That the Son of God did come from heaven into this world 1842 years ago - that not only his coming, but also the time and place of his coming, and the circumstances of his life, death resurrection, and ascension were plainly predicted, are truths undeniable.

2. [sic] That after his ascension to heaven, he sat down at the right hand of God, where he will remain till a certain definite period of time; at which period, he will come again the second time into this world; these are truths plainly revealed. "Sit thou on my right hand till I make thine enemies thy footstool," till all things shall be subdued unto thee. It is evident that he will remain in heaven, till this event takes place. That it has not yet taken place, all agree. - Again. "And he shall send Jesus unto you, whom the heavens must receive until the times of the restitution, or renovation //167// of all things; for "Behold! I make all things new." This period yet remains future; therefore, he is yet in heaven, he has not yet come.

He will come personally - in his own proper person. "I go to prepare a place for you and will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also." - Ye men of Galilee why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who us taken up into heaven, shall so come in like manner, as ye have seen him go into heaven. This same Jesus, who lived in flesh - died - was buried - rose again, and now ascending, will come again in like manner as you have seen him ascend in a bright cloud; in like manner he will come in the clouds of heaven. Nothing could be expressed more definitely to the point than these words, - that he will personally appear again on the earth.

Again; "Unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time, without sin unto salvation." His first appearing in flesh, has been manifest to all, but his second is yet future. He will appear the second time to them that look for him - these are believers, who look for and love his appearing - But will he not appear to and be seen by the wicked unbelieving world? Yes; "Behold he cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see him, and those also that pierced him; and all the kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. To the righteous he will appear for salvation from the last enemy, death; but he will not appear to the wicked for this purpose, but for judgment. He will appear in flaming fire to take vengeance on them that know not God, and obey not the gospel.

2. [sic] For what purpose will he come?

1 To receive and take his people to rest. I will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am there ye may be also. When the Lord comes multitudes //168// of his people will be alive on the earth, and multitudes will be lying in their graves.

2 He will come to change his people, who shall be alive, into immortality; 1 Cor. xv, 51, 52. We (the Christians) shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, at the last trump. "This last trumpet shall sound, and announce the coming of the Son of God." "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the arch-angel, and with the trump of God." He descended from heaven to be made flesh with a great shout; the trump will sound once more, and the last time at the return of his Son to the world. 1 Thes iv, 15. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we (Christians) who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord; shall not prevent (outstrip) them that are asleep. - From these texts it is plain that many of the Saints shall be alive at the coming of the Lord, and shall be changed in a moment from mortality to immortality.

3. He will come to raise from the graves all the Saints, who have died in the Lord. 1. Cor. xv, 23, "But every man (shall be made alive or raised from the dead) in his own order Christ the first fruits, afterward they that are his (his saints) at his coming." 1 Cor xv, 52. "For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead (the dead saints, for of such only was he speaking) the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

But shall the wicked dead rise at his coming? This point is somewhat involved in clouds. There is an order in the resurrection. Christ is the first in order -- the Saints are the second, and some have thought that the wicked dead are the third - their reasons are plausible. They suppose from Rev xx. that there are two resurrections, the first of the righteous, and the second of the wicked - the blessed and holy only //169// have a part in the first resurrection, -- and it is said, that the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. "They lived not again," now the wicked were not once spiritually alive, and therefore, to live again can only mean a natural life, which they shall possess in the resurrection.

But it is said. The hour cometh in which all that are in their graves shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and come forth; they that have done good to the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil to the resurrection of damnation. Hence they have concluded that in the one hour, or at the same time, the resurrection of saints and sinners shall take place, and the final judgment be immediately, and at the same time, passed upon all, -- But others argue, that our Lord did not mean a definite time by the term hour." For in a few verses before, he said the hour cometh, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live. By the dead in this passage they think, are meant, the dead in tresspasses and sins, and by the life is meant divine spiritual life. If this be so, then that hour is very indefinite. It has continued already eighteen hundred years and how much longer it may continue, we know not; but it shall end at the coming of Christ. So they think the "hour" mentioned in this case may include at least a thousand years.

But the 25 of Matt. certainly describes the second coming of the Lord, and its effects on the world That all shall be finally judged, and rewarded according to their works. To this effect many parallel texts speak, and speak so plainly that it would seem, that all doubt should be excluded. Yet I acknowledge difficulties; but a short time, and all will be cleared. It is not absolutely necessary to our salvation, whether of the two systems we believe.

//170// The great exciting question is when will he come and what shall be the signs of his coming? -- These subjects I shall defer for another no.

B. W. S.