"When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory. And before him shall be gathered all nations." (Matt 25:31) and "... and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time..." (Hebrews 9:28)
There are numerous Biblical promises that Christ would certainly come again (1). And there are likewise, numerous Biblical injunctions to be awake, hopeful, vigilant, expectant and wise (2) in preparation for that Return. Consequently, a substantial proportion of Christians world-wide are indeed anticipating that glorious culmination of two millennia of Christian religious history.
These injunctions, prophecies and traditions are richly distributed throughout the Jewish/Christian Bible and describe in detail this most glorious fulfilment! Their substantial number was affirmed some years ago by Billy Graham who pointed out that there are nine times as many Biblical traditions and prophecies pertaining to the Second Coming as the first, thus indicating the overriding importance of the Return.
In recent years, particularly leading up to the end of the second Christian Millennium, numerous Christian denominations have been very active in proclaiming the following generality: many of the Biblical signs describing the Return were, and continue to be, evident to the world.
These groups summarized their proclamations in literature and invitations to information meetings in a number of ways, such as:
Thus, it's clear that the expectation of the Return and the attending events, remains alive and wide-spread across the Christian denominations, in accord with the Biblical injunctions! But, there are some difficulties under which all such projections and pronouncements labour. For example, the Bible Itself tells us that:
a) the time for the fulfilment of such proclamations is not known, except by the Father only! (3)
b) there are impediments in the way, because, even when His Great Announcement is finally made, it will not immediately be heard by the peoples of the world. This is because He will come as a 'thief in the night' surrounded by obscuring 'clouds' only to find us 'slumbering' and 'unwatchful'. (4)
c) His Name will evidently not be Jesus, nor the Christ, it will be a new Name that is not generally expected or known, except by Him that receives it! (5)
d) the places of His Coming are indeed forecast. Surprisingly though, they too have remained obscure. Clearly, we were, and continue to be, advised to look to the 'east' for the origin of His Coming, and also to 'Assyria' specifically. (6)
e) surprisingly perhaps, there are two glorious Figures anticipated at the 'time of the end', not just one! (7)
Notwithstanding all of these potential impediments to the recognition of the Return, the Bible does indeed make statements about the timing (to be confirmed by the Promised One, none-the-less), as well as the places, major events associated with the Coming and the Ministry of the Promised One, clues regarding the content of His promised Revelation, and the unfolding of God's Kingdom on Earth (the government of which rests upon His shoulders according to Isaiah 9:6-7). Note that this 'Kingdom' is an outcome for which Christians have been praying fervently for 2,000 years!
Historically, examples of vigilant expectation have always characterized some believers. A particularly important manifestation of this attitude occurred during the period just before, during and just following, the year 1844 AD. Two prominent examples are:
1) The Millerites, and others in North America, were preparing themselves for His Coming, by, for example, closing their businesses, making ascension robes, and repairing to high ground to await their Lord. These and other such matters are recorded in the Congressional record of the United States.
2) The German Templers journeyed to the foot of Mount Carmel towering above the City of Haifa in the Holy Land, built their distinctive, still prominent houses with red-tiled roofs, to await the Lord Who would reveal Himself there! The signs over the doorways stated, in German, that: "The Lord Is Nigh!" etc.
This is a matter of importance because the year 1844 is now long past, and many, understandably, would ask the question: Surely His Coming would have been unmistakable? Well, evidently, this is not so when one considers that He will "come upon thee as a thief in the night"(4), when the householders are slumbering. He will do His Work and then leave, long before those householders arise at daybreak and come to the realization that the 'thief' has indeed visited, but is now long gone!
Finally, is it not difficult to conceive of a matter of greater personal importance than one's individual salvation? Does not wisdom require that attention be paid to matters that relate to it? If you were to hear that a promised, glorious Advent, bearing directly on that matter of salvation had already occurred, what would you do?
What a dilemma! In the past, this same problem has unfortunately been historically common. The signal for the onset of such a dilemma is the coming of a Promised One, not the least of Whom was that of Jesus when He appeared to the people of Israel.
Spontaneous, spiritually insensitive reactions were the order of that Day, as with all others, and the result was tragic rejection of what, on first sight, must have appeared to be claims of too incredible a nature.
So it's clear that it would indeed be wise to consider a second sight, and even a third or a fourth, lest the supreme bounty of personal salvation, and that of the multitudes as well, be foregone - as in the past!
These times are therefore crucial for expectant Christians! Consequently, as part of one's personal preparation for such an Advent, it is important to know of, and pay due attention to, the numerous questions, anticipations, indications, counsels and signs of the Return of our Lord which the Scriptures so generously afford us.
It appears self-evident that, in this preparatory process, the seeker should be encouraged to cleanse the heart from all love and hate as either may incline one to error, and with determination commune humbly with God. One's preparations thus reinforced, the promise is that astonishing fulfilment of the rich panorama of Biblical traditions and expectations will indeed be forthcoming.
Were the Millerites, the Templers and all the others right? In Part II - The New 'Good News' of the The Second Coming of Our Lord - you will be introduced to the Beloved, the prophetic traditions will indeed be confirmed, you will have the opportunity to profit by the example of His Life, partake of the latest chapter of 'the greatest story ever told', and ultimately make that challenging choice to join the company of 'saints' (8) around His 'Throne'. Thus will you attain unto the great gift of individual salvation, and undertake to serve Him to simultaneously help usher in the social salvation of the 'Kingdom on Earth'.
Such a consummation represents not the 'end', but rather the 'beginning' of an unparallelled, rewarding spiritual adventure for the individual, and for the society around us, as well as for the entire world for an entire Millennium!
We trust that you will feel moved to explore the astonishing Scriptural fulfilment of these traditions, by reading the above-mentioned Part II document which follows. And, please be assured that your enquiries to the website address will be cordially welcomed!
Please direct your questions to: BCOI9@yahoo.ca
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