HIS GLORIOUS APPEARING by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Nov 17, 1881

HIS GLORIOUS APPEARING.

By Charles Haddon Spurgeon

THE first manifestation was very partial; it was Christ seen through a glass, Christ in the midst of grief and the cloud of humiliation. Christ is yet to appear in the strong sense of the word "appearing." He is to come out and shine forth. He is to leave the robes of scorn and shame behind, and to come in the glory of the Father, and all his holy angels with him. This is the constant teaching of the word of God, and the constant hope of the church, that Christ will appear. Many questions at once suggest themselves. How will Christ appear? When will Christ appear? Where will Christ appear? and so on. What God answers, we may inquire, but some of our questions are mere impertinence.

I believe Christ will appear in person. I never can tolerate the idea of his second coming being merely a spiritual coming. That always seems to me to be the most transparent folly that can possibly be put together, because Christ cannot come spiritually, he always is here: "Lo! I am with you always, even unto the end of the world."

Christ's spiritual coming can never be that which is spoken of in Scripture as the day of our release. I sometimes say to brethren, "Do you think that if Christ were to come spiritually now, we should observe the ordinances better?" "Yes, certainly." "Do you think, for instance, the ordinance of the Lord's Supper would be better attended to?" "Yes, no doubt it would."

Yes, but then this proves that this is not the coming which the Bible speaks of, because it is expressly said of the Lord's Supper, that we are to do it in remembrance of him till he come. A spiritual coming would make us do it more zealously; there must be another form of coming which would justify our giving up the Supper altogether, and that must be of a personal character, for then, and then only, might the Supper properly cease. We shall not need to have a Supper to remind us of the person, when the person himself shall be present in our midst, reigning and triumphant in his church.

We believe in a personal reign and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. But how will he come? He will doubtless come with great splendor; the angels of God shall be his attendants. We gather from Scripture that he will come to reign in the midst of his people, that the house of Israel will acknowledge him as king; yea, that all nations shall bow down before him, and kings shall pay him homage. None shall be able to stand against him. "Those that pierced him shall wail because of him."

We look for such a coming, and, without entering into minute details, we are content to believe that he is coming in his glory, to show himself to be what he ever was—King of kings, and Lord of lords, God over all, blessed forever; to be adored and worshiped, and no more to be despised and rejected of men.—Spurgeon.