Bible Readings. "Seek ye out of the Book of the Lord, and read."—Isaiah. "Whoso readeth, let him understand."—Jesus.
CHRIST'S SECOND APPEARING.
Signs of His Coming.
1. WHAT light has God given us in this dark world of sin and uncertainty?
"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Ps. 119 : 105.
2. Through what servants does the Lord give us his Word?
"Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." Amos 3 : 7.
3. For how long will the word of prophecy be a light?
"We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts." 2 Peter 1 : 19.
4. What prophecies has God given us which thus give us light till the day of his coming?
ANSWER.—Various lines of symbolic prophecies in the books of Daniel and the Revelation; and the literal prophecies of Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21 and elsewhere. All these show that the coming of Christ is near.
5. What prominent signs of his coming were foretold by our Lord?
"And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth; for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory." Luke 21 : 25-27. The darkening of the sun and moon (see Matt. 24 : 29; Rev. 6 : 12) took place May 19, 1780; the falling of the stars (Rev. 6 : 13), Nov. 13, 1833; and the perplexity and fear because of famine, and pestilence, and plague, and tidal wave, and earthquake, and cyclone, and rampant socialism, anarchy, and plutocracy, are everywhere manifest.
6. What plain prophecy is fulfilled in the great war preparations now taking place among the nations?
"Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles: Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up. Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning-hooks into spears; let the weak say, I am strong. . . . Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat; for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about." Joel 3 : 9-12.
7. When will this gathering to war take place?
"Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe; come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision; for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision." Joel 3 : 13, 14.
"The harvest is the end of the world [age]." Matt. 13 : 39. See also Rev. 14 : 14-16.
8. Yet in the face of all this what cry does the Lord say 'many people' will raise and are now raising?
"And it shall come to pass in the last days, that . . . many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord. . . . And he shall judge among the nations; . . . and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." See Isa. 2 : 2-6.
Note that it is not the Lord but the "many people" that say this, and because of their apostasy the Lord forsakes them; "for when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them; . . . and they shall not escape." See 1 Thess. 5 : 1-5.
9. What may we know as we see these various signs?
"When ye shall see all these things, know that he is near, even at the doors." Matt. 24 : 33, margin.
