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-o.f the world until now (v. 21). In con nection with it, false christs and false prophets shall multiply; they are begin ning to multiply already. These that pro claim themselves the Christ will come in some uninhabited corner or some inner chamber, it will be like the coming of Christ which “Pastor” Russell claims oc curred in October, 1874, but when Christ Himself comes, the real Christ, it will be with great publicity. There will be no mistaking that it is He. There will be no difference of opinion then (v. 27). By His coming, the tribulation will be brought to 'an end and Israel will be delivered and exalted (Zech. 14:1-21; 8:3, 7, 8, 20-23; Isa. 2:2, 3). Monday, April 12. Matt. 24:29-35. These Verses have to do with the com ing of our Lord to-the earth, and do not refer to that stage of His coming where He appears in the air and His people are caught up to meet Him (1 Thess. 4:14- 17). The tribulâtion described in the pre ceding verses is ended by His own com ing. While His coming shall fill His peo ple with joy that their Deliverer has at last come, it will fill the tribes' of the earth with mourning. He is coming “in the clouds of heaven.” All through the Bible" where any one came in clouds, it was Jehovah Himself, the clouds being His chariot (cf. Ex. 19:9; 34:5; Ps. 97:1, 2; 104:3; Isa. 19:1; Matt. 17:5). So when our Lord tells us that He shall comë in the clouds of heaven, it is the same as if He told us that He is coming as Jehovah manifested, but none the less He is coming as the Son of Man, One who is at the same time Godand man. “Pastor” Russell, among his many vagaries, would have us believe that when our Lord was here upon earth that He was not God but man only, but that since His resurrection He is Di vine and has ceased to be man. The utter falsity of this doctrine is seen in this pass age as well as in many others. He is coming too with “power and great glory.”
When He came before, He came in hu miliation. He was sent as a helpless babe, for Whom not even t]je lowly inn had room. They did with Him what they pleased, spit upon Him, plucked His beard from His face, scourged Him, struck Him with their fists, crowned Him with thorns, crucified Him; but when He comes again, He is coming with a power and glory such as this world never saw in any earthly monarch, and every knee will have to bow whether they will or no, “Of things in heaven and things on earth and things under the earth, and every tongue shall confess that-Jesus Christ is Lord” (Phil. 2:11). The Jews who pierced Him will mourn (Rev. 1:7; Zech. 12:10-14), though they know He comes as their Deliverer, will mourn because of their own sin in their rejection of Him. But there shall be a fountain opened to the House of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for their sin and uncleanness (Zech. 13:1). An ángel shall go forth and gather His elect people, Israel, from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other (cf. Deut. 28:64; Ezek. 12:15; Zech. 7:14). None but God knows today where the major part of Israel, the ten tribes, are but He knows and at the coming of Christ, He will send His angels to gather them and not a grain shall be lost (Amos 9:9). Israel will then be like a new budding fig tree ; the glorious summer after earth’s long winter will now be close at hand. So we read, “This gen eration shall not pass away until all these things be accomplished” (v. 34 R. V.). The word translated “generation” means literally, a “begetting” or “birth” then it comes to mean a “family” or “men of the same stock” ; so this verse has been taken to mean this family (i. e. the Jewish race) shall not pass away until jall these things be fulfilled. And taking the prediction in this sense, it has been wonderfully ful filled. The Jews amid all the vicissitudes of their history have marvelously pre served their race' identity through the cen turies. They are “the miracle of history,” but the meaning of "generation’’ (though
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