The Revelation of Jesus Christ - The Herald

Divine Christ, in the sense of His exercising Kingdom rule, yet that advent will be invisible
to mortals, for He is now clothed with a Divine body which "no man hath seen nor can
see." (1 Tim. 6:15,16.) Indeed, the Second Advent of Christ is an event represented as
having already taken place in a previous vision--that of the Lamb standing on Mount Zion.
(Rev. 14:1.) Furthermore, all the visions of chapter 14, and many of those that follow, have
their fulfillment after that event, during the period of His presence.
Our Lord's Apokalupsis--Unveiling
The vision we now consider describes a different phase of His presence. While the visions
of chapter 14 and some that follow, recorded in succeeding chapters, represent Him as
officially present during the whole period from the scene of the Lamb on Mount Zion
onward, and indicate that His presence is known and recognized by the Watchers, yet that
presence does not become known to the world in general until the period when the vision
now under consideration meets its fulfillment. Indeed, that which is taught in the vision
we now consider is that of the manifestation of Christ and His Church to the world. The
revealing to the world follows closely the end of the Harvest, the completion of the First
Resurrection, the exaltation of the Church. This fact seems quite definitely presented in
this vision before us. His presence, while real, will be made known to the world in the acts
of power displayed in the judgments which will overthrow the present order. The fact that
the Advent has already taken place has been gradually made known to the Lord's
consecrated for some years past by many events and circumstances of modern times that
were predicted to be in evidence in connection with the Lord's Second Presence. The
following expresses very clearly the thought of many Bible students regarding the manner
in which Christ has been officially present in the world conducting a work preparing the
way of His Kingdom:
"We know of His presence, not by the light of human science, but by the light of God's
Word. We know of His presence, not as men recognizing a man, but as new creatures
recognizing our Head, our Captain, our Bridegroom. We see Him not by human sight, but
the eyes of our understanding being opened and enlightened by the light of our lamp we
see Him, whom we love and adore, present to test those who claim to be His, and to select
His 'faithful,' 'undefiled,' 'chaste virgins'--to 'make up His jewels': those who are accounted
worthy to 'follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth,' and to be His joint-heirs, glorified
together with Him, 'the Bride, the Lamb's Wife.'--Compare Rev. 14:4,5 and 21:9."
An utterance illustrating the manner of the Second Advent, particularly as to the secrecy of
His presence for a time, is made by Christ Himself in describing that Advent, and reads:
"As the days of Noah were, so shall also the parousia [presence] of the Son of Man be."
(Matt. 24:37.) It is well to keep in mind in considering the meaning of this verse that the
words were spoken by the Savior in reply to the question, "What shall be the Sign
[indication] of Thy coming [parousia, presence] and of the end [consummation] of the
Age?"--Matt. 24:3.