The Second Coming of Christ - The Only Christian Hope

HOPE IS the peculiar feature of the Gospel. Other systems boast of ethical principles which it is expected the judgment will sanction, and the enlightened will apply to the formation of character; but the gospel excels these in its power to produce the results aimed at by them, through the power of an element of which all systems of human wisdom are necessarily destitute.

Theoretical morality may practically influence superior minds; but it is powerless to raise the fallen or develop moral fructification in naturally barren minds. Its appeals are to trained intellect and moral aspiration; and for that reason, it is impotent with the vast majority of mankind.

The gospel approaches human nature, not with hard reasonings and lifeless aphorisms, but with personal love and inspiring promises. Laden with tenderness and cheer, it subdues the obduracy, and dissipates the lethargy of human hearts, and bears them upward to moral perfection by the influence of its affections and hopes. It is exactly adapted to the necessities of human nature, present and prospective. It only requires to be received with full assurance of faith; and then, unlike human systems of philosophy, it satisfies the heart while enlightening the intellect, and tranquilizes the spirit, which can elsewhere find no rest in this world of anxiety and care.

Nevertheless, it develops these results by an intelligent process. It operates by means of the ideas which it communicates to the mind. There is nothing unaccountable in its mode of operation. Its love is a matter of specific assurance, to be realised by faith, and not a mysterious influence stealing miraculously over the heart. Its hopes grow out of definite promises, understood and assuredly believed, and are not shapeless ecstacies of incomprehensible origin. Its operations are altogether effected on truly rational principles. Designed for human nature, it is adapted to its mental constitution, and powerful on natural methods, to elevate and purify all who submit themselves to its teachings, and give earnest heed thereto.

Now, in the present lecture, we purpose to make manifest the truth of the proposition, that the great hope of the gospel relates to the second (personal) coming of the Lord Jesus; that that event is the central object upon which enlightened anticipation lays hold as the climax of desire, the crisis of reward; and that, therefore, this truth is one of the main influences by which the heart is purified, and the believer himself prepared and made "meet for the Master's use."

By the second coming of the Lord Jesus, is meant the event obviously signified by the language, viz., the return from heaven to earth of our Saviour, who is now at the right hand of God. It will be admitted that Christ was really on the earth during his sojourn among men, and that he ascended bodily to heaven after the resurrection. The proposition, then, is, that at a certain time, he will descend just, as really as he ascended, and appear in person on the earth, as the same Lord Jesus who sojourned in Judea among the Jews and Romans. We assert this to be the teaching of the word of God, and are more especially anxious to demonstrate its essentiality as the true Christian hope.

First, let us realise that the apostles declare there is only "one hope," as there is only "one faith and one baptism." This is the teaching of Paul, in Ephesians 4v 4, 5, "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in ONE HOPE of your calling." That this "one hope" is an essential constituent of the gospel, is evident from Paul's words to the Colossians, chap. 1v 5, where, speaking of "the hope which was laid up for them in heaven" (Christ being there), he says, "Whereof ye heard before IN THE WORD OF THE TRUTH OF THE GOSPEL." He even goes the length of saying, "We are saved by hope" (Rom. 8v 24), and solemnly assures the Hebrews that their ultimate salvation was contingent upon their adherence to that hope. His words are, "Whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of THE HOPE firm unto the end" (Heb. 3v 6). His language to the Colossians is equally striking on this point :--

"He will present you holy and unblamable and unreprovable in his sight: IF ye continue in the faith, grounded and settled, and be not moved away from THE HOPE OF THE GOSPEL" (Col. 1v 22, 23).

These testimonies ought to impress us with a sense of the gravity of the question about to be considered. It is no light thing to be doctrinally mistaken as to what we should hope for. What a misfortune to spend our spiritual energies in looking for that which God has never promised! Such a mistake implies ignorance of the real "hope of the gospel "; and this "ignorance," says Paul, "alienates from the life of God" (Eph. 4v 18). What God has never promised no one will ever receive; for how should the idle longings of man divert the purposes of the immutable Almighty? especially when the gratifying of those longings will involve the failure of the promises really given. "According to your faith be it unto you." This is a divine principle (Matt. 9v 29). If a man squander his faith upon that which has no foundation in truth, he sows to the wind. The faith which builds its house upon the foundation-rock of the assured promises of God, will alone withstand the storm that will sweep away" the refuge of lies."

Before adducing specific testimony as to the coming of the Lord, it will be of advantage to dwell for a little on the personal ministry of Christ when on earth. During his sojourn in the land of Judea, which he travelled constantly for three years, doing wonderful works in attestation of his divine mission, he proclaimed the things of the kingdom of God, and asserted his Messiahship in connection therewith, as has been proved in previous lectures. This proclamation had the effect of drawing around him many disciples, and of causing them to look upon him as the anointed king of Israel in a literal sense, and destined to effect "the redemption of Israel" from the Romans and all other nations, and to establish the kingdom of God in triumph over all the earth. This view of Christ, created in the minds of his disciples by his own teachings, is condemned by thousands of well-meaning but mistaken people. We saw in a former lecture how uncalled for is the condemnation, and how scriptural (with slight modification) is the view condemned.

We now desire to point out that the teaching of Christ on the subject had a further effect upon the minds of the disciples. It created in them an expectation that they themselves should share the kingly honours of Christ at the time when his kingly mission should be manifested. This is also universally admitted to be a fact, although condemnation is as freely administered here as in the other case. The disciples are reprobated as "carnally minded," for having looked for what is generally disparaged as "a temporal kingdom." Now, we shall find that there is as much injustice in this imputation against the taste and judgment of the disciples, as there is in the one which the last lecture was intended to refute. There was, no doubt, a good deal of unhallowed ambition among them, which their divine master repeatedly strove to repress; but this ambition did not show itself in inventing a false doctrine, or carnally perverting a true one. It rather manifested itself in the form of impropriety of spirit, in relation to that which was true. It gave them mistaken ideas as to the object of the kingdom of God, and the principles on which admittance to it was to be granted; but it did not cause them to misapprehend the nature of that kingdom itself. There is a distinction here that is very important; the overlooking of which leads to lamentable conclusions. Their hope of inheriting the kingdom of God in substantial manner, like their estimate of the kingship, was founded both on prophetic testimony, and the express teaching of our Lord himself. In the prophets they had observed such testimony as the following :--

"The saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever" (Dan. 7v 18).

"The time came that the saints possessed the kingdom" (verse 22).

"And the kingdom, and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom UNDER THE WHOLE HEAVEN shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High" (verse 27).

"Let the saints be joyful in glory, let them sing aloud upon their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand, to execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; to execute upon them the judgment written: THIS HONOUR HAVE ALL HIS SAINTS" (Psa. 149v 5-9).

"Instead of thy fathers (referring to Christ, shall be thy children (viz., the saints, his people), whom thou mayest make PRINCES in all the earth" (Psa. 45v 16).

"Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and PRINCES shall rule in judgment" (Isa. 32v 1).

"I will gather the remnant of my flock (of Israel). out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase; and I will set up SHEPHERDS over them which shall feed them," etc. (Jer. 23v 3-4).

"And saviours shall come up on Mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau: and the kingdom shall be the Lord's (Oba., verse 21).