The
Second Coming of Christ
Our
God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him,
and it shall be very tempestuous round about him. He shall call to the heavens
from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people. Ps. 50:3, 4.
Soon our eyes were drawn to the east, for a small black cloud had appeared,
about half as large as a man's hand, which we all knew was the sign of the
Son of man. We all in solemn silence gazed on the cloud as it drew nearer
and became lighter, glorious, and still more glorious, till it was a great
white cloud. The bottom appeared like fire; a rainbow was over the cloud,
while around it were ten thousand angels, singing a most lovely song; and
upon it sat the Son of man.
When it
first appeared in the distance, this cloud looked very small. The angel said
that it was the sign of the Son of man. As it drew nearer the earth, we could
behold the excellent glory and majesty of Jesus as He rode forth to conquer.
His hair
was white and curly and lay on His shoulders; and upon his head were many
crowns. His feet had the appearance of fire; in His right hand was a sharp
sickle; in His left, a silver trumpet. His eyes were as a flame of fire, which
searched His children through and through. Then all faces gathered paleness,
and those that God had rejected gathered blackness. Then we all cried out,
"Who shall be able to stand? Is my robe spotless?" Then the angels
ceased to sing, and there was some time of awful silence, when Jesus spoke:
"Those who have clean hands and pure hearts shall be able to stand; My
grace is sufficient for you." At this our faces lighted up, and joy filled
every heart. And the angels struck a note higher and sang again, while the
cloud drew still nearer the earth.
The earth
trembled before Him, the heavens departed as a scroll when it is rolled together,
and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. "And the
kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains,
and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves
in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains."
From Maranatha - Page 290
