Page 303 - Maranatha (1976)

Basic HTML Version

The Second Coming of Christ Our, October 8
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.
Psalm 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.”
[290]
299