THE LORD'S COMING

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, Cal. · Feb 13, 1907

THE LORD'S COMING.

What His Coming Is Not.

It is ever a help in the study of any subject to get correct bearings, to know what we are after.

The coming of the Lord is one of the vitally important topics of God’s word. It is a frequent matter of prophecy in both Old and New Testaments. It is connected with the judgment, with the reward of the people of God, with the consummation of the hopes of the Christian.

There are various conceptions of Christ’s coming. Before we consider what it is, let us learn what it is not.

1. Christ’s coming is not death, nor is it at death. When Lazarus died, Jesus was not there. When He came, the sister said, “Lord, if Thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.” John 11:21, 32. Shortly after, Jesus raised him from the dead. Note that Jesus’ absence meant death to Lazarus; His coming brought life.

After the resurrection of the Christ, Peter asked Jesus of John: “Lord, and what shall this man do?” Jesus replied, “If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?” Now what idea did the disciples who had been with the great Leader for three years obtain from the reply? Did they understand by that coming death?—Not at all. “This saying, therefore, went forth among the brethren that that disciple should not die.” If he tarried till Christ came, he could not die; for Christ’s coming meant life, not death.

2. Christ’s coming is not the outpouring of the Spirit. Listen: “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: It is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I go, I will send Him unto you.” John 16:7. Therefore Christ’s coming is not the coming, or the outpouring, of the Holy Spirit.

3. It is not a local or a secret coming. One passage from the great discourse on this very subject will make clear this point: “Then [in the last days] if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is the Christ, or, Here; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. Behold, I have told you beforehand. If therefore they shall say unto you, Behold, He is in the wilderness [desert]; go not forth: Behold, He is in the secret chambers, believe it not.” Matt. 24:23-26.

Let Mormonism or Sanfordism or Dowieism call to the desert or some wilderness; go not forth. Let Spiritism, Christian Science, or any other ism call to secret chambers, cabinet, or heart or soul, and declare that Christ’s second coming is in this or that secret place, “believe it not.” Not one or any of all those are the Lord’s coming, and where one tells us that any one of them is, “believe it not.” What His coming is we will consider later.