The Appearing Of Christ

Issues – November 2015 – Grace & Truth Magazine

The Appearing Of Christ

The Lord Jesus Himself promised He would come again. All the New Testament writers confirm this and the prospect that He would return was the hope of the early believers. The Bible predicts the literal personal return of Jesus Christ to receive His church unto Himself, judge the world and establish His kingdom on earth.

Sometimes this is described as one grand event. At other times it is clearly divided into separate phases: His coming for His saints and His coming with His saints. We are focusing on the second of these: the appearing or public manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ. It will be a great day!

His appearing will be glorious. He will return “in the glory of His Father,” “in His [own] glory” and with “great glory” (Mt. 16:27, 25:31, 24:30 KJV). It will also be marked by the manifestation of great power. He will return in the “glory of His power” (2 Th. 1:9) and will employ angels of power (v.7) to establish His kingdom on earth.

To the surprise of His enemies He will appear as man, once rejected by Israel (Jn. 1:11) and ignored by the world (v.10). He will take up His rights as Son of David towards Israel and as Son of Man to the nations of the earth and even the universe (Ps. 2, 8, 110 and others).

The appearing of Christ to the world that rejected Him is a moral necessity. The Lord Jesus was falsely accused, wrongly condemned, utterly humiliated, totally rejected and crucified as a wicked criminal. God will ensure that His beloved Son will be publicly vindicated in the world from which He was cast out.

The prospect of seeing the One, whose reproach we now bear, owned and admired by all is a matter of greatest joy. It is for this reason we love His appearing. It will be His day. He will be acknowledged by all as Lord, and everyone, however belatedly, will be obliged to bow their knee to Him and confess Him as such.

The early Christians loved His appearing. They were “looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ” (Ti. 2:13). Paul the apostle looked forward to it and wrote: “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that Day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing” (2 Tim. 4:8).

By Edwin N. Cross