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as a matter of course, but the Russellites or Millennial Dawnists do not seem to think so. They
maintain that the return of Christ and the inauguration of the millennium took place invisibly in
1874, and that Christ came in power in 1914 for the purpose of removing the Church and
overthrowing the kingdoms of the world. When the year 1914 passed by without the
appearance of Christ, they sought a way of escape from the difficulty in the convenient theory
that He remained in hiding, because the people do not manifest sufficient repentance. Christ
has come, therefore, and has come invisibly. Scripture does not leave us in doubt, however, as
to the visibility of the Lord’s return. Numerous passages testify to it, such as Matt. 24:30; 26:64;
Mark 13:26; Luke 21:27; Acts 1:11; Col. 3:4; Tit. 2:13; Heb. 9:28; Rev. 1:7.
d. It will be a sudden coming.
Though the Bible teaches us on the one hand that the coming of
the Lord will be preceded by several signs, it teaches on the other hand in an equally emphatic
manner that the coming will be sudden, will be rather unexpected, and will take people by
surprise, Matt. 24:37-44; 25:1-12; Mark 13:33-37; I Thess. 5:2,3; Rev. 3:3; 16:15. This is not
contradictory, for the predicted signs are not of such a kind as to designate the exact time. The
prophets pointed to certain signs that would precede the first coming of Christ, and yet His
coming took many by surprise. The majority of the people paid no attention to the signs
whatsoever. The Bible intimates that the measure of the surprise at the second coming of
Christ will be in an inverse ratio to the measure of their watchfulness.
e. It will be a glorious and triumphant coming.
The second coming of Christ, though personal,
physical, and visible, will yet be very different from His first coming. He will not return in the
body of His humilation, but in a glorified body and in royal apparel, Heb. 9:28. The clouds of
heaven will be His chariot, Matt. 24:30, the angels His bodyguard, II Thess. 1:7, the archangels
His heralds. I Thess. 4:16, and the saints of God His glorious retinue, I Thess. 3:13; II Thess. 1:10.
He will come as King of kings and Lord of lords, triumphant over all the forces of evil, having put
all His enemies under His feet, I Cor. 15:25; Rev. 19:11-16.
3. THE PURPOSE OF THE SECOND COMING.
Christ will return at the end of the world for the
purpose of introducing the future age, the eternal state of things, and He will do this by
inaugurating and completing two mighty events, namely, the resurrection of the dead and the
final judgment, Matt. 13:49,50; 16:27; 24:3; 25:14-46; Luke 9:26; 19:15,26,27; John 5:25-29;
Acts 17:31; Rom. 2:3-16; I Cor. 4:5; 15:23; II Cor. 5:10; Phil. 3:20,21; I Thess. 4:13-17; II Thess.
1:7-10; 2:7,8; II Tim. 4:1,8; II Pet. 3:10-13; Jude 14,15; Rev. 20:11-15; 22:12. In the usual
representation of Scripture, as already intimated in the preceding, the end of the world, the day
of the Lord, the physical resurrection of the dead, and the final judgment coincide. That great
turning point will also bring the destruction of all the evil forces that are hostile to the Kingdom
of God, II Thess. 2:8; Rev. 20:14. It may be doubted, whether anyone would have read the