01.06 The Two Advents
VI. The Two Advents The careful reader of the Old Testament will perceive that there are two lines of prophecy in reference to the Messiah. The first speaks of Him as a SUFFERING SAVIOUR 1. The TIME of His First Coming. Daniel 9:25.
2. The PLACE of His Birth. Micah 5:2 (Luke 2:4).
3. His VIRGIN BIRTH. Isaiah 7:14 (Matthew 1:18).
4. His ANOINTING BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. Isaiah 61:1 (John 1:32-34).
5. DESPISED and REJECTED, a MAN OF SORROWS and acquainted with GRIEF. Isaiah 53:3. (Matthew 26:36-39).
6. SOLD for 30 pieces of silver. Zechariah 11:12 (Matthew 26:15).
7. BETRAYED by a friend. Psalms 41:9 (Matthew 26:49-50).
8. FORSAKEN by His Disciples. Zechariah 13:7 (Mark 14:27).
9. ACCUSED by "False Witnesses." Psalms 35:11 (Matthew 26:59-60).
10. SPIT UPON and SCOURGED. Isaiah 50:6 (Mark 14:65).
11. NAILED to the Cross. Psalms 22:16 (Luke 23:33).
12. MOCKED on the Cross. Psalms 22:7-8. (Matthew 27:39-40).
13. INTENSE SUFFERER. Psalms 22:14. (Luke 22:44).
14. CRUCIFIED with thieves. Isaiah 53:12 (Mark 15:27-28).
15. BURIED as a rich man. Isaiah 53:9 (Matthew 27:57-60). The second line of prophecy speaks of Messiah as a GLORIOUS KING.
1. He was to be a "RIGHTEOUS BRANCH." Jeremiah 23:5-8.
2. He was to have a "KINGDOM." Daniel 2:44. Daniel 7:13-14.
3. He was to reign on the "THRONE OF DAVID." 1 Samuel 7:16. Isaiah 9:6-7.
4. He was to rule the nations with a "ROD OF IRON." Psalms 2:6-9.
5. His reign was to be GLORIOUS. Psalms 72:1-20. Isaiah 2:1-4. Isaiah 32:1-4, Isaiah 32:15-20. Zechariah 14:16-21.
These are but a few of the many prophecies contained in the Old Testament as to the coming of the Messiah.
Peter tells us (1 Peter 1:10-11) that the Old Testament prophets did not perceive the difference between the "Sufferings" and "Glory" of Christ. That is, they did not see that there was a "TIME SPACE," between the "CROSS" and the "CROWN" covering the "Present Dispensation," and that the "Cross" would precede the "Crown." It was because of this that the religious leaders of Christ’s day rejected Him. But we have no such excuse. We live on this side of the "Cross," and we can readily pick out all the prophecies that were fulfilled at Christ’s "First Coming" and apply the remainder to His "Second Coming." It is clear then that Christ’s "First Coming," important as it was, is not the "doctrinal centre" of the Scriptures, that is, Christ’s "First Coming" was not the centre of a circle that contains all doctrine, but was one of the foci of an ellipse of which the other is the "SECOND COMING." See the Chart of "The Two Comings," page 64. On this Chart the "First Coming" is indicated by the "CROSS," and the "Second Coming" by the "CROWN." Between the "Comings" we have the "TABLE" which points backward to the "Cross" and forward to the "Crown."
