THE SECOND COMING
‘Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him.’
When will this ‘gathering’ be? It will be at the end of the world, when Christ returns to earth the second time. Visibly He went away, visibly in the body He will return; and the very first thing that He will do will be to ‘gather together’ His people (Matthew 24:31).
I. What will be the manner of this ‘gathering’?—This is plainly revealed in Holy Scripture. The dead saints shall be raised, and the living saints shall all be changed (Revelation 20:13; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52). And this ‘gathering’ will be great, wonderful, humbling:
(a) Great—because all the people of God, from the first saint of God’s to the last born at the time of His Coming, out of every nation, all shall be assembled together.
(b) Wonderful—because His saints in different ages and from different climes, who have never seen each other in the flesh, nor know each other’s native tongues, shall form one harmonious throng; the confusion of tongues shall cease (Revelation 5:13; Revelation 7:9-10). Moreover, many will be there whom we might never have expected to see at all (St. Matthew 19:30).
(c) Humbling—because an end will then be made of all that disfigured and hampered the ‘Church’ on earth—an end to bigotry, party spirit, religious jealousy, and pride. They will meet there in perfect agreement who refused to meet on earth; all differences will be sunk, for at last all will be completely ‘clothed with humility’ (1 Peter 5:5).
II. What will be the object of this ‘gathering’?—For the safety and reward of Christ’s people. However fearful the signs of the impending Judgment, His saints will have no cause to tremble, or to dread the great day of their ‘gathering together’; they shall be hidden in the secret place of the Most High. And this ‘gathering together’ will mark the inauguration of their exceeding great and final reward; complete justification from all guilt will be declared to all; each will receive that ‘crown of glory which fadeth not away’ and ‘the kingdom prepared before the foundation of the world’; and the great throng will be admitted publicly into the joy of their Lord.
III. Why is this ‘gathering together’ of His people a thing to be desired?—Because
(a) It will be a state totally unlike their present condition. To be scattered rather than gathered seems to be the rule on earth. Few continue long together even during their lives here. Children, parents, friends, fellow-workers, fellow-Christians, are being continually forced asunder from various causes; and, as life draws to its close, many a one is left almost alone. The hour is coming when there shall be no such thing as separation and loneliness. There will be no lack of company in that great ‘gathering together.’
(b) It will be an assembly of one mind and one heart. There are none such now. Mixture, hypocrisy, disunion, false profession, discord, creep in everywhere here. The tares grow together with the wheat. The foolish virgins tarry along with the wise. There is a Judas and a Demas in every Christian congregation; and wherever the ‘sons of God’ come together, Satan is sure to appear among them. But this will cease on that Day, when our Lord shall present to the Father a perfect Church ‘having neither spot nor wrinkle, nor any such thing’ (Ephesians 5:27).
(c) It will be a ‘gathering’ at which none shall be absent. The weakest lamb will not be left behind in the wilderness. We shall hold communion with all the saints of God who have fought the good fight before us from the beginning of the world. We shall once more see our dear ones who fell asleep in Jesus, better, more beautiful, than we knew them on earth.
(d) It will be a ‘meeting’ without a ‘parting.’ There are no such meetings now. ‘Good-bye’ is ever treading on the heels of ‘How are you?’ The cares and duties of life seem to eat up all our days and to make any appreciable period of inter-communion impossible. But the hour cometh when ‘farewell’ shall be buried for ever; when we shall meet in that endless state of ‘blessedness’ to part no more. No wonder the Apostle Paul bids us look up and look forward.
—Bishop J. C. Ryle.