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VII. Coming Events and Signs of
the Times
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Chapter 72
:
Christ's Second Coming
1.
WHAT promise did Christ make concerning His coming?
"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God,
believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many
mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go
to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a
place for you, I will come again, and receive you
unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."
John 14:1-3.
2.
Following the signs of His coming, what did Christ say
would take place?
"And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a
cloud with power and great glory." Luke 21:27.
3.
Will the world be prepared to meet Him?
"And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in
heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth
mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in
the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." Matt.
24:30. "Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye
shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him: and
all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him."
Rev. 1:7.
4.
Why will many not be prepared for this event?
"But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart,
My lord delays his coming; and shall begin to smite
his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the
drunken; the lord of that servant shall come in a day
when he looks not for him. And in an hour that he is not
aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his
portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and
gnashing of teeth." Matt. 24:48-51.
5.
What will the world be doing when Christ comes?
"But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming
of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were
before the Flood they were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that
Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the Flood
came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming
of the Son of man be." Verses 37-39. "Likewise also as
it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank,
they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained
fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is
revealed." Luke 17:28-30.
NOTE.-The idea is, not that it is wrong in itself to
eat, drink, marry, buy, sell, plant, or build, but
that men's minds will be so taken up with these
things that they will give little or no thought to
the future life, and make no plans or preparation to
meet Jesus when He comes.
6.
Who is it that blinds men to the gospel of Christ?
"In whom the god of this world hath blinded the
minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the
glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God,
should shine unto them." 2 Cor. 4:4.
NOTES.-"To my mind this precious doctrine-for such I
must call it-of the return of the Lord to this earth
is taught in the New Testament as clearly as any
other doctrine in it; yet I was in the church
fifteen or sixteen years before I ever heard a
sermon on it. There is hardly any church that does
not make a great deal of baptism; but in all of
Paul's epistles I believe baptism is spoken of only
thirteen times, while it speaks about the return of
our Lord fifty times; and yet the church has had
very little to say about it. Now I can see a reason
for this. The devil does not want us to see this
truth; for nothing would wake up the church so much.
The moment a man takes hold of the truth that Jesus
Christ is coming back again to receive His followers
to Himself, this world loses its hold on him. Gas
stocks, and water stocks, and stocks in banks and
railroads are of very much consequence to him then.
His heart is free, and he looks for the blessed
appearing of his Lord, who, at His coming, will take
him into His blessed kingdom."-"The Second Coming
of Christ," by D. L. Moody, pages 6, 7.
" 'This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into
heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have
seen Him go into heaven,' is the parting promise
of Jesus to His disciples, communicated through the
two men in white apparel, as a cloud received Him
out of their sight. When after more than fifty years
in glory He breaks the silence and speaks once more
in the Revelation which He gave to His servant John,
the post-ascension gospel which He sends opens with,
'Behold, He comes with clouds,' and closes
with, 'Surely I come quickly.' Considering
the solemn emphasis thus laid upon this doctrine,
and considering the great prominence given to it
throughout the teaching of our Lord and of His
apostles, how was it that for the first five years
of my pastoral life it had absolutely no place in my
preaching? Undoubtedly, the reason lay in the lack
of early instruction. Of all the sermons heard from
childhood on, I do not remember listening to a
single one upon this subject." -"How Christ Came
to Church," by A. J. Gordon, D.D., pages 44, 45.
7. At
His ascension, what assurance was given of Christs
return?
"And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He
went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
which also said, You men of Galilee, why stand you
gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is
taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like
manner as you have seen Him go into heaven." Acts
1:10,11.
8.
How ancient is this doctrine of Christ's coming?
"And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of
these, saying, Behold, the Lord comes with ten
thousands of His saints, to execute judgment upon
all." Jude 14,15.
NOTE.-Seeking to cast reflection upon modern
believers in the advent doctrine, a man in Hungary
not long ago remarked to a colporteur of this faith
that he had heard that the first Adventist preacher
is still living. "Yes," replied the colporteur, "the
first Adventist preacher is still living, yet the
Adventist faith is thousands of years old. The Bible
says that Enoch also, the seventh from Adam,
preached the coming of Christ in glory and power,
and Enoch is still living. He was translated to
heaven without seeing death, and will never die."
9.
What was Job's confidence concerning Christ's coming?
"For I know that my Redeemer lives, and that He shall
stand at the latter day upon the earth: . . . whom I
shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and
not another; though my reins be consumed within me." Job
19:25-27.
10.
How does David speak of Christ's coming?
"Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire
shall devour before Him, and it shall be very
tempestuous round about Him." Ps. 50:3. "For He cometh,
for He cometh to judge the earth: He shall judge the
world with righteousness, and the people with His
truth." Ps. 96:13.
11.
How does Paul give expression to this hope?
"For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we
look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ." Phil. 3:20.
"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious
appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ!"
Titus 2:13.
12.
What is Peter's testimony regarding it?
"For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when
we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ, but were eye-witnesses of His majesty." 2
Peter 1:16.
13.
When are the saints to he like Jesus?
"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it does 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." 1 John 3:2.
14.
What scriptures show that Christ's coming will be a time
of reward?
"For the Son of man shall come in the glory of His
Father with His angels; and then He shall reward
every man according to his works." Matt. 16:27.
"And, behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with
Me, to give every man according as his work shall
be." Rev. 22:12.
15.
To whom is salvation promised at Christ's appearing?
"So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many;
and unto them that look for Him shall He appear
the second time without sin unto salvation." Heb. 9:28.
16.
What influence has this hope upon the life?
"We know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like
Him; for we shall see Him as He is. And every man
that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He
is pure." 1 John 3:2,3.
17.
To whom does Paul say a crown of righteousness is
promised?
"For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my
departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have
finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth
there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which
the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that
day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that
love His appearing." 2 Tim. 4:6-8.
18.
What will the waiting ones say when Jesus comes?
"And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God;
we have waited for Him, and He will save us: this is
the Lord; we
have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His
salvation." Isa. 25:9.
19.
Has the exact time of Christ's coming been revealed?
"But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not
the angels of heaven, but My Father only." Matt. 24:36.
20.
In view of this fact, what does Christ tell us to do?
"Watch therefore: for you know not what hour your
Lord does come." Verse 42.
NOTE.-"In the Scriptures, the constant note, the
continually recurring exhortation, is to be prepared
for the Lord's coming."-Dean Alford. "The
proper attitude of a Christian is to be always
looking for his Lord's return."-D. L. Moody. See
"How Christ Came to Church," by A. J. Gordon, pages
49, 50.
21.
What warning has Christ given that we might not be taken
by surprise by this great event?
"And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your
hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness,
and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you
unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that
dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch you
therefore, and pray always, that you may be accounted
worthy to escape all these things that shall come to
pass, and to stand before the Son of man." Luke
21:34-36.
22.
What Christian grace are we exhorted to exercise in our
expectant longing for this event?
"Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming
of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the
precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for
it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be you
also patient; establish your hearts: for the
coming of the Lord draws nigh." James 5:7,8.
I
am waiting for the coming
Of earth's long-expected Lord;
For the signs are now fulfilling
That He gave us in His Word.
I am watching, I am waiting,
For that promised happy day;
Yet I do not cease my working;
I must work as well as pray.
W. S. CRUZAN.
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