The high and exalted ideas
of the Jews concerning the first appearing of Christ, was the cause of their unbelief and
opposition; so in his second coming, will the expectations of mankind be disappointed, and
great will be their opposition.
1 Thus saith the Lord of hosts,
Bewail, O ye children of men, and sorrow, because your imaginations have soared to
something high and exalted, and have neglected to watch and be ready for the coming of the
Christ of God; that when he should come as a thief, in the darkness and gloominess of the
reign of antichristian night, ye might be ready to receive him.
2 For why should ye be found
fighting against him, as did they in his first appearance, who then daily looked for the
promised Messiah, knowing the times were accomplished for the fulfillment of the
prophecies, which had been given concerning his coming.
3 Yea, saith the Lord, daily did
they wait in hope of his coming, with their eyes extended to heaven, dreaming of some
great display, in which some great monarch should appear, and reign as a natural prince,
over the whole house of Israel.
4 They were truly anxious for the
day to come, for the mighty display, in which they expected to see a child born and raised
up, which would be able to sit upon the throne of David, and reign as a mighty prince, who
would be the glory of the whole earth, and the earth would be filled with his greatness.
5 And thus did they frame their
imaginations and vain expectations, for the lack of a knowledge of that which was truly
great. And when the simple, the mean babe in a manger, was born, wrapped in mean apparel,
Who was willing to believe this to be the mighty monarch so much prayed for?
6 Yet for fear, did the haughty
Herod cause the infants of Judea to be slain, lest this might be the mighty One, who
should rob him and his posterity of the throne of his earthly greatness. And what was the
effect of all this? Was I not able to accomplish my work which I had undertaken? Did I not
save my chosen One?
7 Yet did I perform my design
beneath all human invention, and hidden from all human sight. And because of this were
they offended, and went about to slay and destroy the holy and just One; whom I the Lord
had chosen to confound the great, and bring to nought the wisdom of this world.
8 And thus have mankind ever looked
above their Creator, and in their loftiness, have soared above everything which was of Me,
seeking to bring my ways to their ways, and my thoughts to their thoughts. But, saith the
Lord, my ways are not as man's ways, neither are my thoughts as man's thoughts.
9 For man's ways are in being great
of himself, glorying in that which exalteth itself against every thing which is of Me,
which is according to the nature of godliness, glorying in the shadow and not in the
substance.
10 And thus did the Jews seek to
establish the kingdom of Christ upon earth, after the order of the shadow, which was
great. They indeed made an outward show of greatness and prosperity, in outward things.
11 But, saith the Lord, this was
never the design of the Creator, to send the Redeemer into the world, and with an arm of
flesh, save man in his loftiness: for man of himself was lofty; therefore he did not stand
in need of any such Savior as this.
12 But the design of the Creator
was, to humble the loftiness of self-exalted man; therefore did I send my beloved Son in
the form of a servant, to undermine the high looks of man, who sought to see something
great. But his humble appearance was offensive to their lofty sense, and they would in no
wise consent that he should rule over them; for they despised him in their hearts, and
said, "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?"
13 And thus they reasoned among
themselves, and finally rejected him as an impostor, and as a pestilent fellow, stirring
up the weak ones of the earth, the poor, the lame and illiterate, to arise and rule over
those of high renown, and set at nought the fashions and customs of the honorable. And
thus they viewed his humble followers as vile intruders upon the name of Christ, the Son
of God.
14 Neither would they believe in
him, although many wonderful works were done by him, and by his disciples; yet because his
wisdom did undermine the wisdom of man, and lay low the haughtiness of their corrupt
natures, they hardened their hearts, and closed their eyes, and stopped their ears, lest
they should be convicted of the truth of his testimony, and believe to the salvation of
their souls, and to the loss of every thing else, even all their worldly riches, honor and
fame.
15 And this was more than they were
willing to endure, after indulging the hope of such an extraordinary deliverance from
bondage, as they supposed would free them from the yoke of the outward oppressor.
16 But, said they, if we believe
on this man, where will be the deliverance; for we shall be plunged into deeper
afflictions than we were before: for the enemies of our nation will arise and take away
our name and sanctuary, and we shall no more be a people under the heavens; and where will
be our great name, and our wonderful deliverance.
17 Thus saith the Lord, Ye may see
their views of greatness; and thus did they reject the true Messiah, through their
loftiness and their thirst for vain glory, and caused him to be put to death, and sought
to destroy every thing which breathed forth in his likeness, and which bore the image of a
daily cross against that nature by which they sought to exalt themselves.
