Some Definite Promises of the Great Event—False Christs Can Be Detected by the Word—This Earth as Well as Man to Be Redeemed—The New Jerusalem in Preparation—Faithful Soon Will See It
By ALLEN MOON
"I WILL come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." John 14:3.
The Son of God entered fully into the plan of the Father to redeem the world that man lost in the fall. It rested with the Son, as His part of the plan of redemption, to identify Himself with the lost race.
“THERE WAS NEVER A TIME IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD WHEN THE ANGER OF NATIONS WAS SO MANIFEST AS AT THE PRESENT DAY.”
MAN'S HOME REDEEMED
Man, by transgression, forfeited the life God had given him, and with it the home in which God designed that he should spend eternity. It is not the purpose of God to redeem man back to life and leave his home in the possession of the usurper. The earth that God had given to the children of men will come to the Son, and through Him to the redeemed children. Micah 4:8.
Christ, the second Adam, becomes the Father of all spiritually, as the first Adam is physically. In a peculiar sense Jesus becomes identified with, and concerned in, all that was man's before the fall. At the first advent of Christ, He was made like His brethren, and He paid the ransom price for the redemption of that which was lost.
NOT A CONTINUED ABSENCE
His return to the Father was not designed as a continued absence from the world that He had undertaken to redeem and restore, but was in order that He might, in the heavenly sanctuary, complete the work of redemption, and then come again to the earth. The Saviour has undertaken for man the removal of the curse, thus restoring the earth to its Edenic glory and beauty, and executing the original plan to bring the earth into harmony with the sinless universe. During the short stay of the Son of God on earth at His first advent, He gathered about Him disciples who loved Him with a love that was more than human. They knew His heavenly origin. When He had companioned with them for about three and a half years, He began gently to break to them the truth which they must know—that He could not remain at that time, but must go away for a season.
“I GO TO PREPARE A PLACE”
This brought sadness to the hearts of the disciples, and they were filled with questioning as to where He would go, and for what purpose. Jesus could say nothing more comforting than what He did say: “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” John 14:3.
In view of the certainty of His return after He had prepared for the future of His people, Jesus said: “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me.” Verse 1. The Son of God had espoused the cause of His people, even to the extent of the restoration of their lost inheritance, and He speaks of mansions in connection with the preparation of their future home.
While these words of the Saviour were still fresh in the minds of His disciples, Satan, the enemy of the Son, filled his agents among men with wrath and hatred against the heavenly Redeemer, and they laid wicked hands upon Him, and mistreated and slew Him.
A CLOUD RECEIVED HIM FROM SIGHT
But after three days He rose triumphant from the grave. For a time He lingered about the earth, meeting with and comforting His disciples, and the women and others who had companied with Him during His ministry. He met with His disciples for a final interview, and after imparting to them counsel for their future guidance, He led them out of Jerusalem and as far as Bethany.
In answer to a question, He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. And when He had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight.” Acts 1:7-9.
Evidently the cloud that received the Saviour and hid Him from sight was a cloud of angels; for from other portions of the Word, we gather that heaven was emptied of angels on that most glorious occasion.
The compassionate Saviour would still leave a comforting message for His disciples, and to all who should believe through them; so He commissioned two shining angels to return while the disciples were still gazing up into heaven, to say: “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven.” Acts 1:11.
So God's people are not left in doubt as to the manner of Jesus' return. That matter is definitely settled, and they are never4deceived by any of the pretenders who pose for a time for self-glorification. The coming of Christ will be an event crowned with glory and majesty, and will affect the destiny of every living soul on earth.
It became a fixed belief in the minds of early Christians that Christ would return to earth, and frequent mention is made of it by Scripture writers. Paul, in writing to the Hebrews, said He would appear the second time without sin unto salvation. Heb. 9:28. He was the sin-bearer when He came to earth the first time. He bore our sins in His own body on the tree. He is the sin-bearer in heaven while He ministers in the heavenly sanctuary for man. When that ministry is finished, Christ will cease to be the sin-bearer, Satan having been adjudged worthy to bear the blame of the sin of the redeemed people. Then will have come the time for Christ's second advent “without sin” to claim His redeemed people.
BEHOLD HIM COMING ON THE CLOUD
John the revelator had a view of the second coming of Christ, and he has given us a word picture of the scene. He says: “And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud One sat like unto the Son of man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle.” Rev. 14:14.
