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JESUS IS COMING

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The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 24, 1867

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 31, No. 2.

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JESUS IS COMING.

By Henry F. Phelps

THAT day is fast hastening. Christ will appear the second time. He is coming without sin unto salvation, to those that look for him. He went away bodily. The men of Galilee saw him. He will come again, in like manner, even as he was seen to go into Heaven. Says Jesus, “If I go away, I will come again.” He has gone away. He will come again. Blessed promise. Says Paul, “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” Says John, “But we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” “Behold he cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him.”
Again says Jesus, “Surely, I come quickly.” That coming will be visible: “And they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven.” “And ye shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.” “When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven with his mighty angels.” “Every eye shall see him.”
How can men, professed ministers of the gospel, scoff at the doctrine of the second advent, when we find so many passages like the foregoing? Not long since a preacher in this place tried to quiet the fears of his congregation, by telling them that this doctrine was not correct, and that the Corinthian church was a tolerably pure church till they began to imbibe the notion that Christ was coming. But Paul told them not to be troubled. But ever since that time there had been a few here and there who had believed that Christ would come again. When I hear men scoffing at this “go up doctrine,” as it is called, I sometimes think of those forty children, who mocked good old Elisha after Elijah had been caught away from him in a chariot of fire, caught up to God. They said, “go up thou bald head; go up thou bald head.” They were torn in pieces by wild beasts. And way down here, so long since, men have learned no better, for in 1844 after the time passed, as the wicked would meet our brethren, as they began to go about their business, with sad hearts, the salutation they would receive, would be, “Well old,”—calling them by name,—“You haint gone up yet.” Oh! if God took vengeance on children for mocking one old man, who said that his master had gone up, what, I ask, will be the portion of those who are guilty of mocking, scoffing, ridiculing, and persecuting, those who, according to his promise, are looking for the return of their blessed Master in the clouds of heaven. Let such now read their fate as given by the same One who has promised to return. Paul says, the Lord is to 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.” Then again all such shall flee from his presence and shall try to hide themselves, in the dens and rocks of the mountains, and shall say to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of his wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand?”
Sinner, that day will surely come; it hasteth. Not long will his chariot wheels stay. That day is a day of vengeance. Who may abide it? “He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart.” Are your hands clean? Have you a pure heart? Am I ready? Am I able to abide that day? These are questions of great importance. Let us answer them now before it is too late. Now is the accepted time. Jesus still pleads. The fountain for uncleanness is still open. The stream of mercy still flows. If you accept to-day, you can be safe. To-morrow may be too late. You may be lost, eternally lost. You want salvation, do you? Come, now. The Spirit and the bride say, Come, Jesus says, Come, and whosoever will let him come and drink of the water of life freely. May God help us to be wise before it is too late!
HENRY F. PHELPS.