His Coming Does Not Mean Death
His -first coming did not mean death to the Jews, and they did not so understand it; neither does His second coming mean death to Christians, nor should they so understand it.
Jesus makes a clear distinction between death and Kis coming in John He tells Peter how he should die, and then, by contrast. He speaks of John, saying: “If I will that he tany till I come, what is that to theef That is, that John might not die, but live till Jesus should come again. The disciples so understood it, and reported that he should not die.
Death is an enemy,- and at Christ’s coming we are raised from the dead, and shout victory over death and the grave. “0 Death, where is thy sting? 0 Hades, where is thy victory?”3
(1) John 21 :18. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou &halt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.
19. This spake he, signifying
by what death he should glorify
God. And when he had spoken
this he saith unto him, Follow
me.
20. Then Peter, turning about,
seeth the disciple whom Jesus
loved following; which also
leaned on his breast at supper,
and said. Lord, which is he that
betrayeth thee?
21. Peter seeing him saith to
Jesus, Lord, and what shall this
man do T
22. Jesus saith unto him. If I
will that he tarry till I come,
what is that to thee? Follow
thou me.
23. Then went this saying
abroad among the brethren, that
that disciple should not die: yet
Jesus’ said not unto him. He
shall not die; but. If I will that
he tarry till I come, what is that
to thee?
(2) 1 Cor. 15:26. The last
enemy that shall be destroyed is
death.
(3) 1 Cor. 15:23. But every
man in his own order: Christ
the firstfruits; afterward they
that are Christ’s at his coming.
54. So when this corruptible
shall have put on incorruption,
and this mortal shall have put
on immortality, then shall be
brought to pass the saying that
is written. Death is swallowed
up in victory.
55. O death, where is thy
sting? O grave, where is thy
victory?
If we are faithful unto death (that is, though faithfulness cost us our lives) He has promised us a crown* but we do not receive it until He comes.^
Nothing is promised us at death, except to be at rest in Paradise J But we are promised all things in the resurrection, when Jesus comes.**
Therefore we find Paul yearning for this resurrection.^
He did not want to be unclothed by death but clothed upon by the resurrection.^^
(4) Rev. 2:10. Fear none of
those things which thou shalt
suffer: behold, the devil shall
cast so7ne of you into prison,
that ye may be tried; and ye
shall have tribulation ten days:
be thou faithful unto death, and
I will give thee a crown of life.
(5) 2 Tim. 4:8. Henceforth
there is laid up for me a crown
of righteousness’, which the Lord,
the righteous judge, shall give
me at that day: and not to me
only, but unto all them also that
love his appearing.
1 Pet. 5 :4. And when the
chief Shepherd shall appear, ye
shall receive a crown of glory
that fadeth not away.
(6) 2 Thes. 1:7. And to you
who are troubled rest with us,
when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his
mighty angels.
Rev. 14 :13. And I heard a
voice from heaven saying unto
me, Write, Blessed are the dead
which die in the Lord from
henceforth. Yea, saith the
Spirit, that they may rest from
their labours; and their works
do follow them.
(7) Luke 16:22. And it came
to pass, that the beggar died,
and was carried by the angels
into Abraham’s bosom: the rich
man also died, and was buried.
Luke 23 :43. And Jesus said
unto him, Verily I say unto thee.
Today shalt thou be with me in
paradise.
(8) Luke 14:14. And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.
Luke 20 :35. But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage:
36. Neither can they die any
more: for they are equal unto
the angels; and are the children
of God, being the children of the
resurrection.
Rom. 8 :32. He that spared
not his own Son, but delivered
him up for us all, how shall he
not with him also freely give us
all things?
(9) Phil. 3:11. If by any
means I may attain unto the
resurrection from the dead.
(10) 2 Cor. 5:4. For we that
are in this tabernacle do groan,
being burdened: not for that we
would be unclothed, but clothed
upon, that mortality might be
swallowed up of life.
1 Cor. 15 :51. Behold, I shew
you a mystery; We shall not all
sleep, but we shall all be
changed,
52. In a moment, in the
twinkling of an eye, at the last
trump: for the trumpet shall
sound, and the dead shall be
raised incorruptible, and we shall
be changed.
53. For this corruptible must
put on incorruption, and this
mortal must put on immortality.
54. So when this corruptible
Let any one insert “death” in the passages which speak of Christ’s coming and he will see that it will not apply. For instance:
“For ‘death’ shall come in the gioiy of His Father.” Mat. 16:27.
“When ‘death’ shall sit in the throne of His gloi-y.” Mat. 19 :28.
