The Coming of the Lord by George Muller

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, Cal. · Aug 21, 1879

The Coming of the Lord.

By George Muller

At the Advent Conference held in Mildmay Park, London, June, 1879, Mr. George Muller, founder of the Bristol Orphanages, whose work of faith is so well known in the world, preached on the subject of the coming of the Lord. We present some extracts from his sermons, copied from the Christian Herald:-

The first time he came he was manifest in the flesh when he was born at Bethlehem. Now, the second time he shall come again also, and, therefore, a personal return of the Lord Jesus Christ plainly is referred to here. One or other may say: "But what great difference is there between my going to him, and his coming personally again? Is it not just the same if I die, or that the Lord Jesus Christ comes again?" There is a vast difference between the two. Let us notice a few points though there are many other points which might be noticed to show the difference.

First of all, when we die we put off our earthly tabernacle, and the spirit goes to the Lord Jesus Christ. But this has only to do with us as individuals; for our beloved brethren and sisters in Christ, the church militant, we leave behind. Therefore, death affects us only individually.

But the return of the Lord Jesus Christ has to do with the whole body of Christians—not only has to do with all the saints living at the time on earth—not only has to do with the saints under the present dispensation having fallen asleep previous to the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, but has also to do with all the old covenant believers with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and those who, like them, trusted in the Messiah for the salvation of their souls, and, therefore, has to do, in other words, with the whole church of Christ. This is one difference.

But more than this, thirdly, we individually do not receive our glorified bodies when we die. We put off our tabernacle, but we have no glorified bodies. This only takes place at the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Only then we obtain the glorified body; and the whole of Christ will at that time attain to a glorified body—at the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, in this particular there is a vast difference. Fourthly, when we fall asleep we are not at once seated with the Lord Jesus Christ on his throne; because he has not yet taken manifestly his throne to himself to reign. He is yet there seated as the great High Priest at the right hand of God on the Father's throne. He is not yet seated on his own throne. And so we the believers shall sit together with the Lord Jesus Christ, and this will only take place at the return of the Lord Jesus Christ; and therefore in this particular also there is a vast difference between our going to the Lord Jesus Christ at the time when we die and his return.

We will now consider, some of the events which will take place at the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Time will not allow us to enter upon them all, and, as I propose only to bring elementary truths before the saints this evening, it is on that account also desirable not to enter too minutely into the subject, but merely refer to some of the leading events which will take place at the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

One of the especial points to be noticed is the first resurrection. In the first epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, chap. 15, we read this in the twenty-second and following verses. "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming." Notice this particularly, not as one or the other may suppose, a general resurrection, when the Lord Jesus Christ comes, of all who ever died previously; not so: but at the coming of Christ, those that are Christ's, those that fall asleep as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ previously—"they that are Christ's at his coming."

This, as we afterwards, is called the first resurrection. It is particularly to be noticed not all will be raised up at that time. "Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule, and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death."

But this is still further set forth in the first epistle to the Thessalonians 4: 16, 17, a passage to which I have already referred, but in connection with this point we must allude to it again: "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 ever be with the Lord." Here you see again the point clearly, distinctly, in the plainest terms, brought before us.

I will only refer to one other event which will take place at the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, that is, the separation between the good and the wicked. In the thirteenth chapter of the gospel according to St. Matthew, our adorable Lord Jesus Christ particularly speaks on this subject. We read his own words in this chapter at the twenty-fourth verse. In the thirty-seventh and following verses of the same chapter, the disciples having asked him for the explanation, he graciously gives it.

The point on account of which this parable is of such vast importance is that many real, true Christians have an erroneous idea that the world will get better and better, so that at last the whole world will be converted, and that this will introduce the state of the millennium. Now, this is in entire opposition to the whole of the statements of the New Testament. In the first place, the work of this dispensation is to gather a people out from among the Gentiles, not to convert all nations. I do not wish to be misunderstood in making this statement, as if it were not our duty to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature! Most assuredly it is; and it is the sin of the church that so little, so extremely little comparatively, has been done, particularly within the first 1700 or 1800 years, to accomplish this will of our adorable Lord Jesus Christ.

Whilst individually we should seek to do what we can in winning souls for the Lord Jesus, and in strengthening the hands of our fellow disciples, we have to hold it fast, as plainly, distinctly, unquestionably revealed in the New Testament, that, instead of things getting better and better towards the close of the dispensation, things will get worse and worse. Lawlessness increases more and more, and we see the beginning of those fearful days now.

What is socialism? What is the lawlessness of the day? It is the indication that we are getting nearer and nearer to the close of the present dispensation. That things instead of getting better and better will get worse and worse, till at last they will come to a state when the wicked will conspire against the Lord and his Christ and his saints. That will be the close of the whole.

Let us take particular heed that we do not belong to any of these classes. Disobedience to parents, that is one of the sins of the last days; without natural affection, parents not having natural affection for their children, yet having a form of godliness; children not having natural affection for their parents. Remember particularly this last word: "Despisers of those that are good." Just of all this. That is just the precursor of the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, and that blessed One will come again for the very purpose of introducing a better state of things, a holy state of things, a heavenly state of things. He will come again to have the tares burned up, having first gathered them in bundles, and separated them from the wheat.

And now mark this particularly which follows: "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof." This is to be coupled with all the characteristics which are given previously regarding these individuals in 2 Timothy 3.

These words, "having a form of godliness," are to be ad led in connection with every one of these characteristics. Though men are covetous, though they are proud, though they are without natural affection, yet they have the form of godliness, but deny the power thereof. Now, consider this. My beloved Christian friends, this is the state to which things will come in the last days previously to the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, how it becomes us to rouse ourselves and to bestir ourselves that we do not belong to this class of men; that we do our part if it were possible yet a while to stem the torrent of impending iniquity.