While the First and Second Comings of Christ are separated by this Dispensation they are nevertheless not complete in themselves, the Second necessitated the First, and the First demands the Second. They are both necessary to complete the Plan of Salvation. The First Coming was for the salvation of my "SOUL"; the Second is for the salvation of my "BODY," for there can be no resurrection of the body until Christ comes back. The Chart on the "Mountain Peaks of Prophecy," page 66, illustrates how it was that the Old Testament Prophets failed to distinguish between the "First" and "Second" Comings. From the Prophets’ "viewpoint" they saw the Birth of Jesus, the Crucifixion, the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the Antichrist, Christ coming as the "Sun of Righteousness," the Kingdom, as peaks of one great mountain, they did not see what we standing off to the side now see, that those peaks belonged to two different mountains separated by the "Valley of the Church." The Chart of "The Two Advents," page 68, will give us a clear idea of the "Two Advents." The "First Advent," like the "Second Advent" was in "Two Stages." In the "First Stage" Jesus came "SECRETLY" from Heaven and was born of a virgin as had been foretold by the Prophet Isaiah. Isaiah 7:14. Matthew 1:18-23. In the "Second Stage" He came "PUBLICLY" and was proclaimed as King, as foretold by the Prophet Zechariah. Zechariah 9:9. Luke 19:28-40. Matthew 21:4-5. Between the two stages of His First Coming there was a "Time Space" of 33 years, from B. C. 4 to A. D. 30. At His "Second Coming" there will also be "Two Stages." At the "First Stage" He will come "SECRETLY" into the atmosphere of the earth, and the Church will be "caught out" to meet Him. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. This was not revealed to the Old Testament Prophets. This is known as the "Rapture." At the "Second Stage" He will come "PUBLICLY" all the way to the earth and stand again on the Mount of Olives from which He ascended, as foretold by the Prophet Zechariah (Zechariah 14:1-4), and by the "Two MEN" (Moses and Elijah) who stood by when He ascended. Acts 1:9-11. This is spoken of as the "Revelation." 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10. The "Time Space" between the "Rapture" and the "Revelation" will be at least 7 years, unless it be shortened (Matthew 24:22), but probably it will be longer, as the "Rapture of the Church" may take place some time before the commencement of the "Last Week" of Daniel’s "Seventy Weeks." Daniel 9:27. See the Chart of "Daniel’s Seventy Weeks," page 70. When Christ comes at the "Rapture" He will be the "Bright and Morning Star," 2 Peter 1:19, Revelation 22:16. When He comes at the "Revelation" He will be the "Sun of Righteousness." Malachi 4:2. As the prophecies in reference to Christ’s First Advent were literally fulfilled, so must the prophecies of His Second Advent. We cannot literalize one and spiritualize the other. Let us see what the New Testament has to say about THE SECOND ADVENT.
I. AS TO THE FACT 1. THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS HIMSELF.
John 14:2-3. "In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And 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."
2. THE TESTIMONY OF HEAVENLY BEINGS.
Acts 1:10-11. "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." This passage declares that the SAME JESUS shall return IN LIKE MANNER as He went, that is, that His return will be visible and personal. The two "men" that "stood by" were probably Moses and Elijah. They appeared with Jesus on the Mt. of Transfiguration, they were doubtless the "two men" who testified to the women at the tomb that Jesus had risen (Luke 24:4-5), and they will be the "Two Witnesses" that shall testify during the Tribulation. Revelation 11:3-12.
3. THE TESTIMONY OF THE APOSTLES.
PAUL-"For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself." Php 3:20-21.
JAMES-"Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord." James 5:7.
PETER-"For we have not followed cunningly devised fables when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty." 2 Peter 1:16.
Peter here refers to the Transfiguration of Christ on the mount (Matthew 17:1-5), which was a type of His Second Coming. Moses was a type of the "resurrection saints," and Elijah of those who shall be translated without dying.
JOHN-"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.
"Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him, and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen." Revelation 1:7.
4. THE TESTIMONY OF THE LORD’S SUPPER.
"For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till he come." 1 Corinthians 11:26. The Lord’s Supper is not a permanent ordinance. It will be discontinued when the Lord returns. It is a Memorial Feast. It looks back to the "Cross" and forward to the "Coming." THE FIVE THEORIES
While the majority of professing Christians admit the fact of the Second Coming of Christ, they are not agreed as to the "manner" or "time." There are five theories as to the Second Coming.
