Three Comings of Christ
There are three separate positions taken in regard to the advent of Christ;
1st, He comes to judge the world;
2nd, He comes as a thief;
3rd, He comes to take His people to heaven. These is truth in each position, for they do not relate to the same event but to three separate events which take place in their order.
The statement quoted is a very important prophetic framework in the writings of S. N. Haskell and is consistent with the sanctuary teaching developed in the writings of Ellen G. White and further applied in the Shepherd’s Rod literature.
The key is to understand that “coming” does not always mean Christ visibly descending to the earth. Scripture uses the language of Christ “coming” in connection with different stages of His closing work. The three events are sequential and connected with the judgment, the marriage, the close of probation, and the final appearing of Christ.
The Three Comings of Christ
Coming
Biblical event
Prophetic significance
Marriage relationship
1. Coming to Judgment
Dan. 7:9–14; Mal. 3:1–5
Christ comes before the Ancient of Days for the Investigative Judgment
Going to the marriage
2. Coming as a Thief
Matt. 24:42–44; Rev. 22:11
Christ's mediatorial work closes; probation closes
The marriage / reception of the kingdom
3. Coming for His People
Matt. 24:30–31; 1 Thess. 4:16–17
Christ returns visibly to gather His redeemed
Coming from the marriage
Haskell's Bible Handbook explicitly presents these as three separate events occurring in their proper order. It then connects the first with judgment and the marriage, the second with the close of probation, and the third with Christ's return for His people.
1. FIRST COMING — CHRIST COMES TO JUDGMENT
“Going to the Marriage”
This is not the Second Coming to earth.
The first coming in this prophetic sequence is Christ's coming before the Ancient of Days in heaven to begin His final work of judgment.
Daniel 7:9–10
“The judgment was set, and the books were opened.”
Then Daniel sees:
“one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days.”
— Daniel 7:13
Notice the direction:
Christ comes TO the Ancient of Days, not yet TO the earth.
This is extremely important.
Daniel 7 gives us:
Ancient of Days → Judgment → Son of Man comes → Kingdom given to Christ
Daniel 7:14 says:
“And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom.”
This is the heavenly judgment scene.
Malachi 3:1–5
Malachi says:
“The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple.”
This coming is associated with judgment and purification:
“He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.”
Ellen White identifies these passages together. She writes that Christ's coming as High Priest to the Most Holy Place, His coming before the Ancient of Days, and His coming to His temple are descriptions of the same event. She also connects this with the Bridegroom coming to the marriage.
The 1844 application
This becomes especially clear in the Great Controversy.
Ellen White explains that in 1844 Christ did not come to earth as His followers expected. Instead:
“the Bridegroom came, not to the earth ... but to the Ancient of Days in heaven, to the marriage.”
She explains that the marriage represents Christ's reception of His kingdom.
Thus:
Daniel 7:13
Christ comes to the Ancient of Days.
Daniel 8:14
The sanctuary is cleansed.
Malachi 3:1–5
The Lord comes to His temple for judgment.
Matthew 25:6–10
The Bridegroom comes.
These are connected aspects of the same prophetic movement.
What is the “Marriage”?
This is one of the most important points.
Many Christians understand the marriage of the Lamb as Christ marrying individual believers in heaven. But the prophetic explanation given by Ellen White is more specific.
She says:
“The marriage represents the reception by Christ of His kingdom.”
The bride is the New Jerusalem, the capital of Christ's kingdom.
The church is represented by the virgins, while God's people are ultimately the guests at the marriage supper.
Therefore:
Bride = New Jerusalem
Bridegroom = Christ
Virgins = professed people waiting for Christ
Guests = redeemed people
Marriage = Christ's reception of His kingdom
This agrees remarkably closely with Haskell's Bible Handbook, which says that the city, people, and land given to Christ the King constitute the marriage.
2. SECOND COMING — CHRIST COMES AS A THIEF
“The Marriage”
This is perhaps the most misunderstood of the three.
