Of the second coming of christ, and
his personal appearance
John Gill
The personal appearance of
Christ will be before the resurrection of the just, which is the first resurrection;
that will be at the coming of Christ, which might properly have
been treated of before that resurrection; but that I chose to lay before the
reader in one connected view, the separate state of the soul after the death of
the body, until the resurrection, and the resurrection of it: and for the same
reason I have treated of the doctrine of the resurrection in both its branches
together, of the just, and of the unjust; though the one will be a thousand
years before the other; and many events will intervene
between them; as the conflagration of the world, the making of the new heavens
and the new earth, and the dwelling and reigning of Christ with his saints
therein, and the binding of Satan during that time; all which will follow the
personal appearance of Christ, and will be treated of after that, in their
order.
There have been various
appearances of Christ already; many in an human form before his incarnation, as
a presage and pledge of it; but his principal appearance, and what may be
called his "first" appearance and coming, was at his incarnation;
there were several appearances of him to his disciples after his resurrection,
and to Stephen, and to the apostle Paul, after his
ascension; and there was a coming of him in his kingdom and power sometime
after to take vengeance on the Jewish nation for their rejection of him, and
the persecution of his followers. There is now an appearance of Christ in
heaven as the advocate of his people; and there is a spiritual appearance of
him at conversion, and in after visits of his love, and communion with him; and in the latter day there will be a great appearance of
Christ in a spiritual manner, or a coming of him by the effusion of his Spirit
upon his people, when his spiritual reign will take place, elsewhere treated
of; after which will be the personal appearance of Christ to reign in a still
more glorious manner. Hence his appearance and kingdom are joined together,
when he will judge both quick and dead, #2Ti 4:1 and this
will be attended with great glory, and is called his "glorious
appearing", #Tit 2:13 and in distinction from his first coming and
appearance at his incarnation, it is called his "second", #Heb 9:28
which will now be treated of,
1. By giving the proof of the
certainty of it, that Christ will most surely appear personally
to judge the world, and reign with his people; which may be most firmly
believed, depended upon, and looked for; and this will appear,
1a. First, from what the
patriarchs before and after the flood have said of it; for so early has it been
spoken of, as may be observed from the prophecy of Enoch, the seventh
from Adam, recorded by the apostle #Jude 1:14,15. "Saying, Behold, the
Lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints to execute judgment upon all";
which prophecy, whether it was written or not, is not certain, nor how the
apostle came by it, whether by tradition, as the apostle Paul had the names of
the magicians of Egypt, or by divine revelation; however, it is made authentic
by the Spirit of God, and is to be depended on as fact; and
is to be understood, not of the first, but of the second coming of Christ, as
appears by his attendants, "ten thousands his saints"; such and such
a number of them were not with him when he came in the flesh, but his second
coming will be "with all his saints", #1Th 3:13 and by the work he is
to do, to execute judgment on all, and to convince of and punish wicked men for
their words and works; see #Ec 12:14 #Joh 3:17. Job also
declared his faith, that Christ his living Redeemer should "stand at the
latter day on the earth", that is, the latter or last day of the present
world; since it is connected with the resurrection of the dead he believed in,
and the future judgment, #Job 19:25-27,29. Also David the patriarch, as he is called,
#Ac 2:29 speaks of the coming of Christ to judge the earth and
world, and the people of it with righteousness; and which is repeated, to
denote the certainty of it, #Ps 96:13 98:9.
1b. Secondly, the certainty of
Christ's second coming and personal appearance may be confirmed from what the
prophets have said concerning it; for it has been "spoken
of by the mouth of them all", #Ac 3:21 and though the prophecies greatly
respect his spiritual reign, yet are intermixed with many things concerning his
personal coming and appearance; and it requires skill and care, being attended
with some difficulty, to distinguish and separate the one from the other; and
besides these, there are some which chiefly and plainly respect his personal
appearance and kingdom; as,
1b1. The
prophecy in #Da 7:13,14 where, after the destruction of
Antichrist
and the AntiChristian states in the spiritual
reign,
signified by the slaying and burning of the "fourth
beast",
follows in a natural order the coming of the "Son of
man" to
take possession of his kingdom; Christ said to be
like one,
either in conformity to the language of the former
visions, his
kingdom being humane, gentle, just, and wise,
as well as
powerful, and not beastly, as the others; or
because
he was not yet become man; or rather the "as" or
"like"
is not an "as" of similitude but of certainty, as in
#Mt 14:5 Joh
1:14 Php 2:7 and being described as
coming
"with the clouds of heaven", fixes it to his second
and personal
coming, which is always so described,
#Mt
24:30 26:64 Re 1:7. The "Ancient of days" he is said to
come to, is
God the Father, the eternal God; they that
brought him
near him are either the saints, who hasten his
coming by
their prayers; or the angels: or it may be
impersonally
read, and "he was brought"; which denotes the
august
and magnificent manner in which he will be personally
and visibly
put into the possession of his kingdom and
dominion;
which will have a "glory" beyond all expression,
and will be
"everlasting"; it will never be succeeded by
another; and
though Christ's personal reign on earth will be
but
a thousand years, yet his whole reign, personal and
spiritual,
will be of a long duration, and which in
scripture is
called "everlasting", #Ge 17:8 Le 16:34.