1. That His Coming Again Is "SPIRITUAL" and Was Fulfilled at Pentecost
It was not Christ but the Holy Spirit that came at Pentecost, and his coming was conditioned on Christ’s absence, for Jesus said, "It is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter (H. S.) will not come unto you; but if I DEPART, I will SEND HIM UNTO YOU." John 16:7. If the Holy Spirit is only another manifestation of Christ, then they are identical, and that NULLIFIES THE TRINITY. The fact is, the whole New Testament was written after Pentecost, and declares over 150 times that the Second Coming of Christ was still future. And more, none of the events predicted as accompanying the Second Coming occurred at Pentecost, such as the Resurrection of the "Dead in Christ," the Translation of the "Living Saints," the "Binding of Satan," etc.
2. That the "CONVERSION OF THE SINNER" is the Coming of the Lord. This cannot be, for at conversion the sinner comes to Christ, not Christ to the sinner; and the sinner’s conversion is the work of the Holy Spirit, and not the work of Christ. It is true that there is such a thing as the spiritual indwelling of Christ in the believer, but His Second Coming, like His First Coming is to be an outward, visible, personal coming.
3. That "DEATH" is the Coming of the Lord. The text that is used more than any other for funeral sermons is-"Watch, therefore; for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh." Matthew 25:13. The context shows that this refers to a future coming of Christ. Christ could not come to the earth every time a person dies for two reasons-
(1) A soul passes into eternity every second, and this would necessitate Christ’s remaining continuously on the earth.
(2) Christ is engaged in His High Priestly functions in the Heavenlies, and could not leave them to come to the earth for the souls of the dying. The fact is, that at death the believer goes to Christ. ’Christ does not come for him. Death is always spoken of as a departure. "Absent from the body, present (at home) with the Lord." 2 Corinthians 5:6-8.
If Jesus had meant by His Second Coming "Death," he would have said to His Disciples-"If I go and prepare a place for you, I will send ’Death’ to bring you to myself," but He did not. He said-"I will come again and receive you unto myself." The last chapter of John’s Gospel settles the matter. Peter said to Jesus-"Lord, and what shall this man (referring to John) do? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou me. Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple (John) should not DIE." John 21:21-23. We see from this that the Disciples did not think that the "Coming of the Lord" meant "death." There was a great difference between these two things in their mind. Death is an enemy (1 Corinthians 15:26, 1 Corinthians 15:55), it holds us in the grave, it robs the body of its attractiveness, it is the "Wages of Sin" (Romans 6:23), and the result of God’s wrath, while the Second Coming of Christ is a manifestation of His love. Christ is the "Prince of Life." There can be no death where He is. Death flees at His coming. When He was on earth nothing could remain dead in His presence. His Coming is not death but resurrection. He is the "Rescurrection" and the "Life," and when He Comes, He will change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His "Glorious Body." Php 3:20-21.
4. That the "DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM" in A. D. 70 by the Romans Was the Second Coming of the Lord. The Lord was not present at the destruction of Jerusalem. It was destroyed by Roman soldiers and none of the things that are to occur at the "Second Coming" occurred at the destruction of Jerusalem such as the resurrection of the dead, the translation of living saints, and the physical changes that are to occur at Jerusalem and in the land of Palestine at Christ’s coming. Zechariah 14:4-11. Ezekiel 47:1-12. Christ’s purpose in coming back is not to destroy Jerusalem, but to RESTORE it. It must be trodden down of the Gentiles until the "Times of the Gentiles" are fulfilled, "then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory." Luke 21:24-28. The Book of Revelation, written 26 years after the destruction of Jerusalem, speaks of the Second Coming of Christ as still future.
