THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST.
By F. M. Wilcox
IN closing our article last week, we noted the fact that visitations of wrath and judgment from the Lord were always preceded by messages of mercy. The flood, the destruction of the cities of the plain, and the downfall of Nineveh were cited as examples. From this it would appear that before the second coming of Christ and the execution of the great final judgment upon the nations of men, the Lord would send a message of mercy to prepare mankind for those great events. He has given signs, many of them, as we all must admit. Will there go to the world a warning message based on these signs?—Natural reasoning would thus determine. Without such a message the signs would be of little worth; for while at the time they might occasion great concern, they would soon lose their power, and the events foreshadowed by them would be ignored and unregarded. Then, too, were there no proclamation based on these signs, calling attention to the prophecies of the Scriptures regarding them, mankind would fail to recognize their significance or the relation they bore to the end of all things. But what say the Scriptures regarding a last-day message?—"Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain; let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand." Joel 2:1. Then there will be a message proclaimed to the world just before the end of all things, and the burden of that message will be that the day of the Lord is nigh at hand. The trumpet will be blown and the alarm will be sounded. And as a result of this message the people of the land shall tremble. "And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come; and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." Rev. 14: 6, 7. Here, also, the same proclamation is brought to view, and it is plainly stated that it is to be preached to "every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people." Of what is this message to consist? What will constitute its great burden and its leading features?—Briefly stated, it is a message of reform. It is a message to the godless world and to the backslidden church, calling upon them to forsake their sins, and to turn to the Bible standard and simplicity of doctrine, belief, and practice. That message warns men of pending judgment, and calls them back to allegiance to the law of God as the judgment rule and test. In short, it is a message embracing thorough reform upon every point, from every wrong doctrine and defiling trait, physically and spiritually—a message to fit its recipients for translation at the second coming of the Lord. Such a message is already going to the world by tongue and pen, by the living preacher and the printed page. Such is the message being borne in the fear of God by this journal, and its colaborers in other parts of the great harvest field. Based on the word of God, answering to the prophecy of the word in the time and manner of its rise, it is now going forth, not by the power or genius of men, but in the strength and by the power of the living God, to accomplish that in the earth appointed it by Heaven's decree,—the preparation of a people for the reception of the soon-coming Saviour. Small credit indeed can those connected with it take for its past success. True, God has wrought through their weak and feeble efforts, but, more than this, he has wrought outside and beyond their efforts, proving that he was not dependent alone upon the humble instrumentalities employed, but upon his Holy Spirit's power for its accomplishment. Such, kind reader, do we believe is the message of God for to-day,—the present, living truth for this day and generation. And in saying this we trust that we may not be charged with egotism, for it is the conscientious conviction of our souls, strengthened, we believe, by the testimony of the immutable word. But one more consideration demands our attention, and then will we draw this article, and with it this series of articles, to a close: For how long will the proclamation of Christ's return be sounding to the world? How long after the signs are witnessed before Christ will come? As to the exact number of days and months and years to be employed in the giving of the message, we cannot tell. The day or month or year of Christ's coming we cannot determine, and should we attempt it, it would manifest in us but presumptive curiosity. "Of that day and hour knoweth no man." We do know this, however, and we know it because God's word says it, that the same generation that witnesses the signs, and consequently that hears the message based on the signs, will live to witness the appearing of Christ in the clouds of heaven. The proof of this we find in the 21st chapter of the Gospel of Luke. Beginning with the 25th verse, Christ speaks of the signs to be seen in the heavens, in the earth, and in the sea. He then introduces the parable of the fig tree. When we see the trees putting forth their leaves, we know that summer is nigh. Foolish indeed would we count the one who would attempt to prove to us that the opening buds denoted the approach of winter. "So likewise ye," continues Christ, "when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away; but my words shall not pass away." Verses 31-33. How solemn to us is the thought herein contained! We are the generation that have witnessed the signs. Every one of the signs enumerated have we in some way, either with our own eyes, or through the eyes of others, on history's page, been witnesses to. Then to us the message comes. To us God sends the warning. We who are alive to-day shall witness that transcendent event, before which all the glories of the universe shall pale, the coming of the Son of man in the clouds of heaven. Yes, Christ will come the second time. He will come now soon, within the day and generation of those who read these lines. There is no question about this, no mysticism, no doubt or uncertainty. And some will be waiting to receive him. Some there will be who shall look up when he appears, and 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." But the great question with us, dear readers, is, Will we be among that happy throng? Will you be one who shall sing hosannas to the Son of David at that great day? Will I be one of that glad company? These questions are for us to settle for ourselves. We may be saved in that happy throng if we will. It is for us to say what we will do. It is for us to decide, for us to choose, and it is for God to strengthen that decision with his mighty power. The decision will cost sacrifice. It will cost the loss of worldly pleasure, the endurance of scoffing, of ridicule, of persecution. It will cost the denial of sinful indulgence, and the utter crucifixion of self. But, oh, it will pay, a hundred-fold will it pay with interest compounded in the kingdom of God! We leave with you this question, Will you prepare to meet Jesus Christ in peace when he returns to claim his own? May God enable you in his strength, not your own, to make a wise decision. The battle is the Lord's, and victory will turn on the side of truth and righteousness. Through faith in Christ the victory may be ours.