Evangelist Describes Second Coming of Christ

Utah, 1915

"The second coming of the Lord spoken of in the Scriptures is a personal, literal, visible manifestation," said Booth, the evangelist, last night at the tent corner of Washington avenue and Twenty-sixth street.

"Christ came to this world and was born in the flesh personally. He ministered to the human family and was put to death personally. He ascended to his Father, and has since been serving as our great high priest in the sanctuary above in person. All the promises we have in the Bible of his coming back the second time is when he will come in person. He has been with his people spiritually all the time.

"All the prophecies of the Bible that point out the coming of the Lord call for a literal manifestation. Many of these prophecies have been fulfilled literally already. The sun was darkened May 19, 1780, the moon had the appearance of blood the following night, and the stars fell from heaven 1833 A. D. These signs that were given to usher in the coming Savior were literal. Floods, cyclones, wars, labor troubles and earthquakes, which are signs of the last days, are all of a literal nature. All these literal signs point out a literal coming of the Lord.

"Christ's feet will not touch the earth when he comes. The cloud will remain stationary, and, as the earth revolves, the saints will be caught up to meet him in the air. We read, 'The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, and the dead Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.'

"When the Lord comes, all the living wicked are destroyed by the spirit of his mouth, and the brightness of his coming."

Theme tonight, "What Will Christ's Coming Mean to You?"

—The Ogden Standard, Ogden City, Utah, June 25, 1915, p. 3