Of all events that will take place in the immediate future, the most
important to mankind is the glorious appearing of the Son of God,
generally spoken of as the Second Advent of the Messiah. And if there
is one thing that the writers of Scripture are more explicit in than
another, it is in relation to this all-important event.
The writer of the Acts of the Apostles, giving an account of the last
meeting of the risen Messiah with His disciples in Palestine, and His
last words to them, says:
"And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was
taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And, while
they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two
men stood by them in white apparel; which also 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 i, 9-11).
From this we learn that the same person whom the disciples had seen go
up into heaven was to return in like manner. And this agrees with the
words of Jesus Himself.
"For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of His Father, with His
angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works"
(Mat. xvi, 27).
From this last quotation we not only learn that the Son of God is to
come in the glory of His Father, accompanied by His angels, but that He
at that time _"Will reward every man according to his works."_ And to
this testimony agrees that of other sacred writers.
St. Jude, after referring to certain wicked characters who were like
clouds without rain, or like raging waves of the sea foaming out their
own shame, says:
{163} "And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these,
saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousand of His saints,
to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly
among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly
committed and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have
spoken against Him." (Jude, 14, 15).
Paul bears witness to the same thing:
"For if we believe that Jesus died, and rose again, even so them
also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 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 them which
are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a
shout, with the voice of the arch-angel, 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" (i
Thess. iv, 14-17).
And again:
"And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus
shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming
fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not
the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with
everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from
the glory of his power; when he shall come to be glorified in his
saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our
testimony among you was believed) in that day" (ii Thess. i, 7-10).
From the foregoing passages of Scripture the reader learns two very
important things: first--that the Son of Man in a glorious manner is to
return to this earth; second--that when He shall so come, it will be to
execute judgment--to reward the righteous for their faithfulness, and
to punish those who "know not God, and who obey not the Gospel, with
everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and the glory of
His power."
No believer in the inspiration of the Scriptures can possibly doubt the
truth of what these passages teach, viz., _that the Son of God will
verily come, and that to judgment_! But in all other ages of the world,
when God has decreed judgments upon a people or nation, He has first
sent divinely-appointed messengers to warn them of the impending evil,
that peradventure, some might repent and be saved. For example,--when
God decreed that He would destroy the Antediluvians by a flood for
their wickedness, he first sent Noah, a preacher of righteousness,
among them to warn them of the approaching calamity: When destruction
was hanging over the cities of the plain--Sodom and Gomorrah--the Lord
sent His angels {164} to first gather out righteous Lot and his family:
When destruction was decreed against Nineveh, the prophet Jonah was
sent to cry repentance to the people, and in this instance the warning
was heeded, and the calamity was turned aside: Whenever bondage,
famine, disease, or judgment of any character, was about to overtake
ancient Israel for their wickedness, prophets were sent to warn them,
that they might repent and escape the sore affliction.
This has been the course pursued by the Almighty in all ages and among
all people; and now that mighty judgments are pronounced against the
ungodly at the coming of the Son of God, may we not reasonably expect
that God will be true to His custom in the past, and send messengers to
warn the nations of the near approach of those calamities? Basing our
conclusion on the experience of past ages, it would be reasonable to
expect the Lord to so proceed. But the Scriptures themselves speak of a
number of incidents that will take place as a preparatory work to the
glorious coming of our Lord. Among these may be mentioned: