'A Sermon Preached by Bishop Molony at Holy Trinity Cathedral, Shanghai, on the Fourth Sunday in Advent, December 21, 1924.
Phil. IV: 5 "The Lord is at hand?
With such words the Christians of the early days saluted one another, -reminding each other of their great} hope, as we do this Advent season.
seems to have been what we should eall'a slogan or watchword, it's word " Maranaths 16.22. Was it a mistaken ery 440, was it based on our Lord's own words? Did he himself expect at} once to return and thus lead them astray? And is the ery a true one for us to raise to-day?
Tam sure that these questions are Interesting to you, and you will bear} with me as I try, as briefly as may bbe, to discuss them on this last Sunday in Advent.
The Early Christians Expected Christ's Return Now I think there can be no. doubt that the early Christians, including the Apostles, did look for a return of Christ in'their lifetime, though whether they actually meant to teach that F certainly would com soon is-another question, But their, expectation is plainly shown in suc'y passages as these: St. James, our Lord's brother, wrote (Jas 5. patient therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord—stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord is at hand." St. Paul wrote (2. Thes. 4.17.) "Then we that are alive, that are left, shall be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air." St. Peter wrote (1. Pet. 1. 13.) "Sot your hope pertectly on the grace that is to be brought unto. you at the revelation, of Jesus Chi St. John wrote (1, John 2.28.,. 3.28) Now, little children, abide in Him; before Him at his coming. We shall whether. Christ himself expected he would soon return, and when he taught his disciples so. The} to this question I" believe to be plainly in the negative. I believe that the apostolic hopes were [founded entirely on their own ardent desire that our Lord should come to. put an end to the troubled times ju which they lived, to their own ardent love for him, and in part to a lingering hope manifested in the questions "What shall be the si of Thy coming and of the end fof the world?" and "Dost Thou at this time restore the Kingdom to You will remember that Jquestions were asked, our Lord's reply was discouraging to any immediate hope. On the second ocid "It la not for you to know times and seasons—but ye! shall be witnesses—unto the uttermost part of the earth." On the; Jearlier occasion he replied in words such as follows: (Matt. 28.) "Take heed that no man lead you astray,—wars and rumours of wars—must, needs come, but the end is not yet. There shall'be famines and earth-
Jquakes in divers places. All thes things are the beginnings of travail. The love of the many. shall wax; cold. But he that endure th to, the end, the same shall be saved. This; [Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in the whole world—and shall the end come. Then at the fall of Jerusalem) if} shall say unto you here ly the Christ;' or it not, For as the lightning—so shall be the coming of the Son of Man." Such words were certainly ted to give the imp And our before him at his coming. We shall bbe like Him, for we shall see Tim as. He is, And everyone that hath this hope set on him purifieth himself, even as He is pure." And again, (Rev, 22.20.) "Yea, T come' quickly" says our Lord in' the last} words of the book of Revelation, and the Apostle answers, "Amen: Come, Lord Jesus."
So we cannot doubt that there was very general expectation of our Lord's return in Apostolic times, and that this expectation was shared by though we may notice ges road rather as than ting certain revel expressing their personal hot They Expected a Personal Return A short study of the words they used wil also, I think, convince us that they expected a definite a of the Lord on a certain day (not to be exactly known beforehand), and not only the gradual spread of spiritual kingdom.
The three words used mean, 1, Presence or arrival.
2. Appearing or manifestation, Revelation.
The first word was used by all four of the writers. It has often been taken to mean "presence" which may refer to our Lord's continual spiritual presence with us, but it for the word mn. The tares and the mustard seed did not grow up kingdom was to grow and spre all over the world and to mani many would coming." The nobleman had gone into a far country to receive a ki dom and to return. Yes, all Christ's utterances pointed to a considerable: absence.
It seems plain that we can sum-marine that discourse on the Mount lof Olives as follows: Jerusalem wi fall: the Jews are to suffer greatly, but you my disciples should not be: disturbed or led astray by calls of [the return of Christ, the end is not yet; you have a great work' to do fall over the world, but as soon a5} the great tribulation which is coming on the Jews is over, and the 1] times of the Gentiles are' fulfilled, then the Lord's coming will take! place, and that suddenly. To make this simple interpret of oar Lord's teaching we have to take the words, "Immediately, after. the tribulation of those days" to refer to the whole period of tribulation upon the Jows until now, and the "This generation shall mean, as according to! the original and frequent use of the word it may "This nation (that of the Jews) shall not pass." Tha nation shall be preserved through all its troubles.
18 (1. Cor. 16.17 and of the arrival "T charge cep the commandment, spot, without reproach, unt the appearing of our Lord jesus Christ." And the third word occurs in such passages as this, (1. Pet. 1. 3.) "Set your hope perfectly "on' the: grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." Again, the references to "the day of the Lord," "that day," "the day of Christ "the day that the Son of man is revealed," are found in all the Gospels and Bpistles. There is no doubt that the early Christians expected the Lord to return on a certain day not far distant.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.