The Coming of Christ.—No. 3.
By S. S. Griswold
Having shown in the preceding article that Christ and the apostles taught that the coming of the Son of man and the coming of the Lord were events near at hand in that age, I now proceed to consider the particular passages of the New Testament relating to that subject, and endeavor to ascertain the true nature or character of that advent. There are two classes of passages that refer to the advent, and it is worthy of notice that they employ widely different terms when describing the coming of Christ. In the gospels, it is called the coming of the Son of man—the coming of the Son of man in his kingdom. In the epistles, it is called the coming of the Lord—the appearing of Jesus Christ, the revelation of Jesus Christ, the day of the Lord Jesus, the great day, the last day, that day, the day, all of which doubtless refer to a coming of Christ, and the character of that coming is the object of our inquiry. Is it a coming of Christ in a bodily form, a personal return of the Saviour to this earth? or is it a coming of Christ in the establishing of his kingdom; and in those providences, special or otherwise, by which the kingdom of God has been, and is to be, built up here, resulting in the judgment and destruction of its enemies; also the revelation of the Saviour in the soul and heart; a conscious experience of believers; the being present of the Lord; the coming of Christ to his people at death; their resurrection in the spirit world; their glorified entrance into Heaven; the continuous judgment of the dead; as they enter the world of spirits, including all those attending events; that stand connected with the solemnity and import of those things? For, as has been remarked, nor must the fact be overlooked, that both Christ and the apostles, so clearly taught that the coming of Christ was an event, near at hand, in that age, that it would be fulfilled during that generation, that whatever may be the character of that coming, it must synchronize with such teachings of Christ and the apostles. For, if they were mistaken as to the time of Christ’s advent, they might be as to whether there was to be any advent; and hence the whole teachings of the New Testament concerning the subject may prove unfounded. I am well aware of the ingenuity, if not sophistry, that has been used, to remove the time of Christ’s advent far down into the future, or at least down into this present age. But it may be questioned whether a more perverted exegesis of Scripture can be found, than that which aims at setting aside the plain, direct and positive teachings of the New Testament, that the time of the advent was then at hand, that it was immediately to transpire, that the Judge THEN stood before the door, and hence, they, to whom Christ spoke, and to whom the apostles wrote, were to watch for his coming, to stand ready to greet his coming, their loins were to be girt, their lamps trimmed and burning, ready to meet their Lord when he should return from the wedding, the Lord’s grand entrance into Heaven at his resurrection, whither he had gone, to meet his celestial bride, the vast multitude of redeemed ones, who were already in that spirit world. The importance of the point above considered, viz., the time of the advent, is my apology for the length of the digression. Let us now examine those passages which speak of “the coming of the Son of man,” and “in his kingdom.” The phrases, Son of man, and kingdom of God, doubtless found their origin in the description given of a vision seen by the captive prophet Daniel during his residence in Babylon. The account is found in Daniel 2:44 and 7:9-14, where reference is doubtless had to the kingdom which Christ founded during his ministry on earth. For it was during the reign of those kings, there mentioned, that the God of Heaven was to set up a kingdom, which was never to be destroyed, but which was to break in pieces, and consume all other kingdoms, and it was to stand forever. To this kingdom, the prophet saw one like a Son of man coming with the clouds of heaven, multitudes of the heavenly hosts, and came to the Ancient of Days, who invested him with dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. Hence, as preparatory to the fulfillment of this prophecy, the voice in the wilderness heralded the coming of the Son of man, saying, Prepare the way of the Lord, the kingdom of Heaven or of God is at hand, the reign of Heaven draws nigh. Immediately the king of this kingdom made his appearance, laid its foundation, received all power in heaven and on earth, and was publicly inaugurated as the Son of God. At his resurrection and ascension, to his apostles and disciples he committed this kingdom, and commissioned them to promulgate its principle throughout the world. “And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me, that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” Luke 22:29. Thus was founded the kingdom of God on this earth, with Jesus of Nazareth as its king, whom, after his ascension, the heavens were to receive during the times of the restitution of all things. It was in reference to the affairs of this kingdom, that the gospels speak of Christ’s coming under the title of the Son of man. “But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another; for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.” Matt. 10:23. That this coming of the Son of man refers to Christ’s coming, not in person, but in the advancement of his kingdom, is evident from the fact that he himself preached that the gospel of the kingdom of God was drawing near. Mark 1:14, 15. “Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” Matt. 10:7, the apostles were commissioned to declare, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Now it was to encourage the apostles as they went forth preaching the glad news of this kingdom amidst persecution, that Christ promised them that they would not have gone over the cities of Israel, the land of Palestine, until this kingdom would become a reality. The Son of man, as its king, would be come. Matt. 16:27, 28: “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.” To make this a prophecy of his transfiguration and that it had its fulfillment in that appearance of the Lord, is most puerile. And to assure an audience that some of them would be alive six days from the time he was speaking is most absurd and ridiculous. To refer the passage to the “Final Judgment,” as coming at the end of the world, violates the language. For it was an event soon to take place, just about to be, during the lifetime of some who were standing there listening. And yet it was a coming that would imply his elevation to the office of Judge of all men; for at that coming he would “reward every man according to his works.” It was the coming of Christ in his kingdom, by the promulgation of the gospel, and the founding of the church which was to be the kingdom of God. It was spoken by way of encouragement to his disciples, assuring them that his cause was not a hopeless one, although he now appeared simply as a man, and his course seemed weak. He would soon appear in glory, with angels as attendants, and his kingdom would stand forth with power.