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The book hi many such valuable passages, and uscablishes the author in the front rank of tbfi lo£^an8. l*iiiiiMilan nirtlioillKt lllae»7!liie.— The oommen^Ary is Incid and co vincing, evading no dijiicnities, but patiently grappling with thcni and seeking th^ solution. To ad Bible stnd'Mtts, but es}H)fiidly to the nd. istei-s of our Church ai ^ndidates for itn nuidstry, we cordially coniuiend this volume, one of the nic important contributions to the exegesis of this epistle yet given to the world Bcv. Prof. Slinw, LI..!*., M>Klrynii Throl. Coll., lllonlronl. fou may most profltid>ly consult l>r. Burwash on any of the grvat jKusiiges v\ In'i In this epistle deal with the ditficult pr( 'u, mid in all hi dnd indopi'iiilen |ia«wed npoiiai? views 8unilart4f iril.v disniis!), art I 'anodlao soholV' I »ronto. Halifax, N.i PRE-MILUNARIANS. NOT IN THE BIBLE BY REV. W. H. POOLE, LL.a TORONTO MONTREAL : C. W. COATES HALIFAX : S. F. HUESTIS 1 This i Pasto Michi CUSSSi At moiis aske( send (log Dki PREFATORY NOTE, This paper was prepared at the request oi the Pastors' Union, held in the City of Detroit, Michigan, where it was read and freely dis- cusssed. \t that meeting its pnblication. was unani- mously requested. Otlier parties have since asked the author to give it to the public. I send it out with the earnest desire that it may do good. WM. H. POOLE. Detuoit, Michigan. THE AS In su] above, leadin milieu refere ^reat ins; fi we w script God, respe Wes after retai trut HE SECOND COMING OE CHRIST AS TAUGHT BY PRE-MILLENARIANS, NOT IN THE BIBLE. 0fi THE CASE STATED. leadinc writers and public teacUrs amo irarians. a. to what they ^^ -^ ^^^ nd tL reference to the -7^^,«Ji,?'Xshow- ,.eat events ---*^J -* f^'^ ^at they teach, ins; from their own pub i.hed wo i^^j^^i ^nd we will examine that teaching upon t»e°l » Teriptural grounds. We Hpe to do s^ b he ^ ^^^^ God. in the spirit "V^-^^J 'fl wh L we di&r. ,espect and esteem *- f-;^f °" „„, ,,-« seeking We sincerely believe that those pe ^ after the truth, and that t^^-^y ^^^^ 'i;°*^f j; ^^s the retain the theory, if they did not think truth of God. 6 THE SEOOKD COMING OF CIIU.ST. I. „.aUing oxt^ct. from the Pf f^^^J^ ^ those writers. I will quote the.r o«n vro . ^^ ^^^^ the risk of being thought teJiouv . eve,.y .an-s op-- J^f P^^^^a i„to the air. Dr. Gill saya: Ohust i» w ^ ^^^4^4^ ana there to stay for some ^^^f^^^'^i.^^ged ; and arc raised and the «v>"S/'^'"^7'^Uthe ne^v heavens both brought u,, to Hiuj tl^ere, -^ t ' ^J^^^^ Him and and new earth are made and V^V^ j^.„^ ^^^ ^ir them; then He and they w U co- ^ ^,^^ „„ ^ a to the earth, and they ^l^-^;/^;;;:,,;,;,! be seen by tliousand years. . • • • |, ^ changed, and all good men, on tho earU. wUj ^ ^^^^ ^^.^^ ^ bv the dead, who will be raisea. elughtup together hal..^^^^^^^^^^ be the agihty ot His glounc , ^^^^^ ^^ -iftly move from one ^J^^^^^^^,,,,^ ,ai come t:Xr:^Wed;butitwilibeaconsideraW^ ^'%'VStZV'TZ be af tor the Lord has Rev. J. D. bnntn . x^ .^^ ^,tb come for His people to the air, Jat He ^^^^^ ^.^^ His people \° jJ^VbeU" the tw^ e;ents we can- be the amount of time b«t^^« ,,, ^t any not say ; but the coinuig;o^th.^air ^^ y^^ befrms' coming; and the tabernacle of David, ^T Vf L^r " Tle°ot:ch will not be always he?;\th\'eti„gandthedeadwil,uid^^^^^^^^^ ccught up when Christ comes foi His THE si: .ONI) COMINfl OK CHIUST. event at lea«t mast precede the rapture of the Clmrch, viz.: the reign of the beast. , . . Another portion of the Lord's pe'^plo who trust ii.i Mini are not to be caught up, but they are to inherit the earth, on the lard, upon the destruction of their enemies. The godly ».emnant are not to be cauc^'ht up; all the believers previously to the rapture of the Church are to be cau;4ht up. none to be left. Th.e people of the earthly inheritance cannot be prepared so long as the Church is on the earth." Rev. W. S. Uainsford, M.A. : " The rapture may come any day. Paul expected it in his day.' If so, Paul must have been much mistaken. Certainly, Mr. Uains- ford is. Mr. Kelly: "The coming for the saints will be secret and unseen, known only to those saints who are waiting for His appearing ane merciful. lU be seven the rapture 5 the work ins ; others ans of con- , and soul- y the Jews Christ, their I come upon apture, and . judgment ; inffled with vs are to be s are caught ome say the ure ; others, ifter. Some onstitute the exclude all jain, all who ,t this thing Holy Scrip- 3ver mention is an inven- irce of all in- M formation, both concerning the return, and the manner of the return, of our Lord. Our revelation is clothed in words " which the Holy Ghost teacheth." It con- tains an accurate, authentic and credible account of events which have their place in the world's history. To this is added a series of didactic statements of truth, adapted to various difficulties and doubts in the current life of those who submit to their teaching. Promise and precept are interwoven in the web of doctrine, and predictions glisten on every page, illu- mined by glintings of glory from another world.' But faith, hope and obedience turn with equal curiosity to ^ the very words " which holy men of God spake as they I were moved by the Holy Ghost." Whether to know " the things freely given us of God " in our Great Sub- stitute, or, " the things which God has prepared for those who love Him," our search is purely exegeti- cal. We approach without partiality or prejudice, to learn from words which express His thought, what God will say concerning us. This postulate implies the rejection of ail authoritative interpretations m the I assumed teachingoffice of any Church. Every such claim imust be tested by the word itself. Still more does it [deny all supplementary visions, or human inventions, fanciful interpretations, partial revelations, as either mcomplements or expositions of our present Bible. ^The closing verses of Revelation are a solemn charge, neither to add to, nor take away from ll^he words of the prophecy of this book. Whether they apply to the dogmatic portions of the whoI« New Testament or not, it is clear that they do imperatively bind us in our reception of prophetic truth. They are 12 THE SECOND COMING OF CURIST. God's seal upon that symbolical book, which, by all students, is admitted to be the chart of the future. Whatever be our hope, it must draw its reasons from the written Word. The laws of language are the instruments by which we are to construe these words of God. But for certain schools of expositors, we should have no need to do more than state this proposition. It would be involved in tho popular character of our Bible. Not in cipher, hieroglyphic or cabalistic signs, but in lan- giiaofe and dialect of livin<:]j men, with which oframmar, rhetoric and logic can closely deal, has God made known His purposes to us. There is no esofcf ric sense between the lines and beneath the letter. Spiritual discernment is a knowledge by experience, and does not imply a superior intellectualism. Even the sym- bolic books have their glossary in other and plainer scriptures. Similes, metaphors, and parables indeed abound ; but these are all subject to the rules of inter- pretation which control the secular literature. We affirm, then, the law of Bishop Newton, '* that a literal rendering is always to be given in the reading of Scripture, unless the context makes it absurd." 1 have long ago adopted Hooker's very safe principle of interpretation, '' that when a passage of the Word of God would bear a literal interpretation, the farthest from the letter was generally the worst." It is very evident, even to the superticial student of the Bible, that frequent reference is made by all the sacred writers to the " coming of the Lord," and that some theory of interpretation is necessary which will har- monize and exnlain those nianv Dassaorp.s " T>, wns I hich, by all the future, masons from :s by which 1. But for ive no need [t would be Bible. Not but in lan- h grammar, God made otoric sense Spiritual !e, and does .n the sym- iind plainer bles indeed es of inter- ature. We lat a literal reading of ibsurd." I principle of le Word of he furthest It is very the Bible, the sacred I that some h will har- <" Tf, WlXK k t THE SECONr) COMING OF CHRIST. 13 said by a venerable minister in Scotland that he found when visiting his people, three evils : first a, misunder- standing of Scripture ; second, a misapplication of Scripture ; and, third, a dislocation of Scripture. May I hope, in some humble measure at least, to be able to prevent some of those three evils ? The Rev. John Laing, M.A., says : " Avowedly the theory of pre-millenarianism rests on an ingenious collocation and interpretation of difficult and dark passages, chiefly of unfulfilled prophecy. Great skill is required properly to arrange the patches which form the doctrinal mosaic, and to commingle aright the literal and allegorical meanings of texts whi^jh suit ^. the purpose ; subtle distinctions are framed where no ;; diff-erence exists. The clear light of a plain, simple I Scripture is toned down, lest the doubtful inference ■:t which IS being drawn from a dark passage may pale :: before it, and passages which refuse to be inwrought amid the patchwork, must be altogether thrown aside as useles.s, and having no place in the teaching intended tor the Church in the present age, but applicable only to the Jews, before the day of Pentecost, and after the . Coming. To any one who knows his Bible it is I astounding to witness the way in which God's Word ^ IS torn asunder, mutilated, mangled, twisted, wrested . forced into the most unnatural and arbitrary connec- I tions, mixed up, tortured so as to force it to acknow- I ledge the theory, or silenced, lest it should protest I against these human imaginings. The promoters of the ^theory do not hesitate to claim a kind of inspiration Ihey say that they have been taught this doctrine by ±:thft Holv Gh'^t't TU^^^ -,- ... -^ _ ^ .Ti..^:.!}. a.iic;3e persons are wiser in their own 14 THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. I eyes than seven men that can render a reason ? Of such, Spurgeon has well said : " Pray to be delivered from inspired men and women, whether it be an infallible Pope, or a Plymouth assembly met "in an upper room with the Holy Ghost for president." It is freely conceded by all believers in the Bible, as the word of God, that there is to be a millennium, and that there is to be an advent ; that the millen- nium and the advent sustain very definite and very important relations ; that one must precede, and that the other will follow. But the question at issue is, will the advent precede the millennium, or will the millennium precede the advent ? In other words, will the Lord come, visibly, to introduce the millennium ? or, will the millennium prepare for the coming of the Lord, and precede that coming ? I affirm that there is not a passage of Scripture, literal, figurative, or sym- bolical, which treats of the millennium and its relation to the advent, that teaches, indicates, or in any manner represents the advent as preceding the millennium ; but that the Scriptures do clearly teach, in prophecy and promise, in parable and symbol, that the millen- nium is to precede the advent, and, of course, the advent is to follow the millennium. Believing this, as I have clearly stated above, I will be excused if I give in the plainest and strongest language my reasons for objecting to the teaching of Pre-millenarians, as those teachings are set forth in their published writ- ings, and sent out in tracts, catechisms, dialogues, and sermons, in which huge errors and false interpretations are so adroitly mingled with shreds of truth as to deceive even the very elect. THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. 