The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-05-18
THE SECOND COMING
OF JESUS CHRIST
No Truth in the Bible Is hiOre Clearly
Defined.
REV. DR.. McLEOD'S MORNING TOPIC
The Second Advent las Been thc
Christians Buoyant Hope =. lie
viii Come in Glory and Magniii.
ccIcr--purp0sc of the Advent.


as ye have seen him so into heaven y
Acts, i, ,.
Dr. Mcleod referred to the text as
words Of good cheer uttered by two of
Gods angels at the time of the AsCen-
sion. itc said this fact and the value OF
Christs Ascension We're dweit upon last
Sunday and made appropriate yester-
day a consideration of the second COM
ing. He remarked:
win Christ come back Ggain to this
world? No truth is more clearly revealed
in the Bible. II is repeated 50 often ana
in 80 many varying circumstances that We
dare not doubt it. I'VE look for the savior
the Lord Jesus Christ said ST. Paul To
the Philippians, and mat should be the
attitude of all Christians. The heaven
must receive Him, anal the time OF the
restitution of all things which God h3ih
spoken by the mouth Of all His molly pro-
phets since the world began. But wac!
these times are fulfilled, then shall all
the tribes OF the earth see the son ana
Nan coming in the clouds of heaven WI !
power and great glory. Every eye sha i
see Him we are told. The early Chria'
tiaus were urged to live sOherly, r%n =
oousiy ana godly, ana they were enc9Ir,
aged to DO SO by looking ior that blcsarl
hope and the glorious appearing ot our
great God and Savior, = FEG ChriSt. VI hit
the angels sail to Chris.'s disciples at tAe
time of His ascension will be literally rus
iilled.
WHEN WILL CHRIST COME?
The first advent of Christ was a center
around which Icvolvcd the holicst thoughts
and hopes of GcIs people for thousaiNa
of years, and, even 50, tils second 9GN at
is another center around which the
Thoughts ana nDGc- of Christians have
been rrvol,lG% s.!,c Ills ascension, tui
around which tn. may continue TO re-
NCitc FOR tauusJUl# OF years. our t.pHi
may delay lis cuming. bat n"'rrlhel'SS
A al he 1, i
ness uf timr-thgt means Tie Will come
just AT the right time.
The time OF our Lords second advent
has been q subject o! controversy all al1HE
tnc&g,S There have been tGriStianS whose
views of the second advent have n.ol
quite as erroneous as those of the ThrSa.
luuiGHs. iH,r" have been interpreters OF
this prophecy Whpsr Interpretations ara
harder 10 understand than the prophecy
ITSELF. SCng O' tnCSr TRENDS are very
sure thai the second coming of Christ win
he prp-nillynlial. others who are as de-
vout and as learned in ,he Scriptures AZ"
quite as sure that our LORDS second adj
vent will be- t-milruu!al. bur class
would have It's believe ina, Christ when
He comes, viii reign IN person on the
throne of David for 4 thousand years, =
far larger body Of dcvOut Chris,iaus have
no such idea. They believe that Ills rrtSh
Will hc spiritual
Some Christians max" . great deal OF
The time Of our LORDS coming, but the O.
art time is UIinporlaNl. 1t Is the IL 4
Of His coming tha. is impurtant. 1t is
pleasant 10 thiuH that Il roOjlN number
of sanity soul, have lived and have gone
10 glory without knowing or without car
inE anything about thu pr"-n',I,nn'a or
pdSt-rnilchirl cuntrul rvSy. Il the exact
time Of our Lords second advon. were
as important ~ SOM christian W.'it;
have IL believe. II would surely have been
mor- clearly p.y,.sod. Bu. it is not
clearly revealed. 1t is hidden from GoI's
angels 1t Is secret thing wnich nc-
longs exclusively to God.
10 be conNi inrci that He will not coue
soon. but 10 believe that He viii cainv
some. .Iur-aud a, the right timo-LNi to
liV" a. Christians ought to live in view Of
that fact, and Waii ps,iratiy for Ills ap,
pearinS, is Il sutcr mark OF plciy ana "i
Christian intelligence than it Is To wax en-
lnusiHslic over Il theory, or TO become
crsia'ir over the contemplation Of that
which may be only a pleasant dream.
