II — The Second Appearing of Jesus Christ
The future advent of Jesus has, until recent years, been almost wholly ignored by both Church and Dissent. And even now it is very seldom that a sermon is preached about it in the places of worship of either class. When it does happen to be “referred” to, it is done in such a manner as to convey the impression that it is a matter rather of curiosity or speculation, than one which is an integral part of the Divine plan of salvation. Religious teachers of all denominations are very fond of dwelling upon the appearance of Jesus Christ as “a man of sorrows” but they have comparatively little to say respecting his manifestation as “the King of Glory”. And yet the latter cannot be a matter of insignificance, as it occupies a much more prominent position in the Scriptures than does the former. The principal features of his second appearing are quite as clearly foretold as were the incidents connected with his first appearing before that appearing took place. Neither of them must occupy a too prominent position at the expense of the other; both have their place, and are equally necessary to a comprehension of the plan of salvation. The one is the foundation, and the other is the superstructure. Without the former the latter could not exist; and without the latter the former would be utterly useless.
Among his various sayings, Jesus did not fail to give intimations of his departure from the earth, and of his subsequent return; albeit they were not understood at the time they were uttered. On one occasion, speaking of himself as a bridegroom, he said, “The days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them (his disciples), and then shall they fast” — (Mark 2: 20). Adopting the same figurative language, clothed in the form of a parable, he represents his future return as a bridegroom coming to a wedding: — “Behold the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him” — (Matt. 25: 6). The lesson taught by the parable is subsequently given in the following exhortation: — “Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh” — (Matt. 25: 13).
A Personal Return
In predicting his departure from the earth, he told both the Jews and his disciples that they could not follow him: — “Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me; and, as I said unto the Jews, whither I go ye cannot come, so now I say to you” — (John 13: 33). This intimation, which excludes the notion that any of the apostles have followed their Master to heaven, made the twelve very sad; whereupon Jesus proceeded to comfort them, saying, “Let not your heart be troubled; . . . 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: 1-3). Notwithstanding this plain consolatory promise, the apostles were still in ignorance as to his true meaning; and not until after his departure were they able to realise it. On that memorable occasion “when a cloud received Jesus out of their sight”, their amazement was manifested by their looking “steadfastly toward heaven as he went up”. But, while thus gazing, two men stood by them in white apparel, who said, “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: 9-11).
With such an explicit declaration as this, it is impossible to doubt that the same Jesus who was on this earth nineteen centuries ago, will yet at some future day return to it; and that the coming here referred to is to be a personal one is clearly shown by the use of the phrase, “in like manner”. When that event occurs, it will not be for the purpose of burning it up, and then returning to heaven; for frequent as are the promises that he will come back to this earth, nowhere is it even hinted at that he will ever again leave it. He comes to receive all his faithful disciples to himself, that they may realise the promise which he gave in his sermon on the mount: — “Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth” — (Matt. 5: 5).
The Purpose of His Coming
Jesus did not, during his prophetic career, content himself with merely announcing the fact that he was to come again in power and glory. He further showed some of the objects of that coming. Among these, the most important to such as form part of the Bride waiting for the Bridegroom, is undoubtedly the Judgment. The utterances of Jesus on this topic are neither few nor uncertain; and are clothed in both literal and parabolic language. Using the name which he usually applied to himself, he declares that “The Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father, with his angels; and then shall he reward every man according to his works” — (Matt. 16: 27). Jesus Christ has not yet appeared in glory, consequently he has not yet “rewarded every man according to his works”.
Previous to the bestowal of either reward or punishment, he will judge those who are then brought before him, for the purpose of deciding what destiny each one deserves. The course of procedure on this occasion is illustrated by the parable of the nobleman who went into a far country, and who, on his return, called together his servants, to receive an account from them as to the use they had made, during his absence, of certain property previously committed to their care. Those who had used it to advantage were blessed and rewarded, but he who had made no use of it was censured and punished — (Luke 19: 11-25). In the same way when Jesus returns from heaven he will arraign before him all who have professed the “one faith”, to evoke from their own mouths a confession of their conduct during their probationary career; whereupon he will give the faithful authority over a certain number of “cities” in the “kingdom of God”, according to their different degrees of merit, while the unfaithful will be cast into outer darkness.
Separating Sheep and Goats
The same event is similarly described by Jesus on another occasion, when the righteous and the wicked are represented by sheep and goats. They are to be brought before him, “when the Son of Man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him” — (Matt. 25: 31). ”He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats” — (Matt. 25: 32). After addressing each class separately upon their respective merits and demerits, and having received their replies thereto, he gives permission to the former to enter the “kingdom”, and bestows on them eternal life; but the latter he consigns to a fire which will burn until they are utterly consumed. It is of such as will be included in the latter class that Jesus speaks when he says, “Whosoever, therefore, shall be ashamed of me, and of my words, in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father, with the holy angels” — (Mark 8: 38).
Seeing that Jesus has not yet returned from the “far country”, it is obvious that none of his servants, faithful or unfaithful, has been either rewarded or punished. Consequently, those who teach that the righteous and the wicked enter upon their eternal destiny at death, affirm that which is contrary to what Jesus taught. He pointed not to death, but to his second appearing, as the time when each class would enter upon their everlasting weal or woe. And it is because this truth is lost sight of, that the importance and significance of Christ’s future advent are so little understood. In this respect there is an immense difference between so-called Christians of today and the disciples of Christ in the first century. Paul, in writing to some of the latter, says, “Ye turned unto God from idols to serve the living and the true God, and to wait for his Son from Heaven” — (I Thes. 1: 9-10). The hope of the Thessalonian Christians was not to go to heaven at death, but to be rewarded when God’s son returns from heaven.