15 eason ? Of e delivered : it be an met 'in an ent." he Bible, as nillennium, the millen- ie and very e, and that at issue is, or will the words, will lillennium ? ning of the hat there is LVe, or sym- its relation any manner aillennium ; in prophecy the millen- course, the ieving this, ixcused if I my reasons inarians, as ished writ- ilogues, and 3rpretations truth as to n FIRST OBJECTION. object to that fanciful and unscriptural dis- t.nct.o„ so often drawn by Pre-miUenarians between the words 'parousia' and ' epiphaneia.' " I prefer giving the words in their English dress as tar as possible. The argument our friends give itthat the.se two words are frequently used in' Ih; tw Testament one of which, the first, means the secreT Chmt. Their teachmg, founded on this argument you find m a 1 their works, and hence, they say. there ar! saints when Christ comes for his people, his bride • and the other, when He comes «;ii/r His bride and makes preparation for His millennial reign Bo^h these comings are before that reign as thJs.v „ ^ that commg for His bride is callef ihe^ '^f cl' earth, and reign a thousand years over a world of men yet m the flesh, eating and drinking, planTn "and building, marrying and giving in marriage." ° 10 the two words, parousia and epiphaneia the pre-miUenanans have added -i thi^^ T ■ The firaf ^f *!, • ""'<^' "'Pocalypsis. ine nrst ot these imoortanf. w,^h» ^ ' -.vivLj, invruama iiieans li 16 THE SECOND COMING OF CHRtSt. presence; the second, epiphancia, means appearing; the third, apocalypsis, means revelation. Dr. Tyng says- "The first means presence, coming, and is found twenty.four times in the New Testament. The second, with the verb from which it is derived, is found 'in ten passages of the New Testament. The lexicographer, Schleusuer, ^ives as its classic meaning, "the appearance of a thing corporeal and resplendent." He adds that " it was particularly employed by the Greeks to denote the appearance of their gods." The third word occurs nineteen times in the New Testa-^ ment, and is transhited in our version, "revelation," "manifestation," "appearing," coming," and "to lio-hten." These words form the only ground for a belief in the two comings spoken of. With equal pro- priety we might affirm three comings, because there are three words, only that the theory of Darby, Brooks & Co. requires only two. Will any Greek scholar of any note, who has no personal bias to influence him, admit for one moment the claim here taught? Rather say that the three words present to the mind of the reader three different aspects of the one grand event. The first indicates the personal presence of the Judge ; the second, the brightness or splendor, or shining forth, or manifestation of that coming ; and the third, the revelation of the glory connected with His appearance in His judicial ofkce. It is not two or three advents, but the visible advent of Christ as Judge, represented by all these ; the personal presence of the Lord Jesus Christ coming in the clouds, the manifestation of His own glory to His saints and to the ungodly world. I The second coming of christ. 17 Dpearing; )r Tyng is found it. The irived, is jnt. The meaning, )lendent." id by the ds." The !W Testa- ivelation," and " to and for a 3qual pro- use there )y, Brooks scholar of lence him, ? Rather ind of the [ind event. ;he Judge ; ning forth, third, the ippearance ^e advents, epresented Lord Jesus tion of His idly world. 4 I and the unveiling, or revelation of God's purposes in regard tr 'oth friends and foes. These three words were used b, the Holy Spirit of God to describe in some adequate way the three glorious aspects of this most solemn event. Jesus Christ is spoken of as our prophet, our priest, and our king, also as our priest altar and sacrifice. These three terms are used to denote the threefold offices which He sustains to us and the threefold work which He performs for Hi.s people. They were all typical of one offering on the cross, and of His n.ediatorial relation, and they pre- sent different aspects of His work as our teacher intercessor, and atoning sacrifice. The three tvnes centre in one antitype. This method of representing a trinity of name, a trinity of offices, a trinity of types and a trinity of persons, Meet us at every turn in the old Testament Scriptures. Is it, then, any wonder to see three aspects or His visible advent as Judge set before us in the New Testament ? The Apostle Paul uses these two words, epiphanem and parous^a. in one sentence, when speaking of one event, and this fact of itself overturns the whole theory that is advocated as founded upon the difference .between them. " And then shall that wicked bo revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness neia ot His parousia " ; with the brightness of His .presence. Here both words are used to describe the isame event. The presence of Christ is to be mani- fested at that event, and the epiphany will be so t n 18 TKE SECOND COMING OF (JIIUIST. glorious, that whoever that wicked or hiwless one is, he shall be destroyed with the resplendent glory. The brightness of the divine presence will destroy him. These two words evidently belong to the same event, and they cannot, on any ftir and just system of bibli- cal exegesis, be separated and be made to represent two different periods of time, separated by seven, or any number of years. The theory that reciuircs its advocates to wrench these words apart, and make one of them represent one thing and the other another, with a term of years between, has in it its own self- condemnation, and should bo repudiated by all Bible students. Oar pre-millenarian friends, in order to have the programme of the future suit their theory, have arranged for the destruction of this wicked one in a different way; and because they cannot agree amonii themselves on the time and manner of this destruction of the old sinner, they have different schemes and plans laid out by which the Lord will accomplish this work. If it we^e not too sacred a subject, one could hardly help being amused at the inventions of those Plymoufchists as to how and when God is to make an end ot* the " man of sin." First, they say, the Lord will come for His bride, and she shall be caught up into cloud-land, somewhere ; and then, years after, He will come w^ith His bride, and destroy this intruder. Others say the "man of sin" will be under the most terrible plagues and fierce conflict-: all the years of the bride's absence, and then the final stroke will be given, when Jesus sets up His temporal throne here on earth. Others, again, of the same in. ud jss one IS, ory. The troy him. ,me event; n of bil>li- rcpresent seven, or squires its make one r another, own self- { all Bible order to nr theory, kdcked one not agree er ol: this ! different Lord will ) sacred a ied at the and when n." First, e, and she /^here ; and bride, and 3£ sin" will ce conflicts sn the final is temporal the same THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. 19 ZTJ:^'T '; T' '"^^ '^'^ arrangement, have pre- pared a different plan, which adds a thousand years to he term of this wicked one's life. It is very clear I think, from what Paul said, that one and the same event is spoken of ; that the " wicked one " was to be consumed with the spirit of the Lord's mouth-the pneumaU, or breath, or word of the Lord ; under this agency he was to consume or waste away before the Lord destroys him with the brightness of His coming or presence. Jesus is called "the brightness of H^ Fathers glory 'and "He shall come it the glory o His Father wth His ancrels " Anrlfl^ofv.- w ^ f ^^ destroy the wicked one '""''""" '^'''' The foundation error of this whole theory or at ieas, one of the foundation errors, arises fro:f a„ in.- ~\^7k '""' °' ^"^^ °"«'-l Greek. The word pavomia like some other words we often hear quoted from the orio-inal is „nf i i» , Neithor nn. P I- ° " ,• '^ "°' '»a'f understood. iNeither our Enghsh word "eomin draw near; nor the Utin word advent r '^'""r- '° ''"-^ ^- ^""y -d fairly rep esen ' 1 dea of r ^"Tt- '^'"^ ^"^ -' -«i"d to tl Idea of the verb from which pavouna is derived The root .dea ,s not conveyed in those so-called su" sh-' tm wl . "°™P°""'' '''^ ^«'-^^™^. from pant, with, and e^m^, to be. Being with or "the )resence " The words, " coming " and " advent " con 'ey most clearly and most prominently the idea of approach to us," "motion toward us," while the l ud prmcple idea of parousia is. " bein. „,-f., ' " w^ 20 THE SECOND COMING OF CHtlTST. ' " Comincr." implies motion. Parouda, or " presence." implies "rest. The idea of comin- ends with the arrival ; then the paromia begins. The time reterred to in the word ''coming " is limited. The tnno in pavoiisla is unlimited. The words "coming and " advent " imply a definite locality. A paroitsia may be universal. The promise of the Lord's coming to the Church is not the same as a promise of His presence with the Church. The one implies more than the other The one may be only a transient visit, or a manifestation ; the other implies a stay with them. The promise of His presence conveys the idea ot con- tinuance, of permanence. Not the performance of a sincde act: but rather a dispensation, including within it many acts. It is easy to see, that if the word parousia, or its exact equivalent " presence," had been well understood, and properly transferred to our ver- sion we should never liave heard of the unscriptural terms " second advem." a^id ":.econd coming." The comincr of our Lord Jesus Christ in our nature was a real, personal, literal coming, but it is never . Ued, the parousia ; and there is not a single passage in the Bible where the word " second " is ever joined to it, as if there had been a first parousia. The holy Scriptures never speak of a second parousia, or com- ing It is called the " presence." The article the in Greek is distinctive and emphatic. The parousia, or the presence, a special presence, to be peculiar to this ao-e, or that dispensation, or time, which age or dis- pensation, or time is to be, on that account, di«- tino-uished from all others, as a marked manifestation »» presence, with the 10 referred e time in [linf]^" and oiisia may ning to the is presence 3 than the visit, or a with them, dea of con- niance of a lins: within E the word i," had been to our ver- mscripkural ,ing." The ature was a levor c Ued, passage in jr joined to (. The holy a presence that tlie world cannot see. Jesus said • 'Tf a . man love Me He will keep My words, and My Father I will love him, and ,.. will come unto him. and n ake |oth Church's future history, the manifestation o I Christ s presence would be made only to tho.se who love eZrl^ -""TT ''"' "^'"S ^'°'«^ "^«y now •■It- M P^ .'?"■""'' P''^''"'^ '^'^y ^0"'d enjoy. .Bi.^hedon,;- the mighty i/" "//they love Me." This .Ghu ch of God, which, when it comes in its fuIneVs constitutes the millennium. A coming, a man Sa ■on, a revealing which .specially belong 'to the G .ip 24 THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. dispensation. Bishop Merrill says : '' It is not the second coming, but the complement of the tirst. This presence comes to convince men of sin, to lead men to the truth, to sanctify their souls, and to use them for the service and work of God. That real personal pres- ence may be enjoyed as truly now, as when His body is again visible in His Church. By reason of the hypostatical union of the two natures in the person of our Redeemer, the communi- cation of properties is not only verbal, but real. It is so, however, only when viewed in the person and when spoken of the person. It is a person that acts, a person that suffers, that goes and comes. When we say that our Lord, viewed either as to His divine or to His human nature, did, does, or will do any- thing, then we mean that a person does it, or that he does it personally. Thus we say a person suffered, or Christ suffered personally. To express any act of the Lord whatsoever, we must attribute it to Him per- sonally It is correct and proper to say, that the Lord was personally on the earth, and that He will come personally to be our Judge, but not more correct, or proper, than it is to say, that He is personally in the midst of His Church now, and that He has always been personally with His people. The expression, " the personal advent of the Lord," is a correct one, and if the doctrine of the Pre-millenarians were true, it would be right to indicate it by these words. But the idea that a personal coming of the Lord, and His personal presence in the earth, necessarily means a visible or a material body, or that a personal THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. 25 is not the itirst. This lead men to ise them for Brsonal pres- m His body of the two le communi- )ut real. It person and on that acts, . When we [is divine or vill do any- t, or that he L suffered, or ly act of the to Him per- jhatthe Lord [e will come re correct, or onally in the has always ) expression, I correct one, ns were true, words. But le Lord, and ssarily means a personal reign necessarily implies a visible reign by a visible and tangible king, is pure error. It is Nestorianism Tt IS not in the Book. We all hold that the Lord will come again visibly, and that He .dll rei-n visibly " This same Jesus, xvliioh is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner (visibly) as ye have seen Him go into heaven." Wiio doubts that ? Lev. Dr. West, in an a.ldress of great beauty and force, given at the Prophetic Conference in New' York .gave a long list of names of those who were Chiliasts! He might have added ten thousan.l more ; but it must be remembered, that a true. Christian chiliasm does not m any sense, imply a belief in pre-miliennialism, with Its patchwork of inconsistencies an,I a.slocations of Scripture truth. There are thousands who hold to a personal reign of Christ during tlie chiliad who can- not in any sense, associate that real, personal reign vvi h a visible and tangible body, for reasons which I !will give farther on. We all believe in a personal, visible manifestation of (Chris after the Chiliad, and a personal reign during ^he (hihad, and to affirm that they who deny a visible Wvent, or " second coming," as it is called, at a particu- lar point m the history of the Chiirch, ,lo thereby Idisown a personal reign during the millennium, is not true in tact, or sound in logic. If the Lord Jesus comes" at all, in any way-if He ■eigns at all, at any time, it must necessarily be a per- nlt '"'^"un^" ?