Wednesday, October 1, 2008

The Second Coming

Rev. Grant Schnarr preached a thought provoking sermon on Sunday in which he explored what the Second Coming is. His main point was that the second coming is happening now:
The second coming is not something that took place once upon a time, as if the Lord came and left. He revealed Himself in the Heavenly Doctrines for the New Church, but He never left. He's here now, being revealed in deeper and deeper ways every day, as people accept the Heavenly Doctrines in heart and in life.
Here are some cool passages about the Second Coming that I got from Jason Schnarr:
The Lord's presence is unceasing with every man, both the evil and the good, for without His presence no man lives; but His Coming is only to those who receive Him, who are such as believe on Him and keep His commandments. (True Christian Religion 774)

He will come, not in Person but in the Word, in which He will appear to all who will be of His New Church. (Apocalypse Revealed 944)

The Lord's coming does not consist, as the letter has it, in His appearing once again in the world, but in His presence within everyone. He is present there as often as the gospel is preached and that which is holy is contemplated. (Arcana Coelestia 3900)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I like the point that the second coming is still happening. I asked my dad about that years ago and he told me the same, which was very comforting. I'd hate to think that the church or world was at it's best in 1757 and we have no hope of ever getting back to that.