Redbook
magazine made a survey of the eight leading seminaries in America and
discovered that only one percent of the students believed in the second coming
of Jesus. The reason for this astonishing skepticism may be revealed by the
experience of D. L. Moody, the great lay evangelist. After explaining that he
had been in the church for fifteen years before hearing his first sermon on
the subject of Christ's return, he stated, "Now I know why the devil does
not want this subject to be preached. Nothing would wake up the church so much
as the doctrine that Jesus is coming soon."
Does
that also explain why the modern church is so strangely quiet about this
glorious future event? Has Satan been successful in throwing a blanket of
silence over the one great truth that could revive the Laodicean churches of
today? It certainly seems to be the case. Even the evangelists are saying
little about this spectacular occurrence which is mentioned 331 times in the
New Testament alone.
There
is no event of the past, present, or future which has a stronger basis for
belief. Jesus spoke about it with such unmistakable clarity that no one need
be in doubt or confusion. He said, "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." John 14:2, 3.
It
is biblically clear that God's complete plan for this world will not be
fulfilled until we are transferred into that perfect home He is now preparing.
The plan of salvation has made infinite provisions for our justification and
sanctification, but the restoration of all things will not be accomplished
until we are freed forever from the contaminating presence of sin.
When
and how will Christ's second entry into earth's history take place? Before
answering that question it is very important to understand how it will not
happen. Millions have been deceived by an incredible array of false theories
which have spread like wildfire among evangelical Christians.
When
His disciples approached Him on the Mount of Olives with the anxious question
"What shall be the sign of thy coming and the end of the world?"
Christ answered, "Take heed that no one deceive you." The
implication is clear that there will be an unusual amount of misleading
information about His return.
Then
Jesus proceeded to outline the major signs that would mark His second coming.
Almost the whole of Matthew 24 is mingled with warnings about the endtime
program of Satan to delude the whole world on this issue. According to Jesus,
the very elect will be assailed and threatened by the cunning impersonations
of the evil one. He declared that false Christs and deceiving prophets would
appear in the last days working undeniable miracles. "For there shall
arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and
wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very
elect." Matthew 24:24.
Have
such bold religious frauds made their appearance? Indeed, they have been
announced through the pages of the world's most prestigious newspapers. Highly
sophisticated advertising copy has proclaimed the imminent appearance of the
divine "Incarnation" who will have the answers to all our problems.
Even
though many of the claims of such charlatans are being rejected, the world
community is subtly being prepared for a supernatural manifestation of a
counterfeit Christ. Because of their lack of biblical knowledge, millions of
Christians will be ready to receive the spurious claims of this brazen
impostor.
Jesus
declared that He would not return to any localized area of the earth.
"Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there;
believe it not. ... 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." Matthew 24:23-26.
Those
who are well-versed in the truths of the Bible cannot be swept by the massive
hysteria which will mark Satan's attempt to impersonate the advent of Jesus.
When popular television news commentators announce, with great excitement,
that Christ has appeared in London, New York or Rome, the vast majority of
listeners will believe it is true.
Satan
Impersonates Christ
If
you feel you would be insulated from deception, just imagine yourself in the
presence of such a personage. Perhaps you have rushed to the scene to expose
the crafty pretender, but you are not prepared for the awesome reality facing
you. A majestic being, dressed in a glistening robe, towers above all the
thousands who try to press in to his side. A tremendous aura of power
circulates around the Christ-like figure. He speaks in the same gentle tones
that you imagine Jesus used when He was upon the earth. You watch in amazement
as he puts forth his hand to touch the blind, lame, and diseased who prostrate
before him. Instantly they seem to be healed of every infirmity and weakness.
The cry goes up from hundreds of voices, "Jesus has come!" You are
strangely affected by the waves of joyful emotion which seem to immerse the
adoring multitude who fill the streets.
Then,
suppose that this noble benefactor proclaims that he is indeed the Messiah who
has returned to resume his work of healing and preaching. How easy would it be
to resist the impulse to hail him as the Son of God? The evidence of your
physical senses would be overwhelming.
Why
could the whole world be captured by such a dazzling demonstration? Because
there is a natural response in every human being to the unusual and the
spectacular. People will go anywhere at any cost to witness a promised
miracle. Satan will exploit this fleshly foible to his own advantage. No
wonder the very elect will be in danger of being deceived.
Now
that we know how Jesus will not return, let us discover how His coming will
actually take place. Our only safety is to understand the truth as it is
revealed in the Bible.
Two
angels came all the way from heaven to give the clearest declaration on record
concerning the manner of Christ's return. The circumstances of that dramatic
moment leave no room for quibbling over what they meant: "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 stedfastly 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 1:9-11.
