When Christ came to this earth the first time, He came in lowliness and obscurity, and His life here was one of suffering and poverty. He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Men hid as it were their faces from Him, and at the last they crucified Him. Still bearing humanity He ascended to heaven, triumphant and victorious. He has taken the blood of the atonement, sprinkled it upon the mercy seat and His own garments, and blessed the people. Soon He will appear the second time to declare that there is no more sacrifice for sin.
At His second coming all will be changed. Not as a prisoner surrounded by a rabble will men see Him, but as heaven’s King. Christ will come in His own glory, in the glory of His Father, and in the glory of the holy angels. Ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands of angels, the beautiful, triumphant sons of God, possessing surpassing loveliness and glory, will escort Him on His way. In the place of a crown of thorns, He will wear a crown of glory—a crown within a crown. In the place of that old purple robe, He will be clothed in a garment of whitest white, “so as no fuller on earth can white” it. And on His vesture and on His thigh a name will be written, “King of kings, and Lord of lords.”
Then the last trump will sound, the voice of God will speak, and the whole earth, from the summits of the loftiest mountains to the lowest recesses of the deepest mines, will hear that voice. It will be heard in the dungeons of men, in the caverns of the deep, in the rocks and caves of the earth, and it will be obeyed. It is the same voice that said, “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest”—the same voice that said, “Thy sins be forgiven thee.” And those who obeyed that voice when it said, “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me,” will now hear the words, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” To them that voice will mean rest, peace, and everlasting life. They will recognize it as the voice of the One who has been touched with the feeling of their infirmities.
And those who pierced the Saviour, those who scourged and crucified Him, will also be raised, to behold Him whom they mocked and despised coming in the clouds of heaven, attended by the angelic host. Before the priests and rulers will rise the scene in the judgment hall. Every circumstance will appear as if written in letters of fire. Then those who prayed, “His blood be on us, and on our children,” will receive the answer to their prayer. Then those who have chosen to war against God will know and understand what they, poor, feeble, finite beings, have been fighting against. In agony and horror they will cry to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?”
While the world is plunged in darkness, there will be light in every dwelling of the saints. They will catch the first light of His second appearing. The unsullied light will shine from His splendor, and Christ the Redeemer will be admired by all who have served Him. While the wicked flee from His presence, Christ’s followers will rejoice. The patriarch Job, looking down to the time of Christ’s second advent, said: “Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not a stranger.” To His faithful followers Christ has been a daily companion, a familiar friend. They have lived in close, constant communion with God. Upon them the glory of the Lord has risen. In them the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ has been reflected. Now they rejoice in the undimmed rays of the brightness and glory of the King in His majesty. They are prepared for the communion of heaven; for they have heaven in their hearts.
With uplifted heads, with the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness shining upon them, with rejoicing that their redemption draweth nigh, they go forth to meet the Bridegroom, saying, “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us.”
“And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready. … And He saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.” “He is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with Him are called, and chosen, and faithful.”
More than eighteen hundred years have passed since the Saviour gave the promise of His coming. Throughout the centuries His words have filled with courage the hearts of His faithful ones. The promise has not yet been fulfilled, the Life-giver’s voice has not yet called the sleeping saints from their graves; but none the less sure is the word that has been spoken. In His own time God will fulfill His word. Shall any become weary now? Shall we lose our hold on faith when we are so near the eternal world? Shall any say, The city is a great way off?—No, no. A little longer, and we shall see the King in His beauty. A little longer, and He will wipe all tears from our eyes. A little longer, and He will present us “faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.”
All heaven is astir, engaged in preparing for the day of God’s vengeance, the day of Zion’s deliverance. The time of tarrying is almost ended. The pilgrims and strangers who have so long been seeking a better country are almost home. I feel as if I must cry aloud, Homeward bound! Rapidly we are nearing the time when Christ will come to gather His redeemed to Himself. Then by innumerable voices will be sung the song, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God.”
“The ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”
“Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless.” The Review and Herald, November 13, 1913