Matthew XXIV

IN speaking of the translation end of the world, we would not be understood to claim that the world, that is, the earth, will ever be destroyed. It comes to an end, or perishes, only as to its different states or conditions, as is shown in the third chapter of the second letter of Peter. We really lose nothing in admitting the translation, "end of the age," insisting, however, that it is proved that it refers to the gospel age or dispensation. We resume the presentation of evidence that the coming of the Lord, spoken of in Matt. 24 did not take place at the destruction of Jerusalem.

5. LO HERE AND LO THERE.

After speaking of the great tribulation the Saviour said: "Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. 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." Verses 23-27.

This is a very important and much abused part of this great prophecy. Its connection and obvious intention are generally quite disregarded; when it is used it is mostly so applied as to teach directly the opposite of the idea presented by the Saviour. Because of the importance of its testimony on the question under consideration we feel warranted in noticing it at some length.

1. When offering proof from the Bible that "the coming of the Lord draweth nigh," we are often met with the remark that "we are commanded to not follow the lo heres and lo theres." That this is a perversion of the Scriptures is easily shown. The only text in the Bible from which it is professedly drawn is that above quoted; and the only caution given in the text is against those who say "Here is Christ." But Adventists never say so. To argue in favor of his future coming is to argue that he is not here that he has not yet come. Therefore the caution is not against us or against our doctrine.

2. They who deny our position, and contend for a figurative or spiritual coming of the Son of man, are the very ones against whom the warning is spoken. Some say the Lord came in A. D. 70, at the overthrow of Jerusalem. Then in that day they could in truth say, "Lo, here is Christ." But our Saviour said, "Believe it not," and we obey his word—we do not believe it. And some say his coming is at the death of a saint —that the coming of Christ to each one is at his death. Even learned ministers say so. If that be so, his coming is not a public event, but is literally "in the secret chambers." To this also the Saviour says, "Believe it not." And again we heed his word—we do not believe it. We hope that they who contend for such forced and unnatural constructions of the Saviour's language do not intentionally make nonsense of his words, but that such a construction is nonsensical it is easy to show.

When the Lord said of John, "If I will that he tarry [literally, abide or remain] till I come, what is that to thee?" The disciples thought that John should remain till he came, and therefore thought he would not die. That is to say, that so far, from the coming of Christ meaning the death of his servants, they who remain till his coming will not die at all. For further proof of this see John 11:24-26; 1 Cor. 15:51, 52; 1 Thess. 4:15-17. But if it were so that John should live till Christ's coming, and if it were also true that his coming would be when John died, then the language of the Lord, correctly interpreted, would read, "If I will that he live till he die, what is that to thee?" Sure enough; what is that to anybody? even to John himself? We wish that a view of its absurdity would lead those who teach thus to correct their theology and confess their error.

3. Adventists, or literalists, are the only ones who cannot be deceived by false Christs. They who take the Scriptures literally; who believe the coming of Christ is a literal, personal, visible coming; that it is yet future; that it will be with wondrous power and glory, such as to strike his enemies with awful dread; that "all kindreds of the earth will wail because of him," when "every eye shall see him;" that at his coming the graves will be opened and the dead will be raised; that the living saints will be changed to immortality, and all be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; they, we say, who believe these things cannot be deceived by false Christs and by counterfeit comings, because they cannot counterfeit these events. While they who spiritualize his coming, or make it mean anything whatever but a personal, visible coming, are open to the deceptions against which the Saviour warns us.

4. The fact or event against which the Saviour warns us is fulfilled by those who spiritualize the coming of Christ, who say he is here, coming at death or in any other event past or present. But most notably is it fulfilled in these last days by Spiritualists, who assign the name or title of Christ to a class, and deny that it specially belongs to an individual, or to Jesus of Nazareth. We have conversed with those who professed to be Christs; and they actually "show great signs and wonders." Multitudes are deceived by them. Christ said that if possible they will deceive the very elect. Many who consider themselves of the elect—who profess to love the Lord and to believe the Scriptures, are deceived by them, because they have imbibed erroneous views of the nature of the second coming of Christ, and of the nature of man and of the true source of immortality.

5. As has been noticed, they who say the coming of Christ was at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem, assert that his coming was figurative—he came in judgment to the Jews. The judgment was inflicted by Titus and the Roman army; therefore Titus and that army represented Christ in his coming. To suit such a supposed fact we will read the caution given by our Saviour:—"Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is the Roman army, believe it not, go not forth. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth unto the west, so shall the coming of the Roman army be." But we insist that the Roman army never came to Jerusalem in any such manner. Yet in such manner will the coming of the Son of man be. For he shall come in power and great glory; Matt. 24:26; he shall come in the glory of his Father; ch. 16:27; and in the glory of the holy angels; Luke 9:26; all the holy angels shall come with him; Matt. 25:31. His coming will be as glorious and resplendent as the lightning. When Jesus revealed himself personally to Saul of Tarsus there was a light above the brightness of the sun; Acts 26:13; of the angel who appeared at the tomb after the resurrection of Jesus it is said, "His countenance was like lightning;" Matt. 28:3; and Ezekiel says of the messengers of the Most High, they "ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning;" Eze. 1:14.