When Scripture says:
“the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:2
it does not necessarily mean that Christ is visibly appearing in the clouds at that moment.
The thief aspect is connected with the unexpected closing of probation.
Haskell's presentation specifically identifies the “coming as a thief” with the point at which the judgment closes and Christ receives the kingdom. At that time the eternal destiny of every soul is fixed.
Revelation 22:11
This is the key:
“He that is unjust, let him be unjust still... and he which is righteous, let him be righteous still.”
There is no further change of character after this decree.
The righteous remain righteous.
The wicked remain wicked.
Probation has closed.
Why is it called “a thief”?
Because people do not know the exact moment when their probation closes.
The thief does not announce:
“I am coming at 10:00 tonight.”
He comes unexpectedly.
Likewise, Christ's final decision regarding each person's case takes place while humanity continues its ordinary activities.
Haskell summarizes it this way: when judgment closes and Christ receives the kingdom, the destiny of every soul is forever determined, yet people do not know when they have crossed that final line of probation.
Ellen White gives the same principle:
“When the work of investigation shall be ended... probation will close.”
That is the significance of the closed door in Matthew 25:10.
The Sanctuary Connection
This gives us an important sequence:
FIRST
Christ is High Priest
He investigates the cases of His professed people.
Daniel 7:9–10
Matthew 22:11–14
1 Peter 4:17
THEN
The judgment closes
Revelation 22:11
THEN
Christ receives His kingdom
Daniel 7:13–14
THEN
He ceases His mediatorial work
Revelation 8:5
THEN
The seven last plagues fall
Revelation 15–16
FINALLY
Christ appears visibly
Matthew 24:30
This sequence is also reflected in Haskell's Bible Handbook.
3. THIRD COMING — CHRIST COMES FOR HIS PEOPLE
“Coming FROM the Wedding”
This is what most Christians ordinarily mean when they speak of the Second Coming of Christ.
Now Christ actually appears visibly in the clouds of heaven.
Matthew 24:30
“They shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”
This is completely different from Daniel 7:13.
In Daniel 7:
Christ comes TO the Ancient of Days.
In Matthew 24:
Christ comes TO the earth to gather His people.
That distinction is fundamental.
1 Thessalonians 4:16–17
“The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout...”
The dead in Christ are resurrected.
The living righteous are changed.
Together they meet Christ:
“in the air.”
Haskell therefore calls this:
“Christ Coming for His People, or Coming From the Wedding.”
The Three Comings in One Prophetic Picture
We can summarize the entire sequence like this:
① CHRIST COMES TO JUDGMENT
Daniel 7:9–14
Christ comes before the Father.
Purpose: Investigative Judgment
Work: Examination of professed believers
Result: Determination of who will inherit the kingdom
Marriage: Christ goes to the marriage.
↓
② CHRIST COMES AS A THIEF
Revelation 22:11
Christ's final mediatorial work ends.
Purpose: Close of probation
Work: Final decision regarding every soul
Result: Every person's destiny is permanently fixed
Marriage: Christ receives His kingdom.
↓
③ CHRIST COMES FOR HIS PEOPLE
Matthew 24:30–31; 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17
Christ appears visibly in glory.
Purpose: Deliver His people
Work: Resurrection and translation
Result: Saints meet Christ in the air
Marriage: Christ comes from the marriage.
Where Does the Shepherd's Rod Fit?
This is where the Shepherd's Rod becomes especially significant.
The Rod does not merely teach that Christ will someday return. It emphasizes the events immediately preceding the visible Second Coming, especially:
Judgment → purification/sealing → close of probation → kingdom → plagues → visible appearing
This is consistent with the larger sanctuary framework.
The official Davidian edition of The Shepherd's Rod, Vol. 2 is available for reference, and Houteff's writings repeatedly develop the relationship between the kingdom, judgment, purification, and Christ's final work.