John was familiar with the appearance of Him who came to earth in the form of man, so he wrote, “And upon the cloud One sat like unto the Son of man.” But now He had on His head a golden crown, having been clothed with kingly authority, His work as priest having ended with the close of probation. He had in His hand a sharp sickle with which to reap the harvest of the earth. This is not the harvest of the righteous seed, for the harvest that is reaped is cast into the wine-press of the wrath of God. The sickle, the symbol of a king's wrath against his adversaries, is in His hands.
DESCENDS WITH A SHOUT
There is still another vision of this scene which brings to view the reunion of Christ with His people at the time of His second coming. This time it is Paul again speaking. He says: “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent [go before] them which are 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 which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” 1 Thess. 4:15-18.
ONLY TWO CLASSES
Jesus, on His return, finds only two classes; namely, the righteous and the wicked. For the one class He has a symbol of wrath, and for the other the greeting, “Come, ye blessed, . . . inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” It matters not that some of His children are dead and in their graves, for it is written of Him: “For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived [re-lived], that He might be Lord both of the dead and living.” Rom. 14:9. Therefore when He comes, He first calls the dead from their mossy old graves, then with them the living righteous are caught up into the cloud to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall they ever be with the Lord.
A moment's thought in the way of analysis of this passage in 1 Thessalonians 4 reveals the fact that the people of God have a sure refutation of the claim of all false Christs. The Son of God, according to this scripture, does not touch this sin-cursed earth when He comes the second time; but with a great sound of a trumpet He calls His people, both dead and living, up to Himself in the clouds.
So long as time continues, we may know that all would-be Christs who walk about on earth are only false Christs. The Redeemer of mankind comes the second time to take His people from this sin-cursed earth to heavenly mansions until the curse is removed, when He will bring them again to the earth made new, which will be their abode forever.
VISION OF THE NEW EARTH
To John in the Isle of Patmos there was given an advance revelation of the earth as the final dwelling-place of the saints. He says: “I saw a new heaven [atmospheric] and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God.”
Jesus had said, “I go to prepare a place for you.” This place could be none other than the New Jerusalem, to which He takes His people at His coming and the resurrection of the dead. When the earth is renewed and ready for its reception at the end of a thousand years, the Son of God, as God, comes to earth with the city and the saints. “And God Himself shall be with them, and be their God.”
THE GLORIOUS CITY
Glorious promise! John saw the city “prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” The adornment of the city is the church clothed in white raiment, which is the righteousness of saints. This is the real bride, the Lamb's wife.
In this we have a complete picture of God's plan for the future of this earth and its re-peopling. The time for the opening scenes in this drama is at hand. In Matt. 24:14 we have the words of Jesus spoken to His disciples as He sat upon the Mount of Olives: “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come” — the end of strife and wickedness and rebellion, and the beginning of the reign of Christ.
The present generation is the first since the Saviour left the earth in which it was possible for the gospel to be preached to all kindreds, tongues, and peoples; but during645the past one hundred years all barriers have been removed, and the doors are open for the gospel to enter. Its entrance has been rapid.
The Son of God made mention of certain signs that would appear to mark this time, such as the darkening of the sun and moon, and the falling of the stars. These predictions were literally fulfilled in the dark day and night of May 19, 1780, and the falling of the stars November 13, 1833.
Other last-day signs in the political and the physical world were especially emphasized by the Saviour, according to the record given in Matthew 24. He says, “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.” Verse 7. These, with the signs in the social world mentioned by the Saviour, as false prophets, false Christs, and deceivers of the people, have come to pass during the present generation.
THE ANGRY NATIONS A SIGN
If more is required to establish the proximity of the second advent, it is furnished by John the revelator, especially in connection with the sounding of the seven trumpets, which trumpets denote wars and commotions in the political world. Under the sounding of the seventh or last trumpet, it is said: “And the nations were angry, and Thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that Thou shouldst give reward unto Thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear Thy name, small and great; and shouldst destroy them which destroy the earth.” Rev. 11:18.
There was never a time in the history of the world when the anger of nations was so manifest as at the present day. For more than sixty years the nations have been arming for war. This has culminated in the most deadly and wide-spread conflict ever known upon earth. The prophet connects this time with that of the judgment of the dead — the righteous dead — which shortly precedes the coming of the Lord, and the giving of reward to the prophets and saints of all ages. This is to take place at His coming. It is not difficult to read in all this the near approach of the second advent of the Messiah, the Saviour of mankind.
