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W oodbridge
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1 b e l i e v e that the second coming of Christ is very near indeed. Several important reasons lead me to this belief. First, the Bible is the Word of God. It is true from the beginning to the end. It is completely trustworthy and reliable. Why do I believe this? For many reasons: su premely, because I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. When He was here upon earth, He put His seal of authority and approval upon the Old Testament Scriptures For example, in Matthew 5:18 we read His words: “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” Again, in John 10:35 the words of Christ are recorded: “ . . . and the scripture cannot be broken.” Let it be asserted emphatically: the Lord Jesus Christ put His seal of approval upon the Old Testament. He is our authority. We therefore accept the Old Testament as authoritative. So far as the New Testament is concerned, our Lord gathered His disciples around Him prior to His depar ture to be with the Father and said unto them, speaking of the Holy Spirit: “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he shall guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come” (John 16:13). The implication of this statement is that the Saviour was pre-authenticating the New Testament prior to its writing. A second reason I believe Christ’s coming is near is that the Word of God clearly teaches that the Lord Jesus
Christ will actually return some day to receive believers unto Himself. Every informed Christian should know where some of these crucial passages are. For example, in John 14:3, the words of Christ are recorded “And if l go and prepare a place for you, l w ill come again, and receive you unto myself; that where l am, there y e may be also.” Again, in Acts 1:11, the words of angelic visitors are heard “ Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand y e gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as y e have seen him go into heaven.” Third, I believe that the Lord Jesus will soon return to receive believers unto Himself because signs of His coming are clearly delineated in the Scriptures. That is to say, the Saviour gave us certain clues to guide us in connection with our thinking along this line. Moreover, the writers of the New Testament repeatedly indicate the coming of the Lord will have definite preparatory signs. Fourth, I believe that the return of Christ is near because the signs which are so clearly predicted in the Born in China of missionary parents, Dr. Woodbridge is a graduate of Princeton University. He holds a Master’s Degree from the Princeton Graduate School and a Ph. D. from Duke University. Dr. Woodbridge served as a mis sionary in the French Cameroons, West Africa and has visited and taught the Scriptures in all six continents of the globe. He is now a member of the staff of “ Word of Life” as the Bible teacher.
THE KING'S BUSINESS
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