>'"' personally now over men, and n them _ When He comes in the ordinances of His louse. It IS in a personal way He does .so, We have 26 THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. communion now with the Lord, and by His Spirit in the Word and ordinances. It is a person who saves us, who comforts, who comes to us with words of peace an-d affection and blessing. It is as truly a persona] presence now as when He was visibly present with the boatmen of Galilee. It may be well here and now to hear from our most eminent scholars and critics on the meanincr of this Greek word x^aroiisia. In doing this I q'uote no second-class authority. In the common version of the New Testament the word parousia is frequently translated " presence," and in the new version, while the translators follow the example of their predeces- sors in those ca,.es, they, in other places, translate that word "coming," evidently with reluctance, as they tell us m the margin that the true meaning of the word in i,he original is "presence." Phil. ii. 12 • "As ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only • '' in my parousia. 2 Cor x 10- " TTi* Kr^riii.r ' ' IS weak. The word here is 2Kcrousia. Instances of the compound verb pareirni, to which I referred above, from which we get the word parousia are very common. Luke xiii. 1 : '' There were presevf at that season some that told him of the Galileans " Acts xxiv. 19 : " Certain Jews who ought to have been he/ore thee, ^.e., here present. 1 Cor. v. .3- "I verilv havejudgedalreadyasif I vverei?mse7?r' 2 Cor x 2 'M beseech you, that I may not be bold when V a.n presenV^ 2 Cor. xiii. 2 : " I told you before and fore- tell you as it I were present" Gal. iv. 20- "I desire to be present with you and to change my voice." I %^ X..,.. [ST. His Spirit in on who saves ith words of is as truly a isibly present mm our most anini^ of this I quote no version of the 5 frequently 'ersion, while eir predeces- ranslate that ice, as they ning of the . ii. 12: "As fence only ; " lily preneace li, to which rd parousia, vere present Galileans." ;o have been f : " I verily 2 Cor. X. 2: when I aiu re and fore- ' : " I de,sire .'oiee." THE SECOND COMrNG OP CHRIST. 27 ^ In all these cases, and many others, the word is as I seen abo,^ ; and if our translators had been uniform in ; their renderings, they would have used the same word when speaking of " the coming of Fortunatus and .Stephanus (1 Cor. xvi. 17). It was not the comin. of ■ Stephanus and his colleague that made Paul .lad" it .^ was their presence, their parousia. The joy that we ■•fee as friends visit us is on account of their preseZ .realized or anticipated. 2Cor.vii.6: "Godc/mfort d ,.«. by the con^rn, of Titus, and not by his coming only. It was his presence and the good news that he brought that comforted them. Phil.t 20 : 'That you rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for with you. It IS not the coming of our friends that --es joy it is their arrival, tlieir p-e.Z o« S "g^'J^-^-f .--".-. coming, and yet nev or virb. '* " "^^ -^^"^ "°'-^' - "« -ot, I will now produce undoubted testimony amon<. critics in the classics. Bloomfield, on Matt xxTvl translates t: "And what «l,.ll i .u ™.'"^'^- ^^'^- •«. .aiiu wnat sliaU be the sign of Thv presenee, not coming." Rosenmuller, on the ,slme veSe not coming. Dr. Hales, on the same • " The discinles |sk Je.,. ^hat shall be the sign of Christ prZ^ |r. Robinson translates parousia in all these case!' Properly, he says : "the &.%, or becoming ;«" St f «T o '" ■ " «'■'' ^°^"y Pre-sen^e^ Prof • Stewart, Bib. Sac, Vol. XI., p. 450 " Fere a^aL " |esay, " our translation mislead.,. P^.oul ^r^'^ li! 1 I 28 THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. not ' coming/ it means presence, as is plain by refer- ence to its root, pareinii, I am present. The takinf( of all these things so as to be seen, is of itself com- plete proof of the presence (not ocularly visible pres- ence, but presence in the spiritual sense) of Christ." Alford, on 2 Thes. ii. 8 : " Not the brightness of His coming, as many commentators have, and also the English version, but the mere outburst of His presence shall bring the adversary to naught." Prof. Duffield says : " The Greek word 'pannisia has a fixed and definite meaning peculiar to indicate Christ's coming, but is not the word ordinarily meaning to coine, and is a term which denotes as preciselj^ as possible by any single word ^9er«o?iaZ jnesence. In seventeen cases out of eighteen in our Scriptures this term is used to denote His coming to judgment." Olshausen says : '' The word parousia is the ordi- nary expression for the 'coming' of the Lord." With classic authors, 'pavoasia signifies presence, as in Phil. ii. 12 : " Not as in my presence only." Dr. Reuss, Professor in the Protestant Theological Seminary at Strasburg: "As Christ's first sojourn with humanity was also an appearing, the future manifestation is ol'ten distinguished as His glorious ap{)earing in con- trast to His humiliation in which He first came to earth ; or its permanence is emphasized in contrast with the shortness of His former visitation, for tlie word prtroit.sm, translated 'coming,' properly signi- fies presence.''' John Morison, D.D.: "The word 'coming,' though a good translation of the word parousia is not a literal translation. The Greek term THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. 20 in by refer- The takinf man coming a cloud with tth committed 3 Cometh with ^here is a dig- and the event m or earthly. 3wn. and all lluded to, the person of God !. When He I to manifest THE SECOND COMING OF CHllIST. tn His jmrousia, presence, with His people, He does not : speak of Himself as the Son of man ; then, it is the person of the Godhead spiritually, whether visible or invisible to us, He is personally spoken of. There is also that well-known passage of Scripture ill Matt. xxiv. 34. it is quoted in this controversy, and is frequently misrepresented. "This generation shall not pass till all these things be hiMUA." These words have been tortured by a host of critics, who have been puzzling and perplexing one another m fruitless attempts to apply them to times and events to wiiich. I am persuaded, they have no appli- cation. This word '' generation " has been understood as referring to the average lifetime of the people then living. The word certainly has a much wider mean- ing. This verse contains a prophecy intending to answer a twofold question of the disciples of Jesus : "Tell us, when shall these things be ? and what shall' be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world ? " The answer was, no doubt, correct and com- plete in itself ; and was, no doubt, fully understood by the disciples. That answer could not mean " all th k things would be accomph'shed in the lifetime of those Who then lived, because facts prove that all those things have not yet been fulfilled." Some of these IJiings extend down t'. our day. and on to the future, f he subject of the discourse was the dealings of God #ith His people, the Jews, during the iong'^future of I leir continued tribulation, as foretold in prophecy fesus had informed them that tlie kingdom was to ])e iken from the Jews, and given to a nation (Is.ael), !l r" 32 TFIE SECOND COMIXO OF CFIIUST. bringing forth the fruits thereof; that their city and temple were to be destroyed ; the people, as already reveuhMl, were to be scattered, and to become a re- , proach, a hissing, and a byword ; their lanil to become desolate, yet throuijli all the centuries, until their restoration and union with the kingdom of Israel, He would preserve them as a distinct people ; and He has kept faith with them until now. We must take into consideration here whu,t Mark and Luke have recordee Scriptures, if possible, explain themselves. What do tliey mean when speaking of the book of the generation, or genealogy, of the stock of Abraham — " a chosen generation," " a generation of the righteous," "a generation of vipers," "a generation of the un- godly," "a crooked and perverse generation," " I was grieved with this generation," " who shall declare his generation," "ye are a chosen generation." Paul speaks of his own nation and generation, "Mine owrii genea." '■ Among all the nations (genea) of the Jews." r. lieir city and •, as already )ecoine a re- id to })econio until their :)f Israel, He and He has st take into avc recorded parallel pas- rid must not led unto all jiles be come filled ; " and under con- od will pre- istincfc, even generation," regards its issic writers. themselves. ) book of the Abraham — e righteous,"; of the un- ion," " I was I declare his tion." Paul " Mine owni •f the Jews." THE SECOND COMl.CQ OF CriRTST, SS I need not multiply instances. The "race" is evi dently intended here-the family of the Jews. The word genea, "generation," comes from rjinomi, to be created to come into existence, to be born, to grow birth, descent, lineage, pedigree, race; the radical oi^ -ot Idea IS something that is generated, or produced or a producing power. In the " Iliad " (vi. 151) the word is used as descent, lineage, race ; so, al ^ in many ot the Greek authors. Dr. A. Clarke, on Matt. xxir. 84: "This word genea means race; i.e, the Jews shall not cease from being a distinct people till all the counsels of God relating to them and the Gentiles, be fulfilled. I think It proper not to restrict its meaning to the few Jews which preceded the destruction of Jerusalem, but To understand it of the continual care taken by Divine Providence to preserve them as a distinct people, and yet to keep them out of their own land, and from their temple service." On Mark xiii. 20, he says • " It IS ceHain that genea has two meanings. Generation signihes a period of years, sometimes more and some- times less . . But as there are other events in ihis chapter which certainly look beyond the destruc- tion of Jerusalem, and which were to take place before ^ the Jewsshould cease to be a distinct people, I prefer (to give the translation I have, viz.: 'this very race •of men. "^ Dr. Nast: "This race of the Jews will last through [all these troubles." Stier : " This generation, the nation of the Jews, : 34 THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. should survive on earth until all these things be fulfilled." Dr. Hodge : " There is high authority for making this generation here, and in the parallel passages (Mark xiii. 20, and Luke xxi. 32), refer to Israel as a people or race. In this case (Ma^t. xxi v. 84) the meaninij would be that the Jews would not cease to be a distinct people until His predictions were ful- filled."— (Vol. Ill, p. 799.) Bishop Ryle : " ' This race of the Jews.' I take this opportunity of expressing my decided opinion, that this generation, genfc, can only mean this nation, or people of the Jews — the Jewish nation. ' Barnes : " This generation, this race of men." Alford : " This nation or people of the Jews." Rotherham : '*' This race, the Jews." Jerome : " This race of the Jews." Zwingle: "This race or nation of the Jews." Dr. Nast, again : " Generation is the last meaning given in classic Greek to the word genea." Heumann : " Dieses volk, this folk or race." In Matt, xxiii. 86, Jesus shows how the Jews then living were identified with the long, dark list of crime from Abel's days ; that the race formed one organic whole, and their crimes were filling the cup to the brim, which had nearly been full before. " Fill ye up, then, the measure of your fathers," Ellicott says : " Genea, race; the Jews should rempjn a distinct people." The LXX. translates the Hebrew word dor with afincn. inpnninor raops nr familir of f.V>p Tpwru T{t^\r T. e things be for making^ I lei passages. Israel as a xiv^ ;34) the not cease to ns were ful- I take this )pinion, that is nation, or men." Fews." 3WS. ast meaninof 26. 6 Jews then list of crime one organic cup to the "Fill ye up, lould remp.in rd dm' with lews. Rev THE SECOND (JOMING OF CHRIST. 35 John Grove's Lexicon: " Genea, race, kind, sort .spec.es. In Luke xxi. 25-34, the Lord add.s a most solemn warning, which, of itself, is conclusive proof that He spake of the final judgment. "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth ; for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud uith power and great glory. And when these thing.s be^in to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your head« ; for your redemption draweth nigh. And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this lite, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face ot the whole earth. Watch ye, therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape a 1 these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." Such language cannot be misunderstood. The coming of the Son of man in a c oud wi h power and great glory, in which all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth are inter- ested parties, to mvmind settles and silences all doubt as to the event spoken of. The Jews exist to-day in all nations and, as Isaiah says, "They shall be known -in all lands by the show of their countenance." ^Jeremiah speaks of " two families which the Lord has ?oies.-«ri —the Jews and Israelites. 