is the promise for the Lord's coming. It is more than purity. It is to be made white, lustrous or bright. To be purified is to have sin burned out; to be made white is to have the glory of the Lord burned in. The one is cleansing; the other is illumination and glorification. The Lord has both for us, but in order for us to have both we must be put into the fire to be tried. We must be led into difficult and strange places where Christ shall be more to us because of the very extremity of the situation. We are approaching these days. indeed, they are already around us, and they are the precursors of the Lord's coming. Blesssed is he that . . . keepeth his garments lest he walk naked (Revelation 16:15). There are voices in the air, filling men with hope and fear; There are signals everywhere that the end is drawing near; There are warnings to prepare, for the King will soon be here; Oh, it must be the coming of the Lord!
