It is an undeniable fact that the
church in her present condition is instructed to look for the
return of Christ from heaven, as the next great event. Nowhere
are we instructed to look for a pre or post-millennial reign
on earth. We will present the arguments relating to the
subject of this chapter under several propositions.
I. THERE IS BUT ONE PERSONAL COMING OF
CHRIST FUTURE
"What shall be the sign of thy
coming?"—Matt. 24:3. "Now we beseech you,
brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."—2
Thess. 2:1. "I pray God your whole spirit and soul and
body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ."—1 Thess. 5 :23. "Whom the Lord shall . .
. destroy by the brightness of his coming."—2 Thess.
2:8. "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious
appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus
Christ."—Tit. 2:13. "Christ was once offered to
bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall
he appear the second time."—Heb. 9:28. "And now,
little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we
may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his
coming."—1 John 2:28. "Be patient therefore,
brethren, unto the coming of our Lord.... Be ye also patient:
establish your hearts; for the coming of the Lord draweth
nigh."—James 5 :7, 8.
Some latter-day teachers advocate three
comings of the Lord yet future, but all the foregoing
scriptures with many more teach us to look for but one coming,
which will be at the end of this world.
II. THE MANNER OF HIS COMING.
1st. Visibly. "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."—A 1:9-11.
This is clear. "This same Jesus, shall come again, in
like manner" as he went up. He went up bodily and
visibly. They saw him ascend, "and a cloud received him
out of their sight." "In like manner" shall he
descend from heaven. "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and
ever eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and
all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of
him."—Rev 1:7. "The powers of heaven shall be
shaken. And this: shall they see the Son of man coming in a
cloud with power and great glory."—Luke 21:26, 27; Mark
13:26. "A', then shall appear the sign of the Son of man
in heaven and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn,
and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of
heaven with power and great glory."—Matt. 24 :30; Mark
14 :61,
Russel and other Millennium advocates
teach that Christ has already come in his second advent. But
their whole "presence of Christ" theory is without
support of a single text of scripture. The positive testimony
is that when he comes in the clouds of heaven "every eye
she . see him." Mark you, dear reader, not only will the
righteous see him, but all the tribes of the earth, "and
they also which pierced him" shall see him when he comes.
2nd. Unexpectedly. "Behold,
I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth."—Rev.
16:15. "If therefore thou shall not watch, I will come on
thee as a thief."—Rev. 3:3. "But the day of the
Lord will come as a thief in the night."2 Pet. 3:10.
"For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord
so cometh as a thief in the night. "For when they shall
say, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon
them; . . . and they shall not escape —1 Thess. 3:2, 3.
"And take heed to yourselves, lest a any time your hearts
be overcharged with surfeiting, an drunkenness, and cares of
this life, and so that day con upon you unawares. For as a
snare shall it come on a them that dwell on the face of the
whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may
be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come
to pass and to stand before the Son of man."—Luke
21:34-36. "But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the
coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were
before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and
giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the
ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all
away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man
be."—Matt. 24:37-39.
This is very plain. The coming of
Christ is a great and solemn event pending, for which the
church is to look and watch, for which to be ready. That day
and hour the Father only knoweth. When the rending heavens
shall reveal his presence, this world will be in a Sodom
state, and as the antediluvian world before the flood. The
millions of earth will be sleeping in carnal security.
Thousands dreaming of Millennial glory. Oh, the surprise and
disappointment of the masses in that great day! Never since
the foundation of the world has there been a day like this, in
the surprise and terror with which it will break upon the
thoughtless millions of the population. Business and pleasure
will occupy the minds of men as usual up to the close of the
preceding day. The sun will rise and set with the same placid
majesty, and fling his smiling radiance with the same
bountiful profusion on this devoted world as he sinks beneath
the western horizon. Myriads will go to rest, dreaming of
future years of wealth and happiness. But the loud blast of
the "trump of God" will awake them to sleep no more;
and looking up they will see the heavens on fire. The
worldling, elated with schemes of opulence and splendor, will
suddenly find his visions dispelled by the light of eternity,
and the despairing cry, "The Judge is come!" The
astounded senate will suddenly break up at the crash of the
conflicting elements, and hurrying away in wild confusion, see
that the great Legislator is come. The ermined judge and the
manacled prisoner will hear themselves alike summoned without
ceremony to the great tribunal. The miser, counting his gold,
or reckoning his profits, will be panic stricken by the knell
that tells him gold has no more value, and his priceless soul
is lost, forever lost, in seeking a bursted bubble. The
procrastinating trifler, dreaming of mercy after years of
worldly pleasure, will be filled with dismay to see that the
day of grace is past and the hour of retribution come. The
anxious speculator, the busy merchant, the thriving tradesman,
racking imagination with schemes of gain, panting to reach the
goal of wealth, and revel in earthly aggrandizement, without
one thought of God or eternity intruding on the vision of
anticipated bliss, will be struck with terror to find the
delusive mirage break up before the glare of the flaming skies
and the catastrophe of a ruined world. The atheist, who denied
God's being, will be appalled at the sight of his person. The
Demases who have forsaken him for the world, the Judases who
have betrayed him for silver, and all the host of apostates
and blasphemers who have despised his name and trampled on his
blood, will stand aghast when the great day of his wrath shall
break upon their sight. It was an awful night in Egypt when
every family rose up to bewail its first born struck with
death. It was a day of awful vengeance when the siege of
Jerusalem closed with the crash of a ruined city over one
million one hundred thousand dead bodies. It was a day of
anger when the deluge burst upon a degenerate world and
overwhelmed its despairing millions in one common grave.