Besides, this
kingdom, when delivered up, will not cease,
but will be
connected with, and issue in the ultimate glory,
in
which Christ will reign with his saints for ever.
1b2. Another
prophecy in #Da 12:1-3 respects the second and
personal
coming of Christ; for he is meant by Michael, who
is "as
God", as his name signifies, equal to him; the "great
prince",
the prince of the kings of the earth, and the head
of all
principalities and powers. "Who standeth for the
children of
Daniel's people"; meaning the election of grace
among the
Jews, on whose behalf Christ will stand at the
time of their
conversion in the latter day; previous to
which
it will be a time of great trouble; both to the
saints, when
will be the slaying of the witnesses; and to
the
antichristian states, when the vials will be poured out
upon them,
which will bring on the spiritual reign; after
which will be
the personal coming of Christ, here implied,
since
the resurrection of the dead will follow, and when
such will be
rewarded in the kingdom of Christ, who have
been
eminently serviceable in his interest; and the rest of
the chapter
is taken up about the time when these things
shall be.
1b3. The
prophecy in #Zec 14:4,5 respects the second and
personal coming
of Christ; since "all the saints" will come
with him, and
descend with him on earth; when his feet shall
stand on the
mount of Olives, and when Christ will be king
over
all the earth, #Zec 14:10 and the saints will be in a
sinless
state, #Zec 14:20,21 though there are some things
which respect
the spiritual reign of Christ, and a time of
distress
previous to it, #Zec 14:1-3, 6-8.
1b4.
The prophecy in #Mal 4:1-3 respects not the first but the
second coming
of Christ, when the day of the Lord shall
"burn
like an oven"; the elements shall melt with fervent
heat, and the
earth and all that therein is shall be burnt
up; and
"all the wicked" shall perish in the conflagration;
be
burnt up "like stubble", and be properly "ashes under the
soles of the
feet" of them that fear the Lord; to whom it
will be a
glorious day, on whom the sun of righteousness
shall arise,
#Mal 4:4.
1c.
Thirdly, the certainty of Christ's second and personal coming to reign on
earth, may be evinced from several sayings and parables delivered by him. Not
to omit the petition directed to in the prayer commonly called the "Lord's
Prayer; Thy kingdom come", connected with another, "thy will be done
on earth as it is done in heaven"; the sense of which is, that the kingdom
of God might come, and so come, that the will of God might
be done by men on earth as it is done by the angels in heaven; which petition,
though it has been put up thousands of times, has never yet been fulfilled, nor
never can be but in a perfect state; and there will be no such on earth till
the resurrection state takes place, and Christ personally appears in his
kingdom and glory.
1c1. First,
the answer of Christ to the question of his
disciples,
"What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the
end of the
world?" #Mt 24:3 given in the following part of
the chapter,
seems to respect the second and personal coming
of
Christ; for though it is so expressed as that it may be
applied to
his coming in his kingdom and power to destroy
the Jewish nation,
and so to be the end of their world,
church and
state; yet what is said of that, and of the signs
of it, may be
considered as types, symbols, and emblems of,
and
to have a further accomplishment in the second coming of
Christ, and
the end of the present world; whose coming will
be like
lightning, swift, sudden, at an unawares, and local
and visible;
for "then shall appear the sign of the son of
man in
heaven", #Mt 24:27,30 that is, the son of man
himself,
as the sign of Jonah is Jonah himself; who will
personally
appear in the lower heaven, so as to be seen by
all the
tribes of the earth, who shall mourn on that
account: and
"they shall see the son of man coming in the
clouds of
heaven"; which, as has been before observed, is a
distinguishing
and peculiar characteristic of the second
coming of
Christ; which will be "with power", seen in
raising the
dead, burning the world, binding Satan, making
new heavens
and a new earth, and setting up his glorious
kingdom in
it; and so "with great glory", his own, his
Father's,
and that of the holy angels; and then he will
"send
his angels with a great sound of a trumpet", #Mt 24:31
and with such
an one, and with his angels shall he descend
in person
from heaven, #1Th 4:16 2Th 1:7 and those he will
employ to
"gather together his elect from the four winds,
from
one end of heaven to the other"; that is, the raised
saints, who
will rise at this time in the several parts of
the world
where they died and were buried; and whom the
angels shall collect
together, and bring with the living
saints
changed, to Christ in the air, where he will be seen.
