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Last Day Tokens, Chapter One
THE SECOND ADVENT THE second coming of Christ is not only placed before us in the Scriptures as the hope of God’s people, but as the great and glorious event for which they will be found waiting and watching when it shall at last occur. The apostle Paul, when speaking of this coming, said, “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”[1]
When Christ is about to appear, His people are represented as responding to His declaration, “Surely I come quickly,” with the triumphant words: “Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”[2] When He shall at last come, as expressed by the prophet Isaiah, His people will joyfully say, “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.”[3]
NOT A FABLE Speaking of that event, the apostle Peter said: “We have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eye-witnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to Him from the excellent glory, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with Him in the holy mount. We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto you do well that you take heed, as unto a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts.”[4]
In the above language the apostle refers to the transfiguration on the mount as a proof of the second coming of Christ. Previous to this scene, our Savior had said to His apostles, “There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in His kingdom.”[5] As recorded by Luke, He also said, “There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God.”[6]
VISION OF THE KINGDOM The record of the fulfillment of this promise is found in the account of the transfiguration. In this “vision” on the mount, they saw Jesus glorified, as He will appear when He comes in His kingdom. They saw Elias (Elijah), who was taken to heaven without tasting death, representing those who will be translated - changed - “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,” when the Lord comes. [7]
There also was Moses, one who had died, representing those who will be raised from the dead to meet the Lord. So, in this “vision” on the mount, they had a view of Christ coming in His kingdom, as He had promised them.
Though the apostles had seen this glorious sight on the mount of transfiguration, and had heard the voice of God’s approval, the apostle Peter says, “We have a more sure word of prophecy.” By this statement he is not discrediting what they saw and heard on that memorable occasion. Then they heard the voice of God only once; but in the great lines of prophecy, extending down to Christ’s second coming, we have the voice of God oft repeated. In fact, every definite prophetic prediction fulfilled, or recorded in history, is the voice of God to us. It must be in this sense that the word of prophecy is “more sure.” The Revised Version translates it “made more sure.” The prophecy is made sure by every specification fulfilled.
Each and every event predicted, when fulfilled, is an assurance that the remaining events will surely come.
LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS The apostle says we should give heed to prophecy as to a light shining in a dark place. The purpose of a light is to dispel the darkness - when traveling in a dark place, to show the pathway; and to show the pathway clearly, that the traveler may be enabled, step by step, to see and choose the right way, the light should shine at his feet. “Thy word,” says the psalmist, “is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”[8] The wise man says, “The path of the just is as the shining light, that shines more and more unto the perfect day.”[9]
Thus it is seen that the word of God, especially in its prophetic fulfillment, will open more and yet more, making it clearer and clearer to the Bible student that he is surely in the pathway leading to the everlasting light and eternal day.
In giving heed to the sure word of prophecy, as to a light that is to guide our steps, discovering to us the correct path through the darkness, it must be that we shall find the pathway down to the Second Advent of Christ, marked out in the prophetic word. This being the case, those who follow closely the light of prophecy will not only recognize the signs and tokens that the great day is near, but will recognize also the work of the Lord as it steadily moves on in the messages of truth which are to prepare a people to meet Him in peace at His coming.
COMING AS A THIEF While the Scriptures declare that the day of the Lord will come upon the masses as “a thief in the night,”[10] they also say of those standing in the counsel of God: “You, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. You are all the children of light, and the children of the day.”[11]
From the foregoing quotation it may be expected that in the further investigation of this subject the pathway of the people of God down to the Second Advent of our blessed Lord and Savior, will be clearly and accurately traced in succeeding chapters.