p. 1 | Christ's Coming

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Apr 16, 1894

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 20, No. 24.

Christ's Coming.

More than eighteen hundred years ago the Man of Nazareth, overlooking the holy city from the brow of Olivet, then doomed because of its sins, predicted its destruction, the end of the gospel age, and his own coming.

There Shall Be Signs.

Of the latter event he declared that it would be ushered in by premonitions and indications unmistakable to every observer. He says: "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth; for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory." Luke 21: 25-27.

Signs Everywhere.

The above is certainly explicit. God declares that he will hang out in that generation prior to Christ's second coming (verses 31, 32) signs in the sidereal world, in the physical world, in the political world, and in the same discourse as given by Matthew and Mark, in the social and religious world. These signs are all before us; the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. The same thing—the proximity of the end—is foretold by symbolic prophecy. But to understand prophecy, to trace its fulfillment in history, requires thought and study, and none but the earnest or interested seekers are likely to pursue this line of study. It requires too much time and application for the average last-day human, and so the excuse would be, "I did not understand that Christ's coming was near; I could not comprehend the prophecies."

Sun, Moon, and Stars.

Therefore, to have men without excuse, God has hung out special signs everywhere, where all may see who will, all of which have been predicted by inspiration; and the fulfillment of the prediction, and the nature of the sign itself, carry with them conviction to many of those who witness them. Take some of the prominent signs which have occurred since the birth of the last and greatest empire—America. Jesus predicted that between A.D. 1776 and 1798 there would be the darkening of the sun and moon, that is, this phenomenon would come within the days of papal persecution, after the persecution had ceased. The days of persecution began A.D. 538 and continued to 1798. The persecution of the days ended in 1776, when Maria Theresa, of Austria, granted toleration of all creeds, and the broad wings of America were spread for a shelter to the oppressed. Just after that—"immediately after the tribulation of those days" (Matt. 24: 29), "in those days, after that tribulation" (Mark 13: 24)—the sun was supernaturally darkened, namely, on May 19, 1780, noted by historians as "the dark day," and for which science can give no satisfactory reason. The following night, although the moon was at the full, was so dark that one writer says, "A sheet of white paper held within a few inches of the eye was equally invisible with the blackest velvet." Nov. 13, 1833, came the great meteoric shower, covering two-thirds of the earth's surface. Each of these carried to observers the conviction that they were precursors of Christ's second coming.

"Distress of Nations."

Have we seen it? Are we not now seeing it? True, there has been distress in the past, but those were in times when men did not profess the wisdom and piety they do now. Invention had not then cheapened the necessities of life. The art of production of foods and their rapid transportation to the needy communities did not then exist as they now exist. But the nations are in distress, and strong men and willing women are begging for work, and earnest souls look upon it and cry, "How long? O Lord, how long?"

"With Perplexity."

The conditions of things in the social and political world are perplexing. The wisest social and political economists, the greatest statesmen, the most ardent reformers and philanthropists, have endeavored and are endeavoring to find some way out of the difficulty, but the study, the time, the conferences, have left practical problems mostly untouched. They have, however, shown that the union between the conferees existed in only one thing, namely, that something must be done. And this is its present status; and in the meantime souls and bodies are starving and dying.

"Men's Hearts Failing Them for Fear."

And it is so. All over the earth men are waiting in fearful expectation for the unexpected. They know not what will come next. Wars and rumors of wars, labor troubles and strikes, socialism, anarchism, nihilism, in all their various forms, threaten the very foundation of order, and, on the other extreme, greed of gold and monopoly and corporation are crushing the very life from the individual.

"Perilous Times."

Yes, the times are perilous. Inspiration predicts it for "the last days." In these days it has come; and one of the great causes of it all is the condition of the professed church of Christ. For the perilous times are here, "for [because] men are lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, . . . high minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof." 2 Tim. 3: 1-5. Such is the picture drawn by inspiration of the professed but popular church in "the last days." God designed her to be "the salt of the earth," "the light of the world," but she has turned from the true Light, and is walking in "the sparks of her own kindling." The very church which should have been a conservator of righteousness has turned from some of the plainest precepts of God's rule of righteousness. Her example says, "It shall be well with the wicked;" and from that example the wicked turn from God's word, and walk on in worse condemnation.

Christ Is Coming.

We do not despair. We are not pessimistic. The above are the facts, but they are omens of the coming dawn. The lovers of Christ and his truth will heed the warnings, will welcome the signs, will rejoice that he is coming, will labor for the souls in darkness, in peril, in want and misery and woe. And God is merciful, and Christ will save. Despite all the backslidings of the church, despite all the sins of man, the merciful, mightful, pitiful Christ still pleads for all to come to him for present salvation now, that he may come for them with eternal salvation then. Those who will heed his call will be glad to know that his presence is near, will welcome his coming, will greet him as the best of all best friends, and will joy in his presence with singing. "Even so, Lord Jesus, come quickly."