But
of "the day and hour" of Christ's coming "knoweth no
man, no not
the angels in heaven", #Mt 24:36. Moreover the
coming of the
son of man will be "like the days of Noah" for
carnality,
sensuality, and security, #Mt 24:37, &c. which
agrees with
the accounts other scriptures give; as that it
will
be like that of a thief in the night, sudden and at
unawares; and
that when persons are crying peace, peace,
great
pleasure and happiness, sudden destruction comes upon
them; and
therefore, since the son of man comes in an hour
unthought of,
persons ought to be "ready" for it, #Mt 24:44
for
nothing is more certain than death, the coming of Christ,
and the
judgment day.
1c2.
Secondly, The parables in #Mt 25:1-46 all respect the second
coming of
Christ. The parable of the wise and foolish
virgins,
describes the state of the church under the gospel
dispensation,
as consisting of true believers, and formal
professors,
and their different behaviour, until the coming
of Christ;
when the door will be shut, the door of the word
and
ordinances; for after the spiritual reign, and in the
millennium
state, they will be no more administered, and
Christ, and
his gospel, will be no more preached; and so no
more a door
of faith and hope for sinners. Before the
personal
coming of Christ, all the virgins, both wise and
foolish, will
be asleep, unconcerned about his coming, off
of
their watch and guard, and in no expectation of it; and,
having little
faith about it, "When the Son of man cometh,
shall he find
faith on the earth?" To this state answers the
Laodicean
church state, lukewarm, indifferent, and
regardless of
divine things; which will bring on, and issue
in
the last judgment of the people, as its name signifies.
Christ, in
this parable, is all along represented as a
bridegroom,
and as such he shall come, #Mt 25:1,5,6,10
when the
church, his bride, will be made ready, and come
down from God
out of heaven, as a bride adorned for her
husband;
when she, the bride, the Lamb's wife, having the
glory of God
upon her, shall dwell with him in the new
Jerusalem
state; which is the marriage chamber they that are
ready shall
enter into with him.
The
parable of the talents, in the same chapter, respects
the same
time, and describes our Lord's giving gifts to men,
upon his
ascension to heaven, and since; to some more, and
others less,
of which they make a different improvement: and
also his
"coming" again, after a long time, and reckoning
with
them; which will be done when he personally appears;
and who will,
in the resurrection state, distribute honours
and rewards
to his servants, according as they have made use
of the
talents committed to them.
The
chapter is closed with an account of the Son of man
coming in his
glory, and all the holy angels with him, and
sitting on
the throne of his glory, summoning all nations
before him,
and separating the good from the bad, and
passing the
definitive sentence on each, and executing it.
1c3. Thirdly,
the parable of the nobleman, in #Lu 19:12, &c. is
similar to
that of the talents, in #Mt 25:1-46. By the
nobleman is meant
Christ, who is of noble extract indeed; as
the Son of
God, he is the only begotten of the Father; as
man,
he sprung from the Jewish ancestors, Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob,
and from a race of kings of the line of David. By
the "far
country" he went into, heaven is designed; which is
the better
country, a land afar off, from whence Christ came
at his
incarnation, and whither he went after his ascension,
and
where he will remain till his second coming. His end in
going
thither, was "to receive for himself a kingdom"; to
take open
possession of a kingdom that was appointed for
him; and
which he did, in some sort, at his ascension, when
he was made,
or declared, Lord and Christ; and more fully
will,
in the spiritual reign, when the kingdoms of this
world shall
become his; but most openly, clearly, and
plainly, at
his personal appearing and kingdom; which will
be the time
of his "return", when he will appear manifestly
instated in
it, and possessed of it; and then will he call
his
servants to an, account for the money he committed to
them, to make
use of in his absence; and according to the
use it shall
appear they have made of them, they will be
rewarded in
the millennium state, signified by giving them
authority
over more or fewer cities.
1c4.
Fourthly, the words of Christ in #Joh 14:2,3 cannot well be
neglected;
"In my Father's house are many mansions; I go to
prepare a
place for you, and I will come again, and receive
you unto
myself". By Christ's "Father's house", is meant
heaven,
the house not made with hands, eternal in the
heavens; in
which there are many mansions, dwelling,
resting
places for the "many sons" he, the great Captain of
their
salvation, must, and will bring to glory; and hither
Christ is
gone, as the forerunner, both to take possession
of
heaven for them, and to prepare it for their reception of
it; for
though it is a kingdom prepared from the foundation
of the world,
in the purpose, council, and covenant of God;
yet Christ is
further preparing and fitting it for them, by
his personal
presence, and powerful mediation, while they
are
preparing and working up for the self-same thing, by his
Spirit within
them; and when they are all gathered in, and
made ready,
he will come again in person, and raise their
bodies, and
reunite their souls to them, and take them,
soul and
body, to himself, to be with him where he is, first
in
the millennium state, and then in the ultimate glory.
1d. Fourthly, that Christ will
come personally on earth a second time, may be most certainly concluded from
the words of the angels, in #Ac 1:11 at the ascension of Christ to 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".