Five
colorful words in these verses indicate beyond question that the ascension of
Jesus was a very real event - beheld, sight, looked, gazing, and seen. This
was not some mystical dream or vision. They were literally watching our Lord
with their physical eyes as He disappeared into the distant sky. Said the
angels, "This same Jesus ... shall so come in like manner as ye have seen
him go."
His
return will be just as visible and literal as His going away. Since He left in
a cloud, He must also come back in a cloud. Do the Scriptures confirm this?
John wrote, "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see
him." Revelation 1:7.
In
a few brief words the Revelator reveals one of the most astounding facts about
the advent of Christ. He will be seen by every living soul in the world as He
gradually descends through the atmospheric heavens. The good and evil
inhabitants of all nations on earth will look up together and behold the glory
of His train filling the sky. Jesus described it this way, "And 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." Matthew 24:30.
One
Hundred Million Angels
Man
and devils may be able to counterfeit many aspects of His coming, but they
will not be able to duplicate the manner of His celestial entry into our
atmosphere. At no time or place will so much glory and grandeur be exposed to
the eyes of man. We are told in Matthew 25:31 that "all the holy
angels" will be in attendance when He comes. According to John the
Revelator there are many times more than a hundred million angels in heaven
and all of them will be with Him as He returns. "And the number of them
was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands."
Revelation 5:11.
On
occasion single angels have appeared to human beings in the strength of their
heavenly glory and the results have been devastating. One angel smote the
Assyrian army during the night and 185,000 were dead the next morning. 2 Kings
19:35. Multiply that kind of glory by a few hundred million and you can
imagine the brightness of the Advent.
Will
it be visible to every person alive in the world? Jesus said, "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." Matthew 24:27. No wonder all
tribes and peoples will be audience to that spectacular sight. Just as a vivid
flash of lightning on a dark night penetrates to every corner so that no one
can hide from it, so will His coming be. The earth will be illuminated from
one
horizon to the other.
Already
we can see that the final events will not be done in a corner somewhere. In
addition to being highly visible, there will be some very loud sounds
associated with the second coming of Christ. Paul wrote, "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." 1 Thessalonians 4:16.
That
mighty demonstration of sight and sound will be such that even the dead will
be awakened out of their dusty beds. The shout, the voice, and the trump will
be audible to every creature under the sun. I have never played a trumpet,
personally, but my two sons tried to learn the art when they were children. I
can only say one thing about trumpets with absolute certainty and that is:
They are not silent! Trumpets were made to be sounded and to be heard.
Will
there be other global phenomena to mark the close of time as we know it? Yes,
there will also be a convulsive, world-wide earthquake, more destructive than
any ever seen before. "And there were voices, and thunders, and
lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were
upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. ... And every island
fled away, and the mountains were not found." Revelation 16:18-20.
Envision
the universal terror which will accompany the shock waves which cause
inhabited islands to disappear into the sea. Huge mountain chains will be
shattered into fragments, according to the graphic language of the prophet.
As
the picture unfolds, it becomes more and more apparent that our Lord's return
will be the most cataclysmic event ever to occur. Not one person in the world
will be able to hide from it. The wicked, in particular, will be profoundly
affected by the approach of those myriads of heavenly
beings, as they escort Jesus toward the earth. John described how they will
try to avoid the presence of the One whom they have rejected and denied.
"And
the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain
and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the
great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and
every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks
of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us
from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the
Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to
stand?" Revelation 6:14-17.
As
Christ returns to execute judgment upon the earth, His presence is a consuming
fire upon all sin and sinners. The wicked try to escape into the caves of the
mountains and pray to be blotted out of existence rather than face a holy God.
Intense and awful is their sense of shame and fear.
No
Two-Phase Coming
Paul
adds to the information about the final fate of those who are not ready for
Christ's coming: "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." 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10.
At
the very same time that the righteous are glorified, the rejecters of His
grace will be slain by the brightness of His presence.
This
interesting revelation brings us face to face with a massive deception which
has misled millions of Christians. Obviously, there will be nothing secret
about the rapture of the saints, and the so-called "secret rapture"
is only a figment of the imagination. We have just read the clear Bible
statement that the wicked are dealt with at the same time the righteous are
given
immortality.
There
is absolutely no scriptural indication that the return of Christ takes place
in two phases. The popular concept that Jesus comes secretly seven years
before the end of the world to snatch away the good people has no Bible
support whatsoever. The wicked do not continue living in the earth for seven
years after the mythical rapture of the righteous. They are slain, Paul says,
"When he (Jesus) shall come to be glorified in his saints."
