The Coming of Our Lord by L. A. Reed

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Jan 28, 1913

The Coming of Our Lord

By L. A. Reed

By L. A. Reed

Christ’s Coming

JESUS, the Christ, is coming again. Who can doubt it? He Himself has declared it. His word can not fail. In His confidential communion with His disciples, the evening before the trial and the crucifixion, He assured them:

“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 14:2, 3.

This was more than a mere promise that He would come again; it was a promise that when He did come He would receive these, His disciples, unto Himself, to be thereafter with Him in the place prepared. The promise is not that His disciples shall go to Him at death. He is to receive them unto Himself only when He comes again.

Then when Jesus comes, and only then, God’s children enter into their reward. This is precisely in accordance with the words of Christ as spoken upon another occasion:

“For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and then shall He render unto every man according to his deeds.” Matt. 16:27.

It is easily enough to be seen from this that at His coming, Jesus will bring salvation to His people. But there is a scripture that explicitly declares this:

“Christ also, having been once offered to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time, apart from sin, to them that wait for Him, unto salvation.” Heb. 9:28.

In perfect harmony with this, Paul taught that the crowns of righteousness will be given when Christ shall appear. In the Roman dungeon, with the shadow of soon-coming death resting over his life, he wrote:

“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. 4:8.

The American Revised Version renders the last statement, “But also to all them that have loved His appearing.” Many who have loved Christ’s appearing or second coming, like Paul, have died and been laid away. But the promise is sure, nevertheless. Paul declared that the crown was laid up. He said that it would be given to him in that day when the Judge appears. And at that time all who have loved the appearing of Christ will, with Paul, likewise receive the crown.

Writing to the Thessalonians, this same Paul has described how both the living and the dead of God’s chosen will enter into this reward. His word on this matter is clearly authoritative. He says:

“This we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we that are alive, that are left unto the coming of the Lord, shall in no wise precede them that are fallen asleep. 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 that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” 1 Thess. 4:15-18.

Thus in detail Paul, by the word of the Lord, explains how when Christ comes again He will receive His children unto Himself, that where He is they may ever be also.

And he also declares plainly by this word of the Lord, that both living and dead are to be caught up together in the clouds, of angels, to meet the Lord in the air, then evermore to be with the Lord. How idle then, and how contrary to the facts and statement of Scripture, is that teaching that Christ comes at death, and then the believer at once enters upon his blissful existence.

The facts of the above scripture are to be our hope and comfort. Paul’s admonition is, “Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” But plainly we can have little interest in that time, if death is to take us there ahead of that time. Then, do you not see that the teaching that death is the time of entering into reward, and of being with Christ, absolutely denies what the Word says when it declares that both the living and the dead, at the coming of Christ, are together to be received by Him at the one time? And thus also it is at the foundation of that awful disregard in the churches to-day of that which ought to be the one hope and comfort of all—the blessed appearing of Christ? The crown of righteousness, you will remember, is to be given to them who love His appearing.

Through all the history of the church, the coming of Christ has been the great hope and comfort of the faithful. Job, in the midst of his affliction, feeling that he had entered the very shadow of death, and that in his disease his body had actually begun the work of dissolution, could look beyond the destruction of the body to the resurrection of a new body and a glorious sight of the appearing Christ.

“O that my words were now written! O that they were printed in a book! That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock forever! For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and tho after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; tho my reins be consumed within me.” Job 19:25-27.

That the coming of Christ is the time when God’s people shall be delivered, was plainly declared to the prophet Daniel by the angel Gabriel.

“Michael [shall] stand up, the great Prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.” Dan. 12:1.

It is at this time that Jesus sets up His kingdom. Paul makes this very plain. It is not at Pentecost. It is when Christ appears.

“The Lord Jesus Christ . . . shall judge the quick and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom.” 2 Tim. 4:1.

Christ Himself declared the same thing. He tells us that His coming, His sitting on the throne to reign, and the entering of His saints into the kingdom, are all synchronous; they all occur at the one time.

“When the Son of Man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory. Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Matt. 25:31, 34.

Not until that time will the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign forever and ever. For the kingdom that Christ sets up, breaks in pieces and consumes all earthly kingdoms, and stands forever. Dan. 2:44.

It is by this destruction of sin, sinners, and all sinful, earthly kingdoms, that the promise of God to Christ is to be fulfilled.

“I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto Me, Thou art My Son; this day have I begotten Thee. Ask of Me, and I shall give Thee the heathen for Thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” Ps. 2:7-9.

The glorious presence of Christ, which is the surety and safeguard of the believer, becomes the vengeance of God to the rebellious wicked, and their destruction.

“And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power; when He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them that believe.” 2 Thess. 1:7-10.

His glorious appearance changes the believer in Christ into the same image as His Lord (1 John 3:2); but it consumes the sinner (2 Peter 3:7).

Thus the saints shall enter into their immortal inheritance. And thus too the sinner shall be destroyed. Sin must cease. God has decreed that throughout His wide domains there shall not be sin, sickness, death, or the curse. All shall be holy and blessed, all shall be glorious. Those who definitely and fixedly connect themselves with sin, will perish in the destruction of sin. But the destruction was for sin and not for man. If he chooses it deliberately, the blame rests upon himself, and not upon the One who has decreed the banishment from His kingdom of all sin.

But we need not be among those who rebel. We may be among those who believe, among those who love His appearing, among those who comfort one another with the words of God relative to that glorious time. If so, we shall not be among those who go down in ruin, but instead we may say: “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.

[The last article in this series is “The Hope of the Ages,” by A. O. Tait.]