The Detroit times., 1916-10-06
"THE SECOND
COMING OF CHRIST
is SURE"

~ - ~
(Csntinusd from Preceding PsgeJ'
IN the dark as Nlcodemus was. TIL
truth IN no harder 20 get az thar
corn on the cob, n we will mrs
strip on the husk and smell H. W.
need 10 depend more upon the Holy
Spirit and less upon our libraries i
we would preach so that those who
hear us will also hear the voice o'
God in our message.
I'VE Must Take Bible for II"
at IN not what Doctor This or
Professor That has 20 say about IL
that settles the question, and settles
Il right. but how reads the word
What does the Bible say about u
And what we need 10 do Is 10 take
the Bible a. n reads. not a. some
big man says n means Big men
have been mistaken about vital
things lust about as often as iiih'
ones. The safest pilot IS not 10"
one who knows the channel The
best We should let the Bible
speak to us just as God means "
should. without distorting n by the
preiudices and yagaries OF those
who are always trying 20 put their
own camel into II and strain out
somebody else's gnat.
at IL high time for Christians 10
interpret unfulflled prophecies By
the light az prophecies already ful
Alled. The curses on the Jews We're
brought 20 pass literally so also
will be the blessings. The scatter
Ing was literal so also viii be- thf
gathering. The pulling down or
Zion. was literal: so also must he
the building up The rejection oi
Israel was literal. and 40 also must
be- the restoration The first com
fng OF Christ was literal, visible and
personal and what right has any
body 10 conclude that His second
coming will be altogether spiritual
II HIS first advent was with 2 real
body. why not the same with His
second coming
when Jesus first came the small
est predictions were fulfilled 20 The
very letter: and should this not
teach us 10 expect that the same
will be true when He comes VE7'~
There are very many more prophe-
cies concerning His second coming
than His frst, and does not this
mean that God wants 10 give Us the
most favorable opportunity 70 pre-
pare for it, II the humility and
shame OF Christ az His first coming
was literal and visible. should not
His coming in power and glory be
also literal and visible?
what right have. we 70 say that
the words Judah. Zion. Israel and
Jerusalem ever mean anything but
literal Judah, Zion. Israel and Ieru-
salem? Some one has caffrd atten.
ton 10 the fact that there are only
two or three places In the whole
New Testament where such names
are used In what may be called
spiritual or fgurative way Jerusa-
lem occurs so times and in every
case is unquestionsbly literal except
when the opposite Is clearly indi-
Gated by such qualifying terms as
heavenly new or holy Jew oc-
ours a hundred times. and only four
are even ambiguous Israel and ls-
raelite occurs 40 times. and all 1T
eral, Judah and Judea about 20
times, and literal IN every case.
"John Runyan was once studying
the passages foretelling that the
feet OF the Lord should stand on the
Mount Of Olives, and he TINS reas-
oned: Some commentator says that
the Mount OF Olives means the
- ka1 "a
only hguratiye expression. and
means that the Lord will reign IN
the heart OF the believer. and the
Holy Spirit will dwell there But
I don't think n means that AZ all !
iust think n means the Mount 81
Olives, two miles from Jerusalem.
on the east And that Is why the
Lord could use the poor tinker 60
maryelously, even when he was
shut mp in Bedford jail.
while face TO face with them
Jesus taught His disciples 70 be in
constant expectation Of His early
return and they so understood Him
and lived accordingly They preach
ed the doctrine and taught II in
their eplsties, every one OF them.
Certainly, II anybody ever under
stood the Lord correctly, II was The
men whom He personally trained 70
do that very thing. that they might
hand the truth He gave them down
10 US. II they failed 10 understand
Him. what hope Is there that any
body else may do so7
"Jesus IL going 20 come and 70.
veal himself 10 the members OF His
body az the very moment when the
last soul is saved necessary 20 com