When Jesus comes in the glory of his Father with such a glorious train attendant, his coming will indeed be as the lightning coming out of the east and shining to the west; and no one will have more occasion or opportunity to say to his fellow, "See here," than one would to call to another to behold a flash of lightning coursing through the heavens. What a pity that men will so mystify the truth of God as to denude this precious doctrine of all the glory with which the Scriptures have invested it.

We say that Titus never came to Jerusalem in the manner here described. And who will gainsay this? His attendants were not "holy angels," but wicked, pagan, Roman soldiers. Then if the disciples were not to believe when it was announced that Titus had come, and were not to go forth until they saw him come in such wondrous glory, how should Luke 21:20, 21 be fulfilled? This says they should flee to the mountains—truly go forth—when Jerusalem was encompassed with armies. If the coming of the Roman army were the coming of Christ then they were to flee and not to flee at the same time and because of the same event.

6. THE ADVENT WILL BE LITERAL.

The advent of the Lord will be literal and personal. It is literal in distinction from a supposed figurative or representative coming, either at Jerusalem's overthrow or at any other time. It is personal in distinction from any supposed, spiritual, secret, or intangible coming, for which many now contend.

1. Analogy calls for a literal, personal coming. His first coming was literal. It is claimed, and with much show of reason, too, that his first coming had mostly to do with the spiritual condition of men. Yet his coming was literal and physical. His second coming will have mostly to do with the physical condition of men. Why, then, shall not his second coming be also literal—in the flesh? No repentance or pardon is offered at his second coming. It will be for "the redemption of our body;" for the resurrection and translation of the saints, and the overthrow of his enemies. We say further,

2. The resurrection of the dead will take place at his coming. That is not spiritual—it is literal. Many now attempt to spiritualize the resurrection, but we can see neither reason nor propriety in the effort. (1.) Jesus said he was the resurrection, and proved the truth of his assertion and showed the nature of the resurrection by immediately calling Lazarus from the grave. (2.) When Jesus himself was resurrected, he left the tomb vacant where he had lain, and the angel who said he was risen invited the disciples to examine the place where he lay, to be thus assured that he was not there but had arisen. (3.) They who deny the bodily resurrection assert that the resurrection means the rising of the spirit out of the body at death, which cannot be true, for Jesus was raised the third day after death. It did not take his spirit three days to leave his body after he died (4.) When Jesus referred to his own resurrection under the figure of raising the temple, "he spake of the temple of his body." John 2:19-21. (5.) After his resurrection he showed them his hands and his feet, to identify himself to them, and invited them to handle him; to examine the wounds in his hands and his side. What more could be done to prove his bodily identity, and the physical nature of the resurrection? But his resurrection is the surety—he is the first-fruit—of the resurrection of them that are his. As was his, so will be theirs. At that day "this mortal shall put on immortality." We leave it with the spiritualizers whether that is spoken of the spirit or the body.

3. The Scripture expressions demand a personal coming. (1.) Jesus said he came down from Heaven, was going back to his Father, and would come again. If his coming and returning were literal, so will be his coming again. (2.) The angel said, when he ascended on high, and a cloud received him out of their sight, "This same Jesus, who is taken up from you into Heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into Heaven." Acts 1:11. We cannot imagine how anything but a bold perversion of language, or a peremptory denial of it, can make of this other than an actual, real, and bodily coming. (3.) Paul said, speaking of his coming, "The Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and the trump of God." 1 Thess. 4:16. This was not fulfilled by Titus, nor yet even by the Lord himself; but it will be.

4. Paul said, "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." Col. 3:4. The saints were not glorified at the destruction of Jerusalem. Peter said, "And when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away." 1 Peter 5:4. No saint received a crown of glory at the destruction of Jerusalem, for the Chief Shepherd did not then appear. Jesus said, speaking by his servant John, nearly thirty years after the destruction of Jerusalem, "Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." Rev. 22:12. This agrees with his words in Luke 14:14, that recompense shall be given at the resurrection of the just, which, as has been shown, takes place when the Lord comes.

5. Taking the negative, we inquire, If the coming of the Lord, with all its attendant glory, the resurrection and translation of the saints, the gathering of the saints unto the Lord himself, the bestowing of fadeless crowns of glory to the faithful—if all this took place at the destruction of Jerusalem, what have we to hope for in the future? All the promises of redemption, glory, and immortality cluster around the coming of the Lord. If that is already past, what is our hope? It is not difficult to show that they who have no part in the second coming of Christ, have no part in his glory, no crown of life, no recompense of reward. Giving that away, they rob themselves of all.