36 THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. We must always remember that there are two events here under consideration : the tribulation and the destruction of Jerusalem ; also the events connected with the end of the world, and Christ's coming in the clouds as Judge. Between these two events there was the period of the Gospel day to be followed by the millennium. Jesus was not discoursincf on events a thousand years before the time in question. He was answering the question of the disciples, and informing them of the signs of His coming as Judj^e at the end of the world. Our pre-millenarian friends grow eloquent about the secret rapuure associated with the event of His coming. Can any one suppose that Jesus would have answered His disciples as He did, if He had in His mind that rapture of the Church, up in the cloud-land, and the marriage of the bride, of which we hear so much ? And when they asked for signs, would He not have informed them that there would be no siirns of that event, as the rapture, we are informed, would be secretly carried on? But, instead of secrecy. He in- | formed them of the very reverse. Darby and Brooks say there will be no signs; all will be secret. Jesus says there will be signs in the sun, moon and stars, etc., and gave them six signs, which were all to be public and visible— the visible convulsion in the heavens ; the shekinah cloud, or sign of the Son of man; the visible appearance of the Judge; the wail- ing of the inhabitants of the earth; the angel trumpeter; the general gathering of the elect. These are the signs, and this event is to come to pass whil( lie I ST. THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. 37 here are two dbulation and mts connected coming in the nts there was lowed by the on events a ion. He was Lnd informing ge at the end )quent about event of His 3 would have [e had in His le cloud-land, h we hear so vould He not )e no signs of ed, would be 3recy, He in- ' and Brooks ecret. Jesus 3h aiid stars, 3re all to be sion in the the Son of ^e ; the wail- | ; the angel jlect. These io pass while the elect are yet upon the earth ; for they are three times mentioned in this connection. The days are to be shortened for their sakes — the elect may be deceived— and the angels are to gather the elect. We are informed by our pre-millenarian friends that they will be gathered one thousand years before this. This definite statement from our Lord .ought to settle forever the question as to when the saints are to be caught up, and for what purpose. The order of events is given in answer to the inquiry, and the glorification of the saints is expressly stated to occur r after and not before the tribulation. The Plymouth Brethren are wrong again. It was to this event, when Christ comes as Judge in the clouds of heaven, that the Church was to look for- ward, and for this she was to wait. We refer to a few passages of the many that we might note. 1 Cor. i. 7 : '' Ye came behind in no gift, waiting for the coming parousia:' No ! it is not the word advent or coming; the Greek word is apokcdupsis, "revelation of our Lord J esus Christ." Our friends say this word can only japplytothe manifestation after Jesus and His bride have been away for years in the air. Yet Paul com- I mends the Corinthians for waiting for the revelation, I and not the rapture. If Pre-millenarians are right, [the Corinthians were wrong ; and Paul ought to have corrected their error, and told them to look for the coming of the secret rapture. If they and Paul were right in waiting for the revelation of Christ, we can- jnot be wrong in doing the same. Paul was right. Darby wrong. Again Paul says, 2 Thess. i. 7 : "And 11 i 1 \ ]\\m { i 38 THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty- angels." This cannot be a secret event. And the Lord Jesus is to be revealed, i.e., a visible appear- ing of Him, and we are informed that the saints were "to rest with us," when the Lord Jesus would be revealed, not long ages before that event, at a fancied rapture. Again, 1 Tim. vi. 14 : " That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ." Why should that dear son Timothy keep this com- mandment until the epiphaneia, when so many years before the parousia was expected. Timothy surely was to go up in the cloud-land with Jesus, at the rapture. If he kept the commandment until the coming of Christ and Lho rapture for him, would not that suflEice ? No ! He n ust keep it until the " appearing." Paul knew nothing about what Brooks & Co. call " the rapture," or "the coming." 2 Tim. iv. 1 : "I charge thee therefore before God, who shall judge the quick and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom." Paul's charge to his son Timothy would surely not have omitted such an event as that of his ascent into cloud- land at the rapture. Timothy was to have his eye fixed on the other event, the appearing. And that appearing when Christ should appear as Judge ; and again in the same chapter, the venerable warrior tells us his own glorious prospect, hear his experience: " Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of right- eousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall I S ■m 1ST. irhen the Lord bh His mighty snt. And the isible appear- he saints were sus would be t, at a fancied ihou keep this bble, until the eep this com- io many years tnothy surely Jesus, at the til the comine: uld not that " appearing." ; Co. call " the 'I charge thee le quick and dom." Paul's ely not have tit into cloud- havf his eye g. And that s Judge ; and warrior tells I experience : •own of right- s Judge, shall THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. 39 give me at that day ; and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing." He never mentions, as his hope, the rapture in cloud- land. He does mention the crown which the Lord, the Judge, would give him in that day of judgment, and unto all them also that love the — what ? Coming, no ! the rapture, no! the marriage, no! "the appearing." Is it possible that seven years before that event there was to be a resurrection, and a transformation, and an ascension into the mid -air, and Paul did not know any- thing about it ? or is it possible that he did know it, and yet allowed that great event to be liidden from Timothy ? We can't for a moment admit either of these suppositions. And now again in another of his letters, hear him. i In Titus ii. 13 : " Looking for that blessed hope, and I the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savi- I our Jesus Christ." The object for which they were to look was not the parousia, but the epiphaneia, the , appearing of the great God as judge. Why should the ' epiphaneia be the object of the hope of the Church, if some years before she had been caught up in the rapture? Surely Paul would have directed the eye of the Church to the second coming, and not to an event long years after. What, says the reader ? We turn nnext, and inquire if Peter had any pre-millenarian communinations to make, 1 Peter i. 13: " Where- |forc gird up the loins oi: your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." Hope to the end ! for what? why, of course, for the rapture in the THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. clouds and second coming for His saints ; but Peter had no such ideas to communicate. It was hope to " the end for the grace brought unto you at the apokalupsls, revelation, of Jesus Christ, who without respect of per- sons judgeth according to every man's work." Would not this exhortation of Peter be unnecessary if one thousand years before the end they had been taken up and twice judged and married. Again, 1 Peter v. 2 : '* Feed the flock of God which is among you. . . . And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away." This cannot, in any true sense be called a secret coming. It is a revelation of the judge who comes visibly to to distribute crowns of glory to all the faithful. We pass on to inquire of John concerning this secret rapture. We cannot find one word in any of John's writings about a secret coming, or a rapture. 1 John iii. 2 : " Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be ; but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like him ; for we shall see Him as He is." John's hopes all centred in the appearing of our Lord. It is, I think, very clear, that Jesus, Paul, Peter and John spake of the period of His appearing and His revelation, as manifestations of His glory when He comes to judge the world at the last day, as different aspects of the one grand event. They gives us no hint, anywhere, that a part of His Church is to be delivered by a special coming of Christ years before the revelafeic.i of Himself ; when He comes in the clouds of heaven. The hope of the Church is not a secret rapture, but a glorious appearing of the [ST. THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. 41 but Peter had hope to "the 3 apokalupsis, 'espect of per- ork." Would cessary if one been taken up 1 Peter v. 2 : ou. . . . )ear, ye shall away." This ecret coming, nes visibly to lithful. ing this secret any of John's re. 1 John iii. d, and it doth ^e know that, him ; for we all centred in .k, very clear, of the period nanifestations i world at the grand event, a part of His aing of Christ hen He comes the Church is earing of the jSon of man. The second coming and the rapture is [not found in the Scriptures. No, not once, my dear Plymouth brother. How very different the teaching '^of Jesus, and Paul, and Peter, and John from the Jvagaries we find in the tracts, question books and ilpamphlets of Messrs. Darby, Brooks & Co. — thp pure ^wine has been mixed with muddy water. 42 THE SECOND COMING OF CHKIST. i SECOND OBJECTION. I object to a visible material Christ during the millenniun. from the nature of things as they are seen in the type and the antitype, or in the two covenant heads. In this argument I follow, in an humble way, the example o£ the Apostle Paul, Rom. v. 14. Adam is the covenant head of his natural posterity ; so is Christ, the second Adam, covenant head of all his spiritual children. Adam stood, or fell, for all those who were in him ; so Christ stood for all those who believe in Him. From Adam flows to all his posterity, descend'ng from him by ordinary generation, the virus of the fall, so from Christ, to all who are His by spiritual regen- eration, there flow s the antidote, salvation from sin. As Adam was overcome, and in him humanity ; so Christ overcame, and in Him all believers. Adam, the one covenant head, though unseen, con- veys the influence of his fall, and his image to all for whom he stood. So the Lord, the new covenant head, conveys to all who believe in Him the influence of His obedience and life, also His image ; He also being unseen. LIST. THE SECOND COMING OP CHRtSt. 43 ist during the rs as they are or in the two mble way, the 4. bural posterity ; ; head of all his 10 were in him ; /e in Him. ity, descend'ng rivus o£ the fall, spiritual regen- iion from sin. 1 humanity ; so >rs. gh unseen, con- mafje to all for covenant head, he influence of ; He also being Adam was visible for a time, and the eflfects of that visibility, so far as he was concerned as covenant Head, flows down by blood to all humanity. The i Lord Jesus Christ was, for a time, in a visible, bodily form, in our nature, made like unto His brethren; land the eflfects of that visibility are flowing now and iwill flow, like a river of holy influences, on through- iout all time, to all who believe in Him. fFrom Adam we derive, by inheritance, our tainted .moral nature. From Christ, by vital, voluntary adhe- Inion, we derive our righteousness, our sanctification, mand our redemption. From the opened side of Adam, his bride, Eve, was [taken ; so from the wounded side of the Saviour ^Tesus Christ, the Church, His bride, had its origin. As in Adam many were made sinners, so by our [second Adam many are being made righteous. In the very nature of the divine arrangement an Invisible Adam is implied whose influence for evil aflects all the race ; so in order to neutralize and eflectually destroy that influence, there are many good reasons why Jesus Chri^^, the second Adam, should also be invisible to us, while the work of redemption is going on to completion. " For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that He might destroy the works of the devil," whether through Himself personally, or through His agency, by disappointing him, and leading men to forsake his service, and by delivering them from his power. It is neither honorable or just to our Lord Jesus Christ to say, that, when on this earth in person, 44 THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. He instituted certain means and agencies to accom- plish this work in His name, and in His behalf, and that He promised them all the needed aid and help, as " all power in heaven and earth was given to Him ; " and now, after those means and agencies have been tried for two thousand years, or nearly, the world is growing worse and worse, and Satan is so far tri- umphant, tho gh invisible, that Jesus Christ needs to come in visible form and set up a visible throne, and change the whole plan of arrangement ; and in person, visibly, bring material forces to destroy the works of the devil. In this way, and by this teaching, the con- tinuity of truth is broken up and the parallel destroyed. We are told that the second Adam, Christ, has not succeeded, and the analogy fails. The one covenant head was visible through all these ages, and Satan too, was, through all time invisible i and yet the means and agencies chosen have failed to win and woo and " draw all men to Christ." It cannot be that Satan is to win the day, to triumph over Jesus ; his works must, and will, be destroyed. The invisibility of both covenant heads is as much a point of importance in this relation as any other, and is as necessary to the grand scheme of salvation as any other in this analogy. As is the first Adam in this particular, so is the Lord to be to the end of the dispensation of grace, when both covenant heads are to be made visible, when the great white throne will appear. Jesus said to His sorrowing disciples : " Neverthe- less, I tell you the truth ; it is expedient for you that RIST. THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. 