Deliverance from the Cross — Page 105
VII SECOND COMING The world of religion is familiar with the concept of the second coming of great religious teachers who have passed away, but curiously enough all those who are looking forward to the fulfilment of the prophecies relating to a second advent of a great teacher expect that he would return to the earth in his physical body. This concept has been responsible for great confusion, bewilderment, and conflict. In the case of Jesus himself one factor that reinforced the opposition and hostility of the Jewish divines to his claim of being the Messiah whose advent had been foretold in their scriptures, was that it had been prophecied in Malachi 4:5 that Elijah, the prophet, would be sent before the advent of the Messiah. And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you that Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. . . . Then, the disciples understood. that he spoke unto them of John, the 105