18 Neither would they believe,
although it was declared unto them by word and by deed, sufficient to have convinced them
beyond a doubt, had not their vain imaginations soared above every thing which was great
in my sight.
19 And thus they missed of salvation
and deliverance from the bondage of sin; nor did they escape the power of their outward
oppressors; for they soon became slaves in deed and in truth; for they were not only
slaves to their lusts and carnal desires, but they became slaves in a land which was not
their own, whither they were driven by their oppressors; and their temple in which they
trusted, was burnt to ashes, and no arm to save.
20 For in their loftiness they had
rejected the means, which I the Lord, in my wisdom, had bestowed upon them, whereby they
might have escaped the bondage of sin, according to the day in which they lived, and
become justified in my sight, by obedience to the word which I gave unto them, which was
to come out and be separate from the world; to remain no longer in bondage to sin and
death, but to come into the liberty of the Sons of God, and no longer be servants to the
god of this world.
21 Therefore they became the
servants of sin, and of their enemies. Through the darkness of their ideas, and the
depravity of their hearts, they mistook the freedom which I the Lord designed for them,
which was the freedom of the soul from sin and death, by a daily cross and self-denial,
mortifying the deeds of the body, that the soul might live, and not be under bondage to
any oppressor.
22 And now, saith the holy and just
One, These things were not done in a corner, neither have they been hidden from the eyes
of the children of this world, even unto the present day; yet do they remain ignorant
concerning the Messiah, and concerning his divine mission into the world, which is to save
souls from the bondage of sin and death, and break the yoke of oppression from off their
necks, that they may be free indeed.
23 And as the first appearing of my
beloved Son did not accomplish the full and final design of Me the Creator, which was to
bring in an everlasting righteousness, that should have no end; and that all souls might
have knowledge of the Savior, and obtain a correct idea of his mission into this world,
the Messiah was again promised to descend upon the earth, to accomplish the work which he
had undertaken, and thereby to redeem man from the fall.
24 But as the ideas of man,
respecting his first appearing, were high and exalted; so in like manner are their ideas
high and exalted concerning his second coming, who think to see him appear in a mighty
splendid manner, which their natural eyes can behold.
25 But, saith the Lord, the natural
and carnal eyes of man can never behold the glory of the coming of my beloved Son; for, to
the natural eyes of man, and to their carnal understanding, his second appearing is like
unto the first, below their comprehension.
26 Neither will they believe, while
in that state, although it be declared unto them; for as they caviled in his first
appearance, so in like manner will they cavil in his second appearance, and say, Can
any good thing come from this source? And they will despise, wonder and perish;
because they see not the Messiah according to their natural and carnal views.
27 And thus the Jews, the appointed
heirs of the promise, who professed to be the chosen and elect people of God, were the
first to reject the coming of the Savior, and by their false traditions, blinded their own
eyes; because his testimony bore witness against their hidden works, and against their
outward works of sanctity and form of godliness without the power of salvation.
28 Therefore in this they were
offended, and refused the great blessings offered them. But if he had come according to
their expectations, in great splendor, and they had been the chosen ones to be glorified
by his coming, even in their works of iniquity, having an outward form of godliness, as
were their expectations, would they not have believed on him?
29 Truly, saith the Lord; because in
this they would have been met on their own ground, and they would have received him on
their own terms; and they would not only have believed on him themselves; but in their
zeal and fury, they would have compelled all to become his followers at the laying down of
their natural lives.
30 But because he came not in a
manner to justify and exalt them in their pride, and to promote them in their lofty
expectations, they proved to be his bitterest enemies and persecutors; whereas they might
have been the first to receive the joyful tidings, and been made partakers of the promised
blessings of the coming Messiah.
31 So in like manner, will it be
with those who view themselves rightful heirs of his second coming, by an outward
profession and form of godliness, without the power of salvation from sin.
32 And thus are they gazing, with
their eyes extended towards heaven, to see the mighty display of the coming of the great
and just One, who shall do wonderful works, and they expect to be the objects of his
pleasure, and the elect whom he will gather from the four corners of the earth, to come
and reign with him in splendor, upon the earth.
33 And thus have they framed plans
in their imaginations, to be promoted at his coming, wherein they seek to be met upon
their own ground, and obtain salvation in their own way, as did the priests and scribes
and Pharisees, in the first coming of the Messiah.