Recently,
there came to my desk a mockup of a newspaper which was supposed to represent
the typical news flashes on the day after the rapture occurs. It was filled
with horror stories and pictures
beyond description. Terrible accidents were reported to have occurred
simultaneously around the world, killing thousands of people. As millions of
Christians suddenly vanished without a trace, driverless cars and pilotless
planes careened out of control. The paper carried many articles about little
children who had apparently disappeared into thin air while on their way to
school. Only the spiritually careless and uncommitted were left behind to pick
up the pieces of a shattered society.
What
a perversion of truth! The wicked will also see Christ when He comes. Paul
says He shall "appear the second time," and Peter declared,
"When the chief Shepherd shall appear." Hebrews 9:28; 1 Peter 5:4.
If His coming were secret or invisible, it should be written that He will not
appear. When Paul and his companions suffered a storm at sea and the clouds
were dark and lowering, he described it as "when neither sun nor stars in
many days appeared." Acts 27:20. To appear is to be seen. Will Jesus
appear or not when He comes? Many verses say He will appear. Can we trust the
Bible, or should we put some strange, twisted meaning to that word
"appear" in order to support what we want to believe?
Coming
As a Thief
I
am convinced that the confusion has been largely the result of misinterpreting
two phrases which Jesus used in describing His coming. And the interesting
thing is that He gave such a clear explanation of the phrases that hardly an
unprejudiced mind could be misled.
Now
let us take a close look, in context, at the two expressions of our Lord which
have been used to support a secret rapture - "as a thief in the
night," and "one taken and the other left." If we are willing
to accept the Bible definition of terms, there can be no ambiguity about what
Jesus said.
What
did He mean when He said His coming would be like a thief in the night? He
carefully explained in Matthew 24:42-44: "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."
There
it is! So simple that a child can understand it. It will be unexpected. The
advent will take the world by surprise. His coming will burst upon this earth
when people least expect it. They will be just as unprepared for it as they
would for a midnight thief. These words do not convey the least idea that our
Lord will come sneaking around like some common criminal. He was just using a
striking illustration of the unexpectedness of His return. Jesus reinforced
the point He was making in verse 50, "The lord of that servant shall come
in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware
of."
Peter
used exactly the same words in describing the coming of Christ. He said,
"But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which
the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt
with fervent heat." 2 Peter 3:10. This verse alone contains all the
evidence we could ever desire about the meaning of the disputed term. When
Jesus comes as a thief, Peter says, the heavens will pass away with a great
noise. Could that be secret? Does this portray the silent snatching away of
millions of people while others are totally unaware of what is taking place?
It is the very opposite of that. That great noise corresponds to the shout and
trumpet of Paul's epistle - a sound so
intense that even the dead are awakened.
One
Taken and One Left
The
amazing thing is how people have taken such obvious verses and twisted them
out of context to support a doctrine which does not even appear in the Bible.
The same thing has been done with the illustration of two woman grinding
together. Jesus did say, "The one shall be taken and the other
left," but what does the context tell us about the meaning of those
words? Is there any indication whatsoever that Jesus was teaching a secret
rapture of the saints?
The
words in question are found in Luke 17:24-27, but let's read the verses before
and after in order to get the full picture. Beginning in verse 26 Jesus
likened His coming to the days of Noah: "And as it was in the days of Noe,
so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank,
they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe
entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all."
The
similarity is beyond question. Before the flood some were taken and some were
left. The ones taken were taken into the ark and saved. The ones who were left
were all destroyed by the raging water.
Christ
continued His discourse with another illustration. "Likewise also as it
was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they
planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained
fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be
in the day when the Son of man is revealed." Verses 28-30.
Again,
the parallel is obvious. Some were taken out of the city to safety and some
were left. What happened to those who were left? They were all destroyed by
the fire.
Now
we come to verses 34-36: "I tell you, in that night there shall be two
men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other 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."
Please
keep the continuity of Christ's previous illustration in mind as you consider
these words. In every case there had been a separation of the good from the
bad, and then the wicked were slain. If the context teaches us anything at
all, we must conclude that the one who is left will be left dead, just as it
was in Noah and Lot's days. And when we read the next verse, there can be no
doubt that this is exactly what Jesus was saying. "And they answered and
said unto him, Where Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is,
thither will the eagles be gathered together." Verse 37.
After
Jesus said one would be taken and the other left, the disciples asked where
they would be left. His answer clearly reveals that all who were left would be
dead. Their bodies would be food for the eagles to devour. This is in perfect
harmony with what the rest of the Bible says on the subject.