But this day exceeds them all; for it
is the day when time has run its course, when universal
retribution shall be rewarded, when God himself shall come
down to take vengeance on them that know him not, and pent up
fires shall envelop the earth in a general conflagration.
Throughout the New Testament the most solemn charges and
warnings are given to the church to be ready for that great
and awful event. "Watch therefore; for ye know not what
hour your Lord cloth come."—Matt. 24:42. "There be
ye also ready; for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of
man cometh."—Ver. 44: While to the masses Christ's
coming will be a great surprise, his faithful church will be
"looking and hastening unto the coming of the day of
God." "But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that
that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the
children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of
the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep as do
others; but let us watch and be sober."—1 Thess 5:4-6.
3rd. With his saints. "Them
also which sleep In Jesus will God bring with him."—1
Thess. 4:14. "At the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with
all his saints."—1 Thess 3:13. The spirits will return
in that day and reanimate these bodies just raised.
4th. With a shout. "For the
Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the
voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God."—1
Thess. 4:16.
5th. Quickly. "For as the
lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the
west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man
be."—Matt. 24:27. "Watch ye therefore; . . . lest,
coming suddenly, he find you sleep ing."—Mark 13:35,
36. "Surely I come quickly. Amen Even so, come, Lord
Jesus."—Rev. 22 :20.
III. THE OBJECT OF HIS COMING.
There are four things clearly stated in
the New Testament that will take place at Christ's coming.
1st. The general or universal
resurrection of all the dead. There will be millions of
people, good and bad, living upon the earth when Christ comes.
These, Paul tells us. will not taste death; but "shall
all be changed, in a moment In the twinkling of an eye, at the
last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be
raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."—1 Cor.
15 :51, 52. No one will deny that the apostle here speaks of a
resurrection which includes the church: and mark the fact that
the trump which calls them forth is called the "last
trump.' By this we are to understand that all the dead, both
right eous and wicked, will come forth at that time; for how
could another trump call forth the wicked a thousand year
after the "last trump" had sounded? Preposterous.
The language is clear. "The trumpet ['last trump'] shall
sound, and the dead [all the dead] shall be raised, . .and we
[the living] shall be changed." "But I would not
have you to be ignorant, brethren concerning them which are
asleep, that ye sorrow not even as others which have no hope.
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 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." —1 Thess. 4 :13-17.
Here we are plainly told that the resurrection of the dead
will take place at the very time "the Lord himself shall
descend from heaven with a shout, . . . and with the trump of
God"—the last trump. The order of the resurrection is
also clearly given. All that "are alive and remain unto
the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are
asleep. For . . . the dead in Christ shall rise first."
"The living, who are left over to the coming of the Lord,
will by no means precede those who fell asleep. Because the
Lord himself will come down from heaven with a shout, . . .
and the dead in Christ will be raised first, then we, the
living, who are left over, shall at the same time with them,
be caught away in the clouds, for a meeting of the Lord in the
air; and so we shall be always with the Lord."—Emphatic
Diaglott. "The living who are left over to the arrival of
the Lord, in no wise may get before those who fell asleep. . .
. For the dead in Christ will rise first; after that, we the
living who are left over, all at once, together with them,
shall be caught away," etc.—Rotherham. "We who are
living, who survive to behold the appearing of our Lord, shall
not enter into his presence sooner than the dead."—Conybeare
and Howson. This is clear and conclusive. The saints living on
earth when Christ comes will not "precede" the
righteous dead. They will first be raised, before we will
enter into the presence of the Lord. After this we
"together with them" shall be caught up and be
forever with the Lord.