The angels reproved the apostles, that they stood gazing at Jesus, as he went
up to heaven, being desirous of seeing the last of him, as if they were never
to see him any more; whereas he would come again from heaven, in like manner as
they saw him go thither: as he ascended in person, in his human nature, united
to his divine person, as the Son of God; so he should
descend in person, in the same human nature thus united; "The Lord himself
shall descend from heaven": and as his ascension to heaven was visible, he
was seen of angels, and by the apostles; so his descent from thence will be
visible; "Every eye shall see him"; not a few only, as then, but all:
and as a cloud received him out of their sight, when he went to hearer; so when
he comes again, he will come in the clouds of heaven: and
as he was attended by angels, who escorted him through the regions of the air;
so he will be revealed from heaven, with his mighty angels: and though no
mention is made in this narrative, of his ascension with a shout, and the sound
of a trumpet attending it; yet, as it was foretold in prophecy and type, no
doubt is to be made of it; "God is gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet!" #Ps 47:5 and certain it is, he
will descend in such manner; "The Lord himself shall descend from heaven
with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God!"
#1Th 4:16 and as his ascent was from the mount of Olives, #Ac 1:12 it is very
probable his descent will be on that very spot; since it is said, that when the
Lord shall come with all his saints, "his feet shall stand in that day on the mount of Olives", #Zec 14:4,5.
1e. Fifthly, the second coming
and appearance of Christ, may be confirmed from various passages in the
sermons, discourses, and epistles of the apostles. And,
1e1.
From the words of Peter, #Ac 3:19-21. From whence it
appears, that
there was then to come, and still is to come,
"a time
of the restitution of all things"; which cannot be
understood of
the gospel dispensation, called the time of
"reformation";
for that had taken place already; nor of the
restitution
of the brute creatures to their estate of paradise,
of which some
interpret #Isa 11:6,9 Ro 8:19-23 for which I
can see no
need nor use of, in a perfect state, as these
times will
be; nor of the restitution of gospel doctrines,
ordinances,
discipline, and worship, to their former purity
and
perfection, which will be accomplished in the spiritual
reign; but of
the restitution of all the bodies of the
saints, a
resurrection of them from the dead, and a
restoration
of them to their souls; and of the renovation of
the world,
which will be at the second coming of Christ: and
when
the time fixed for it is come, then will God "send Jesus
Christ"
from heaven, where he now is, and where he will be
retained till
that time, and then he will descend from
thence, when
the saints in their resurrection state shall be
judged; and
though their sins are already "blotted out" by
the
blood of Christ, and for his sake; and a comfortable
application
of it is made to the consciences of all penitent
and converted
persons; yet there will be then a public
blotting of
them out, or a declaration that they are blotted
out, never to
be seen nor read more; which will be done
before
angels and men; and then it will be "a time of
refreshing"
indeed, "from the presence of the Lord"; for the
tabernacle of
God will now be with men, and he will dwell
with them;
and there shall be no more sorrow and weeping,
crying and
pain, #Re 21:3,4.
1e2. There
are various passages, in which express mention is made
of the coming
of Christ; of his appearing a second time,
unto the
salvation of his people; of their waiting for his
coming,
looking for, and hastening unto it, and loving it,
#Heb
9:28 1Co 1:7 Tit 2:13 2Pe 3:12 2Ti 4:8 and of what the
saints shall
be, and shall have then; that they shall appear
in glory with
Christ, and shall be like him, and shall have
grace given
them, and a crown of glory likewise; and shall
be the joy
and crown of rejoicing of Christ's ministers,
#Col
3:4 1Jo 3:2 1Pe 1:13 5:4 2Ti 4:8 1Th 2:19 and also of
what shall
then be done by Christ; all the saints shall be
brought with
him; the dead in him shall be raised, and both
quick and
dead be judged; and the counsels of all hearts
shall be made
manifest, #1Th 3:13 4:14,16 2Ti 4:1 1Co 4:5.
1e3. In all
those places in which mention is made of "that day",
that famous,
that well known day, so much spoken of and
expected,
#2Ti 1:12,18 4:8 and of the day of the Lord,
#1Th 5:2 2Pe
3:10 and of the day of the Lord Jesus,
#1Co
1:8 5:5 2Co 1:14 Php 1:6 and of the day of redemption,
#Eph 4:30 the
time of Christ's second coming, and personnel
appearance,
is meant; which will be sudden, and at an
unawares,
like a thief in the night; till which time the
saints commit
themselves into his hands; and when the work
of
grace, in its utmost extent and influence on soul and
body, will be
completed, and they will be unblameable before
him, and
their bodies redeemed from mortality, corruption,
and death.
1f.