There
is not the slightest hint that this final separation of the saved and lost
will be done in any secretive manner. Yet, this connotation has been applied
by those who are desperately trying to find inspired support for an empty
tradition. The unscriptural two-phase coming has been repeated so often and so
persistently that millions believe it must be true. There is probably no more
dangerous doctrinal distortion in the world than this, because it could delude
the majority of professed Christians into being lost. No wonder Jesus warned:
"Take heed that no man deceive you."
The
Rapture Rooted in Catholicism
The
foundation of the rapture theory was laid over 400 years ago upon the specific
orders of the Catholic Church. Every Christian needs to understand how this
fabrication of error was designed to neutralize the great Protestant
Reformation. If the facts of history were known by Protestants today who
defend with such great emotion the rapture theory and the futurist antichrist
doctrine, they would be horrified.
Luther
and his fellow reformers boldly identified the pope as the "man of
sin," and labeled the Catholic Church as the antichrist of prophecy. In
response to those charges, the hierarchy assigned two Jesuit priests to
develop counter-interpretations which would turn the onus away from the
Catholic Church. In spite of the fact that the two men founded opposing
schools of interpretation, their theories have survived to form the basis of
most modern Protestant theology today. Not only did they effectively blunt
Luther's assessment of the papacy as the antichrist, but they cleverly divided
and diluted the "protest" of all the churches which grew out of the
Reformation movement.
Modern
religious observers were astounded in January, 1984, when men like Billy
Graham and Jerry Falwell meekly accepted and defended the establishment of
United States political ties with the Vatican. Why could those famous
Protestant spokesmen see no danger in being allied with the Church of Rome?
Because they are deceived, along with millions of others, by the
Catholic-contrived theories of those two priests which have almost eclipsed
the historic, biblical position of the Reformers. If the spiritual descendants
of Luther and Wesley now had the same doctrine which they taught, not a single
Lutheran or Methodist would favor any kind of alliance with the papacy today.
Now
let's take a look at these two Spanish priests who flooded the sixteenth
century with their counter-Reformation propaganda.
Alcazar
of Seville applied all the beast prophecies to Antiochus Epiphanes, who lived
long before the popes began to rule in Rome. His system of interpretation came
to be known as the Preterist School of prophecy.
On
the other hand, Jesuit Francisco Rivera invented a system known as the
Futurist School of interpretation. He taught that the antichrist was to be
some future superman who would appear near the end of time and continue in
power for three and a half years. It is his clever, unscriptural theory which
has been resurrected by modern evangelical Protestant Christians. And today
millions of Baptists, Methodists, Pentecostals, etc., hold this
anti-Protestant concoction of the Jesuits as some kind of infallible doctrine.
Yet, those same denominations claim to be faithful supporters of Protestant
theology. Luther and other stalwart protestors against Catholic errors would
be astounded if they were suddenly resurrected to hear what is being taught in
the name of Protestantism.
In
the early 1800s the futurist view of Jesuit Ribera passed through certain
refinements and additions, including the seven-year tribulation and the
snatching away of the saints. For the first time, it was espoused by
Protestant teachers who were seeking ways of reconciliation with Rome. Through
the influence and writings of John Nelson Darby of the Plymouth Brethren
Church in England, the new doctrine spread to the United States. During the
middle and latter nineteenth century, it received its biggest boost from Cyrus
Scofield, who incorporated it into the notes of his Scofield Reference Bible
published in 1909.
Rescue
and Reward
Now
we turn to the most exciting aspect of this subject. Why will Jesus come back
to this earth the second time? John was inspired to write the answer in the
exact words of our Lord: "And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is
with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." Revelation
22:12.
After
long, oppressive millenniums of suffering, God's people will finally be
delivered from the bondage of Satan's evil influence. The mark of his power is
etched upon the cemeteries of the land and on the war memorials of the dead.
The cries and tears of the saints have filtered through all the years of every
generation since Adam sinned. What a day it will be when the curse of
transgression is lifted, and the most dreaded of all human enemies is
eternally banished.
Paul
described it in these words: "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 Thessalonians 4:16,
17.
The
reward which Christ brings with Him has so many facets that no language on
earth could ever adequately portray it, but the resurrection of the righteous
dead will be the grand focus of that moment. Some who have been sleeping for
centuries will awake as from a night of dreamless slumber. For others it will
be the first moment in memory free from the searing throb of pain. The eyes of
the blind will be opened to gaze in rapture upon the immortal faces of loved
ones who have been recognized before only by touch or sound.
Paul
describes the split-second change which will forever place the saints beyond
the range of pain or death: "Behold, I shew 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 incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put
on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." 1 Corinthians
15:51-53.
