Coming of the Lord

Horatius Bonar wrote this exploration of Christ's second coming during a period of intense eschatological interest in nineteenth-century Scotland. As a leading figure in the Free Church of Scotland and influenced by premillennial teaching, Bonar sought to clarify biblical teaching about the Lord's return for believers who found themselves caught between competing interpretations of prophecy. The work emerged from his pastoral concern that Christians understand both the certainty and the practical implications of Christ's promised return.

Bonar argues that Scripture teaches a personal, visible, and imminent return of Christ that will precede rather than follow the millennium. He systematically examines biblical passages related to the second advent, contending that the early church's expectation of Christ's near return should characterize Christian life in every generation. The book emphasizes the distinction between Christ's coming for his saints and his later coming with his saints, a key tenet of dispensational premillennialism. Bonar weaves together exegetical analysis with devotional application, showing how the hope of Christ's return should shape daily Christian living, evangelistic urgency, and patient endurance through suffering. He addresses common objections to premillennial teaching while maintaining that eschatological hope is not merely academic but essential for spiritual vitality.

The work became influential among evangelicals who embraced premillennial eschatology, particularly through its integration of careful biblical study with warm pastoral application. Bonar's measured tone and scholarly approach helped legitimize premillennial teaching within Reformed circles that had been skeptical of such views. The book continues to be valued for its clear presentation of premillennial arguments and its emphasis on the practical implications of eschatological belief.

Christians interested in premillennial eschatology or nineteenth-century evangelical thought will find this work instructive, particularly those who appreciate detailed biblical argumentation combined with devotional warmth. Readers committed to other eschatological frameworks may find the exegetical assumptions unconvincing, though they might still benefit from Bonar's emphasis on living in light of Christ's return.