Sixthly, in the book of the Revelation, frequent mention is made of the
visible, quick, and speedy coming of Christ, and of what shall be then done by him;
as in #Re 1:7 3:11 22:7,12,20 and in particular of his descent from heaven, for
the binding of Satan the space of a thousand years, #Re 20:1-3 where he is
described by his office, an Angel, not a created, but the uncreated one; nor is
it unusual for Christ to be called an Angel; he is that
Angel who appeared to Moses in the bush; and who went before the children of
Israel in the wilderness; and who is called "the Angel of God's
presence", and the Angel, or "Messenger, of the covenant": and
he is described by his descent "from heaven", whither he went at his
ascension, and where he is now retained, and from whence he will come at the
last day; and by what he had in his hand, a "key"
and a "great chain"; a key to open the bottomless pit, to pat Satan
into it, and shut him up therein; and who so proper to have this key, as he who
has "the keys of hell and death?" #Re 1:18 and a great chain to bind
him therewith; and which will be greater, though shorter, than what he is now
held with; and with which he will be bound faster and closer, and laid under
greater restraints than he now is; so that he shall not be
able to do the harm and mischief, and practise the deceit among the nations he
now does, by instilling evil principles into them, and stirring them up to evil
practices; and so will he remain bound, shut up, and sealed, for the space of a
thousand years.
2. The
locality of Christ's second coming, and personal appearance; or the place from
whence he will come, and where he will appear.
2a. The place from whence he
will come; heaven, the third heaven, where he now is in human nature, into
which he was received at his ascension; and where he will continue
till his second coming, and from thence he will then be revealed; he will
descend from heaven to earth; he came down from heaven to earth at his
incarnation; but that his coming was not local, not by change of place, which
cannot agree with him as the omnipresent God; but by assumption of nature: but
as his ascent to heaven in human nature, having assumed it, and done his work
in it, which he came about, was local, by change of place
from earth to heaven; so when he comes again from heaven to earth, it will be
local, by change of place, which his human nature is capable of.
2b. The place whither he shall
come, is the earth; for, as Job says, he shall stand on the
earth in the latter day; though he shall not descend upon it at once; when he
appears from the third heaven, he shall descend into the air, and there stay
some time, until the dead saints are raised, and the living ones changed; and
both brought unto him there; and till the new earth is made and prepared for
him and them; when he and they will come down from heaven to earth, and they
shall reign with him on it a thousand years; and he shall
reign before his ancients gloriously.
3. The visibility of Christ's
personal appearance; he will appear in human nature, visible to all; the sign
of the Son of man, that is, the Son of man himself, shall appear in heaven, in
the air; and "every eye shall see him", all the inhabitants of the
earth: such will be the agility of his glorious body, that
he will swiftly move from one end of the heaven to the other, like lightning,
to which his coming is compared, #Mt 24:27 so that he will be seen by all the
tribes, kindreds, and nations of the earth: he will be seen by all good men, by
the living saints, that will be changed; by the dead, who will be raised, and
both caught up together to meet him in the air; when he appears,
they shall appear with him, and see him as he is: and he will be seen by them
in the millennium state, and throughout the whole of it; for he will reign
before his ancients, in the sight of them, in a glorious manner; and then, as
Job says, when they shall both stand together upon the earth, in their flesh,
and with their fleshly eyes shall they see God in human nature, and that for
themselves, and not another: and he will be seen by bad
men; by all the wicked living on earth, at his first appearance, who will wail
and mourn because of him, fearing his wrath and vengeance they justly deserve;
and when they, even the greatest personages among them, shall flee, and call to
the rocks and mountains to fall on them, and hide them from his face, terrible
to them. And at the end of a thousand years, when they will be
all raised, they will see him as their Judge on a throne of glory, and stand
before him, small and great, and tremble at the sight of him, as the devils
also will.
4. The glory of Christ's
second coming. His first coming was in a very low, mean, and abject manner,
without observation, pomp, and splendour; but his second coming
will be in "great glory", #Mt 24:30 Lu 9:26 and therefore is, with
great propriety, called, "The glorious appearing of the great God!"
#Tit 2:13.
4a. First, Christ will come in
the "glory of his Father"; this is sometimes said alone, and when no
mention is made of his own glory with it, #Mt 16:27 Mr 8:38 the glory of the Father, and the glory of Christ, as the only begotten
of the Father, are the same; the same is the glory of him that begot, and the
glory of him that is begotten; Christ is the brightness of his Father's glory,
and the express image of his person; having the same nature and perfections,
and so the same glory, with which he shall now appear: or by his Father's glory
may be meant, the glory he promised him in covenant, on
doing the work of redemption and salvation of men, proposed to him, and to
which he agreed; wherefore when he came the first time, when he had finished
his work, he pleaded the promised reward, #Joh 17:4,5 and which promised glory
took place, first upon the resurrection of Christ from the dead; for "God
raised him from the dead, and gave him glory"; and at his ascension he
"highly exalted him, and gave him a name above every
name"; and now by faith we see him "crowned with glory and
honour!" and thus glorified, exalted, and crowned, will he come a second
time. Besides, he will come as a Judge, to which office he is appointed by his
Father; under whom, as such he will act; and will therefore come with a
commission from him, and clothed with authority by him; for he hath "given
him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the
Son of man"; that Son of man whom the Father has appointed to judge the
world in righteousness; and so will come with the power, pomp, and majesty of a
judge; and shall sit on a "throne of glory", with thousands and ten
thousands ministering unto him, called "a great white throne";
"great", suitable to the greatness of his person and office; and "white", to denote the purity, uprightness, and
righteousness of his proceedings.
