He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.—Revelation 22:20

Few questions have occupied the Christian mind from the days of Jesus to the present more than the return of Jesus Christ—a return to finish the work he began when he walked the highways and byways of Israel some 2000 years ago. There is little doubt that the followers of Jesus at his first advent anticipated that he would shortly return to set up the kingdom he promised—the kingdom whose power he illustrated in his healings and miracles and which he preached in his sermons and parables.

Christianity exulted when Constantine made it the state religion of Rome. As the power of the established church systems increased under the edict of Justinian in AD 533 and blossomed into full bloom with the crowning of Charlemagne as head of the Holy Roman Empire in AD 800, many of the clergy taught that Christ had set up his kingdom and was reigning through them—the pope in Rome being the vicegerent of Christ. What a sad reign that turned out to be! Free thought was squelched. The laity became engulfed in poverty while the established religious system became wealthier and more powerful.

The Reformation saw great interest in the return of Christ and many of the nascent Protestant churches began calling attention to the prophecies dealing with that return. But it was not until the nineteenth century, through such luminaries as J. A. Bengel in Europe and Joseph Wolfe in Asia, that renewed interest in the subject began to develop. Nowhere was this more evident than in the work of William Miller in the United States. Despite the fact that his prediction of 1844 as the date of Christ’s return proved wrong, the stage was set for the birth of the Adventist movement and the continued investigation into the subject.

The Bible Student movement, started by Charles Taze Russell in 1879, endorsed the concept of the return as an invisible event dating to 1874. This concept became a key element ofthe movement’s message with such well-attended public lectures as "Why Are Ye the Last to Welcome Back the King."

The founders of the Pastoral Bible Institute, an outgrowth of that movement, began the publication of this journal in 1918. Their mission statement explained the purpose for choosing the title The Herald of Christ’s Kingdom as being the proclamation of "the most important message which we have, the presence of the king and his kingdom."

In keeping with that proclamation this issue of THE HERALD is devoted to a comparison of the first and second advents of Christ. The two are related as cause is to effect. What Christ’s death guaranteed at his first advent becomes a reality at his second advent.

Commenting on the work of William Miller, Charles T. Russell wrote: "Not understanding the manner nor the object of the Lord’s return, but expecting a sudden appearance, and the end of all things in one day, he supposed all the time prophecies must end there; and it was his aim and effort to force them all to this common terminus: hence his failure—beyond which God did not then enlighten any, further enlightenment not being then due."—Studies in the Scriptures, Volume 3, page 87.

Separate articles in this issue of THE HERALD investigate each of these three areas—object, manner, and time—of both the first and second advents. A verse by verse study in 2 Thessalonians 2 looks at the apostle Paul’s explanation that a great apostasy must both come and be revealed before the second advent. A final article deals with the personal effect beliefs on this subject have in a Christian’s life.

Though realizing that all students of the Bible do not hold identical conclusions on these subjects, particularly the dating of the events, this issue is put forward to stimulate study on this important subject which is of great interest to "all who love his appearing" (2 Timothy 4:8).