“Hereafter shall ye see ‘death’ sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.” Mat. 26 :64.
“Behold he (death) cometh with clouds and every eye shall see Him.” Rev. 1:7.
“For oui’ conversation is in heaven, from whence, also, we look for ‘death.’” Phil. 3 :20.
If the reader thinks that these are exceptional passages, we beg of you to try it in other Scripture referring to His coming. The only possible similarity consists in analogy — viz.: in the fact that we do not know the time when we shall die. But thanks be to God, we may not die at ail, for “We shall not all sleep.” 1 Cor. 15 :51.
There will be one generation, at least, who will realize that the coming of our Lord is not death.
And if it is not admissible to say “for ‘death,’ himself, shall descend from heaven with a shout” (1 Thes. 4:16), neither is it admissible to say, “Watch, therefore; for ye know not what hour ‘death’ doth come.” Mat. 24:42.
For, by such wresting of Scripture, we jostle this prominent truth, of our Lord’s advent, into the back-ground, and substitute therefor the ‘grim monster,’ death.
Death Is Not Practically the Coming of the Lord.
It is assuming too much, to say that death is practically, to the believer, the coming of the Lord. For we do not know it, and the Scriptures do not assert it. On the contrary, the events which occur, as the Scriptures teach us, when the Lord comes, do not occur at the death of a Christian. The dead are not then raised, nor are the living beshall have put on incorruption, brought to pass the saying that and this mortal shall have put is written. Death is swallowed on immortality, then shall be ud in victory. lievers changed, as they will be when the Lord comes. We know very little about Hades or the intermediate state of the dead. It is probably true that, since the resun’ection of our Lord, the souls of believers, at death, go to a Paradise above, so that Paul could say “absent from the body, present with the Lord.” 2 Cor. 5:8. But it would appear, from Rev. 6 :9-ll,^^ that certain of the departed souls yearn for the execution of Judgment, which occurs when the Lord comes.^2 Spiritually, the believer is with Christ now, and always,^^ but, to be with Christ, bodily,^* is only to be at” tained by the resurrection, at His coming.^-^ Therefore, it
(11) Rev. 6:9. And when he
had opened the fifth seal, I saw
under the altar the souls of
them that were slain for the
word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
10. And they cried with a loud
voice, saying, How long, O Lord,
holy and true, dost thou not
judge and avenge our blood on
them that dwell on the earth?
11. And white robes were
given unto every one of them;
and it was said unto them, that
they should rest yet for a little
season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren,
that should be killed as they
were, should be fulfilled.
(12) 1 Cor. 4:5. Therefore
judge nothing before the time,
until the Lord come, who both
will bring to light the hidden
things of darkness and will make
manifest the counsels of the
hearts: and then shall every
man have praise of God.
2 Tim. 4 :1. I charge thee in
the sight of God, and of Christ
Jesus, who shall judge the living and the dead, and by his
appearing and his kingdom:
Rev. 11 :18. And the nations
were angry, and thy wrath is
come, and the time of the dead,
that they should be judged, and
that thou shouldest give reward
unto thy servants the prophets,
and to the saints, and them that
fear thy name, small and great;
and shouldest destroy them
which destroy the earth.
Also Mat. 25 :31-40.
(13) John 14:23. Jesus answered and said unto him, If a
man love me, he will keep my
words: and my Father will love
him, and we will come unto him,
and make our abode with him.
Mat. 28 :20. Teaching them
to observe all things whatsoever
I have commanded you: and, lo,
I am with you alway, eveji unto
the end of the world. Amen.
(l-±) John 12:26. If any man
serve me, let him follow me;
and where I am, there shall also
my servant be: if any man serve
me, him will my Father honour.
John 17:24. Father, I will
that they also, whom thou hast
given me, be with me where I
am; that they may behold my
glory, which thou hast given me:
for thou lovedst me before the
foundation of the world.
(15) John 14:3. And if I go
and prepare a place for you, I
will come again, and receive you
unto myself; that where I am,
there ye may be also.
1 Thes. 4 :17. Then we which
are alive and remain shall be
caught up together with them in
the clouds, to meet the Lord in
the air: and so shall we ever be
with the Lord.
is entirely miseriptural to instruct the believer to look for death, as being synonymous with, or equivalent to, the Lord’s coming.
Dr. David Brown’s Testimony.