Heaven-going Illogical
The same may truthfully be said of all the other faithful in apostolic times; of which abundant evidence could be adduced from the New Testament; but the above must suffice here. Believing, as they did, Paul’s statement that “Unto them that look for him (Christ) shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation” — (Heb. 9: 28), they set all their affections on that glorious event as their only hope; for they knew that if they were not then looking for him, his appearance would not to them be “unto salvation”. It is quite as necessary to adopt the same course in the present day as it was then. Those who believe in going to heaven at death cannot be said to do this, and therefore they will not be included among those to whom Jesus “will appear a second time unto salvation”. It is useless for anyone to flatter himself that he can consistently believe both; the two doctrines are as antagonistic to each other as are light and darkness; the one cannot be believed without nullifying the other.
In order that the second appearing of Jesus may be the “one hope”, and be longed for as the most desired of all events, the idea of heaven-going at death must be discarded as a false hope, based on the traditions of an apostate church. Jesus never taught it; nor did his apostles. Neither did he nor they teach the modified form of that notion which is rapidly gaining ground at the present time, that the righteous and the wicked enter at death on a partial reward or punishment, each of which is supposed to be increased to its full intensity after the great day of Judgment. To affirm this dogma is to render the doctrine of the Judgment of none effect, and reduce the work of judgment at the future advent of Jesus to an unmeaning ceremony.
It matters not whether they be supposed to enter at death upon a partial or a full manifestation of God’s favour or anger; in either case their eternal destiny is fixed, and all necessity for any further judgment entirely removed. To represent them as going to heaven or to hell-fire at death, and then being brought out at a future day to appear before the Judgment-seat of Christ, is to charge God with first consigning them to their eternal place of abode, and then bringing them out to ascertain whether they ought to have gone there or not; which is equal to saying that he manifests less justice and wisdom in His dealings with man, than does man himself towards his fellow-mortals.
Wholesale Conversion Excluded
Among the various false ideas prevalent respecting Christ’s future advent, there are none more delusive and injurious than that which is known as the post-millennial view. Those who profess this, teach that by means of the various religious and philanthropic agencies of the day, the world will be gradually converted, until all the inhabitants of the earth acknowledge the one God, and believe the Gospel; and that then His Son will come from heaven for the purpose of burning up this globe, and taking back with him all who are entitled to live with him for ever. According to this view, the numbers of those holding the true faith at the time of Christ’s future advent must comprise nearly the whole population then living on the earth. As if to provide against such a false idea as this, Jesus asks the significant question, “When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith (or, the faith) on the earth?” — (Luke 18: 8), thereby indicating that when he comes, the “one faith” will be very scarce; a state of things which certainly could not exist if all the earth were to be converted and made righteous before his second appearing.
The intimation conveyed in this question is more fully and clearly stated in subsequent parts of the New Testament. The apostles predicted a great falling away from the faith, which would grow worse and worse until it developed into an organised apostasy; and when its cup of iniquity was full, Jesus would abolish it. Paul described this falling away as “the mystery of iniquity”, which he said was already at work, and predicted that after all hindrances to its progress were removed, “Then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and destroy with the brightness of his coming” — (II Thess. 2: 7-8). Anyone acquainted with ecclesiastical history knows that the former part of this prediction has been amply verified; and those who have taken the trouble to examine the leading features of this and other predictions of like import, have no difficulty in identifying the Papacy as being the development of “the mystery of iniquity” which, as the Great Apostasy, overshadows all Christendom. And it is but necessary to look at current events in order to see that it is ripening for that destruction which is to take place when the Lord Jesus comes in power and glory.
On the post-millennial theory, the exhortations of Jesus to his disciples to watch, that they may be ready for his return, lose all their force and meaning. So also do the exhortations of the apostles, which are of like import. For, if a thousand years must necessarily intervene before Jesus returns to this earth, it is impossible that he can come during the lifetime of those who live in the dispensation that precedes it; and, as a consequence, it is utterly useless for them to look for the occurrence of that event before their death.
Signs of the Advent
When Jesus was manifested to the Jews, he rebuked some of them because they did not “discern the signs of the times” — (Matt. 16: 3). This proves that there were signs to indicate his first appearing; and thereby enable those who were attentive to be prepared for him. For the same purpose he has given signs to point out to his disciples the epoch in the world’s history when he will appear a second time.
The Apocalypse, commonly styled “The Revelation of St. John”, is almost full of these signs. It was given by Jesus “to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass”; and he sent and signified it (that is, made it known by signs) “by his angel unto his servant John” — (Rev. 1: 1). It is not intended here to show what these signs are. Sufficient is it to point out that a blessing is pronounced on those who study them: — “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein” — (Rev. 1: 3). Many are the intimations given in this prophecy of his coming again. Perhaps the most significant is that which says, “Behold, I come as a thief” — (Rev. 16: 15); that is, unexpectedly, in the night-time of the world’s history, when mankind are slumbering in ignorance, superstition, and tradition.
This intimation is immediately followed by a blessing and a warning pregnant with meaning: — “Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame” — (Rev. 16: 15). Only such as believe that Jesus will come before the millennium can comply with his exhortation, by watching the signs of the times, and walking worthy of their high calling, in order that they may be found “unblameable in holiness . . . at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” — (I Thess. 3: 13). None other can, in response to the closing statement of Jesus, “Surely I come quickly”, say, with the apostle John, “Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus” — (Rev. 22: 20).