45 ncies to accom- in His behalf, aeeded aid and th was o'iven to d agencies have early, the world bii is so far tri- Christ needs to lible throne, and ; and in person, oy the works of laching, the con- irallel destroyed. Christ, has not le one covenant ijxes, and Satan 1 1 and yet the ied to win and t cannot be that over Jesus ; his leads is as much n as any other, nie of salvation tie first Adam in the end of the 'enant heads are hite throne will les : " Neverthe- ent for you that I go away." It was necessary, according to the original plan of redemption, that He should go away ; the great principles of the divine economy required his invi.si- bilitv in the Church for a time, though to them it was a dark and mournful thought. Yet, in truth, it was immediately connecte coming of the Lord draweth nigh." " Behold I come quickly." " The Judge standeth at the door." There is, surely, nothing in the exhortations and commands that can possibly apply to a second or a third advent, in such a way as would lead the apostles or early Christians to expect a descent of the Lord before they died, or to lead any of us to look for His visible descent in our day. The motives to watchful- ness then, as now, were real motives, and they were most solemn, for the Holy Ghost presents no fallacious motives to any one, or to any age. John. Peter and Paul knew full well that an immediate, visible descent was not taught by Christ, nor had it any place in the communications of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, we have the clearest proof that, to them, the visible advent as Judge was far in the distant future ; and, in point of i i ?■ wl [ST. b where I am to be looking earing of tlie b. For a sea- bodily form ; divine plan, in spirit, and ;e, and meet t and uncer- )r them," and em into that ght occur at Aratchfulness. day nor the The> coming me quickly." rtations and second or a the apostles of the Lord ook for His watchful- 1 they were 10 fallacious , Peter and ible descent )lace in the 3d, we have 3 advent as in point of THE SECOND COxMING OF CHRIST. 47 fact, the Church of the first eighteen hundred years has had no experience of such an advent. We have a score of huge blunders arising from false interpretations of days, times and seasons when He was to come, each, in turn, followed by a large harvest of infidel doubt and uncertainty, but no visible coming. John, James, Peter. Paul, and their immediate succes- sors, were terribly deceived if they believed in a visi- ble descent as near at hand. We have no evidence of any such belief, or of any such deception. Not one hint anywhere of any deceptive teaching. They were of the Jewish religion, and were taught that Judaism was to pale away into that which was more perfect— the moon disappears when the sun rises on our hemisphere. Their system was to become old and vanish away, when the new covenant came into force. It was to die into a brighter and a better. They knew that the Church in all ages was a unity, with a' dissimilarity of I dispensation .'he same motives urging to diligence I in business, tervency of spirit, and the service of the Lord, that were given to the Church before the coming of Christ, were still the divinely sanctioned motives to fidelity and service, and these would continue in the Church until His coming as Judge. These motives may be summed up as follows : 1 Supreme love to God ; 2 Man's accountability to God ; 3 The brevity of life ! i The injunction to prepare for death was constantly pressed upon the Old Testament saints. Death to them WBS a dreary aspect. Job called it " the king of ^errors." Their minds were accustomed to it. Death 48 THE SECOND COMING OF """IIUST. was the ever-present terminatinnr object, inciting them to a life of zeal and piety. " Prepare to meet thy God." In the New Testament, it is quite different. Death to the believer is only a sleep. The New Testament does not urge us to prepare for death as did the Old Testa- ment. We are urged to prepare to meet the bride- groom. To have our loins girt, our lamps trimmed and our lights burning, in constant preparation for the bridegroom, who may come for us any^moment. Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ has the keys of death and Hades, and he has a place prepared for us. We are urged to prepare for life rather than death. Death was the terminating object to the Hebrew. Eternity is to us. They were urged to diligence because they had to die. We are urged to diligence because we have to live— to live eternally. They were to watch for death ; we for the coming of the Lord as Judge. There was but r " step between them and death." To us the Judge is at the door. The Old Testament speaks much of death, and but little of the resurrection; the New Testament speaks much of the resurrection' and represents death as a sleep, as going to Jesus, as the coming of the Lord for us. Tl ey might, at 'any moment meet death ; we may at any moment meet Him who for us has conquered death, and has the keys in His own hand. The language of the Old Testament was the voice of the law ; the language of the New Testament is the voice of the Gospel. The one comes from Sinai ; the other from Calvary. To the Hebrew the Lord had not come as the Re- deemer, and as a Jew he could not have understood P^ M\ iT. nciting them jet thy God." t. Death to ?tament does e Old Testa- b the bride- ps trimmed ation for the •ment. Our ys of death ■or us. We eath. Death ". Eternity 3cau.se they because we re to watcli as Judge, leath." To Testament jsurrection; jsurrection, o Jesus, as »'ht, at any b meet Hiin he keys in Testament ■ the New one comes THE SECOND COMING OF CliUlST. 49 the commands given to us to prepare to meet the bride- groom, and to watch for the coming of the Lord To hnn the command was Whatsoever thy hand find- ( eU. to do, do It with th, might ; for t/Ji. no wo k nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdorn in the grave' ^tep onto time was the first step to the judmuent The instant we close our eyes on time, we open thm per onal y, by fai h here, we see Him by sight there He IS with us in the valley. His ^^a.w.^arpresence goe.swihns, and as we cross the narrow bLXv taith IS lost in sight. When we close our eye on ^^^^^^ world, we open them on the unseen and the eternal V ew. of these passages, and a dead, stereotyped way of explaining them, is depriving the Church of Golo^ one of the most powerful incentives to self- denia and truth, the whims and fancies of pessimistic theorists are circulated and taught, instead of the grand ver'tL of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. -s the Re- inderstood 50 THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. THIED OBJECTION. I object to this visible bodily presence of Christ being brought to this earth during the millennium, because it involves the gross absurdity of bringing Christ again into ^ rsonal contact with Satan and his wicked agencies, after He had finished the work He came to perform, and had been absent in bodily form for two thousand years. The fog of uncertainty thickens around our pre- millenarirn brethren, when they approach the subject of the descent to this earth of the Lord and of His bride in their glorified bodies. They seem to be much more united and happy while they keep up in the pavilion-cloud, talking of the marriage of the Lamb with those " who are looking for His appearing and coming." But now comes the descent, and the earth state, and the remnant of the Jews and Gentiles who are to inherit the earth, and the tribulation of saints, etc. According to most of their writers, the Jews and Gentiles are now to have a hard time of it. Mr. Blackstone intimates that the incoming period is & long day of judgment to the Jews and Gentiles, and to the living nations, who are now to be judged. We Christ nium, nging ,n and d the ent in ir pre- iubject of His ! much in the Lamb ig and 3 earth ea who saints, ws and :. Mr. id is a 88, and L We THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. 51 to be^ purified and restored to their own land soon after the deseent. Go<, and Magog and th t LLTes are to co„,e up to battle against'jlsus and hL brT And th„ mixed condition of things is to laH fort thousand years, when Satan is in person alain to com^ no contact with Christ, and to seduce mel f"om Wr allegiance to the truth, and actually, for a timel w'n the day among the subjects of Kh.g Jesus-He The told tta Satan ,s to gather his forces against Jesus and the bnde, and all the saints, and the beloved cUy and Jesus i„ His glorified body, and the brlde-ufe' New Testament Church-i„ their glorified bodies are are yet m heir earth state. Satan is to come up in s y' halt: ""'" '■: '"^' °^'^'-"^-- I «-d har'dly a^ hat there is not a single passage of Scripture righjy interpreted, to support all this materialisti!- come at a 1 to this earth in their glorified bodies to ^ngle with earth>.s inhabitants, or to come in any Ihere is not a single verse to show that Jesus comes Zrl^^ °™ ''' *''^ '^"■*^ *° "e humiliated V com ng again in contact with sin and sinners Jews o^ Gentiles or with Satan. It is only when you dsTJcate he precious Word of God, and tike a part of a v rse here ana another part there, that you h'ave any scrap of the Seript„es to support a thing so gross and so IV IMii 62 THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. There are some of our pre-millenarian writers who do not like this part of the programme, and they have changed the scene somewhat; and think they hnd evidence at that early day for a new heaven and a new earth, to which they bring Jesus and His bride. Ihere i.re, however, a number of passages of the divine Word that must be dislocated and wrested in order to place the new-heaven and the new earth state at the com- mencement of the millennium ; but to all logical minds this change of base only makes their position worse and worse, if worse could be. Will the remnant of the Jews and Gentiles, and Gog and Magog and their armies, and the enemies of the Lord be admitted at all to a place on the new earth, or among the children of God in the new earth state ? Peter spake of a " new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness," but our theo- rists have a new heaven and new earth for the uncon- verted Jews and Gentiles, and Gog and Magog, and where the ten tribes of Israel are to dwell. Will Satan be permitted to come up upon the new earth, and among the inhabitants who are in their glorified bodies, who have been up in cloud-land, and have been married to Christ, and will he come again into the actual presence of the Lamb of God in His glorified body ? and will Satan actually succeed on that new earth in instigating rebellion, after Christ has been reigning here for a thousand years? Are the saints who have enjoyed the resurrection and the rapture, and who have been literally married to Christ, to be again placed upon trial, and again liable to temptation and defection, on the occasion of Satan being loosed ? s who ' have Y tind a new There Word ) place Q com- minds worse ant of d their 1 at all Iren of L " new r theo- uncon- 3g, and , Will T earth, loritied /e been ato the glorified lat new IS been e saints rapture, jt, to be iptation loosed ? TBE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. 