The Rod emphasis is particularly important because it asks a practical question:
If Christ's visible coming is the third event, what is Christ doing before He appears?
The answer is:
He is completing the judgment and preparing His kingdom.
That means the most important preparation for the Second Coming is not merely watching the sky for signs. It is allowing Christ to prepare His people for the kingdom.
The Marriage of the Lamb and the Kingdom
Daniel 7 gives us the foundation.
Daniel sees:
Ancient of Days → Judgment → Son of Man → Kingdom
Daniel 7:13–14:
“one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days...”
and:
“there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom.”
Then Revelation gives us the result:
Revelation 19:7
“the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.”
Revelation 19:9
“Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.”
The order is therefore significant:
Judgment → Marriage → Kingdom → Second Coming → Marriage Supper
Ellen White explicitly says that Christ receives His kingdom in the marriage and that, having received the kingdom, He comes in His glory as King of kings and Lord of lords.
A Very Important Distinction
We should therefore avoid saying:
“Christ comes three times to earth.”
That is not what the three-comings teaching means.
A more accurate statement is:
There are three prophetic “comings” or movements of Christ in the closing work, and they occur in sequence: He comes to judgment, comes as a thief at the close of probation, and finally comes visibly to gather His people.
The first is primarily a heavenly movement in connection with the sanctuary judgment.
The second is connected with the close of probation and reception of the kingdom.
The third is the literal, visible Second Advent.
A Simple Diagram
THE THREE COMINGS OF CHRIST
┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│ 1. COMING TO JUDGMENT │
│ Daniel 7:9–14 │
│ Malachi 3:1–5 │
│ Matthew 25:6–10 │
│ │
│ CHRIST → ANCIENT OF DAYS │
│ Investigative Judgment │
│ GOING TO THE MARRIAGE │
└───────────────┬─────────────────┘
↓
┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│ 2. COMING AS A THIEF │
│ Matthew 24:42–44 │
│ Revelation 22:11 │
│ │
│ CLOSE OF PROBATION │
│ DESTINY FOREVER FIXED │
│ CHRIST RECEIVES THE KINGDOM │
│ THE MARRIAGE │
└───────────────┬─────────────────┘
↓
SEVEN LAST PLAGUES
Revelation 15–16
↓
┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│ 3. COMING FOR HIS PEOPLE │
│ Matthew 24:30–31 │
│ 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 │
│ │
│ CHRIST → EARTH │
│ RESURRECTION │
│ TRANSLATION │
│ SAINTS MEET HIM IN THE AIR │
│ COMING FROM THE WEDDING │
└─────────────────────────────────┘
The sequence above closely follows Haskell's Bible Handbook presentation, including its explicit headings “Coming of Judgment, or Going to the Marriage,” “Coming as a Thief, or the Marriage,” and “Christ Coming for His People, or Coming From the Wedding.”
The Prophetic Lesson for Us
The greatest lesson is that the visible Second Coming is not the beginning of Christ's final work—it is the culmination of work already accomplished.
Before Christ comes for His people, He first comes to judgment.
Before He comes visibly in glory, the judgment must be completed.
Before the saints are gathered, their cases must be decided.
Before the marriage supper, the marriage must take place.
Before Christ comes as King, He must receive the kingdom.
And before the door is finally shut, the wedding garment must be examined.
This is why Ellen White's statement is so solemn:
“This work of examination of character, of determining who are prepared for the kingdom of God, is that of the investigative judgment.”
In one sentence:
Christ first comes to the judgment as High Priest, then comes as a thief when probation closes and He receives His kingdom, and finally comes visibly as King of kings to gather His redeemed and take them to the marriage supper.
This three-stage framework is an excellent foundation for a Prophetic Insights study on “The Three Comings of Christ and the Marriage of the Lamb,” especially when Daniel 7, Daniel 8, Matthew 22, Matthew 25, Revelation 19, and Revelation 22 are studied together.