Rev. David Brown, although a prominent Post-millenialist, recognizes this and he says: “The coming of Christ to individuals at death — however warrantably we may speak so, and whatever profitable considerations it may suggest — is not fitted for takmg that place in the view of the believer which Scripture assigns to the Second Advent.” And he veiy properly illustrates by the following passages:
“‘Let not your heart be troubled (said Jesus to his sorrowing disciples): In my Father’s house are many mansions; I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go away’ — What then? ‘Ye shall soon follow me? Death shall shortly bring us together?’ Nay; but ‘If I go away, I will come again and receive you unto myself; that where I am there ye may be also.’ John 14:3.
“‘And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven, this same Jesus Avliich is taken up, from you into heaven shall’ — What? Take you home soon to himself at death? Nay, but shall ‘so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven.’ Acts 1 :10-11.”
“And,” he adds, “how know we that by jostling this event (the Advent) out of its scriptural place in the expectations of the Church, we are not, in a great degree, destroying its character and power as a practical principle? Can we not believe, though unable to trace it, that God’s methods are ever best; and that as in nature, so perhaps in revelation, a modification by us of the divine arrangements, apparently slight, and attended even -vvith some seeming advantages, may be followed by a total and unexpected change of results, the opposite of what is anticipated and desired? So we fear it to be here.”* We would that we had space to quote more, for we admire this frank admis-
* Second Advent, pages 21, 22.
sion — that death is not the coming of our Lord — from one who labors so hard to support post-millennialism. Again, the substitution of death for the coming of the Lord practically degrades the grand doctrine of the resurrection, from its lofty prominence in Scripture, to almost an unnecessary appendage.
But we believe in the preaching of Jesus and the resurrectio7iy and we look fonvard with joyous anticipation to the resurrection from the dead, as the time when Jesus shall give us the victory over death. ^’^
Oh! that Christians might realize “the grace that is to be brought unto” us (not at death but) “at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”18
Nowhere in the Savior’s teachings are we commanded to watch or prepare for death. But we are commanded to watch and prepare for Christ’s coming.
Therefore, let us not be deceived by the thought that our gTeat enemy, Death, is the precious coming of Jesus.
So, beloved, we conclude that this glorious doctrine does concern you.
Search the Scriptures.
Perhaps, you say: “I don’t know much about it, and I can’t understand it.” But do you want to understand it? If so, God’s word is open to you. The Holy Spirit will teach you.^® He will show you things to come,^’^ and these
(16) Acts 4:2. Being grieved ing that is written, Death is that they taught the people, and swallowed up in victory, preached through Jesus’ the res- 55. O death, where is thy vicurrection from the dead. tory? O death, where is thy
sting?
Acts 17 :18. Then certain
(18) 1 Pet. 1:13. Wherefore
philosophers cf the Epicureans, „. ■, „„ ., „,.,.,
J i. XI. f-,x X J gird up the loins of your mind,
and of the Stoics, encountered ?„ ^„, j v, / *», J
.i K^A c e. -A TTTi, <- 11 sober, and hope to the end
him. And some said, What will - +, „ „^„„ 4.C *. * i.
i,...., - .. for the grace that is to be
this babbler say? other some, >,^^„„v,+ „ x .^ i
He seemeth to be a setter forth “”^^^^^^ the revelaof strange gods: because he (19) John 14:26.’ But the
preached unto them Jesus, and nrr-fof-,- j, 1, t, -tr 1
the resTirrertion Comforter, xchich is the Holy
the resurrection. Father will
(17) 1 Cor. 15 :54. But when send in my name, he shall teach
this corruptible shall have put you all things, and bring all
on incorruption, and this mortal things to your remembrance,
shall have put on immortality, whatsoever I have said unto you. then shall come to pass the say- (20) John 16:13. Howbeit pages are written with the earnest desire to aid you in the study of this truth.
Will you study it? Will you search for yourself, as did the noble Bereans?-^ not merely to read through this little book, but to use it simply as an index, and go to the Word, search out the passages herein referred to, read them and pray over them, until the Holy Spirit guides you into the truth”? If so, we believe that you will see the light, and find comfort to your soul.
Said a Christian, who had long opposed the truth of the pre-millennial coming of Christ: “I have spent the happiest night of my life, for last evening I saw the truth concerning the second coming,” It filled him with joy, and he is one who has been greatly used in leading souls to Christ. May God bless and thus use you, dear reader.
when he, the Spirit of truth, is Berea: who coming thither went
come, he will guide you into all into the synagogue of the Jews,
truth: for he shall not speak of 11. These were more noble
himself; but whatsoever he shall than those in Thessalonica, in
hear, that shall he speak: and that they received the word with
he will shew you things to come. all readiness of mind, and
(21) Acts 17 ;10. And the searched the Scriptures daily,
brethren immediately sent away whether those things were so. Paul and Silas by night unto