5. That the "DIFFUSION OF CHRISTIANITY" is the Second Coming of the Lord. This cannot be true, for the "Diffusion of Christianity" is gradual, whereas the Scriptures declare that the "Return of the Lord" shall be SUDDEN and UNEXPECTED, as a "Thief in the Night." Matthew 24:27, Matthew 24:36, Matthew 24:42, Matthew 24:44. 1 Thessalonians 5:2. Revelation 3:3. Again the "Diffusion of Christianity" is a process, while the Scriptures invariably speak of the "Return of the Lord" as an EVENT. The diffusion of Christianity brings Salvation to the wicked, whereas the "Return of the Lord" is said to bring not salvation but SUDDEN DESTRUCTION. 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10.
II. AS TO THE TIME Of the exact time we cannot be certain. When Jesus was on the earth He said-"But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither (not yet) the Son, but the Father." Mark 13:32. After His Resurrection and before His Ascension, He refused to satisfy the curiosity of His Disciples, saying to them-"It is not for you to know the ’times’ or the ’seasons’ which the Father hath put in his own power." Acts 1:7.
While we do not know the day or the hour of Christ’s Coming we know that it will be
PRE-MILLENNIAL. By Pre-Millennial we mean before the Millennium. That is, before the period of a "Thousand Years" spoken of in Revelation 20:1-6. This period is spoken of in other scriptures as "The Kingdom," and is described in glowing terms by the prophets as a time when the earth shall be blessed with a universal rule of righteousness. The passage in Revelation 20:1-6 simply tells us that the length of the period shall be 1000 years. The very structure of the New Testament demands that Christ shall return before the Millennium. Here are a few reasons.
1. When Christ comes He will RAISE THE DEAD, but the Righteous dead are to be raised BEFORE the Millennium, that they may reign with Christ during the 1000 years, hence there can be no Millennium before Christ comes. Revelation 20:5.
2. When Christ comes He will SEPARATE THE "TARES" FROM THE "WHEAT," but as the Millennium is a period of UNIVERSAL RIGHTEOUSNESS the separation of the "Tares" and "Wheat" must take place BEFORE the Millennium, therefore there can be no Millennium before Christ comes. Matthew 13:40-43.
3. When Christ comes Satan SHALL BE BOUND, but as Satan is to be bound during the Millennium, there can be no Millennium until Christ comes. Revelation 20:1-3.
4. When Christ comes Antichrist is to be DESTROYED, but as Antichrist is to be destroyed before the Millennium there can be no Millennium until Christ comes. 2 Thessalonians 2:8; Revelation 19:20.
5. When Christ comes the Jews are to be RESTORED TO THEIR OWN LAND, but as they are to be restored to their own land BEFORE the Millennium, there can be no Millennium before Christ comes. Ezekiel 36:24-28; Revelation 1:7 (Zechariah 12:10).
6. When Christ comes it will be unexpectedly, and we are commanded to watch lest He take us unawares. Now if He is not coming until AFTER the Millennium, and the Millennium is not yet here, why command us to watch for an event that is over 1000 years off?
III. AS TO THE MANNER
He will return in the SAME MANNER as He went. Acts 1:11. He went up BODILY and VISIBLY and He shall come in like manner. He went in a cloud, and He will return in a cloud. "Behold, He cometh with the clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him; and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him." Revelation 1:7. The only difference will be that He went up alone, He will return as a King (Luke 19:12), followed by a retinue of the angelic hosts. "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." Matthew 16:27. His "Return" however will be in
TWO STAGES.
He will come first into the region of our atmosphere, and the "dead in Christ," and the "living saints" shall be "caught up" to meet Him "IN THE AIR." Then after the risen and translated saints have been judged and rewarded for their works, and they, as the Church, the Bride of Christ, have been married to Him, He will come with them to the earth and land on the Mount of Olives, the place from whence He ascended. Zechariah 14:4. The First Stage of His Return is called "THE RAPTURE"; the Second Stage-"THE REVELATION." The time between the two Stages is not less than seven years, and is occupied in the heavens by the "JUDGMENT OF BELIEVERS FOR WORKS," and on the earth by "THE GREAT TRIBULATION." THE RAPTURE The Rapture is described in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17. "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 (Michael) and with the trump of God; and the DEAD IN CHRIST shall rise first; then we which are ALIVE AND REMAIN (saints only) 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." From this we see that "The Rapture" will be twofold.