53 Can any one seriously believe that Jesus and His Mr. Mede once threw out as a conjecture of what TZTu^I'-T^^^^^^^ ''''' ^^^lUelie^d t; taught. I will quote his own words. He says ■ " What If this rapture of the saints be, that they n!ay be p e served during the conflagration of the earth JdtiL works thereof (2 Pet. iii. 10) ; that as Koah it h family were preserved from the deluge by beinc lifted up above the waters in the ark, so ^Ihou^f h^ ^^: their atk, Christ, to be preserved from the delude of fire, wherein the wicked shall be consumed " (p 776) hint at a theory that might be made to fit in with other conjectures, and thus construct a new p o tu e. Now If as our pre-millennial writers sav that the ungodly will all be cut off in the tribulation and the new earth state is to be enjoyed by ChrisUnd His bride onl,;' then why bind Satan, ^if t r "e none left upon the earth to be tempted; none o be led astray 1 Where is the use of bincLg him T Why lumt his power or prevent him from doing his worst ? John says, Rev. xx. 2 : " The angel laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is tie Devil and Satan and bound him a thousand years." This act on th' part of the angel would have no neaning, if there wer no nations or peoples to be deceived. All Pre-millenarians agree th^t the resurrection of 54 THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. i the wicked dead will not take place until after the 1,000 years' reign of Christ. If that reign is upon the new earth, then the bodies of the wicked will be in the renewed earth during the period of its purification by fire, and those bodies are to come forth at the sixth resurrection from the renewed earth. Can that new earth be made a graveyard for the wicked dead who have died before the earth's renewal, and for those saints or sinners who die after the earth is made new. Neither Jews nor Gentiles as such, neither Gog nor Magog, Satan or sinner, will ever set foot upon the renewed earth. A glorified body cannot dwell on the earth till the earth is made new ; and the renewal of the earth and the glorification of the body are expressly declared to synchronize (Rom. viii. 17-25 ; 1 John iii. 2 ; Rev. 21). If the renewal of the earth do not take place till after the millennium, then the Lord's glorified body cannot be on the earth during thac time. But if the earth be renewed before the millennium, or at the commencement, then no un- glorified, or unspiritual, or unholy body, can remain in it during that time. Now, because there is no Scripture warrant for this part of our pre-millenarian teaching, we will rule the whole out of court. Amen. THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. 55 FOURTH OBJECTION. I object to the whole theory that teaches that Christ Jesus our Lord will leave the mediatorial throne, and take up a position in His pavilion-cloud with any portion of His Church, and there celebrate their bridal nuptials, while poor sinners are here, on the earth, under the terrible lash of sin, and in conflict with self, infidelity, and the prince of darkness. For the sinners of that day and age Jesus Christ died, as surely as He died for Moses, Isaiah, John, Paul Calvin, Wesley, Brooks, or Darby. Those sinners cannot be saved without the mediation and intercession of Christ. The Holy Spirit is a grand necessity always and everywhere in the salvation of men. If Jesus' should cease His mediatorial work in behalf of our race, and, as pre-millennial teachers assure us, the Holy Spirit will be withdrawn from the earth, then it is extreme folly for men to talk of sinners being con- verted and saved. . ^^^ crowning glory of the Gospel age is the millen- nium, and the crowning glory of the millennium is the wonderful outpouring of the Spirit, leadincr sinners 56 TFIE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. everywhere to the knowledge of the Lord. There U no proof that Jesus will, at that point in the history of His redemptive scheme, leave His office and work as our great high priest to introduce His marriage, and call a portion of saints to meet Him in the land of cloud. This part of the theory must be ruled out of our faith. It is not in the Scripture. Mr. Brooks says : " We must distinguish between the coming of the Lord for His people and with them, or between the coming of the Lord and the appearing of the Lord. . . . Immediately after they are caught up in the air the iud<^ment of the saints will follow, and the dis- tribution of reward. After the judgment of the saints the marriage supper of the Lamb is to be held, while on the earth a most thrilling scene takes place ; the Holy Spirit is taken out of the way, and then that wicked one, anticarist, is to be revealed, and an infer- nal trinity of evil is to be worshipped and Satan to ape the Godhead, and Satan's triumph to be complete. As the antichrist has special relation to the Jews, they will be restored to their own land. This will be at the beginning of the seven years of rapture, and they will rebuild the temple and form a covenant w^ith anti- christ, and restore the Roman Empire." This is Mr. Brook's opinion. It is not Paul's or John's. One is grieved to think men with an open Bible can be so far misled as "to put darkness for light." Hi THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. 67 !*! FIFTH OBJECTION. This theory charges upon Christ a supreme in- difference to the wants and woes of this world of humanity, in asserting that it is his purpose to take all the living saints out of it, during a long period of tribulation, and that He Himself will pause in mid-air to administer rapture to part of those saved ; while, for an indefinite period, the inhabit- ants of the earth are left to struggle, without help and without hope. Mr. Blackstone says : " We term this whole period the^ ' tribulation.' It is certain that there will be a period of unequalled trial, sorrow and calamity, spirit- ual darkness and open wickedness ; it is the night of the world ; but the Church will escape by the rapture, while a third part of Israel will be brought through it,' and for the elect's sake the days will be shortened." ^ There are several points of interest in that quota- tion, but I must not occupy time or space. The elect are the bride, and they are up in the air with Christ. Why shorten the days on earth for their sakes ? If they are in the " pavilion cloud " with Jesus, they care but little about the days hore, whether long or short, so long as they are away in the air with Jesus! Who that hath read the story of Christ's love for our race, that will not say in his heart, such a representa- tion of Him is a libel upon His character, and a misrepresentation of His work, and of His Word ? k 58 THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. SIXTH OBJECTION. "I object to all those weak and mischievous theories which teach that there are several resur- rections with long intervals of time between them." Some of those writers affirm that there are to Lo two resurrections, others four, others seven, each at different times and for different classes. The resurrection of the dead is one of those truths of so much importance to the Christian faith, that Jesus Christ and His Apostles rested upon it the entire claim of Christ as the world's Kedeemer. 1 Cor. xv. 16: "For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised ; and if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain ; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished." Against this doctrine of the resurrection infidelity in all ages of the world has employed its heaviest artillery, and yet, the efforts of infidelity all combined, has never done as much to bring this doc- trine into disrepute as has been done by the Second Adventists. The Christians of the early ages suffered death in the most frightful forms because they would not renounce their belief in the resurrection of the dead. This doctrine comes to us as a revealed truth, and is, perhaps, more purely within the province of tt M I fill THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. 59 revelation alone, than almost any other doctrine of the Holy Scriptures; a doctrine so entirely above and beyond the reach of unaided reason, that in her own name, she is unable to say one word for or against it. I have quoted above from several pre-millenarian authors, their views affirming several resurrections. Jesus said of Himself : " I am the resurrection and the life," and He taught most clearly and distinctly a moral or spiritual resur jection, and also, a physical or bodily resurrection. He taught a resurrection from the first death which was a spiritual death, and also a resurrec- tion of the body ; but nowhere did He, or His Apostles, teach more than one period of time, or one event known as the resurrection. We will first direct our attention to what is called the " first resurrection," that is a resur- rection from " the death of sin unto a life of righteous- ness." "In Adam all died," "through the offence of one many be dead," "sin reigned unto death," "death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." In death we see the penalty inflicted on account of sin. Spiritual death by the guilt and power of sin ; separated us from God. Temporal death, or the death of the body ; and eternal death, the final separation of soul and body from God. The first death was soul-death, the separation of the soul from its spiritual life ; and the first resurrection is soul-resur- rection, the bringing back that life which was lost by sin. Jesus said, John v. 25: "Verily, verily, (truly, truly,) I say unto you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead (spiritually), shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear ( belie vinglv) shall if! h I a J ' GO THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. live." Here is a spiritual awakeninp^ ; by the Word of God, men hear, and hearing, they live. They were ^'^ad until they heard, they had a pledge of their life in wue life of Christ. " For as the Father hath life in Him- self, so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself." '•As Thou has given Him power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as Thou hast given Him, and this is life eternal, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent." " God hath given to us, who were dead, eternal life ; and this life is in His son." *' He that hath the Son, hath life." " Believing, ye may have life through His name." " To be carnally minded is death, to be spiritually minded is life and peace." *' Death worketh in us ; but life in you." " Your life is hid with Christ in God." " Being heirs together of the grace of life," " It is God who quickeneth the dead." " And you hath He quickened who were dead." Even when ye were dead in sin, hath quickened us together with Christ." "And hath raised us up together and made us sit to- gether in the heavenlies." "And you, being dead in your sins, hath he quickened together with Him having for- given you all your trespasses." " If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above." " The quickening," and " making alive," and " rais- ing up," here so often allnded to, is the resurrection called " the first resurrection." It is the first, because it counteracts the consequences of the first death, and because it is first in order. The dead soul is made alive unto God through Jesus Christ, " raised up into newness of life," raised up together with Him. A THE bECONO COMING OF CHRIST. 61 regenerate man is a living man. Paul speaks of the restoration and reconciliation of the Jews as •' life from the dearl" Tliis first death is counteracted by this hrst resurrection, •• the second death has no power " The first death was separation from God, which, if not delayed and counteracted and neutralized/ would result in the second death. Now, see the force and beauty of the declaration of John, Rev. xx. 6 : "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection • on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God, and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousiud years." John here shows us the true nature of that soul-life, that spiritual life, that resur- rection from the sin-death into a new and divine life Dr. Wiiedon says : " By the first resurrection we are raised from beneath the power of the second death to above the power of the second death. . . . This is initiated at our earthly regeneration, but is' not com- pleted until the glorification of our spirits. It Is by its oy.rn first resurrection that the blessed soul brings the raised body to a fitting unity with itself." It is by the spiritual resurrection that men are made blessed and holy, and being thus holy, they cannot in any sense be under the power of the second death. This same blessedness and holiness prepares them for the resurrection of the body, which Jesus also taught in the same discourse in which He introduced the spirit- ual resurrection. John v, 27, He says, that connected with this power "of giving life to men, is also the authority to execute judgment also because Es is the Son of man." For tins purpose He was appointed our 62 THE SECOND t^OMING OF CHRIST. " .:M,:i judge. "The Father hath committed all judgment unto the Son." The judgment which He shall execute is connected with the resurrection of the body from the grave, the body and soul make the person, and must fro together. " Marvel not at this, for the nour xs coming." He is speaking of the future judgment and resurrection day, and he does not say, " and now is," " in the which all that are in their graves shall hear His voice — " not a p^i't now and another part years after—" and shall come forth " from their burial places " they that have done good unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil unto the resurrec- tion of damnation." Luke xiv. 14, calls this " resurrec- tion of life," the resurrection of the just. " Jesus said unto Martha, Thy brother shall rise again." Martha, like all well-instructed Jewish Christians, was a believer in the resurrection, and she said, " I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Why did not Jesus correct her, and inform her that there were several resurrections with a thousand years between them, and that Lazarus would rise at the rapture, or the -evelation, or with Old Testament saints, or with the tribulation saints ? It is unreason- able to suppose that He would have permitted her to be deceived by post-millennium doctiine in that Avay. Jesus said, vi. 40, " This is the will of Him that sent Me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life," the life of faith, or life of the spirit, which He had spoken of a few moments before, constituting the first resurrection : " And I will raise him up in the last day." '• No man THE SECOND COMING OF (JIIUIST. 