The reason the wicked are not mentioned
in this scripture is because the apostle was treating directly
on the hope of the church. When the Lord himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout, not only will the righteous dead
hear his voice, but the wicked also will come forth at the
same time. "For the hour is coming, the which all that
are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth,
they that have done good unto the resurrection of life; and
they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of
damnation."—John 5 :28, 29. This scripture forever
demolishes the theory of an intervening thousand years between
the resurrection of the righteous and that of the wicked.
Christ positively declared that all
that are in the graves, both they that have done good and they
that have done evil, shall hear his voice, and come forth in
the same "hour." Daniel looking forward with
prophetic eye the very end of time, beholds this universal
resurrection, and thus describes it: "And many of them
that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to
everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt
"—Dan. 12:2. This text is rendered in Young's Bible
Translation as follows: "And the multitude of those
sleeping in the dust of the ground do awake, some life age
during, and some to reproaches, to abhorrence age
during." Here again, it is taught that the whole
multitude of the dead, both righteous and wicked, will come
forth in the last day. In Paul's defense before Felix, he
boldly declares "that there shall be a resurrection of
the dead, both of the just and unjust."—Acts 24:15. How
many resurrections? "A resurrection of the dead."
Who ! included in that resurrection? "Both the just and
lust." So positively teaches the immutable word of truth
which liveth and abideth forever. "A resurrection there
shall certainly be, both of righteous and of
unrighteous."—Rotherham's Translation. In the name of
Jesus we ask: Could language more clearly teach but one
literal resurrection, and that resurrection made up "both
righteous and of unrighteous?" If Paul had believed
Millennium heresy, he would have said "There shall be two
resurrections of the dead; one of the just, the other of the
unjust. But, thank God, Paul was not of the "simpler
sort" Origen speaks of, but spoke by inspiration of God.
The Revelator says that when "he
cometh with clouds," "every eye shall see him, and
they also which pierced him."—Rev. 1:7. This so clearly
proves that both classes of the human family will be raised at
that time that there is no appeal from it. "And I saw a
great white throne, and him that sat on it.... And I saw the
dead, small and great, stand before God: and the books were
opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of
life; and the dead were judged out of those things which were
written in the books according to their works. And the sea
gave up the dead which were in it; . . . and they were judged
every man according to their works.... And whosoever was not
found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of
fire."—Rev. 20:11-15. Here again we see the dead, all
the dead, coming forth from land and sea, and immediately the
judgment scene follows, and the separation of the righteous
and wicked, "and whosoever was not found written in the
book of life was cast into the lake of fire." The
language clearly implies that in that day of final examination
some will be found in the book of life and others not.
"How say some among you that there is no resurrection of
the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is
Christ not risen."—1 Cor. 15 :12, 13. "For since
by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the
dead."—Ver. 21. "He shall rise again in the
resurrection at the last day." —John 11:24. Who, but
such as are blinded by deception, can fail to see that in
these texts but one resurrection, the "resurrection of
the dead"—all the dead—is spoken of; and that
resurrection will take place "at the last day"?
"For as in Adam all die, even so
in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his order:
Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are Christ's at
his coming. 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. . . . And when
all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also
himself be subject unto him that put all things under him,
that God may be all in all."—1 Cor. 15 :22-28.
This text is clear and conclusive. (1)
All of Adam's race will be raised from the dead. (2) This will
take place at Christ's coming. (3) Then cometh the end.
"Cometh" is not in the original text. "Then the
end" is the correct rendering. The Millennial advocate
says that "immediately after the resurrection of them
that are Christ's at his coming, the kingdom will be set up,
and Christ will reign upon earth with his saints one thousand
years, after which the wicked will be raised." Nothing of
the kind is hinted at in the text. In fact it proves directly
to the opposite. With the resurrection of "them that are
Christ's" comes the end. "Then the end, when he
shall have delivered up [mark you, not set up] the kingdom to
God. 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." Here the apostle clearly shows that
Christ's kingdom is not a reign of perpetual rest from his
enemies, but one of continual conflicts and victories. Christ
reigns while his enemies are being conquered and not after
they are all conquered as Millenarians teach. The enemies Paul
speaks of him conquering are spiritual antagonizing powers. In
the morning of the Christian era, Christ went forth
"conquering and to conquer."—Rev. 6:1, 2. The
first enemy was sin, which he conquered on the cross. Next he
conquered the dragon (Paganism). See Rev. 12:3, 7-10. Next,
the beast (Popery); then, his image (Protestantism); then, the
Gog and Magog union of false religions (These points will be
taken up fully in subsequent chapters.); and finally, he
conquers death in the resurrection of the entire human family.
