p. 6 | WHEN HE COMES

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Aug 13, 1902

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 28, No. 33.

WHEN HE COMES.

God does not do anything arbitrarily. He but acts out the principles of the infinite goodness of His character. He will not force His presence into one heart closed against Him. He will stand at the door and knock, but He will not force admittance. The soul must welcome the Divine Guest.

He did not come to the Jewish nation at His first advent till they professed outwardly to be His people. When they claimed to be His own, surely He had a right to enter. But "He came to His own and they that were His own received Him not." They did not know Him, and therefore claimed that He was not Himself, even as they professed that they were what they were not. The result of the hypocrisy and deception was the utter ruin of the nation.

When Christ comes the second time the whole world will be in the same condition. The wickedly fallacious idea of "national Christianity," of "Christian nations," is taking possession of the world. It is pressed upon the public, and upon rulers, and law-makers everywhere. As vital, individual godliness has diminished, formalism has increased. As true possession has been wanting, false profession has become clamorous for recognition. Its voice is heard in municipal, in county, in State, in national, in international chambers. Insistently and persistently it demands not only hearing, but recognition in law. It uses religious superstition, ecclesiastical anathema, political taboo, and commercial boycott to carry its schemes. It points to great wealth, to progress in uncertain science, to military progress and prowess, as evidences of the superior value of Christianity, while the essentials of Christianity, humility and obedient faith, it knows not.

The result will be a world-wide profession of religion, a formal acceptance of Christianity, an outward acknowledgment that He alone is King, and that the earth in general and particular is His. Nothing more will be required. The men that warn against hypocrisy, which show the hopelessness of dead formalism, the wickedness of false assumption, will be accounted enemies to the "Christian State," and in Christ's name proscribed and punished.

Then Christ will come. In the strictest justice they could not say Him nay. They profess to be His own; they should be willing to receive Him. But O the fearful result! He comes in the resplendent and overpowering glory of His own righteous character. There is not one ray of dazzling, burning glory emanating from His presence which does not belong there. He has not fixed Himself up to destroy the wicked. He only comes as is fitting to the monarch about to receive His own. But before that awful Presence die all those who profess to be His, but know Him not. They will be destroyed by the spirit of His mouth, and consumed by the forthshining of His presence. He has taken them at their word, a word false in heart and utterance; and before the True it perishes.

O soul, let Christ reign in the heart now; then you will welcome Him when He comes.