03 can come unto Me except the Father which hath sent me draw him ; and I will raise him up at the hint day." " Whoso eateth my Hesh and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him at the last day;" xii. 48 "the same shall judge him in the last dayr This, we see, was the uniform teaching of Jesus, and in all His discourses there is not one line to show that he believed in seven resurrections. Certainly such teachers do err, not knowing the Scriptures." I cannot here enter upon an exegesis of the parables of our Lord, though sure I am thaL in them he taught no pre-millennialism. Take only one or two : the parable of the tares and the wheat ; the field was not a field of tares, it was wheat with ^.ares among the wheat. The owner said, "Let both grow together until the harvest," the harvest is the end of the world. "And in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers (angels), Gather ye together, first "~ What ? the saints to their rapture and marriage in cloud-land ? "No; first, the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; then, 'the wheat into my barn.'" Our pre-millenarian friends reverse the order of things in order to suit their programme. They take part of the wheat now, and leave more of it until another time, and leave the tares last of all. " The Son of Man shall send His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity, and shall cast them into a furnace of fire." "As therefore the tares a^e gathered and burned in the fire ; so shall it be at the end of this world." Our theorists say, the good are to be gathered one thousand I 64 THE SECOND COxMING OF CHRIST. years before the end of the world. Note here another parable without note or comment: "Again, the king- dom is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind, which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away; so shall it be at the end of the world ; the angels shall come forth and sever the wicked from the among just, and shall cast them into the furnace of tire.'. It will require a good share of dislocation of the word to evade the force of these words from the lips of Jesus—" the end of the world" cannot mean one thousand years before the end ; the last day cannot mean one thousand years before. What straits men are driven to in order to hide the inconsistency of their theories. The apostles, as might be expected, after they had received the needed baptism, and the kingdom of God came to them in power, begaii to preach, not a " coming kingdom," but a kingdom in the heart. " Christ in you, the hope of glory." Their great theme was the death and resurrection of Christ. "They preached, throuo'h Jesus, the resurrection of the dead." " And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the dead." The Epicureans and the Stoics then, as now, found fault with Paul, the Babbler, " because he preached unto them Jesus and the resur- rection," and boldly " did he ieclare that there shall be a resurrection both of tlie just and the unjust." In Paul's day there were some whose words cut like can- ker ; they had erred in saying that the resurrection was passed, and overthrew the faith of some. And \other king- a, and , they ! o'ood be at t,h and 11 cast a good rce of ol: the le end ; before, de the iy had of God coming irist in 'as the eached, "And of the ,nd the babbler, J resur- shall be 5t." In ke can- erection 5. And THE SECOND COMING OF CllllLST. Q,j when Paul found that the Thessalonian Churcli had been led by some means to think that the comin-r of Christ to judge the world v.as near at hand-for there were many in that day that made the sauie mistake that our Second Adventists aave made, and are now making-when they placed His coming as judrre before the millennium. He (Paul), full of holy zeal tor the doctrine ol the resurrection, corrected their misapprehension, which he did very decidedly, and with great earnestness, with great kindness, and with consummate wisdom. He was very guarded He avowed his faith in the coming and apper.ring of the Lord as a doctrine very dear to him, and yet he was very decided and e^.iphatic in repudiating erronpous impressions, expectations, or theories, which they had received. Hear him, 2 Tlies. ii. 1 : '' Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and by our gathering together unto Him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means; for that day shall not come except there couie a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition." There are still errors abroad on that subject, beware of them-There were deceivers and false teachers, who had misunderstood and misinterpreted Paul's first letter to thum and greatly troubled the Thessalonians about the near approach of the judgment seat; be on your guard for such, and do not be shaken in mind, 'or troubled by any of these. Let no man deceive you on any m 5 66 THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. account, by any means ; and then Paul gave them an apocalypse of" his own. They had been troubled about their dear departed friends, who had fallen asleep in Jesus. They feared that the comin^^ of the day of judgment would call the living away before their loved ones would be raised (chap. iv. 13-18); that they would be cut off from the hopes they had been led to entertain, and that they would leave their friends in their graves. He removes this apprehension by reminding them of the faith they had in Christ, and iu his relation to those who died in Him. " For this 1 say unto you, by the word of the Lord,"— he speaks under divine inspiration— " that we which are alive and remain until the com;:.g of the Lord sh?.ll not go before, or go to meet the Lord before those do who have died, or before them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, c.nd with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise before the living shall be changed. "Rise first." "The dead in Christ." What is there in that phrase to exclude Abraham and Moses, and all the Old Testament sahits from that resurrection? And yet our Pre-minenarians say, " Oh, no ! only those who have become believers since the Pentecost can be included 'n that resurrection." "The dead in Christ shall rise first "—all who are In Christ ; " ALL who are in their graves shall hear His voice and come forth," before we, who are alive, are changed, they shall come forth. "Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the THE SECOND COMINO OF CHRIST. 67 clouds, to meet the Lord in the air." Wherefore com- fort one another with these words. There is not you see. a word about two resurrections in that passage the one preceding another by a term of years; nor a word about distinctions of class, or dispensation. The apostle does not say in that passage that tU dead in Ohnst shall rise first, as compared with the rest of the dead ; but, first, before the changing of the VMng Some writer says, " it is a gross impertinence to drag m here a version from the twenty-second chapter of Revelatmn; that belongs to an entirely different class of subjects. There is not in the whole book a good reason for affirming two resurrections, with a thousand years between them, much less six or seven partial resurrections during that time. Daniel does not say a word about a thousand years intervening. He says xu 2 : " And many of them that sleep in the dust ot the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt." Paul "says that he, in common with all the Jew.s, "had hop. toward God that there should be a resurrection of *he dead, both of the just and of the unjust." Not ■ v resurrections, with a thousand years between them • or five or SIX, with long intervals between. Such teach- ing IS not in the Bible, i:f 68 THE SECOND COMING OF ClllUST. SEVENTH OBJECTION. I object to the selfish and unauthorized views Pre-millenarians entertain of the composition of the Church, the bride so often alluded to in their writings. It is not generally known by many who are friendly to this theory, who are meant when they speak of the rapture of the Church and the marriage of the Church. The word " church " comes, we are told, from the Greek ehklesia, which means an assembly ; it is derived from ekkaleo, to call out. Some say it comes from the Scotch kirk. Others say from huriakon, which means the house of the Lord. When we speak of the Church in a general sense, as " the bride," " the Lamb's wife," we mean all the children of God of every age and nation. '' Feed the ChUrch of God, which He has purchased with His own blocd." But our Pre-millenarians have, in order to prop up their theory, limited the meaning of the word " church " to those who have believed on Christ " from the descent of the Holy Ghost until the time when the rapture of the saints shall take place." I give a few more quotations on this point. Read Kelly, Trotter and Darby, and be astonished. Iii?"a»» THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. 69 " It wa. not till after the death and resurrection nf Jesus Christ that the Church beoan " '''""'•:?•;" f purpose of God, it existed befor; ail worlds' but as to .ts actual existence on earth, the Church was forced by the descent of the Holy Ghost on the day ot" ; • . . Ihe Church has its exi«' P-^«ages of Scripture under the gui.e ot an absolute literalism, and a pro- fession of a literal interpretation, there are many pi - sages nite^rpreted «guratively in order to accommX seent" "ul ^''' '^'"""' ^""'"°" *° ">« ^^<^*' Nearly .een in all their wntnigs. The Scriptures, when thus treated, become a book without a meaning, an inst u ment which gives no certain sound, utteriilg anyone the player p eases, and consequently it ceases to be to very many, the standard guide to truth. Under this carnal, sens.^ous method of interpreta- tion men adopt the hope oi the second coming of the bodily, visiole presence of an earthly kinc^-I carnal Messiah, material bodies; a literal ma^riagorto a Uera t 9| in n 72 THE Sl'COXD COMING OF ClIUIST. 1 a bridegroom J and a spiritual church, a literal angel, 'ifceral key. (Rev. xx.) a literal chain to bind a spirit a literal army of risen saints in their glorified bodies.' on white horses, forming a l)rigade of cavalrv, led on to a fierce and terrible charge by the Captain of our Salvation, the Lord Jesus, who appears literally, with a sharp sword coming out of His mouth. What nonsense this extreme literalism makes of the Word of the Lord ! What food for unbelief and scepticism ' This method of interpretation led the Jews to expect a literal deliverer, a temporal prince; and completely blinded their eyes, so that they could not see their own Messiah Jesus, and it still keeps them blinded. ^ AVere they right in expecting a temporal kino-dom instead of a spiritual one ? History proves that'they were wrong, and their mode of interpreting Scripture was wrong,, and it is wrong still. What would we say of the man who would undertake to expound and apply the eighteenth Psalm according to this literal method? « The Lord is my rock and my fortress " Or who would explain the twentieth chapter of Revela- tions OTi this principle ? The angel is said to be visible. No one can seriously think of a metallic chain, or a visible binding of the devil. The bindin^^ simply means, limiting his power tor evil, as a murderer's hands are bound so that he is restrained from deeds of blood. Satan can only be seized upon in an invisibh) way and by an invisible conqueror. It was by principles and elements of false- hood that Satan triumphed ; and he will be bound bv the truth of the Gospel and the power of the Holy trhost. His power will be limited. THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. 7,^ Pir« •: t^kt if/'""^ f- '"- ^hen, to accon.'. sons aL dTi^tt^dTe Sr^' 'T' ""''°" all fle^I) " trl ^and-mai(iens, upon alfcar-chap vi 9- .. t . ^ '^'''^ ""''«'• 'he « "■». » w H.. long, o Lort u;Lri Under the alfcar. Wherp i'« fi.o* ? itt-.i h.. 1 ^^"^^^- -^^ the twentieth chapter thpv prayer. The prayer finds its answer in the Church in K ui v^nrist and His saints have come up. In I ^1 74 THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. both cases without the veil. Daring the long, sad time of cross-bearin^n^. and witness-bearing, they were slain ; their blood cried for vengeance upon their per- secutors. " The voice of thy brother's blood cried unto me. Now the Church, in the person of her martyred dead, who all along these centuries beloncred to her and were a part of her, begins the happy and lon live t, and , and little have irist. ount said 3 no heir pro- aiid THE SECOND COMING OF CHlilST. 