HOW WILL CHRIST COME?
Chris. VIII come back from heaven in
tSc same manner as He Wcnt to heaven.
ilc WAS seen going away, ana He VIII BE-
seen coming back again. Every eye shall
see Him. y cloud received Him out OF
their sight. i;chOld, lie shan come with
clouds. Ills second coming will differ
widely indeed from HIS first advent. AT
Ills nrst .dNent lie came in great humiii-
alton. Al His second advent lie Will come
in great glory. He will come surrounded
win all the Story Of heaven-a thousand
thousand CT angels min!stering unto Him,
and ten thousand times ten thousand
round aDout Him; all Worshping Him.
Eut it Is ,hc purpose ana results of our
Lurd : second advent IN which the churcn
and the world are most deeply interested.
E1!l lie come 10 set NJ an earthly king,
cJm, 10 restore the Jews and to reign in
Jerusalem Tor Il thousand years? 50 some
say. We Will not discuss tha, question;
ii IS not an essential question. 1ncrc arc
other matters connected with His advent
which are infinitely more important
" neither lie Will sit in The throne of Da,
NiG in any literal sense is a small matter
compared with these plainly revealed
truths, namely, that He VIII come to vim
G!cate His people whom lie has redeemed
10 raise the dead, to judge The world. "a
reward the pcnitrnt righteous to punish
the im!cn.tent ana to bo crowned by III
Intelligent creatures kinS OF Kings and
Lord OF LORDS.
| In St. Paul's letter to the Philippians ht
says: I'VE look for the savior, the buTt
Jesus Christ, WHO shali change these bo
dies of our humiliation and fashion tl IN
IKE unto thc body Of HIS glory" Tna'
is great and blessed truth. When anf
how lhc Jews are 10 bC converted; Whcr
and now antichrist is To be oNcrtnrUAu
when. and how the battle of ArinagcGdoI
Is TO be fouSht--thcsc are speculative
questions. But the fact that Jesus Chris
Will raise the dead at His coming Is
plainly and positively stated
In some way or Othc" these bodies OF
ours, which VIII die ANA minglc with the
| dust, will be resurYccted and reyiyilin,
| These bodies in which We have sinned an,
| suffered. in which we have rejoicCd an,
| wept, in which We have experience,
strength and weakness. in which we have
| been sick and WCary-thcSr bodies of olll
| humiliation VIII be changed ana glorRe,
| and prepared, so as TO be the cvcrlastna
companion and abode of their redeemed
| spirits
LIKE CHRiST'S BODY.
Whatever be the nature and the appear
| ance of that human body and rcasouUbl,
| soul that Christ now has in glory. sucf
| viii be the nature and the appearance o
| HIS redeemed and glorined people. Thel
| he shall appear, we shall be like Him. fo
| we shall see Him as He is. the body @
His glory Is not the body of His humilia
| tion, nor will the body OF our glory be III,
! body of our humiliation. And this glori
| ous change Is to take place at the comm:
! of our Lord! The very thought of it i
| enough TO make the lame man leap as
| hart, and to cause the tongue of the dumi
| TO sing.
Behold, | come quickly! Christ's com
| ing Will be sudden and His work when IL
| comes. will be as sudden. The change
| that He will effect will be instantaneous
| IT will not take Him long to raise the dCat
and change the living. In a moment, il
| the twinkiing of an eye, at the last truml
the dead shall be raised ncorTup,iblc AM
| We shall be changed. This is Gods wul,!
and that will be Gods work
/ The best preparation for Chgist's sec
| ond advent is to be thoroughiy inteIcsta,
| in His first advent. He came to seek an,
| to save the lost. Are we among III
savod?. II we have cried TO Him for me7
cy; if we are trusting in Him now; if W
are trying to live soberly, righteously an
| godiy. then all will be well at HIS coming
| for when Christ. who is cur life. shall ap
| pear then shall we also appear with Hin
| In glory. and so shall we be over. Miin III