"The Age to Come"
BY JOSEPH MARSH
ROCHESTER, N. Y., PUBLISHED AT THE ADVENT HARBINGER OFFICE 1851
PERSONAL COMING OF THE LORD
The coming of the Lord will mark the commencement of the millennium, or times of Restitution. The
great Restorer must first come. For our text affirms that the 'heaven must receive' him 'until the times of
Restitution;' then, as the previous verse shows, God will 'send Jesus Christ,' and 'his times,' 'the
dispensation of the fullness of times,' or the 'times of Restitution,' will commence. The times of the
Gentiles will then terminate, the sanctuary will then be cleansed, the tabernacle of David will then be
rebuilt, the kingdom be set up, and the glorious millennial reign of Christ begin..
Acts xv: 16. "After this will I return, and build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I
will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up."
The return of the Lord takes place before the work of restoring, or rebuilding, commences.
1 Cor.xv.: 23. "Christ the first fruits; afterwards they that are Christ's at his coming."
He comes before the glorious work of restoring to life from the grave, begins. See also 1 Thes. iv: 16, 17.
Rev. xx: 1 - 6. Please read this important prophecy with care, and you will see that the angel comes down
from heaven before the Devil is bound, or the holy dead are raised, or the millennial reign begins.
This evidence is sufficient to prove that the great Restorer must first come, before the work of
restoration, or the times of Restitution begin.
That this coming will be a real personal coming, is clearly proved by a great amount of inspired
testimony; a very small part of which we will give.
In the third chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, we are told that the very same Jesus, 'who was delivered
up, and denied in the presence of Pilate,' was 'killed' was 'raised from the dead,' ascended to 'heaven,' is
the identical person whom God 'will send' again, at the commencement of the times of Restitution. This
evidence is very conclusive in favor of the personal appearing of Christ.
This view of the subject is strongly confirmed by the following testimony:
Matt. xxiii. 39. 'For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that
cometh in the name of the Lord."
Observe: the expression, 'see me,' clearly shows that Christ meant himself. Keep this fact before the
mind, and follow the Savior to Mount Olivet, where he renews this same conversation about his coming,
and bear what he says ~~
"And they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.' Matt.
xxiv. 30.
Similar words are used in answer to the high priest, at the time of Christ's trial.
'I say unto you, hereafter shall ye see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in
the clouds of heaven.' Matt. xxvi. 64.
Now, just so certain as Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Man, uttered these words, just so sure will
He be
seen coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.
1 Cor. xi. 26. 'For as often as ye do eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he
come.'
This testimony clearly proves that the same person who died will come again. Well, did the body, the
corporeal, the physical part, the whole man Christ Jesus, die? It did. Then the conclusion is unavoidable,
that the same identical Jesus who died, will come again.
1 Thess. i. 10. 'And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus.'
Here we are clearly taught, that the very same personage who was 'raised from the dead,' is in heaven,
and will come again.
Acts i. 11. '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.'
'This same Jesus,'---not another, or a spiritual or moral influence, but this
same Jesus who was born in
Bethlehem, was baptized in the Jordan, who preached and wrought miracles in the cities of Israel, was
crucified on Calvary, was interred in Joseph's new tomb, who rose from the dead the third day, who
appeared to his disciples, and ate and talked with them, who led them to Bethany, and while in the act of
blessing them, was taken up into heaven,---this same Jesus will come again; and those who deny it,
contradict the testimony of the angels, whom God sent from heaven to bear witness to this fact. See Acts
i. 9-11.
1 Thess. iv. 16. 'For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven.'
All that constitutes Him, 'the Lord,' is embraced in the term 'himself.' And this word
'himself.' most
incontrovertibly proves, that all that constitutes Jesus, the Son of Man, or Lord, whether physical or
spiritual, will descend from heaven, or be revealed in that event which the Scriptures call, the second
appearing, coming, or revelation of the Son of Man, the Lord Jesus Christ.
The following strong evidences, presented in Edward Winthrop's Lectures on the Premillenial Advent, are
so in point that we give them. Speaking on 2 Thess. ii. 8, Mr. W. says:
" 'And then shall that Lawless One (Gr.
ho anomos) be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the
spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.' Literally,
by the epiphany or
appearance of his presence (Gr. te epiphaneia tes parousias hautou.) 2 Thess. ii. 8.
"It is to this last verse, and more particularly to the words epiphaneia and
parousia, that we would invite attention.
"The Greek word epiphancia, which our translators have rendered brightness, but which, in all the other
passages of the New Testament, they have rendered appearing, is found only in six places in the new
testament, one of which is that now under consideration. Setting this aside for the present,
it is admitted
that in all the other five it denotes A
visible appearing, and is so explained by Wahl and Bretschneider in
their respective Lexicons, who assign this meaning to the word in all the places where it occurs in the New
Testament, and expressly include the passage which we propose to investigate: and though German
Lexicographers may be entitled to little weight in regard to their opinions as to the truth of Scriptural
doctrines, they are of high authority on the grammatical import of words.
"Let us now examine the six places in the New Testament which contain the word
epiphaneia.
"In 2 Tim. i. 10, the reference is to the visible and personal appearing of Christ at his first advent. 'But
it is now made manifest by the appearing, (Gr. dia tes epiphaneias) of our Savior Jesus Christ, who hath
abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.'
"The word epiphaneia, epiphany, has the same meaning, to wit, that of a
visible appearing, in the four
following passages, but in these it refers not to the first, but to the second coming of our Lord.
"1 Tim. vi. 14. 'Until the appearing (Gr. tes epiphaneias) of our Lord Jesus Christ.'