1. The Resurrection of the "DEAD IN CHRIST."
2. The Translation of the "LIVING SAINTS." This twofold character of "The Rapture" Jesus revealed to Martha when He was about to raise her brother Lazarus. He said to her:
"I am the ’Resurrection and the Life,’ he that believeth in Me, though he were dead yet shall he LIVE (First Resurrection Saints); and whosoever LIVETH (is alive when I come back) and believeth in Me shall NEVER DIE." John 11:25-26. This twofold character of The Rapture, Paul emphasizes in his immortal chapter on the Resurrection.
"Behold, I show you a Mystery, we shall not all Sleep, but we 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, and we shall be changed. For this Corruptible (the dead in Christ) must put on incorruption, and this mortal (the living saints) must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP IN VICTORY.
O DEATH, WHERE IS THY STING?
O GRAVE, WHERE IS THY VICTORY?"
1 Corinthians 15:51-57. The last two lines refer only to those who are "changed without dying," for it is only those who will not die who can shout- "O Death, Where Is Thy Sting?
"O Grave, Where Is Thy Victory?" In 2 Corinthians 5:1-4, Paul expresses his longing, and the longing of the Saints, to be among those who should not be "unclothed" by Death, but who should be "clothed upon" by Immortality "without dying."
"For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle (the body), were dissolved (that is die), we have a building of God, an house not made with hands eternal in the heavens. For in this (body) we groan, earnestly desiring to be ’clothed upon’ with our house which is from heaven; if so be that being ’clothed’ we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle (the body) do groan, being burdened; not for that we would be ’unclothed’ (by death), but ’clothed upon’ (by immortality), that ’mortality’ might be swallowed up of life." In his letter to the Philippians, while Paul hopes that-
"If by any means he may attain unto The (out from among the dead) Resurrection," yet he pressed "toward the mark for the ’prize’ of the High (out and up) Calling of God in Christ Jesus." Php 3:11-14. That is, while Paul would esteem it a great thing to "rise from the dead" at the First Resurrection, and be "caught up" with those who should be "changed," yet he would esteem it a "prize" if he could be caught up "without dying," that is, live until Jesus came back. THE RAPTURE WILL BE A "SURPRISE"
"Watch therefore; for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready; for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man COMETH." Matthew 24:42-44.
We see from this that when Christ comes back it will be when we are not expecting Him. He will come as a thief comes. A thief does not announce his coming. He comes for a certain purpose. He does not take everything there is in the house. He takes only the precious things. The jewels, the gold, the silver and fine wearing apparel. He does not come to stay. As soon as he secures what he is after he departs. So Jesus at the Rapture will come and take away the saints only. The thief leaves much more than he takes. He leaves the house and the furniture and the household utensils. So the Lord at the Rapture will leave the wicked and the great mass of the heathen behind, for those who will be taken will be comparatively few. THE RAPTURE WILL BE "ELECTIVE"
It will not only separate the saints from unbelievers, but it will separate husbands from wives, brothers ,from sisters, friends from friends.
"I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left." Luke 17:34-36. The words "men" and "women" in this passage are in italics. That means that they are not in the original, and so the passage should read there shall be "two in one bed," husband and wife, or two brothers, or two sisters, or two friends. Two in "bed" indicates night; two grinding at the mill, morning or evening; two in the field mid-day. This shows that the Rapture will happen all over the earth at the same time or as the Apostle describes it in a "moment," or the "twinkling of an eye." "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" (Matthew 24:27) is the way Jesus puts it. The "Rapture" will be the most startling "event" of this Age and Dispensation. As it is to occur in the "twinkling of an eye" and all over the earth at the same time, that part of the world that is not asleep will witness the event. As to the "Shout of the Lord," the Voice of the Archangel," and the "Trump of God" we do not know whether their sound will be heard and distinguished by others than the "dead in Christ" and the "living saints." We know that one day the Father spoke to Christ in a voice that He understood, but the people who stood by mistook it for "thunder." John 12:28-29. If the dead slip out of their places of sepulchre without disturbing them, the First Resurrection will be secret and probably unknown to the world, but it will not be so with the "Living Saints" who are translated. If it is night on our side of the globe when the Rapture occurs the community will wake up in the morning to find all the real Christians gone, disappeared in the night.
