Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-04-04
represents His coming as n wedding
Faaot NOT n f,,naral

Fea5t-not funeral.
"Others say the second coming of
Christ took place at the fall OF Jerusa-
lem. Tha absurdity OF this view ia |
shown by substituting the verde, the
fall OF Jerusalem instead Of those re-
lating to His coming. How would it
sound to read it, looking for that
blessed hope, the glorious fall Of Jeruaa-
lem, or 'ye turned to God from idols
to serve q living and true God and to
wait for the fall of Jerusalem, which
deliyereth us from the wrath to come?'
Many of the promises Of His coming
were written after the fall Of Jerusalem
had transpired. And Jesus Himself
in His great prophetic discourse care
fully distinguished between the fall of
Jerusalem and His second coming.
"Still others say that Christ comes
in the spiritual experiences of our
lives. And that is true: but you can
soiritualize the whole Bible away
that way. n is coming in this sense
does not fulfil the prophecies Of His
second advent.
What will Christ's coming mean to
US? First, He will bring our friends
along with Him. The word 10 Thess.
A: 1918 is: / would not have you to
be ignorant, brethren, concerning them
which are asleep, that ye sorrow not,
even as others who have no hope. For
il we believe that Jesus died and rose
again, even so them also which sleep
in jesus will God bring With Him.
For this we say unto you by the
word of the Lord, that we which are
alive and remain unto the coming OF
the Lord shall not prevent Tor antici-
patel them which are asleep. For the
lord Himself shall descend from
heaven with ehout, with the voice of
the archangel and with the trump of
Gud; and tile dead in Christ shall rise
first; then We which are alive and re
main shall be caught up together with
them in the clouds, to meet ths Lord
in the air; and SO shall We ever be
with the Lord. Wherefore, comfort
one another with these words.
"Secondly, satan and evil are to be
overthrown at His coming. Then
shall that wicked lone) be revealed,
whom the Lord shall consume with the
spirit of His mouth and shall destroy
with the brightness of His coming.
Ill Thessalonians 2: 8.
'tHe will take away these vile bodies
and give us glorious bodies like His
own. He will set us free from all
emptation-inward as we'll as out.
ward Our citizenship is In heaven
from whence also we wait for the
Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ, who
shall change our vile body, that 1T may
be fashioned like unto HIS glorious
body. (Phil. 8: 20, 2ll.
| "The great redemption will draw
| near with Him. Ihispoor weary worlG
will be redeemed from bondage wher
| He con. ca. Il reckon that the suffer.
ings of this present time are moi
worthy to be compared 10 the glor,
that shall he revealed TO usward. Th,
whole creation, now grUhning ant
trayaili5g, will in that day be de
livered from corruption into thl
glorious liberty of the children of God.
(Romans S:18!21l.
| "But far beyond all this, Jesu
Christ's return is to mean our meeting
with Jesus Christ Himself. All els
will be insignificant beside this. 1t j
enough for us tc know that He is t,
come. care not for schedules o
events. l do net speak OF pre-
millenialism or post- mi illenialism,
though | do not see how anybody Gal
believe that thousand years mus
elapse before He can come, and at tn
same time, be looking for him. /
seems to me a psychological impossi
bility to look for One who might no
come at any time.
"The Bible doctrine is perfectly clea
and simple. This much 1t has to So
as to the manner of Christ's secon,
coming: He will come bodily, pei
sonally, yisibly, as He went. 1t fnrthe
declares that He will come sudden
and Unexpectedly.
"As to the time, Jesus said no ma
could know it-that even He Himsel
knew it not. Miller could not kno
it il Jesus did not. Let the door b
on the latch. At any time He said II
, might come. Watch, therefore. n
man of us can know when. Jesus sim
ply asks us to be in the attitude {
/ expecting Him. ~
, MANY have apprehended that th
| world was to be converted before ii
, return. | defy anybody to find an
! scrit ture proof for that theory. Ii
/ deed, it is easy to prove from Scriptul
i exact contrary. Jesus said the COL
, dit,on Of things at His coming wou
5 be Just ae it was at the time of Il
i flood.
1.-THE apostles were LOOKING for Hin
, There is no evidence in their writing
that they were sure of living he
a until His coming, but they expectt
a that He might come in their tim
q The Lord is at hand, was the wori
: and that is the attitude which wi
Z please our Lord in all the age till l
q come.
: "Think of the immense blessing al
: power of hope like that In a man
! life. 1t is made the ground of appe
/ for holiness in such passages as Jot
' 2, 2S; Col. 8, A, and l Thess, 5,
Z How is 1t possible for man to live
. sin if he be expecting Jesus Christ
i come? This blessed hope is the bas
il of appeals in the New Testament
n purity, patience, charity in judgmer
h soul winning, fidelity and earnestne
!. 10 Christ's service. Can there
n slothfulness, niggardliness or idlene
: in the heart that is waiting for Hir
II What would not the hope of Chris,
coming accomplish in us?
70 WHAT does the Bible say o
,, attitude should be towards this hop
First. we are to love it: second, !
.. are to look for it; third, We are
Il desire it; and finally we are told
I, Jesus Christ Himself to watch for.
n Watch, lest coming suddenly He q
), you sleeping. "
w 40 ot..,,nou ttt nntporifltI