A LITERAL COMING by J. H. Durland

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Feb 10, 1898

A LITERAL COMING.

By J. H. Durland

WHEN the second coming of Christ is presented, some persons will say: “Does not this coming mean our acceptance of Him at conversion, and the witness of the Spirit? Or may it not mean His reign over the church? Or may it not mean death?”

I feel free to say that it is impossible that any one of these should be meant. Think a moment. Do you condemn the Jews for rejecting the Messiah, when He came in such literal fulfilment of prophecy? and yet will you reject the same literalness about His second coming? “And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a Son, and shalt call His name Jesus.” Do you believe these words to be literally true? If so, why not believe what follows to be as literal? Luke 1:31-33.

We have a literal Christ, the Mediator of the new covenant. Heb. 12:24. We believe that the “Jerusalem which is above,” of which Sarah is typical, is the New Jerusalem which comes down out of heaven from God, and that it is a literal, tangible, real city. How, then, are we authorized to do away with the literal sense of a multitude of passages which predict a literal coming of Christ to set up a literal kingdom? Such “spiritualizing” of scriptures subverts the authority and power of the Word of God. What is the purpose of language, if not to convey definite ideas? It was no trouble for the Holy Spirit to choose words to convey correct thoughts. A little child gave the substance of the whole thing when it said, “If Jesus didn’t mean what He said, why didn’t He say what He meant?” But He did mean what He said, and His words will “not pass away.” Matt. 24:35.

His first advent did not mean death to the Jews, and they did not so understand it; neither does His second coming mean death to Christians, nor should they so understand it. Our Saviour made a clear distinction between death and His coming in John 21. He tells Peter how he (Peter) should die, and then, by contrast, He speaks of John, saying, “If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?” That is, that John might not die, but live till Jesus should come again. The disciples so understood it, and reported that “that disciple should not die.”

There are many passages that clearly teach that death can not be synonymous with the second coming of Christ. Death is an enemy (1 Cor. 15:26), and at Christ’s coming we are raised from the dead, and shout victory over death and the grave. “O death, where is thy sting? O Hades, where is thy victory?” If faithful unto death (tho faithfulness cost us our lives), we are promised a crown of life (Rev. 2:10); but we do not receive it until Jesus comes (2 Tim. 4:8).

We would that every Christian might realize “the grace that is to be brought unto” us (not at death but) “at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Nowhere in the sacred Word are we taught to watch for or prepare for death. But we are commanded to watch and prepare for the coming of our blessed Lord. Let us, therefore, not be deceived by the thought that our great “enemy,” death, is the precious coming of Jesus.

Reader, does not this subject interest you? You may say, “I know but little about it, and can not understand it.” But do you want to understand it? If so, God has given you His Word, and it is open to you. The Holy Spirit is promised as your Teacher. John 14:26. Will you study it? Will you search the Scriptures for yourself and see if these things are so? Jesus is soon coming, and you may not be ready to meet Him if you delay investigating this subject longer. It will bring joy to your soul. One who opposed the subject of the personal second coming, said, after spending an evening in investigating the Scriptures, “I have spent the happiest night of my life, for last evening I saw the truth concerning the second coming of Christ.” It filled him with joy. Reader, search the Scriptures, and ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to these important truths.

J. H. DURLAND.

Battle Creek, Mich.