If it be day, the "EVENT" will be startling. If it be at a pleasant time of the year, the boats, and cars, and parks will be filled with pleasure seekers. If it be in the midst of the week, and during the business hours of the day, the shops and stores will be filled with shoppers and the mills with toilers, and the streets of the cities lined with men and women and children on pleasure and business bent. Suddenly a noise from heaven will be heard like a great peal of thunder. The people will rush to doors and windows, and those on the streets and in the fields will look up to see what has happened. To the vast majority it will be but a startling and alarming sound, but to many it will be the "VOICE OF THE LORD." But when the people recover from their surprised and affrighted condition they will discover that a great many people are missing, and that the missing were the best people in the community. At first the whole thing will be a Mystery, until some one who had heard or read about the "Rapture of the Saints," realizing what has happened, will explain the situation. But one of the surprises of that day will be that so many professing Christians, and among them many ministers and Christian workers, will be left behind, while some who were not known to be Christians will be missing. For a few days the excitement will be intense. Then the people will settle down to the inevitable. With the exception of a few who will repent and turn to God, the mass of the people will become more hardened and wicked than before, and some who lost loved ones will be embittered. As the Holy Spirit will have gone back with the "Raptured Ones," and the "Saints," the SALT of the earth, been taken out, there will be nothing to prevent the rapid degeneration and "Moral Putrefaction" of those who are "left," and sin and iniquity and all manner of crime and worldliness will increase and pave the way for the manifestation of Antichrist, under whose administration the world will rapidly ripen for judgment. THE REVELATION At the "Second Stage" of Christ’s Second Coming, the "Revelation," we shall behold His "Glory." When Jesus came the first time He was disguised in the flesh. The "Incarnation" was the hiding of His Power, the veiling of His Deity. Now and then gleams of glory shot forth as on the Mt. of Transfiguration; but when He comes the Second Time we shall behold Him clothed with the glory He had with the Father before the world was. The "Revelation" will be as sudden and unexpected as was the "Rapture." The people will be buying and selling, building and planting, eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage. The statesmen will be revolving in their minds new plans for the world’s betterment. The pleasure-loving will be seeking new sources of pleasure. The wicked will be plotting dark deeds; and the unbelieving will be proving to their own satisfaction that there is no God, no heaven, no hell, no coming judgment, when suddenly there will be a change. In the distant heaven there will appear a "POINT OF LIGHT," outshining the sun. It will be seen descending toward the earth. As it descends it will assume the form of a bright cloud, out of which shall stream dazzling beams of light, and flashes of lightning. It will descend apace as if on the wings of the whirlwind, and when it reaches its destination over the brow of the Mt. of Olives it will stop and unfold itself to the terrified and awestricken beholders, and there will be revealed to them Jesus seated on a "White Horse" (Revelation 19:11-16) and accompanied with His Saints and the armies of Heaven. Then shall be fulfilled what Jesus foretold in His Olivet Discourse- "Then shall appear the sign (a cloud) 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." Matthew 24:30.
Following the "Revelation" will be the "Battle of Armageddon," and then Christ will sit upon the "THRONE OF HIS GLORY" and judge "The Nations," (Matthew 25:31-46), after which He will set up His "Millennial Kingdom."*
*See my booklet on "The Second Coming," containing 46 pages and 8 Charts, price 25 cents, for a fuller description of the "Second Advent."