24. To confidence that Christ will finish the work, 25. To hold fast the hope firm unto the end, Phil. 1:6. 1 Cor. 4:5. Mat. 19:27-28. 28. To guard against hasty judgment,- 2 Cor. 1:14; Phil. 2:16; 1 Thes. 2:19. 31. To comfort the apostles in view of Christ's departure from them,John 14:3; Acts 1:11. 32. Practical faith in the second coming, is a crowning grace and assurance of blamelessness in the day of the Lord,— 1 Cor. 1:4-8. 33. It is the principal event for which the be liever waits, 1 Thes. 1:9-10. 34. It is declared to be the time of reckoning with the servants,— 35. Of judgment for the living nations, 36. Of the resurrection of the saints,— 37. Of the manifestation of the saints, Mat. 25:19. Mat. 25:31-46. 1 Cor. 15:23. 2 Cor. 5:10; Col. 3:4. 38. It is declared to be the source of consolation to those who sorrow over the dead who sleep in Jesus,1 Thes. 4:14-18. 39. It is declared to be the time of Tribulation to unbelievers, 2 Thes. 1:7-9. 40. It is proclaimed every time the Lord's Supper 1 Cor. 11:26. is celebrated,Such are some of the uses made of this doctrine in the New Testament. It is employed to arm the appeals, to point the arguments, and to enforce the exhortations. What is there more PRACTICAL in any other doctrine? We would that we had space to give the passages referred to in full. But it will be a greater blessing to you, dear reader, if you will go to the Word and search them out. We have made no distinction between those passages which refer to the Rapture, and those which refer to the Revelation, both classes being equally used as a motive for the practical purposes mentioned. The following outline and arrangement of Scripture has been taken principally from a little pamphlet published in London. It is a concise view of the pre-millennial coming, with plain proof-texts of the same, conveniently arranged for reference and study. As the texts cited are necessarily brief, it will be found of great profit to read the context of each in the Word. In connection with the diagrams on pages 72 and 225, we believe it will enable every prayerful reader to apprehend the order of events that pertain to the coming of Christ, both as THE BRIDEGROOM and as THE KING. CHAPTER XVIII. THE COMING OF THE LORD And Some Subsequent Events in Their Connection with the Church's Future. "Howbeit, when He, the Spirit of truth is come, things to come." John 16:13. He will show you THE LORD'S His Faithfulness. The Hope of the Church.(b) "I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself." Jno. 14:2, 3. "I go away, and come again unto you." Jno. 14:28. "A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father." Jno. 16:16. "I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice." Jno. 16:22. "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise." 2 Pet. 3:9. "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope (a) without wavering; for He is faithful that promised; . . and so much the more as ye see the day approaching." He. 10:23, 25. "For yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry." He. 10:37. "The coming of the Lord draweth nigh." James 5:8. "Surely I come quickly: Amen." Rev. 22:20. "Unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time, without sin, unto salvation." He. 9:28. (a) So the Greek. (b) All believers of the present dispensation. 1 Co. 12:12, 13, 27. THE COMING of the LORD as the Bridegroom, into the Air, for His Church. (c) The Dead in Christ raised. "Our conversation (b) is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ." Ph. 3:20. "Waiting for the adoption, to-wit, the redemption of our body." Rom. 8:23. "Waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Cor. 1:7. "Looking for that blessed hope." "The patient waiting for Christ." Ti. 2:13. 2 Th. 3:5. from heaven, "To wait for His Son whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus." 1 Th. 1:10. THE RAPTURE. "The Lord Himself (d) shall descend from heaven with a shout, (e) with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God." (f) 1 Th. 4:16. "At the last trump (f); for the trumpet shall sound." 1 Cor. 15:52. "Them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him." (g) 1 Th. 4:14. "The dead in Christ shall rise first." 1 Th. 4:16. "In Christ shall all be made alive. They that are Christ's at His coming." 1 Cor. 15:22, 23. "The dead shall be raised incorruptible." glory; 1 Cor. 15:52. "Raised in incorruption; raised in power; a spiritual body." (f) The trumpet sounded twice when the Lord descended upon Sinai, see Ex. 19:11, 17. And so when He descends to take the church unto Himself, at its first sounding the dead in Christ will be raised, and at its last sounding, the living saints will be changed. (g) The Old Testament saints also will doubtless at this time receive their glorified bodies, see Heb. 11:39, 40. Living Believers Changed. Both Caught up into the Clouds. (d) To be Ever with the Lord. "We which are alive, and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent (a) them which are asleep." 1 Th. 4:15. "We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. . . and we shall be changed." (b) 1 Cor. 15:51, 52. "The Lord Jesus Christ shall change our vile body, (c) that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body." Ph. 3:20, 21. "And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly." 1 Cor. 15:49. "For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." 1 Cor. 15:53. "Then we which are alive and remain, and "With me where I am; that they may behold my glory." Jno. 17:24. Jno. 10:28. Jno. 14:19. 1 Th. 5:10. 2 Cor. 4:17. He. 9:15; 1 Pet. 1:4. Rev. 3:12. eternal weight of glory." "Eternal inheritance." "He (e) shall go no more out." (a) That is, 'Anticipate' or 'go before.' (b) "Then Death is swallowed up in victory," 1 Co. 15:54; and "Mortality swallowed up of life." 2 Co. 5:4. (c) The body of our "humble" or "low estate," Lu. 1:48; Ac. 8:33; Ph. 2:8. (d) "The redemption of the purchased possession." Ro. 8:23; Ep. 1:14. (e) The overcomer, Re. 3:12; 1 Jno. 5:4, 5. |