triumphs and blessings
of his earthly kingdom. His personal reign in Judea was what they
usually meant by the phrases "the kingdom of heaven," "the kingdom
of God." The apostles cherished these ideas, and expressed them in
the terms common to their countrymen. But we cannot doubt that
Jesus employed this and kindred language in a purer and deeper
sense, which we must take pains to distinguish from the early and
lingering errors associated with it.

Upon the threshold of our subject we meet with predictions of a
second coming of Christ from heaven, with power and glory, to sit
on his throne and judge the world. The portentous imagery in which
these prophecies are clothed is taken from the old prophets; and
to them

we must turn to learn its usage and force. The Hebrews called any
signal manifestation of power especially any dreadful calamity a
coming of the Lord. It was a coming of Jehovah when his vengeance
strewed the ground with the corpses of Sennacherib's host; when
its storm swept Jerusalem as with fire, and bore Israel into
bondage; when its sword came down upon Idumea and was bathed in
blood upon Edom. "The day of the Lord" is another term of
precisely similar import. It occurs in the Old Testament about
fifteen times. In every instance it means some mighty
manifestation of God's power in calamity. These occasions are
pictured forth with the most astounding figures of speech. Isaiah
describes the approaching destruction of Babylon in these terms:
"The stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall give no
light; the sun shall be darkened, the moon shall not shine, the
heavens shall shake, and the earth shall remove out of her place
and be as a frightened sheep that no man taketh up." The Jews
expected that the coming of the Messiah would be preceded by many
fearful woes, in the midst of which he would appear with peerless
pomp and might. The day of his coming they named emphatically the
day of the Lord. Jesus actually appeared, not, as they expected, a
warrior travelling in the greatness of his strength, with dyed
garments from Bozrah, staining his raiment with blood as he
trampled in the wine vat of vengeance, but the true Messiah, God's
foreordained and anointed Son, despised and rejected of men,
bringing good tidings, publishing peace. It must have been
impossible for the Jews to receive such a Messiah without
explanations. Those few who became converts apprehended his
Messianic language, at least t