As
the resurrected ones rise to meet Jesus in the air, all the living righteous
are instantly translated into the same body of immortal youth. Jesus' feet
will not touch the earth at that time, but all the redeemed will be caught up
to meet Him as He
descends.
That
rendezvous in space will surely be the most ecstatic and emotional moment in
the long history of planet earth. It is no wonder that so much of the Bible is
laced with glowing descriptions of that climactic event in time.
Do
most Christians truly understand the nature of Christ's coming and how it will
affect the inhabitants of the earth? Let the facts speak for themselves. Most
churches have accepted the claims of the rapturists, who have rejected the
historical view in favor of these recent revisionist errors. As a result,
millions of contemporary church members are looking for events that will never
take place.
For
countless others, our Lord's return is a subject of great fear and
consternation. The nominal Christian (which is the majority) holds very mixed
feelings about the event, largely because they lack the personal assurance of
being ready to meet him.
Stolen
Sweets
It
is this lack of preparation which has created such a confused attitude toward
our Lord's return. Many do not know whether they want to see Him or not. What
a sad commentary on the state of the modern church! Why should we not be eager
to see the One we love - the One who died for us? Every true Christian should
be excited about His coming. We should talk it, sing it, and preach it! As
Paul said, we should love His appearing. It is the blessed hope of every child
of God.
My
mother was a wonderful cook, and without question she made the best chocolate
cake that ever was baked. As a child I would watch her put the layers
together, and then apply the delicious icing to the top and sides. The high
point came when mother let me lick the pan, or clean out all the icing that
was left sticking to the pan.
Sometimes,
unfortunately, there wouldn't be very much left, but I always managed to
scrape up at least a spoonful. Then I would look longingly at all that
delectable icing on the cake as it slowly settled into place. Often it would
be so heavy on the sides that the icing would droop and accumulate on the
plate. It was always the most terrible temptation for me to clean up all that
excess icing on my finger, but Mother had given very specific instruction not
to do it.
My
real test came on the day Mother left me alone at the house with a big,
beautiful cake sitting right in the middle of the table. It was freshly
decorated, and I watched in fascination as the thick chocolate icing oozed
almost imperceptibly toward the bottom of the cake. Finally, it seemed almost
ready to spill over the edge of the plate, and I could resist no longer.
Carefully and cleanly, I slid my finger around the rim of the place
accumulating a gob of the forbidden frosting.
Then,
suddenly, I heard footsteps on the porch, and before I could dispose of the
evidence, Mother was in the room. Without any reservation I can assure you
that I did not want to see my mother come at that moment. And I believe this
is the reason so many are afraid to see Jesus come - their hands are filled
with the stolen treats of this world.
Make
no mistake about it. There will be some dramatic changes when He appears. The
old familiar places will disappear and nothing we know now will be unaffected
by that event. Some people fear the changes, but those fears are ungrounded.
Everything will be better and more wonderful than we have ever known or
imagined. One moment in the presence of Jesus will compensate for all the
suffering and self-denial of a lifetime on earth.
Back
to Paradise
God
will return the human family to the sinless ideal which He designed from the
beginning. All four of God's original gifts to man will be restored, including
the perfect conditions of the Eden paradise. But there will be one tremendous
difference between the quality of life in the new Eden and the old. Adam
received only a conditional grant of immortality, whereas the redeemed will be
given an absolute and unconditional access to the life of God. And even though
the power of choice will remain, not one of those immortalized saints will
ever choose to disobey God again. Because of the demonstration of God's
character and Satan's character, as revealed in the age-long controversy, the
universe will be secure from any further rebellion or disobedience. Every
created being will see the results of such a course, and none will choose to
repeat the painful experiment.
It
is this prospect of eternal security which makes the coming of Jesus such a
glorious doctrine. The world is sick of fractured peace plans, broken
treaties, and disappointed hopes. Mankind longs for a peace where fear and
uncertainty will be entirely eliminated. Christ's coming will bring an end to
everything which could produce human anxiety. Poverty, disease, war, and death
are the most common sources of stress, and those conditions will cease to
exist when He returns.
But
the most exciting prospect of all is to know that we will see the face of
Jesus and dwell in His presence for all eternity. Surely that moment will be
the climax of all the fondest hopes and dreams we have ever cherished. May the
preparation for it be the focus of all our thoughts and actions. And God
forbid that any day should pass in which we do not pray with longing desire
for our Lord to come soon.
Copyright © 1980 by Joe Crews.
All rights reserved
Published by:
Amazing Facts
P.O. BOX 1058
Roseville, California 95678