"2 Tim. iv. l. 'The Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the quick and the dead at his
appearing (Gr. epiphaneian) and his kingdom.'
"2 Tim. iv. 8. 'Them also that love his appearing.' (Gr. epiphaneian.)
"Titus ii. 13. 'Looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing (Gr.
epiphaneian) of the great
God and our Savior Jesus Christ.'
"No one who examines the context, can doubt that in these four passages the reference is to the visible
and personal manifestation of Christ at his second advent.
"But this argument, which would be irrefragible from the uniform usages of the sacred writers respecting
the word epiphaneia, epiphany or appearing, and which our translators have here rendered 'brightness,' is
greatly corroborated by the addition of the word parousia, presence or coming: so that this double
expression, the epiphany of his presence, is perhaps as strong a phrase as could be found to denote the
fact of one's appearing or being made manifest to the eye of a spectator, as actually and personally and
visibly present: and in the passage before us, clearly refers to the glorious appearing of Christ at his
second advent. So strong and so emphatic a phrase as the epiphany of his presence, if it could be done
by any form of speech whatever, would cut off the possibility of evasion.
"We proceed, therefore, in the next place to examine the word parousia, presence or coming. That this
word may mean a personal presence or coming, is clear from the usage of the sacred writers, and that it
does mean this in 2 Thess. ii. 8, is evident from the context.
"It is so used in 1 Cor. xvi. 17, where the coming of Stephanus and Fortunatus and Achaicus is spoken of;
in 2 Cor. vii. 6, 7, where the coming of Titus is mentioned; and in 2 Cor. x 10; and Phil. ii. 12, where the
personal presence of St. Paul is referred to.
" It is so used in 1 Cor. xv. 23, in 1 Thess. iii. 13, and 1 Thess. iv. 15, where the personal coming of
Christ is spoken of in connection with the resurrection of the saints. See also 1 Thess. ii. 19: 2 Pet. iii.
4-12: 2 Pet. i. 16: 1 Thess. v. 23: 2 Thess. ii. 1, 8, 9: Jas. v. 7: 1 John ii. 28: Matt. xxiv. 3, 27, 37, 39.
These are all the places where the word parousia occurs in the New Testament. In not a single passage
where this word is applied to the Savior, can it be shown to mean anything but his personal presence or
coming. But whether that be so or not, the context clearly proves that it can have but one meaning here,
and that is the meaning just mentioned.
"Bretschneider refers the word parousia, in this passage, (2 Thess. ii. 2, ) to 'the advent of Christ from
heaven to administer judgment,'---'de adventu Christi e coelo ad judicium habendum.' Lexicon, vol. ii. p.
241. Wahl, in like manner, to 'the future advent of Jesus the Messiah, to enter gloriously upon his
kingdom,' ~~ 'adventus Jesu Messiae ad regnum suum gloriose inaugurandum futurus.' Lex. vol. ii. p.
269.
"Our opponents will admit that the word is thus used in many of the above passages, and among the rest,
in the first verse of the chapter before us:
" 'Now we beseech you; brethren, concerning the coming
(Gr. huper tes parousias) of our Lord Jesus
Christ, and our gathering together unto him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither
by spirit nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is instantly impending.' (Gr.
enesteken, i.e. proxime instans.)
"Here the word parousia is acknowledged by all to refer to the personal presence of Christ at his coming
in the great day. Is it credible that in verse 8th, Paul, without any intimation of a change in the meaning,
should use the word in an entirely different sense when speaking of the same subject ~~ and that, too, in
a sense admitted to be contrary to the general usage? We think not.
"The Thessalonians had been greatly alarmed respecting this personal presence, or coming
(parousia) of Jesus in the great day. Paul tells them that they must not be soon shaken in mind or be troubled, as
though that day was instantly impending. He then says that before the coming of Christ, the apostasy and
certain other events must take place. Antichrist must first come, and after the dominion of the Lawless
One, or Man of Sin, has prevailed for some time, that then the coming of Christ will take place for the
destruction of Antichrist.
"Is it not evident that the only future coming of the Lord respecting which Paul was here speaking, and
which had excited the apprehensions of the Thessalonians, and upon which he discoursed to them at large
in both these epistles, was the personal and visible coming of Jesus in the great and glorious day of his
second advent? Most assuredly.
No one, with the evidence now before him, unless his mind be preoccupied by some other view, can have
a doubt that such, in the passage before us, is the true import of St. Paul's language. The only reason for
not adhering to the plain meaning of this passage, as supported by the context, and the usage of the sacred
writers, and the well known circumstances of the church at Thessalonica, is, that if it be admitted that the
word epiphaneia means here as it does every where else, a visible appearing, and
parousia a personal
appearance, as the context evidently requires, and that the double phrase Epiphany of his presence refers
to the visible appearing of the Lord in the day of his personal presence at his second advent to judge the
quick and the dead, and to establish his kingdom ~~ (compare 2 Tim. iv. l) ~~ we say that the only
reason for not adhering to this plain and unquestionable meaning is, that if our opponents admit that such
is the true import of St. Paul's language, they must admit also, by unavoidable inference, that this inspired
apostle reveals the fact that there will be a premillenial personal advent of the Lord, in power and great
glory, for the destruction of Antichrist, and the ushering in of the millennial reign ~~ a fact that seems to
them to conflict with some of their general principles, and which they do not know how to reconcile with
certain other views which they have adopted."
Glorious indeed will be the coming of our long absent Lord; for he will come in the glory of the Father,
and with all the holy angels, to take his seat on the throne of his glory, to reign King of kings, and Lord of
lords, over the whole earth. But first, the . . .