34 Their high-minded imaginations,
and self-righteous conduct, caused my beloved Son to exclaim, Ye hypocrites! Ye wolves in
sheep's clothing! Ye who love greetings in the market places, and for a pretense make long
prayers; who seek the highest seats, grind the faces of the poor, and the like.
35 Yea, like unto those who were
compared to whited sepulchers; so have I likened those who profess to be the rightful
heirs, and partakers of the blessings of the second coming of the Messiah; who vainly hope
to meet him in peace, and be exalted by Him who exalteth none, save those who abase
themselves, as the Messiah did.
36 And how great will be their
disappointment, when they behold the foundation on which they stand is rejected by him, as
false, and liable to be swept away by the floods of desolation! and especially when they
learn, that in order to become partakers of the blessings of his coming, they must come
off from the rotten foundation on which they have built their hopes, and come down into
the lowly valley of obedience, and be stript of their false covering, in the presence of
the meek and humble witnesses, whom he hath appointed to stand in his image, being one
with him, and he with them.
37 Will they not be more liable to
reject the offers of mercy, on these degrading terms, than those who are without hope, and
make no profession of godliness? Truly they will. And those who have not this false
covering, will be called in and chosen and elected; while they who vainly hope to be the
rightful heirs, will be offended.
38 Yea, and they would take any
course, rather than yield to the degrading terms of throwing away their false coverings,
and having their filthy lives exposed to the searching light, and their corruptions
brought forth with their own tongues, and confess wherein they have sought, with smooth
words, to show an outward sanctity, playing the hypocrite, while within they were filled
with that which is abominable and corrupt in my sight.
39 Truly, saith the Lord, rather
than yield to this, they will seek to be re-built on their own rotten foundation, and
labor to strengthen their hope in being saved in their sins, by the coming of the great
and dreadful Messiah; rather than believe in the Messiah, who hath already come to
make an end of sin, by saving people from their sins.
40 And in this way will many, very
many be found fighting against their best good, and become bitter enemies to the way of
life, and be the foremost in persecuting and opposing that work which will stand forever
and ever, and which cannot be shaken.
41 And thus do I compare the
professors of christianity, who look for the second coming of Christ in this day, to those
of the haughty and self-righteous Jews, who looked for his first coming. But far more
tolerable is their state of justification in my sight, than will be those who shall be
found fighting against Me, in this day of my power, in this last dispensation of my grace
to man.
42 For light and understanding were
given, concerning the nature and depth of man's loss in the first coming of the Savior,
and the way of salvation and deliverance was plainly marked out by him, sufficiently clear
to the understanding of all who behold his words written, and the words of his immediate
followers, who were one with him, to condemn the most righteous who dwell upon the earth,
who seek to be saved by the power of his first coming, by his grace alone, and to be
sanctified in their sins by the power of his second coming.
43 And in this will be their
condemnation, "that light hath come into the world, and men choose darkness rather
than light." But in this will the persecutors of Christ, in his first appearance, be
found far more tolerable in my sight, than those who shall be found persecuting and
fighting against the power of the second coming of my beloved Son, whom I declare with my
own voice, hath appeared the second time without sin unto salvation, and is equally as
much hidden from the sight of all natural comprehension as was his first appearing.
44 And this is my word, which I
leave upon record, in my own name. And he that heareth and believeth that the Son of God
is revealed in the flesh, to save souls from their sins, and becometh baptized in his
Spirit, which is a consuming fire to the nature of sin, the same believeth to the
salvation of his soul.
45 But he that believeth not that
Christ hath appeared in the flesh, to save souls who are in the flesh, from their sins, by
a daily cross and self-denial, the same believeth not to the salvation of his soul:
therefore doth he remain under the condemnation of his sins, until he believeth with his
whole heart, in the coming of Christ, and becometh freed from the bondage of sin and
death, by the power of his coming.
46 Thus and thus, saith the Lord
Almighty, I have written and caused to be revealed, by my holy proclaiming Angel of Truth,
to a simple, weak and illiterate child, unable of herself, to design or frame the like in
my name.
47 And Woe! Woe! be to them who
willfully judge the words, which I the Lord have written, and caused to be revealed, in
this day of my mighty power, whereby I have chosen the weak things, to confound the
mighty, and the base things that are nought of themselves, to set at nought the things
which are exalted, and those who boast themselves of their greatness, and seek to become
great in that which is not of Me, saith the Lord.