Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 236, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 October 1916 — Second Coming of Christ [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Second Coming of Christ

By REV. JAMES M. GRAY, D. D.

Dean of Moody Bible Institute, Chicago

TEXT— Walting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.—l Cor. 1:7. ■ ' There Is unusual interest at* this time in the second coming of Christ,

and many are the inquiries as to what It means and when it may take, place. The Importance of the subject from the divine point of view is seen in that it is alluded tb over 300 times in the New Testament Indeed perhaps there is no doctrine of Christianity dwelt upon to such an extent as this-, unless it be

the fundamental one of our redemption through the cross. What Does It Mean? The second coming of Christ means a personal, in the sense of a visitor reappearing of one Lord on this earth. Such seems to be the teaching of his own words when, in the presence of the high priest he said: “Hereafter shall ye see the son of man sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of heaven.” This is recorded Jn the 26th of Matthew at the 64th verse. The angels taught the same truth to the disciples on the Mount of Olives when they said, “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye here gazing up into heaven? This samp Jesus which is taken up from you Into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into hqaven.” This Is recorded in Acts 1 ill. And finally in the last book of the Bible, we find John exclaiming, “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: And all kindreds of the earth shall wall because of him. Even sb, amen.” When Will It Take Place? This doctrine has been brought into disrepute because many have assumed to fix dates for the coming of our Lord, notwithstanding that the Bible warns against it. Jesus himself said to his disciples: “Watch, therefore, for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.” There are some who think that a millennium of peace and prosperity will be experienced on the earth before the Lord comes. There is also one ether fact that seems to preclude the expectation of a millennium before Jesus comes; that is, what the New Testament teaches ns to the moral and spiritual conditions in the world at the end of this age. We are all familiar with the teaching of Paul in his second epistle to Timothy at the third chapter, where he says that “in the last days perilous times shall come.” He then goes on to define what he means by that, adding that “men shall be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, haughty, rollers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, no' lovers of good, traitors, high-strung, highminded, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof.”

All this does not look like a millennium, and yet how much it looks like the times In w’hlch we are now living! Can It be therefore that the coming of the Lord may be nearer than most of us expect? ’ Results of His Coming. Tn the flight of the second coming there are three classes of men to be considered, which are defined in First Corinthians at the 10th chapter—as the Jew, the Gentile, and the church of God. TO,, begin with the last-named, the coming of Christ will mean the translation of the church to meet him in the air, according to First Thessalonians 4:13-18. It would seem to be after this translation that Christ comes with his snints and his holy nngels to the earth, as indicated in the Scriptures previously referred to. This coming is for Judgment on the (lentlle nations which “know not God and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.”' Bringing the Truth Home. This hope of the second coming of Christ is th© great motive for holy living. Where it really takes hold of the hearts of Christian believers it restrains them from known sin as nothing else does. It is also.the great comfort in disappointment and trial, for our Lord said that when he came again tn the glory of his father he would bring his reward with him. Hence what - stimulus to holy endeavor in the face of difficulties and discouragements, so» — •

No word he hath spoken Was ever yet broken. , ' Finally, how the thought of his coming should move men to repentance and faith in his name! O, those solemn words which Paul spake to the unbelievers and mockers In Athens: “God now commnndeth all men everywhere to repent ; because he hath ap-« pointed n day In the which he will, judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained,, whereof he hath given assnrance unto all men In that he bath raised him from the dead.” v