Page:The Doctrines of the New Church Briefly Explained.djvu/107

Rh another and then future coming or manifestation of the Son of Man, which it is said would be "in the clouds" or "the clouds of heaven." And we read also in the Revelation: "Behold He cometh with clouds." And in accordance with the sensuous philosophy and the literal method of interpretation which have prevailed in the church, Christians have generally expected that this prophecy would be fulfilled according to the sense of the letter. And repeatedly has the time been fixed when the Lord was expected to appear in person upon the natural clouds, visible to the natural eyes of men.

It is not strange that Christians should have misunderstood and misinterpreted this prophecy. It is precisely what might have been expected. For no divine prophecy was ever understood or correctly interpreted until after its fulfillment. How was it in regard to the prophecies concerning the Lord's first advent? The Jews were expecting the Messiah; for their Scriptures had foretold his advent. But so far were they from understanding the true import of the prophecies concerning Him—so little did they comprehend of the spirit of their Scriptures, and so closely did they stick to the letter, that when He came whose advent was foretold, his character and conduct were so different from what they had expected, that they refused to receive Him. They