THE DOCTRINE OF OUR LORD'S

RETURN

REV. MARK MATTHEWS, D.D.

Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Seattle, Washington. Former Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in

the United States of America

My place on this program is to announce and prove from Scripture the doctrine of the second advent of Jesus Christ. You will notice from the program that I am not privileged to discuss the two phases, features, times, and instances of the second advent of Jesus Christ; but to present to you, based upon Scriptural authority, the fact of His coming. Those of us who have been asked to take part in this program understand that this is to be a teaching program, rather than an inspirational program, because what is said here is to be reported to the world. What we say therefore ought to stand, if it is supported by the Word of God, or it ought to fall if it fails to receive the support of the divine, infallible Word. It is said, by the critics of this doctrine, that it is a theory formulated by a certain coterie of people. If it is, then I have no place on this program, but if it is

a doctrine taught by God's infallible Word, then I not only have a right on this program but have authority to say what I shall attempt to say.

In order that we may get the whole picture of what I shall undertake to teach, let us begin where the Scriptures say the beginning should be; Christ was, Christ is, Christ shall be, for ever and for ever. He was with God. The Word which was with God before the beginning became flesh and dwelt among us. That same Word shall in the form in which it ascended dwell among us again. That is a general statement of the doctrine. It is true or it is false. If it is true, it is true because God's Word states it. If it is false, it is false because its origin is no higher than human intellect or human reasoning. When Jesus Christ came into this world, the Incarnate Son of God, His incarnation guaranteed and made absolutely certain every other step he took and is yet to take. It was impossible for Jesus Christ to take upon Himself human form and remain in that form. Therefore, the incarnation guaranteed and forced the crucifixion. Sometimes men talk as if they doubted the virgin birth of Christ, and at the same time admit that He was crucified on Calvary. If He was crucified on Calvary, then He was, by the Holy Ghost, conceived in the womb of the virgin. He could not have been crucified had He been born of human parents. The incarnation of Jesus Christ guaranteed and forced the crucifixion upon Calvary. Clothed upon, He had to be unclothed. The crucifixion of Christ guaranteed His resurrec

you,

tion. His resurrection guaranteed His ascension. He said in John 14:3, "If I go and prepare a place for I will come again." Is that not sufficient? The angels said He would come again. Acts 1:11: "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." The Holy Ghost said that, and I believe every word Jesus Christ said, and every word Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost have written.

First: Jesus Christ was. He came the first time according to prophecy-why not the second time according to prophecy? If prophecy was

correct the first time and was infallible the first time, and was to the most minute detail fulfilled the first time, why not the second time? If prophecy was worthy of literal construction and absolute belief when it spoke of the first advent of Jesus Christ, why is it not now to be literally construed, and why is it not worthy of absolute belief when it speaks of the second advent? If I may, let me talk to my fellow lawyers (as I am a member of the bar of this country), I appeal to you, if the evidence and the witnesses are unimpeached in the first part of the case, how are you going to impeach the same witnesses in the second part of the case? When you have accepted their credibility and admitted their infallibility, and when both have been proven to be true in the first statement, how are you going to discredit them when they speak of the second event in the life of the same person about whom they are testify

ing? Let us study the prophecy of the first coming:

Isaiah 7:14 "Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." Micah 5:2-"At Bethlehem." All these prophecies I am going to mention are speaking about the movements of Jesus Christ up to and after His first advent. Jeremiah 31:15 speaks of the "children being killed." Hosea 11:1– "Called out of Egypt." Zechariah 9:9 speaks of His entering into Jerusalem. Psalms 41:9 and 55:12-14 speak of the betrayal. Zechariah 13:7 speaks of His being forsaken by His disciples. Zechariah 11:12 speaks of His being sold for thirty pieces of silver; Zechariah 11:13-the potter's field bought; Isaiah 50:6-that He would be spit upon and scourged; Exodus 12:46 and Psalm 34:20 that not a bone should be broken; Psalm 69:12-that gall and vinegar should be given Him; Psalm 22-that His hands and feet should be pierced and His garments parted. Isaiah 52 told of His sufferings, His rejection, His patience and His death. All these prophecies fortelling the first coming of Christ were fulfilled to the letter. I am talking about the doctrine based upon the infallibility of God's Word, which infallibility foretold the first coming. Why not believe it when it tells of His premillennial second advent? Now, if you do not believe the second coming doctrine as taught in the Scriptures, then tear out the passages that tell of the first coming. You must take the Bible as a whole and believe it, or

you must be like the Satanic cults and agents of the country-tear it up. Let us apply this rule.

HE IS-Where is Jesus Christ now? A while ago, in describing this program, I said that the crucifixion guaranteed the resurrection, the resurrection guaranteed the ascension, and I left Him in your minds as ascended. Where is the resurrected Son of God now? First John 2:6-"We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." Where is Christ? He is at the right hand of God, making intercession for you and for me. The Bible tells me where He is. I believed the Bible when it told me that He would come the first time; I believe the Bible when it tells me where He is now, and what He is doing now; and I believe the Bible when it tells me what He is going to do, namely, that He is coming for me.

Second: He is coming. He said, "I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also." The Scriptures teach that Jesus Christ is coming. Let me bring the doctrine a little closer, if I may, in the following passages: Luke 1:31-33, inclusive, makes a very strong case. Let us see. The 31st verse says: "And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus." 32nd: "He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David." I believe the 31st and 32nd verses. What I want to know is, why some very learned