The Return of Christ

In the Beginning

The promise of Christ’s return was a motivating inspiration to the early disciples. “If I go … I will come again” (John 14:3). “This same Jesus, which is taken from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner” (Acts 1:11). “For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry” (Hebrews 10:37).

We are now living in the blessed day so long expected. Our Master has returned, and all the attendant evidences are about us. We feed upon a clear understanding of God’s plan and our share in it. The mists of the dark ages have rolled away. The time of trouble such as never before has already brought two World Wars, with the Armageddon crescendo impending. Israel is being restored, and the saints of past ages have entered their reward.

The Return of Christ, and his parousia since 1874, are thoughtfully examined in this issue. We begin with an article on the harvest, “The End of the Age.” We are also in the time of “The Seventh Trumpet,” the subject of our second article. “Every Eye Shall See Him” explains that this will be through mental appreciation, our Lord Jesus himself being invisible to the human eye. This is followed by “1874,” an examination of the date common among brethren worldwide as the date of the second advent.

The article “Times and Seasons” considers this expression used by Jesus before parting from his disciples, and how it relates to the hope of his return. The next article, “Parousia,” examines the meaning of this Greek word used of our Lord’s return, showing it to mean “presence.” We close with “A Thief in the Night,” words from a text wherein Jesus warns that his return would be stealthy, requiring us to attend to the signs while living a devoted Christian life.

Our returned Lord, “having received the kingdom” (Luke 19:15), is now exercising regal authority. “This kingdom has already come into executive authority, although … it has not yet come into full control of earthly dominion. Its establishment is in progress … nothing could be more … deeply interesting to those … seeking to be engaged in cooperation with the Master, the Chief-Reaper and King, in the work now due and in progress.”—Studies in the Scriptures, vol. 3, p. 22.

May this issue further our interest and study of the sacred Scriptures which disclose the remarkable character of these “days of the Son of man” (Luke 17:26).