PERVERTING THE SIGNS OF THE LORD'S COMING.
When any specific message is due to the world, the adversary is always ready with a perversion of it. When John the Baptist proclaimed the coming of Messiah, and even introduced Him to the church in person, they were unprepared to receive Him, because of the false ideas of His individuality and mission that had been inculcated by the enemy. And these false theories had been formulated by perverting the prophecies concerning the individual and the event. And the same is now true with regard to the second advent. The plain instruction of the Word is being turned from its obvious meaning to sustain the traditions of men. A religious contemporary introduces an article on the subject of the second advent in the following language:— “What shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world?” This does not mean the destruction of the cosmos or material earth, but the end of the age socially, religiously, and politically. But it does mean the gathering of the Lord’s people out from the world, and taking them to Himself. Matt. 25: 31-34; 13: 41-43; 1 Thess. 4: 13-18. And the “brightness of His coming” will destroy those who have not heeded His Word. 2 Thess. 2: 7-12; Rev. 6: 12-17. The writer above quoted proceeds to ignore all physical signs in the “material world” as literal precursors of the Lord’s coming, referring to them as “figures and symbols.” This very theory of interpretation (which is “New Thought” in principle) is a delusion and a snare to the unwary. When the disciples asked the question of Christ, “What shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world?” they also asked concerning the destruction of the temple, of which He had just spoken. Jesus answered all the questions together, warning them against deception, and giving them visible signs concerning all the events mentioned. The sequel proved that the sign concerning Jerusalem was literal and physical, therefore it is reasonable to conclude that the signs in the heavens, given as tokens of His near coming, were also literal. In the absence of any indication that they were not to be so considered, it would seem unreasonable not to so receive them. This conclusion is strengthened by the fact that three of these signs (Matt. 24: 29) have been literally manifested—those of the sun and moon in 1780, and that of the stars in 1833. By these we are to know that the Lord’s coming is “near, even at the doors.” Then to deface these material, physically visible signs, and to make of them indefinite “prophetic figures and symbols,” is to pervert their character, and, consequently, their significance. True, the Lord has not left us without signs of a spiritual nature, together with these physical tokens. He also says: “As the days of Noah 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 Noah 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.” Why did they not know?—Because they did not believe the Word of God. The deceiver persuaded them that a literal Flood was a scientific impossibility; so they went right on with their ordinary vocations and enjoyments till they were overtaken as a thief. And the Lord says it will be just so in the end. The enemy will be seducing the people with learned perversions of the Word of God, especially endeavoring to beguile those who profess Christianity, blinding their eyes to the evidence of the visible signs which the Master has set up for their guidance and encouragement. Those who shut their eyes to the landmarks can not expect to know where they are in respect to the coming and kingdom of the Lord.