4b. Secondly, he will come
"in his own glory": this is sometimes also spoken of singly; and no
mention made of his Father's glory, #Mt 25:31. And this his own glory, in which
he will come, is twofold.
4b1. He will
come in the glory of his divine nature, and the
perfections
of it, as a divine Person, as God over all. At
first he came
as a man; and because he appeared so mean, was
taken by the
Jews to be a mere man, as he still is by many;
but
when he comes a second time, his appearing will be the
appearing of
"the great God", the most high God; and so his
coming is
called, "the coming of the day of God", #Tit 2:13
#2Pe 3:12 see
#Zec 14:5 his divine perfections will be
very
illustriously displayed, particularly his omnipotence; upon
his
coming, voices will he heard in heaven, the church, loud
proclamations
made; "The Lord God omnipotent reigneth!"
#Re 19:6 he
will come "with power", with almighty power;
which will appear
by raising his dead saints, and changing his
living ones;
by burning the world, the heavens and the
earth,
and making all things new; by summoning all nations
before him,
setting them in their proper posture and
distance,
passing the decisive sentence, and carrying it
into
execution; especially on the wicked, who will be
"punished
with everlasting destruction from the presence of
the
Lord, and from the glory of his power", #2Th 1:9. Also
his
omniscience will be clearly discerned; he will let all
the churches,
and all the world know, that he is he who
searcheth the
reins and hearts, and who needs no testimony
from men; for
he knows what is in men, and is done by them;
for
he will bring to light the hidden things of darkness,
and every
secret thing into judgment; and neither men nor
things shall
escape his all seeing eye. Likewise the glory
of his
holiness and justice will be very conspicuous; he
will appear
as the Judge of the whole earth, who will do
right,
and will truly claim the character of a "righteous
Judge";
and his judgment be "righteous judgment"; and, as in
all his other
offices, so in the execution of this,
"righteousness
will be the girdle of his loins, and
faithfulness
the girdle of his reins". There will be also
large
displays of grace and mercy, made at the appearance of
Christ; hence
saints are exhorted, "to hope to the end for
the grace
that is to be brought unto them, at the revelation
of Jesus
Christ"; and to "look for the mercy of our Lord
Jesus Christ,
unto eternal life!" #1Pe 1:13 Jude 1:21
4b2. Christ
will come in the glory of his human nature. The
apostle takes
notice of this remarkable circumstance, which
will attend
the second coming and appearance of Christ, that
it
will be "without sin", the disgrace of human nature,
#Heb 9:28.
The human nature of Christ, when first assumed
by him, was
without sin, without original sin, the taint and
contagion of
corrupt nature, which is in all the ordinary
descendants
of Adam; hence it is called, the "holy thing";
and
throughout his whole life it was free from all actual
transgressions;
no act of sin was ever committed by him: but
then he was
not without the appearance of sin; though his
flesh was not
sinful flesh, yet he was "sent in the likeness
of sinful
flesh"; being born of a sinful woman, brought up
among
sinful men, and conversed with some of the chief of
them in life,
and was numbered among transgressors at his
death: and
moreover, he had all the sins of his people
imputed to
him; he was made sin by imputation, who knew
none: he bore
all the sins of his people, and the punishment
due
to them, in his body on the tree; but having thereby
made
satisfaction for them, upon his resurrection from the
dead, he was
discharged, acquitted, and justified: so that
when he comes
a second time, he will appear as without sin
inherent in
him he never had, and without sin done by him he
never
did; so without sin imputed to him, this being
satisfied for
by him, and he discharged from it. Likewise,
whereas he
bore our sorrows, and carried our griefs, and was
attended with
the sinless infirmities of our nature, and was
at last
crucified through weakness; now he will appear
without
any such; as hunger, thirst, weariness, and pain:
and whereas,
what with one thing and another, his visage was
more marred
than any man's, and his form than the sons of
men; now his
body is become a glorious one; of the glory of
which his
transfiguration on the Mount was an emblem, when
his
face did shine as the sun: and if the righteous, whose
bodies will
be fashioned like to Christ's glorious body,
shall shine
as the sun in the kingdom of their Father, with
what lustre
and splendour will Christ appear in his glorified
body?
