"
--1 Thessalonians 5:23.
[379]"Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming [presence] of our
Lord Jesus Christ."--2 Thessalonians 2:1.
[380]"Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming [presence] of the
Lord."--James 5:7.
[381]"For the coming [presence] of the Lord draweth nigh."--James 5:8.
[382]"Where is the promise of his coming [presence]?"--2 Peter 3:4.
[383]When Jesus was taken up into heaven, the angels standing by the
disciples said to them: "He shall come in like manner". The manner of
his going or being taken away was quiet, without observation, except by
a few. In a similar manner we should expect his return. Those watching
for his coming necessarily would be the first to observe his presence.
This is in exact harmony with the thought expressed by the apostle Paul
when he wrote: "For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord
so cometh as a thief in the night", (1 Thessalonians 5:2) The same
thought the apostle Peter expressed: "The day of the Lord will come as a
thief in the night". (2 Peter 3:10) And of His coming Jesus said:
"Behold, I come as a thief", "If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will
come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come
upon thee." (Revelation 16:15; 3:3; Matthew 24:43) A thief comes usually
in the night time when all are asleep, and none see him except those who
are watching or those who may be awakened by his presence.
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