Evening journal., 1908-07-17
The Second Coming of Christ.

In this age Of enlightenment, il is
astonishing TO see 80 many cropping
along in gross darkness. We have our
church services and our Sunday
schools, our ministers and our teach
ers. But 1t seems as If they have been
lpowerless, to teach the Word of God as
IL should be taught. Therefore most
lof us grow up into manhood and
Iwomanhood practically with little, If
any, knowledge on such important
subjects as the second coming of
Christ, end of the world, etc. 1 have
been asked on several occasions to
write Of them. But being as / can
give little attention at this time to the
latter, II Is with hope they will be able
to work out their own salvation. How
loften do we see our Sunday as well as
daily papers crowded with illustrations
and print to illustrate that great
levent? Written, of course, by some
lgander Of a prophet, who knows but
little concerning the Bible, and less
about prophecy, who are making out
Of themselves scarecrows for some un-
learned mind. That's what they are
doing. nothing more, nothing less
They speak of that which they know
nothing Of. 1 would refrain from Civ
ing word. But suffer me to give the
Word Of God
However There are many texts in
the Bible that teach His second ap-
lpearance But II you will carefully
study them, it can be seen that they
teach not only of His (Chrlst's) sec
ond appearance, but they speak Of
him coming for the dignified purpose
of executing justice and judgment in
l4I. fas ffo
on the second coming of Jesus Christ
with those which teach the end Of the
world It will be readily acknowledged
tnat they both stand connected and
teach the same thing. Now when is
the time for Him to come in spirit
and power? / will not say, but by
giving the words of the Blessed Master
l hope it all will be made clear. Matt.
16 g. verify l say unto you there be
some standing here which shall not
taste of death till they see the Son
of Man coming in His kingdom" OF
course no one at that time knew the
precise time in which Chris. would
come. Not even Himself. Rut it was
for certainty He was coming during
the natural life time OF some of His
disciples, Matt. 1923. Yea shall not
have gone over the city of Israel till
the Son Of Man be come, and in Mark
9:1 he impresses the same truth
Evidently 1t can be clearly seen that
Christ was speaking to Ills apostles
in person, and that they should i've to
see the fulflment of His word And
II carefully note you will see In Matt.
24:3 that His disciples came to Him
privately saying. Tell us when these
things shall be and what shall be the
sign of Thy coming and the end of the
v orld: And In the twenty y-ninth to the
thirty-ffth He tells them by saying.
Immediately after the trlbulatlon OF
those days shall the sun he darkened,
and the moon shall not give her light,
and the stars shall fall from heaven,
and the power of the heavens shall
be shaken, and there shall appear the
sign of the Son OF Man in heaven
And shall al the tribes of the earth
mourn; and they shall see the Son Of
Man coming in the clouds of the
heaven, with power and great glory;
and He shall send His angels with
great sound Of trumpet, and they shall
gather together His elect from the four
winds, from one end Of The heavens
to the other. Now learn a parable of
the fig tree. When His branch Is ten
der and putteth forth leaves. ye know
that summer is nigh. so likewise ye,
when ye shall see all these things,
know that II is never even at the doors.
Verify l say unto you. this generation
shah not pass till all these things be
fulfilled Heaven and earth shall pass
away but my word shall not pass away.
Christ warned His disciples to be on
the lookout, for He was sure that they
would be living at that time Matt.
25:13. Watch therefore ye know neith-
er the day or the hour wherein the
Son OF Man cometh. Now has HIS
word been true. II has. His second
appearance must have been in spirit
and power. To overthrow His enemies,
the destruction of their city (of Jeru-
salem) and the establishment Of the
Kingdom Of Heaven on earth He must
have appeared in spirit at that time
in order to fulfil His own word. HIS
disciples expected Him. When Paul
wrote his ninth epistle to the Hebrews
the time was near at hand Peter
said: "The end Of all things is at hand"
And John says. Little children we
know that it is the last time" Now
IL the second coming Of Christ and the
end of the world did not come TO pass.
at that time or during that generation.
His apostles were badly fooled And
Jesus Christ Himself must have been
the greatest imposter that ever trod
the portals of this earth. But how
ever. there are texts in the Bible which
speak Of His personal coming as in
John 1873, And if I go and prepare
palace for you. I will come again anil
receive you unto Myself; that where
am ye may be also" Now Christ
was in person about to leave them
and He would some time come back to
them in person. Acts I'LL. This same
person. unto heaven, shall so come in
person. unto heaven. shal so come In
like manner as We have seen Him go
unto the heaven" Consequently His
return vii be I'm person. Now the OBJ
ject OF this third or personal coming
is TO raise the dead to state OF in
corruption. Immortality and glory.
John. Beloved know we are the sons
Of God. and it doth not yet appear what
II shall be. but we know when He
shall appear. we shall be like Him
Thess. 4:16-17 for the Lord Himself
shall descend from the heavens with
shout with the voice Of the arch
angel and with the trump of God. and
the dead in Christ shall rise first.
| (That is the dead shall raise before
the living do). Then we which are
alive and remain. shall be caught up
together with them, 20 meet the Lord
and so shall we ever be with the Lord.