Our Bible Reading

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Oct 10, 1911

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 38, No. 40.

Our Bible Reading

He Will Come Again

Proposition 1: Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the eternal Word, came to this world once in human form.

Proof: And the Word became flesh, and DWELT AMONG US (and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only-begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth. John 1:14.

Proposition 2: As He came literally the first time, so, truly, will He come the second time.

Proof: So Christ also, having been once offered to bear the sins of many, shall appear A SECOND TIME, apart from sin, to them that wait for Him, unto salvation. Heb. 9:28.

Proposition 3: He promised His own disciples that He would come again.

Proof: Little children, yet a little while I am with you. . . . Whither I go, thou canst not follow Me now; but thou shalt follow afterwards. . . . Let not your heart be troubled: believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I COME AGAIN, and will receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. John 13:33 to 14:3.

Proposition 4: That coming will be a personal, literal coming.

Proof: Thus the angels declared at His ascension: "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye looking into heaven? THIS JESUS, who was received up from you into heaven, shall so come IN LIKE MANNER as ye beheld Him going into heaven." Acts 1:9-11.

Proposition 5: As a cloud of angels received Him out of sight as He ascended, so will He come with clouds of angels.

Proof: Behold, He COMETH WITH CLOUDS; and every eye shall see Him. Rev. 1:7.

And then shall they see the Son of Man COMING IN A CLOUD with power and great glory. Luke 21:27.

The Son of Man shall come in His glory, and ALL THE ANGELS with Him. Matt. 25:31.

Proposition 6: At His coming His people will enter upon their reward.

Proof: For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and THEN shall He RENDER UNTO EVERY MAN according to his deeds. Matt. 16:27.

Proposition 7: The living righteous shall be changed to immortality; the righteous dead shall be raised incorruptible.

Proof: Behold, I tell you a mystery: We all shall not sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the DEAD shall be raised INCORRUPTIBLE, and WE shall be CHANGED. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 1 Cor. 15:51-54.

Proposition 8: Then will they be caught away from the earth, with their Lord, and ascend to those mansions which He has prepared.

Proof: For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we that are alive, that are left unto the coming of the Lord, shall in no wise precede them that are fallen asleep. For the LORD HIMSELF SHALL DESCEND from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we that are alive, that are left, shall TOGETHER WITH THEM BE CAUGHT UP IN THE CLOUDS, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 1 Thess. 4:15-17.

Proposition 9: In the glory of His presence will perish all of sin, and all that is identified with sin.

Proof: At the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with the angels of His power in flaming fire, rendering vengeance to them that know not God, and to them that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus: who shall suffer punishment, even ETERNAL DESTRUCTION from the face of the Lord and from the glory of His might, when He shall come to be glorified in His saints. 2 Thess. 1:7-10.

Proposition 10: Then will begin His everlasting reign.

Proof: At His APPEARING and His KINGDOM. 2 Tim. 4:1.

When the Son of Man shall come in His glory, and all the angels with Him, THEN shall He sit on the THRONE of His glory. Matt. 25:31.

NOTE.—The student of Scripture will see that in all these scriptures there is nothing on which to base the popular idea that Christ's coming is at death, or that it is by His Spirit, or that it is in some great spiritual awakening or movement; but that it is personal, literal, visible, just as truly as was His first coming. At the first advent He came in humility, in weakness, as a human among humans, to glorify the Lord in His life, and to save His children by His death. At the second coming His work for sinful humanity will be over, and He shall come in indescribable glory.