4c. Thirdly, Christ will come
in the glory of his holy angels; this circumstance is always observed in the
account of his glorious coming. This will add to the glory and solemnity of the
day. So kings, when they go abroad, are attended by their guards, not only for
their safety, but for the glory of their majesty; and thus, when God descended on mount Sinai, to give the law to Israel, he came
with ten thousand of his saints, his Holy Ones, the holy angels: and when
Christ ascended on high, his chariots were twenty thousand, even thousands of
angels; and when he shall descend from heaven, he will be revealed from thence
with his mighty angels: nor will they be only used for the glory of his
Majesty; but they will be employed by him in certain
services; as to gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, to bind the
tares in bundles and east them into the furnace of fire; and, to collect
together from the four winds, the saints raised from the dead, in the several
parts of the world, and bring them to Christ, to meet him in the air, and come
along with him.
5. The
time of Christ's second coming and personal appearance, may next be enquired
into; but to put a stop to enquiries of this kind, at least a boundary to them,
it should be observed what our Lord says; "Of that day and hour knoweth no
man, no not the angels; but my Father only", #Mt 24:36. Another evangelist
has it; "Neither the Son", that is, as man; the human nature of
Christ not being possessed of divine perfections, and so
not of omniscience: to "know the times and seasons" of Christ's
personal appearance and kingdom, is not for us; these the "Father has put
in his own power", and keeps them secret there, #Ac 1:6,7. Some good men,
in the last age, fixed the time of Christ's second coming, of his personal
reign, and the millennium; in which being mistaken, it has brought the doctrine
into disgrace, and great neglect: their mistake arose
greatly from their confounding the spiritual and personal reign of Christ; as
if they commenced together; namely, upon the destruction of antichrist, pope,
and Turk; the calling of the Jews, and the large conversions of the Gentiles;
whereas there is a distant space between the one and the other, and which is
entirely unknown; the spiritual reign, indeed, will take place upon
the above events, and there are dates given of them; namely, of the reign of
antichrist, the witnesses prophesying in sackcloth, the holy city being given
to the Gentiles to be trodden under foot, and the church in the wilderness; and
the dates of these arc the same, forty two months, or one thousand two hundred
and sixty days, which are alike; for forty two months, reckoning thirty days in
a month, as was the usual reckoning, are just one thousand
two hundred and sixty days, and which design so many years; so that these
things took place, go on, and will end together; see #Re 11:2,3 12:6 13:5. Now
these dates are given to exercise the minds, the study, and diligence of men:
and though men good and learned, have hitherto been mistaken in fixing the end
of these dates, arising from the difficulty of knowing the time
of their commencement, this should not discourage a modest and humble enquiry
into them; for, for what end else are these dates given? could we find out the
time when antichrist began his reign, the end of it could easily be fixed to a
year. There is a hint given of his first appearance in #2Th 2:6-8. "Now ye
know, what withholdeth that he" (antichrist before described) "might
be revealed in his time; for the mystery of iniquity doth
already work"; it was not only in embryo, but was got to some size, and
was busy and operative, though secret and hidden; "only he who now letteth
will let, until he be taken out of the way, and then shall that wicked one be
revealed", the man of sin, or antichrist: now that which let, seems to be
rightly interpreted by many, of the Roman emperor, who stood in the way of the bishop of Rome, appearing in that pomp and power he was
thirsting after; and which seemed to bid fair to be fulfilling, when
Augustulus, the last of the emperors, delivered up the empire to Odoacer, a
king of the Goths; and the seat of the empire was removed from Rome to Ravenna,
whereby way was made for the bishop of Rome to take his seat, and appear in the
grandeur he was aiming at. Now this seemed to be a probable
area to begin the reign of antichrist; and as this was in the year four hundred
and seventy six, if one thousand two hundred and sixty years are added
thereunto, the fall of antichrist must have happened in the year one thousand
seven hundred and thirty six; this some learned men were very confident of,
particularly Lloyd, bishop of Worcester, a great calculator of times, affirmed,
that all the devils in hell could not support the pope of
Rome, longer than one thousand seven hundred and thirty six. But we have lived
to see him mistaken; more than thirty years have since passed, yet the popish
antichrist is still in his seat; though his civil power has been weakening, and
still is weakening; so that it might be hoped, he will, ere long, come to his
end. Nor should we be altogether discouraged from searching
into the date of his reign: there is another zero which bids fair to be the
beginning of it; and that is, when the emperor Phocas gave the grant of
universal bishop to the pope of Rome; and this was done in the year six hundred
and six: and the rather this date should be attended to, since within a little
time after, Mahomet, the Eastern antichrist, arose; so that as they appeared
about the same time, and go on together, they will end
together. Now if to the above date are added one thousand two hundred and sixty
years, the end of antichrist's reign will fall in the year one thousand eight
hundred and sixty six: according to this computation, antichrist has almost an
hundred years more to reign: and if the date of his reign is to be taken from
his arriving to a greater degree of pride and power, or from the year six hundred and sixty six, which is the number of the beast, #Re
13:18 it will be protracted still longer. It may be observed, that the dates in
