Lo, Here, And Lo, There.

Verses 23-27: “Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold: he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”

In these verses the great theme of Christ's second coming is again vividly brought forth. Satan is ever on the alert to contravene by some device or art, the work of God. His most successful plan is to deceive. By this means he gains ready access to all such as desire to evade the force of [pg 041] truth. And having deceived an individual, he not only prevents his salvation, but gains to himself an adherent if not an active agent. So, as the time for the second advent draws near, the enemy becomes particularly active, knowing that he hath but a short time. In the words last quoted our Lord seeks to prepare the minds of his people for the deceptions that are to be practiced upon those who live near the time of his second coming. There will be those who will cry, “Lo, here; or Lo, there,” some will even claim to be Christ. They will purport to represent the truth in regard to Christ's coming in various plausible or fanatical ways. Others, in order to reach other minds, will present theories of human device accounting for the advent of Christ in various so-called rational schemes. Many sincere people will be led to expect the conversion of the world through a millennium of peace. Others will be persuaded that the coming of Christ means death. And even false prophets, showing great signs and wonders, will appear. All these form an atmosphere of deception, the miasma of which will stupefy, if it were possible, the elect of God.

In this fearful work will be engaged the notorious deceiver, the trained agents of Satan, the worldly philosopher, worldly preachers, popular ministers, critics of the Bible, and many whose eyes do not discern the signs of the times. The Mormons call the people to the desert; Spiritualism invites us to the secret chamber, where Satanic signs and wonders are wrought to captivate the mind and divert it from the truth. Of these “false prophets” Paul speaks in 1 Tim. 4:1:—

“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils.”

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In another scripture the apostle places the coming of Christ in connection with—

“The working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusions, that they should believe a lie.” 2 Thess. 2:9-11.

These are some of the deceptions of which Christ is speaking in the text. It is undoubtedly the work of modern Spiritualism. This work, in its present form, originated in the year 1848, and constitutes and is to constitute one of the most prominent signs of the end.

Let no one be deceived by any means. For these are but subterfuges. They are not the coming of Christ. He has said, “I will come again, and receive you unto myself.” John 14:3.

The angels said at his ascension,—

“This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” Acts 1:11.

Paul tells us,—

“The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God.” 1 Thess. 4:16.

And here our Saviour says:—

“As the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth, unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”

He will come literally, personally, the same Jesus who was here upon the earth. Not in lowly form as an offering for sin, to be set at naught, abused, and crucified, but in “all his glory” attended with “all the holy angels.” Matt. 25:31. We shall know when he comes for “every eye shall see him.” Rev. 1:7.

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None of these evasions of the truth will ever be able to counterfeit the real event. The Roman army did not come to Jerusalem in this way. Death does not come in this way. The deceptive wonders of Spiritualism cannot imitate the glory of Christ's second coming. He will come in power and great glory (verse 30); he will come in the glory of his Father (chapter 16:27); and in the glory of the holy angels (Luke 9:26); all the holy angels shall come with him. Matt. 25:31. His coming will be as glorious and resplendent as the lightning. When Jesus revealed himself to Saul of Tarsus, there was a light above the brightness of the sun (Acts 26:13); of the angel who appeared at the tomb after the resurrection of Jesus it is said, “His countenance was like lightning” (Matt. 28:3); and Ezekiel says of the messengers of the Most High, they “ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.” Eze. 1:14.

When Jesus comes in the glory of his Father, with so glorious a train attendant, his coming will indeed be as the lightning coming out of the east and shining to the west, and no one will have any more occasion or opportunity to say to his fellow, “See here,” than one would have to call another to behold a gleam of lightning flashing through the heavens. The vivid lightning flashing out of the distant east, and shining even to the west, lights up the whole heavens. What, then, when the Lord comes in flaming glory, and all the holy angels with him? The presence of only one holy angel at the sepulcher where Christ lay dead, caused the Roman guard to shake, and become as dead men. The light and glory of one angel completely overpowered those strong sentinels. The Son of man is coming in his own kingly glory, and in the glory of his Father, attended by all the holy angels. Then the [pg 044] whole heavens will blaze with glory, and the whole earth will tremble before him.