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THE COMING ONE

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Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, Cal. · Nov 23, 1915

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 42, No. 46.

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THE COMING ONE

By Clarence Santee

Promises of His Coming—Both Saint and Sinner Will See Him—The Righteous Dead Arise to Meet Him
By CLARENCE SANTEE
The coming of the Saviour is a subject that has awakened emotions more varied, perhaps, than any other. Sages and prophets have sung and have dreamed of that event. Martyrs have joyously gone to the stake, “not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection.” Heb. 11:35. This they expected at His coming.
Doubters have caviled and mocked, saying, “Where is the promise of His coming?” 2 Peter 3:4. Still others, uncertain, yet fearing its reality, have prayed that if it were a truth, they might be hid in the grave before its awful grandeur should burst upon a doomed world. And yet others, believing His coming to be near, have longed and prayed that they might live to see their descending Lord in His beauty.

WHY AND HOW WILL HE COME?

Will Christ come again? If so, how will He come? Why would He come with all the holy angels, and in unsurpassed glory, as some believe is portrayed in the Scriptures? If He comes, will His coming be visible to mortal eyes, or will it be in some form unseen by mortals, but taught by specially endowed men and women who will be instructed as to that appearing?
These, with many other questions of equal importance and interest, are aroused with the consideration of this theme.
The only solution that can be found of all these questions, must be found in the Bible. Men may say nature teaches that some great change is imminent. They do say it. But nature, much as it needs a change from the present manifestation, speaks nothing concerning a Saviour. God's word alone declares “the end from the beginning.” It offers the remedy for sin, and the fruition of all our hopes, in the coming of the Saviour. Please study some of the evidences upon which this statement is based.

PROMISES OF HIS COMING

First, the promises of His coming. God, speaking through the psalmist, said, “Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence.” Ps. 50:3. Through Isaiah He said, “For, behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with His chariots like a whirlwind.” Isa. 66:15. Through Jeremiah, “Behold, He shall come up as clouds, and His chariots shall be as a whirlwind.” Jer. 4:13.

COMING WITH POWER

But the Saviour has not left to seers of ancient times alone the heralds of His coming. Turning to the New Testament, we see two of His angels, as the grand company of their fellows escort Jesus on His way from this earth to the presence of the Father, lingering to give to the disciples the glad message of His return. They said: “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven.” Acts 1:11.
Jesus, in the presence of His most loving disciple, as well as of His bitterest foes, in answer to a direct question from the high priest concerning His being a king, said, “I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.” Mark 14:62.
The disciples all believed in it. John, in his advanced age, under the influence of the Spirit, said, “Behold, He cometh with clouds.” Rev. 1:7. His eyes grew dim with age, and in his darkened chamber he awaits the fulfilment of all these precious promises.
Paul, the disciple who “labored more abundantly than they all,” and who, though comparatively young when his work was finished, was called “Paul the aged” (Philemon 9) on account of his life of wearing and unremitting toil for Christ's sake, had encouraging visions of this same coming. Hear him say to the Thessalonians, “For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout.” 1 Thess. 4:16.
To the Hebrews he said, “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.
To Titus he said, “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” Titus 2:13.

WILL WE SEE HIM?

In view of all this, who can doubt He will come again? I believe that He will. Will His coming be visible to mortal eyes? Some of the texts used above are equally explicit in answering this.
“Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him.” Rev. 1:7. “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, last part.
“Every eye shall see Him.” “They shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven.” What could be plainer? Both righteous and wicked shall see Him come.
Mark's Gospel also has a straightforward way of expressing this thought of Christ's personal coming. It says, “And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.” Mark 13:26.

BOTH SAINT AND SINNER WILL SEE HIM

Both the saint who longs for that event, and the sinner who will call for “the mountains and rocks” to fall upon him to shut out the sight, will see Him come. His coming will be visible to all who will be living at that time.
How will He come? “Behold, He cometh with clouds.” Rev. 1:7. In many scriptures, His coming is said to be “with clouds.” Of what are these “clouds” composed? In Ps. 104:3, He says, “Who maketh the clouds His chariot.” In Ps. 68:17, He tells us that His chariots are composed of angels. “The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels.”

ALL THE ANGELS COME

How grand will be the sight! Not an angel will be left behind as He comes to receive His own. The Saviour said, “When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him.” Matt. 25:31.
The glory of the Father also rests upon the great, innumerable company, as they proceed from Him to descend to this earth, where the controversy has been worked out. Matt. 16:27.

THE DEAD COME FORTH

The righteous dead will be restored to life at that time, and the living righteous will be changed to immortality. “For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” 1 Thess. 4:16, 17.
Together the resurrected dead and the righteous living are caught up by the angels to meet their waiting Lord. Christ said, “And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” Matt. 24:31.
Will you have a share with one of these classes, gladly to be “caught up,” leaving behind all the traces of sin and death? You may have it so if you will. Loved ones cannot purchase the privilege for you, nor can enemies wrest it from you. All lies with your choice. It is worth the sacrifice. The reward is all eternity in the enjoyment of unfading pleasures at God's right hand.