"The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death."
Ver. 26. This makes the end of his reign, being the last enemy
to conquer. "Then the end" when he shall deliver up
the kingdom to the Father, the end of time, the end of
probation, the end of this world, the end of the reign of
Christ, as the second person. Christ now reigns upon a
mediatorial throne. But soon he will leave that throne for the
judgment seat. Then the world will be without an advocate,
without a Savior, or further opportunity of salvation. The
redemption plan will then have been finished. The sacrifice
for sins was offered; the Spirit came and strove with all
flesh; the gospel was published to all nations; Christ comes
in the clouds of heaven; the judgment is set, and eternal
rewards and punishments are meted out to all men; Christ
delivers up the kingdom to the Father, who no more reigns
particularly in the Son, but "all in all," as from
all eternity. So 1 Cor. 15:22-28 is utterly fatal to the
Millennial heresy; for instead of Christ setting up the
kingdom, it positively says that at the time of his coming he
will "deliver up" the kingdom which he now possesses
and over which he now reigns. To sum up all the foregoing
scriptures, the following facts are clearly taught:
1st. There will be a literal
resurrection from literal graves.
2nd. This resurrection will take place
the instant of Christ's coming.
3rd. It will be universal. "All
that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come
forth."
4th. Being universal, it includes the
two great classes of the human family—"they that have
done good and they that have done evil."
Having proved that the universal
resurrection of all the dead will take place the instant of
Christ's coming, we will now prove that the judgment scene
immediately follows.
2nd. The general judgment, the
reward of the righteous, and the punishment of the wicked.
"Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them
to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: who shall
give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the
dead."— 1 Pet. 4 :4, 5. "And he commanded us to
preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was
ordained of God to be the judge of quick and
dead."—Acts 10:42.
When will this judgment take place?
Answer: '1 charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord
Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at
appearing and his kingdom." "Henceforth there is
laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the
righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me
only, but unto all them also that love his appearing."—
2 Tim. 4:1, 8. Thank God for this clear testimony. Instead of
setting up a Millennial reign, it is positively declared that
Christ will Judge the "quick" ( just changed) and
the "dead" (just raised from their graves) at
his appearing, and at that time the apostle and all who
love his appearing will be crowned. "Therefore judge
nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both
will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and
will make manifest the counsels of the hearts."—1
Cor. 4:5, "For what is a man profited, if he shall
gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what
shall a man give in exchange for his soul?? 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."—Matt. 16 :26, 27. "But after hardness and
impenitent heart treasures" up unto self wrath
against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous
judgment of God; who will render to every man according
to his deeds."—Rom. 2:5, 6. "Behold, I come
quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man
according as his work shall be. He that is unjust, let
him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy
still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still:
and he that is holy, let him be holy still."—Rev.
22:12,11.
That a Millennial age will follow
Christ's second coming is utterly refuted. The revelation of
Jesus Christ 'from heaven will be the time of the general
judgment, the reward of the righteous, and the perdition of
the ungodly. [et us briefly glance at the foregoing texts. As
before observed, 2 Tim. 4:1, 8 proves that Christ will judge
the quick and the dead "at his appearing" (not a
thousand years after), and in that day the righteous will be
crowned. '[Cor. 4:5 also proves that the judgment will take
place when the Lord comes who will bring to light the hidden
things of darkness.' Yes, dear reader, in that day "God
shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret shag,
whether it be good or whether it be evil."—Eccl. 12:14.
And "every idle word that men shall speak, they shall
give account thereof in the day of judgment."— matt.
12:36. In Matt. 16:26, 27 is a blast of warning to men that
Christ will come in the glory of his Father, and then [at that
time] he shall reward every man according to his works,"
and then there shall be no more escape from sin, but the
wicked shall have forever lost their soul. Rom. 2 :5, 6 is a
solemn warning to ungodly men who oppose the truth and presume
upon God's mercies. To such, the revelation of Jesus Christ
from heaven will be a day of wrath, when God shall
"render to every man according to his deeds." Rev.
22:11,12 also proves that the instant of Christ's coming shall
eternally fix the doom of all men, whether pure or filthy.
Amen. The fact that all, both righteous and wicked, will be
judged at the same time, is fatal to Millenniamism. But such
is the plain testimony of scripture.