75 ^aith, and noble darino- for OoJ ,« ^, their lives dear unto Wn ''^' '"""^ "°^ men and woLn l ^ ^^ '"'^''' ^ reviviscence of This idea preS L th T "'' '^' ^^^^^ ^^^^^ receiving a deadh w ,""■ r '"^'"^ °^ "'« l^«««' we read of the " two'XJ'?. ^^^^''l whose dead bodies were unburied for ! f ,' ""'' spirit of life from cJ ,^'^. ^°' ^ ''me, and the "lived again "P™?lV',,'"*° *^"'' ""'^^ "'^^ and Johf Huss wet dead" Tt '"^^" *''''' '^'^^^ Diet of xNure.ubu r AD 'iS ""' '^ '^"^^ "> "- •alive ao-air' in^!,' ^^' '"y^^' "They were c »„ain in the person of Luther " llennmm,be to the many, to the multitude tL Whole Uurch. It speaks not of a man, but of a world Therefore, the first resurrection here refers to H,„ •"C™r. 't,?.S' Tr'it ••■: '"'" '"' i„ 1 ^ ^ ^^^^ ot the old sernent T^a W was as surely to be bruised as the /..f We Ian uruisea— until that power be hrn^Ar. tu one who has the key^s of .ll^^^tov'lZrZ ^n their e resur- I second secures rist are u ranee, th. j] from Lt that ur day, in the The to the world to tlie whole whole event h the Christ the rave, 3n it, was 3ome The can d is •mes the •iaii SECOND COMING OF CHi^IST. — 77 keys of ixades and of death " i-r of the dra<.on that oM . ""'"*" " *° '"y hold ^^^">-ndo:J]nTX\CrH' ^ '^'^^"•""'o bind him up. and sot TJ'lTt'' '^'''' ''"'' ^''"^ t. present state. FhysiJly hS o„ ,h """l' the war be^an hero n,„ 1 /• "ere, on this «arth, t-pted; .fere\tl eToa'r't'Hf'^^'^i^^' ^- was bruised ; and here Hi cP ' 1 f T^'^' °'''"^«' ^'ruised; and here the h ad of th^i """' ""''' bruised. The war iJ ^^ ^"^'"y 'nu-'t be fought ou onThs IhT ""'"' "^"""^^ '»««'be The Church, Ion ^ 78 THE SECOND COMING OF CHBIST. oig at. a low ebb. now it comes up from the wilder -s« leaning upon the arm of her beloved. The in habitants of this enrUn f,»n. n, • .. "• J-"e m- the SniritJ , the mighty inspiration of the Sprits qmekening power, and arise from their death of sm, unto a life of ri ^"'1 giory, and honor, and powef unto the Lord our Uod." This revived Church, cKeJ :V---ill use was wilcler- The in- ition of n their lat was heard ir shall vide as Two nd its Satan mem- el. To I sud- mpter vents, le for es in army I into shes. 'ylon jives th a •ired AU s I ins:. ^er, hea THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. 79 ^luica ought to wear, comes UD wifh r;.v 1, IS seen Mr>nn i-u^ u-- 1 '"^.-^ up witn tiini who make wl;; 4 :,:S~", ^^ cloth judge .nd and clean. hl^JZ^t^f' "''' "7"^'^'' ""'y eleventh chapterranfi: h J een thet,, TV[ '''^ the binding of Satan and tL T "nfachrist, " word of Sod ' and W ^ """' '^'^P'^'f?" °f 'he truth. Fo?: ;;otr!r"bVTh Sr 'rr^" °^'^^ and by the won, of Xl te' H no'nv "1°' ^'^ ^^™'' prepared for the spiritual t^^^^^^^^^^^ r^'"."-^ chapter. The deifh i« „ , twentieth part'aker.s of th it es r^etir'^'wrT' ^'^^' ""'^ and the harlot reigned, th^ «• .rijlttnf ation, now the enemies of Christ and His n , triumphant. Dr. Whedon says ' Th. n f' "' of rebels and devil,- the iln ' f^^^"''" '« cleared throned with ChrisUn taS I fn , "f' "'^ ^°- broad area ; and for a s,.T£Z: .^ l^l/t c. uesus said, W hosoever ivetli and WJ;^ n • Me shall never dio » TK , bolieveth m the Church ore:: b,]tXiro;rd7;:f ''- '- .nti^ate e,,tio„swiththe^^^ re-animati„„ of wicked Z nl ..'''''■''f "'''"" «•• of Satan iVo \r r •" °"® '" ^^""^ '^e banner Ot Sivtan. No Neros, or Lauds, or Bonners ; no avowed 80 THE SECOND COMING OF CHliiST. enemies of Chrisfc during that long period of happiness anci peace. ^ Dr. Whedon says : " The life of souls is the first resurrection, the added life of bodies is the second re- surrection." On such the second death has no power. There IS not such a thing even hinted at anywhere as a resurrection from the second death. This pre- plain teachi] general judg several succe and one for t If there be Scriptures, it i the judgment time, and thu connected witl with thf' comin T havu icqu Siveu to the lai m^nu r of ex| r.bo'.;.t to assuuK fi'st p'-Oxiiisu m ])romise o'' Oliri head of rhc s( promise and a the world. Th Jude: "And £ propliesied of tl with ten thousai; THK SECOXD COMING OF CHlilST 81 NINTH OBJECTION. plaTn irv'" ?'"'" ^^^^'"'"^ '"y^tifies the sever^ ^ ^' '''' '^^' ''^y> "y introducing t.eju.%u>ont ,lay stand clos.ly related" nnXf g - to th« language n.ade use of, and to the pre.i e '<.x.a^ ot expression ^yhen Jesus U spoken of -.! about to assu,>,e Hi.s office and wo.k as J.,d!' The ftrst pvoa.>se made to o„r race after the f "l „,/, prou.,seo:' Christ, to redee,.an,a .nd t: br i ' , h-w of r.ho serpent. The seeo.Kl pron,i.3 was ! .•onnse and a prophecy of Christ eonnn. I oh, J.ewori '^^is ~nee,nent may be%o: "t Jude. And Enocli also, the sev..,Uh fron. Adan P';>'P'.c.s,ed of these, saying. Beh.Id the Lord oo !^' wuh tea thousands of his saints, to xeeute iudj ; .i:Arv« ,. •i ;| '■» ij^.i' ■■*■■ - 84 THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. I 'H of the holy angek" Matt. x. 32: "Whosoever, therefore, shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven But whosoever shall deny Me before men. him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven." Oonfessmg and denying on that occasion imply the presence there of those who had been faithful witnesses of Him on earth. " Then every one shall give account of liimself to Go,l." " We must all appear before the judgraent-seat of Christ that every one may receive the things in the body, .ccordinf. to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." 2 Thes. i. 7 : " And to you who aie troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, i.i flaming tire takin.r ven- geance on them that know not Go.l.'and that obtv no. the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punLshed with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and fron. the glory of Hi- power : when Ho shall come to be gloriiied in llh saints, and to be admired in all them that believe" The punishment of the wicked here is connected with the coming of Christ, and with the final separation of the goats, or wicked, tVo.n the righteous, who are called sheep. As to the time when this judgment will take place We are intormed that God ■' hath appointed a d^y, in which He will j.dge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained ; whereof He hath ,dven assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised °Him from the dead." That day is called, "the day of th 82 THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. upon all." It is worthy of note here, that at that early day His comincr was connected with judgment. In those two promises, we have the two greatest events in our world's history alluded to. Inspiration spans the long era between the coming of Christ to redeem our race and His coming to judge that race. In the work of creation there were six days occupied • the seventh day was the Sabbath, or day of rest. So' after six thousand years of preparation, by means and agencies of divine appoint.rient, wo will have the thousand years of rest and blessedness. We have had two thousand years without law, two th.msand years under law, and two thousand under ., Gospel. Then the Sabbatic thousand shall be enjo when graspino- avarice, mad ambition, blind superstition, an.) cruH war shall cease, and (Isa. xi. 9) " they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea." At the close of this seventh thousand years, the pro.nise by Enoch will be fulfilled It may seem long to us, we are such poor, weak mortals. Four thousand years was for some a lorr^ time to wait for Christ to come to redeem us " One day with the Lord is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." Daniel, too, cf.ught a view of this cominrr judc^e Dan. vii. 9: ''I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head like the pure wool : His throne was like the fiory flame, and His wheels as burning iire. A fiery stream THE SECOND COMING OF CHBIST. gg -.ht vision, and. heUolTL'ZlJ Z: T ^'^ c>»ne with the clouds of heaven "V ° , '"^" passage fro.n Daniel i„ Matt .xvi ,, 'Zt ^''^ shall see iht^ <^r.^ c * -Hereafter ve powe^ aS e! nin! ZV'T'^ '"" ""''' ''-'^ '^ Matt, xxiv 30 ' ind LV'rtf "' '^''^^"•" ^l- the Son of Tan i„ h ' ''PP'^'*'' *'^« ^'S" of tribesofth earth „r""^ wf *''" «'"'" -" ^^e uie earth mourn, and they shall spp fl,« «„ ot man ccnin. in the clouds of heaven '1th an^ irreat olorv " T^i i "«aven with power and eve4 eye i s^^'Ht'^I^dT T ^'r^' P-eed Him: and al, kindr2r;f Se Itrtlf "'='; because of Him. Even so. Amen ' TV '^'"' ■spoken of down the a^es and 1 is 7m ™ '''"* not figurative, not spiritual H ii "" "°'"'"^' '^Ppoa.n, ,ear.y :^Tt tlf; l^'s^ J^ ^^"I^' was once .so humiliated and put to 'shame r n coine.s in iriorv and Ra .^ • f^^"^^' -tfe now .sublhnity "anTi ' • In Hke" '^'""'^' ^^"^°'^ °^ :itht^:lsl•:'t;r^hr - s - - -- .nan according to h.s works." L„k ix 2^ T'" whosoever .shall be ashamed of Me and of My Jal of .m .shall the Son of man be ashamed.Th n He shall come m His own glory, and in His Fatherl aS '%^^>^; 86 THE SECOND COMING OF CHRISf. trump : for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be chancred." This one passage seems to me to settle for ever t\vo things-- when the living will be changed, and when the dead will be raised. " At the last trump," that, certainly can- not mean at a thousand years before the last day, and the sounding of the last trump. Ifc is difficult to see how language could be more definite and conclusive than we have here from the lips of Jesus and of Paul. What an array of Scripture truth is on hand clearly showing that "at the last day " Christ shall come to judge the world, and that the dead shall be raised, and come forth to reward on the just principle, " according to their works." Rev. xx. 15: "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." This is the day of judgment. But six or seven periods of judgment have no foundation in the Book, is there anything said there about a judg- ment seat in heaven, or a marriage there ? " The day of the Lord," " the judgment day," and " the last day," are one day; the other five or six judgments are only fancies of men who have a theory to construct at all hazurds. THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. 83 tord." " the day of ju.lgment," " the day of' wrath " >m resMve when called " the last day." Jesus Him a r"ni uVrT^'- "' ''^ "-^ wih^Z" ciSD (lay AH that the Father hath o-iven Me T shnnlrl 0.0 nothin, ,..t .should raise it n/.^^^'llX' hC ■■ r^ r " '^T';ir: ''''''- '^^ -- of H,o M , ••'• ^^^'y '^''^ fourfold repetition thi lu ;::' it Lr:r"r °^«''^ -="*^ ^^'^'^ rowurd.s connected wiH, ^Ua^ ;',■'*'"'' *"<' ^"'h the in the minTTr •'""'^'"''"*- « there was in the wmd ot Jesus the idea of a rapture of ITis -nts one thousand years before this res.Lection a'd ^^^1; '''''.''"'''' H« '-- mentioned "the "ad r w' f'"' °''™'' "'^^» His saints would the tune of this event. Paul knew that it mi-^ht about he g.-eat change that death was to work upon he natura body, that there would be those livin" at the time o ■; the last u.y," or time of the resurrection Tear W 'n ..""^ "^*"'-^ ^' """=^^ ^ exempt forn fnTo H T? '•' '"''^' *^"^ P'-«^''«' bodies with them • Now H t" ''^u ■ ."" "P"'*'^ '^y^ "°- 1 Cor. XV. 50 : Now th.s I say brethren that flesh and blood cannot nherj the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption » Aent .ncorruption. Behold, I show you a mystery ^e shall not all sleep, but we shall all be chanted Tn a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at tte iast THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. 87 TENTH OBJECTION. This System is inconsistent with the Scriptural doctrine of the nature, progress, and growth of Christ's kingdom in the world, Tliey affirm, " tliafc this dispensation would go on with continuous and uninfcernipted evil to its close." Dr. West says: " Your favoured milleunium kinf^dom of universal holiness, rio-]iteou4uess, peace, victory, and glory before Christ comes, is a delusion." But lie has no proof to offer, not a line. Mr. Brooks ssljs : " That the universal prevalence of religion hereafter to be enjoyed, is not to be effected by any means of evan- gelizing the nations ; but by a stupendous display of divine wrath upon all the apostate and ungodly." Mr. Tyso : " The Scriptures do state the desi ^:\^\ ontanoou». She is now witt.v. now piithetic, yet ever strikiii Jy orii,'iiial." The Home Journal, New York : " She is one of the !n(.at orltrinal humoriits of tnetov, Pa. : " Uniouhtetily one of the triiost humorists. Nothinu' short of a cast-iron man can resist the exciuisite, droll and cntagious mirth of hir »ritiiiu'«." The Wninnn-x Jnvrnat, Hoston : "The keen s.irrasm. cheerful wit nnd oosrent armmients of her l-ooks have ooiivince.1 thousantls of the 'folly of their ways, ror nit can pierce where uruvc counsel fails." Infrr.O,-enn, (7hicn' l">l'ti- cians wh.. will he h,.,..(ite.i. and see themselves as others see them, if thev will read the chiipters ni He is •Creature not too hri'.'ht or jrood For human nature's daily food.' She is a woman, trit. philanthropist, and statesman n" Jn one, and I * rr'^P'iefJ thai Sweei Cicely's irontle, firm hand shall lead Josiah Allen's Wife onward intc literary iiuuiortaiity." ^ WILLIAM BRIGWS, Wesley Huildinars Toronto. C. W. Coaxes, Montreal, Que. S. F. Hue.stis, Halifax, N.S.