these twenty-seven books there are 260 chapters. If one cares to take the pains to examine these chapters, he will find the truth of our Lord’s return appears more than 300 times. This means in every twenty-five verses there is one specific reference to Christ’s return. If this is not enough, there is more about the second coming of Christ in the New Testament than about any other New Testament theme aside from the theme of Hell and Judgment which appears 318 times. More is said about the coming of Christ than about the Atonement, forgiveness or justification. There it stands—the Word of God. Of the twenty-seven books there are only two short books in which this truth is not mentioned: namely, Philemon and III John. Both of these were written to private individuals who possessed this truth well. In the New Testament it is the glorious, imminent event towards which all creation moves. Baptism is mentioned nineteen times in seven of the twenty-one epistles. The Lord’s Supper is mentioned less than a half dozen times in the New Testament and is not men tioned in twenty of the twenty-one epistles. Contrast these with the theme of the second coming of Christ if the amount of Scripture is to be counted as leading evi dence towards importance. Who, then, will dare say that the doctrine of Christ’s return is of no vital consequence? The Bible closes with the last utterance of our Lord from Heaven, “ Surely I come quickly” and with John’s answer echoing forth the desire of the Church all down through the ages, “ Even so, Come, Lord Jesus.” Only the bene diction of God’s revelation to man remains, “ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” A silence that has lasted for nineteen centuries settled upon the earth. The next event on the program is “ Be hold, I come quickly.” Oh, blessed and happy are these who believe it and receive it! Third, there is the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, “ I will come and receive you unto myself’ (John 14:3). This is very definite. He did not say, “ I will send for you” or “ you will come to me when you die.” He is not man that he should lie. He is God that He should speak the truth with both clearness and precision. We have His Word. Fourth, we have the testimony of Heaven. “ 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” (Acts 1:10-11). Every great event in Scripture is verified by at least two witnesses. We have two witnesses at the transfigura tion, two witnesses at the empty tomb, two witnesses at the ascension, two witnesses of the world’s ripeness for judgment (Revelation 11). Who were these two wit nesses? At the transfiguration they are named, Moses and Elijah. In Revelation 11 they are indicated by their former labors— “ Powers to shut up the heavens that it rain not” (Elijah); “ Power over waters to turn them into blood” (Moses). Here you have the witness of the Law and the Prophets symbolized in these two great Old Testament witnesses. In this first chapter of Acts we have set forth the proof of a risen Saviour, the promise of coming power, the program of world-wide witness for this age and in verses 10-11 the prospects of a returning Lord. Here men on the Mount of Olives with upturned faces, gazed in wonderment in the direction in which their match less Master had gone. What would the end be now that He was gone? They did not have long to wait. The (continued on next page)
misunderstood, all of which has been personally ex perienced, but gladly if need be. Now to the Word and testimony. First, the second coming of Christ is the overtone of the Old Testament, the focal point of all revelation, the silver lining of every cloud, the prelude of divine judgment, the theme of the poet’s song, the prophet’s message and Israel’s hope. It begins with the first prophecy in Genesis con cerning the final triumph of the woman’s seed, of the Serpent’s progeny and ends in Malachi with the trium phant note of the breaking of a new and glorious day when “ the Son of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings.” The suffering and the glory of the com ing Messiah are everywhere intermingled. At least twenty times as much Scriptural truth in the Old Testa ment deals with the second coming of Christ which is yet future as with the first coming which is now history. The prophecies of the glorious reign which can only be fulfilled in His second advent often stand alone but never, so far as we recall, in the Old Testament is there a mention of His suffering apart from a promise of final triumph and victory. BLESSED HOPE
This is the hope that sustains us, This is our lamp in the night, This is the beacon we follow, Waiting till faith becomes sight. This is our pillow at night time, The promise in each golden dawn; This is the spur for the sluggard, "Occupy while I am gone." This is our heart's choicest treasure, Balm for our sorrow and pain, Words that are precious as rubies, "Christ Jesus is coming again!"
—Martha Snell Nicholson Where there is the intermingling of the two aspects of His suffering and glory, there is the absence of the intervening time element, but a minute and detailed delineation of each. When Christ came the first time these Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled with minute and detailed exactness as set forth in Scripture. Why, may we ask, should we take the first coming of Christ literally and then spiritualize the second coming? What has happened in the past and did transpire to ful fill in exact detail the more than 109 Old Testament prophecies which dealt with the first advent, can well form the criterion of interpretation, the yet unfulfilled prophecies relating to the second coming. If the first coming prophecies were literally fulfilled, if He was bom of a virgin, if He was bom in Bethlehem, if He lived and died as foretold exactly as described in proph ecy, then why should we look further for a norm of interpretation of the remaining unfulfilled prophecies which deal with the second coming of Christ? The con clusions are evident, the answer clear. Second, what saith the New Testament and how shall we interpret the same? If once we accept the fact of the full inspiration of Scriptures, we shall have no trouble giving God credit of clarity without ambiguity in say ing what He means and meaning what He says. The New Testament is full of declarations concern ing the blessed hope. More, in fact, is said about His second coming than is said about His first coming. In the New Testament there are twenty-seven books; in
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