Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1917-07-12

~ shed for the re-
mission of sin and
his body broken for us; we are also
by faith to look forward to his blessed
appearing. 1t is the latter fact that
is brought to our minds by the phrase
''tin he come" BY it, we are led to
understand that as our Lord once
came and was here upon this earth.
so he is to come a second time.
Z His own Word gives us the promise
of his return. Speaking to his dis
ciples about his coming departure he
said: "And if go and prepare a place
for you, will come again, and receive
you unto myself; that where 1 am.
there We may be Also" Ono. IA :3.) By
this he meant his own personal return
and not the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Whenever our Lord spoke about the
referred to it in such a way that there
could be no confusing of that event
with his own coming. And we know
that long after the advent of the Holy
Spirit, John the evangelist on the is
land of Patmos heard again from our
Lord the promise of his return. The
word of the Lord to him was "Surely.
1 come quickly" and the heart of the
apostle responded 'Amen. Even so
come Lord Jesus" Grew. % :20).
Waiting for Jesus.
In the Church at ThessaIonica we
read of Christians who turned to God
from idols to serve the living and true
God; and to wait for his son from
heaven" q Thess. 1 :9-1O) Evidently
from this, as well as from other Scrip
lures, it was not the Holy Spirit for
whom they waited, for he had come;
or for anyone else. 1t was for the
Lord Jesus Christ himself, and they
waited for him to come from heaven.
With this agrees the promise of the
two men in white spoken to the dis
cfples of our Lord at the time of his
ascension: aye men of Galilee, why
stand We gazing up into heaven? This
same Jesus, which is taken up from
you into heaven, shall so come in like
manner as We have seen him go into
heaven" (Acts 1 :11.) 1t is then from
heaven, into which our Lord assembled
that he is to come, and it is he him
self for whom we are to look, and not
for another.
Neither did our Lord mean the
death of the believer, when he spoke
| of his coming again. At death, the
believer departs to be with the Lord.
1t was Paul, who having had word con-
| corning his decease, said: 1.-THE time
of my departure is at hand" At the
| coming of Christ, the Lord himself re-
| turns to the earth and the believers
shall be caught up to meet the Lord
| in the air. Then, after an interval OF
/ time they shall come with the Lord
when he comes in all the glory of the
| father and his holy angels. There are
| thus two parts to the second coming
| of Christ; his coming for the beiiev-
| ers, and his coming with the believers.
| First ThessalonianS refers to the first
! part, while the Second ThessalOnians
| tells of the second part of his coming.
What the Coming Of Jesus Means.
One has only to read the word of
| our Lord to Peter after his resurrec-
| ton to know that by the coming of
! Christ is not meant the death of the
believer. In response to Peters ques-
ton concerning John, "What shall this
man do?" the risen Lord said, If
will that he tarry till come, what Is
that to thee?' "Then," adds the evan
gelist, "went this saying abroad among
the brethren that that disciple shoulo
| not die: Yet Jesus said not unto MN,
| He shall not die but, If wiz
| that he tarry till 1 come, what IS that
| to thee?" Ono. 81 :21-23) here Soo
| see is a clear distinction made Del"een
| death and the coming of CHRIST
In that once famous, but no" aiiiios.
| forgotten book sAThe Life OF Jesus
the author, David Friedrich STRAUSS
| refers to the frequency Win winch
| our Lord speaks of his second coming.
| He uses this as an argument against
the credibility of the Gospel narrative
| because he says a dead man cannot
| come back to earth This argument
little child who knows anything of the
| truth can easily controvert, for it is
NOT whether a dead man can come
hack TO earth, but whether the Son
of God. who rose from the dead. can
| fulfil his oft-repeated promise: ST am
| coming"
| Yes. he is coming back again and
the Lords Supper is a token of this
fact. Already there are foregleams OF
that day. The evening red is upon
| the western horizon. For yet little
while and he that shall come will
| come, and will not larry" (Heb. 10:
| BID Are you ready7