#Da 12:11,12 and in the Revelation, somewhat differ; they are larger in the
former; instead of one thousand two hundred and sixty days, as in the latter,
it is one thousand two hundred and ninety days; thirty days, that is, thirty
years, more; which, after the fall of antichrist, may be
taken up in the conversion of the Jews, and the settlement of them in their own
land: and the date is still further increased in the next verse; "Blessed
is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and thirty five
days"; which make forty five days, or years, more; and which may be
employed in the destruction of the Ottoman empire; and in the spread of the
gospel through the whole world; and therefore happy will he
be that comes to this date; these will be happy, halcyon days indeed! But now
supposing these dates could be settled with any precision, as they cannot,
until more light is thrown upon them, which perhaps may be, when nearer their
accomplishment; yet the time of the second coming, and personal appearance of
Christ, and of the millennium, or thousand years reign upon it,
cannot be known hereby; because the spiritual reign of Christ, will only take
place upon the above events; and how long that will last, none can say: nor
have we any chronological dates, nor hints, concerning the duration of it; only
the Philadelphian church state, in which it will be; but as that is not yet
begun, so neither do we know when it will; nor when it will end: and after
that, there will be another state of lukewarmness, drowsiness,
and carnal security; which the Laodicean church state will bring on, and will
continue till Christ's personal appearance; for such will be the state of
things when the Son of man comes; which will be like the times of Noah and Lot;
and how long this state will last cannot be said; unless the "seven
months", allowed for the burial of Gog and his multitude, #Eze
39:12 can be thought to be the duration of this state {1}; which, if understood
of prophetic time, takes in a compass of two hundred and ten years; but this is
uncertain. So that it seems impracticable and impossible, to know the time of
the second coming of Christ; and therefore it must be vain and needless, if not
criminal, to enquire into it. However, it is known to God, who has appointed a day
in which he will judge the world by Christ; and as there
was a set time for his first coming into the world, so there is for his second
coming; and God in his own appointed time will send him, show him, and set him
forth. And it is often said by our Lord
in the book of the Revelation, that he would "come quickly", #Re 3:11
22:7,12,20 to quicken saints to an expectation of it; and yet it is seemingly
deferred, to try the faith and patience of saints, and to
render the wicked inexcusable: but the chief reason is what the apostle gives,
#2Pe 3:9 that "the Lord is long suffering to us-ward", the beloved of
the Lord, #2Pe 3:8 the elect of God he wrote unto; "not willing that
any" of those his beloved and chosen ones "should but that all should
come to repentance"; and when they are all brought to repentance towards
God, and to faith in Christ, he will stay no longer,
"but the day of the Lord will come" immediately.
6. The signs of Christ's
appearance and kingdom. The more remote ones are such as Christ gives in answer
to the question of the apostles to him; "What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?" whether they
meant his second coming, or his coming to destroy Jerusalem, and the end of the
Jewish world, church and state, Christ gave them signs which answer to both;
the destruction of Jerusalem being a presage and emblem of the destruction of
the world at the second coming of Christ; such as wars and rumours of wars,
famines, pestilences, and earthquakes; persecutions of good
men, false teachers, the preaching of the gospel throughout the world: all
which had an accomplishment before the coming of Christ to destroy Jerusalem:
and they have been fulfilling again and again in all ages since; and perhaps
will be more frequent before the destruction of the world at the second coming
of Christ. The more near signs, or what will more nearly precede Christ's second and personal coming, are the spiritual reigns, and what
will introduce that? the destruction of antichrist, the call of the Jews, and
numerous conversions of Gentiles, through the general spread of the gospel; and
after that, great coolness and indifference in religion, and great defection in
faith and practice. But after all, it seems as if there would be an uncertainty
of it until the sign of the Son of man, which is himself,
as before observed, appears in the heavens; for the Son of man will come in an
hour unthought of by good men; and as a thief in the night to wicked men;
suddenly and at an unawares; and to both wise and foolish professors, while
they are slumbering and sleeping.
7. The
ends to be answered by the second and personal coming of Christ.
7a. The putting of the saints
into the full possession of salvation, #Heb 9:28. Christ's first coming into
the world was to work out the salvation of his people; this he has obtained, he
is become the author of it, and which is published in the gospel; and an application of it is made to particular persons, by the Spirit
of God, at conversion: but the full enjoyment of it is yet to come, #Ro 13:11
to which saints are kept by the power of God; and of which they are now heirs,
and when Christ shall appear he will put them into the possession of their
inheritance, #Mt 25:34.
7b. The
destruction of all his and our enemies; all wicked men, the beast and false
prophet, and Satan, who will be cast by Christ into the lake which burns with
fire and brimstone; even all those who would not have him to reign over them:
and by all this, the ultimate end of all, the glory of God; will be answered;
the glory of his divine perfections, in the salvation of his people, and in the
destruction of the wicked; and the glorification of Christ
in all them that believe, #2Th 1:10.
{1} See Rudd's Essay on the
Millennium, p. 16, 363.