The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1916-09-29


ton through the cross.
What Does 1t Mean?
The second coming Of Christ means
a personal, in the sense of visitor
reappearing Of one Lord on this earth.
Such seems to be the teaching OF his
own words when, in the presence OF
the high priest he said: Thereafter
shall We see the son Of man sitting on
the right hand of power and coming
in the clouds of heaven" This is re-
corded in the Goth of Matthew at the
64th verse The angels taught the
same truth to the disciples on the
Mount of Olives when they said, I'VE
men of Galilee, why stand ye here gaz-
ing up into heaven? This same Jesus
which is taken up from you into heaven
shall SO come In like manner as ye
have seen him go into heaven" Ihs
is recorded in Acts 1 IL. And finally
in the last book of the Bible, we find
John exclaiming, Behold, he cometh
with clouds; and every eye shall see
him, and they also which pierced him:
And all kindreds of the earth shall
wall because of him. Even so, amen.
When Will 1t Take Place?
This doctrine has been brought into
disrepute because many have assumed
to fix dates for the coming of our
Lord. Notwithstanding that the Bible
warns against 1t. Jesus himself said
TO his disciples: watch, therefore,
g. ord
doth come There are some who
think that a millennium Of peace and
prosperity will be experienced on the
earth before the Lord comes, but such
a belief seems in contradiction to his
command to watch. 1t also seems to
contradict the teachings Of his para
bles concerning his second coming, and
especially that of the nobleman in the
18th Of Luke.
There is also one other fact that
seems to preclude the expectation OF
millennium before Jesus comes; that
is, what the New Testament teaches
as to the moral and spiritual condi
tons In the world at the end of this
age. We are all familiar with the
teaching Of Paul in his second epistle
to Timothy at the third chapter, where
he says that sin the last days peril
GUS times shall come" He then goes
on to define what he means by that.
adding that "men shall be lovers of
self, lovers of money, boastful,
naughty, railers, disobedient to parents,
unthankful, unholy, without natural af
lection, truce-breakers, slanderers,
without self-control, fierce, no lovers
of good, traitors. high-strung, high
lovers of God; having a form of godli
ness but denying the power thereof"
All this does not look like a millen-
mum, and yet how much it looks like
the times in which we are now living
Can it be therefore that the coming
of the Lord may be nearer than most
of us expect?
Results of His Coming.
In the light of the second coming
there are three classes of men to be
considered, which are defined in First
Corinthians at the 10th chapter-as
the Jew, the Gentle, and the church
Of God. To begin with the Iast-named,
the coming of Christ will mean the
translation of the church to meet him
in the air, according to First Thes-
salonians 4:13-1S. 1t would seem to
be after this translation that Christ
comes with his saints and his holy
angels to the earth, as Indicated in
the Scriptures previously referred to.
This coming is for judgment on the
GENTLE nations which "lsnow not God
and obey not the gospel Of our Lord
Jesus Christ" It will be also the day
Of tribulation for the Jewish people
such as they have never known, but
not of which faithful remnant will
be delivered and become the nucleus
of the kingdom of God on the earth.
This seems TO be the teaching of many
places in the Old and New Testament.
but especially In the second chapter of
Daniel
Bringing the Truth Home.
This hope Of the second coming of
Christ is the great motive for holy
living. Where it really takes hold of
the hearts of Christian believers IT
restraints them from known sin as
nothing else does.
It is also the great comfort in dis
appointment and trial, for our Lord
said that when he came again in the
glory of his father he would bring his
reward with him. Hence what a slim
illus to holy endeavor in the face of
difficulties and discouragements, for
No word he hath spoken
Was ever yet broken.
Finally, how the thought of his COM
ing should move men to repentance
and faith In his name! 0, those
solemn words which Paul spake to the
unbelievers and Knockers in Athens:
"God now cOmmanGeth all men eyprv-