The Apocalyptic Appearing - Revelation 1:7-8

Introduction

Welcome

Recap

The Importance of the 2nd coming

Read

Revelation 1:7–8 “Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. Yes, amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.””

Pray

The Announcement (7A).

Behold, He is coming with the clouds - Before we can talk about the future, we must deal with the past. In 553 BC A fellow named Daniel received a prophetic vision of a “Son of Man” in Daniel 7:13–14 ““I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And came near before Him. “And to Him was given dominion, Glory, and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations, and men of every tongue Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not be taken away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed.” This language was used in Rev 1:1. Phillips points out 2 very important things by quoting Daniel - “First, the apostle relates the situation of his readers, the Christians in Asia Minor in the late first century, to that of Daniel in the Babylonian captivity. Second, by appealing to Daniel’s vision of the coming Christ, John shows that Christians have this same hope of salvation.” All throughout scripture the message has been the same - put your faith in Jesus. In the OT they trusted God in the future coming of the Messiah and in the NT they witnessed Him proclaiming the message of salvation - Mark 1:15 “and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”” The 2nd coming of Christ is THE event that the universe has been groaning for since He ascended (Acts 1:9-11). As Paul in Rom 8:18-25 namely in verse 19 notes Romans 8:19 “For the anxious longing of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.” Like a pregnant mother eagerly waiting for the arrival of her child, difference is we don’t know when we will come. But 2 questions 1) Do we fully understand the 2nd coming? 2) Are we ready for it? 1) Johnson notes: “Yet this doctrine has been wrestled, twisted, embellished, gutted, scoffed, perverted, worshipped, idolized, and complicated more than any other doctrine in the Scriptures. He is coming when no one is expecting it. Human activities, businesses, families, pregnancies, and normal routines will be violently interrupted by His return.” (Matt 24:38-39). This event I believe has been misunderstood by so many false teachers because they don’t know who Jesus is or fail to recognize His Lordship. They either make themselves to be the Messiah or make their listeners the Messiah (which leads to failing to see the need for the Messiah). They in the words of Voddie “Have Sissified Jesus”. 2) We as so many Christians pray and cry for the return of Jesus (which is good) but fail to understand He’s coming back of Judge, Lion, King. And believe it or not there are scoffers who deny the 2nd coming (2 Pt 3:3-4). Jesus had mockers and scoffers from His life > Miracles > Crucfixation > Death > Resurrection > His Return. When He returns, human history stops and God reign will continue to reign, so my encouragement is that of 1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” Steadfast -”endure patiently. A steadfast person is one who is reliable, faithful, and true to the end.”

2. The Witnesses (7B).

and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; - Hendriksen “The Bible knows nothing about an invisible or secret second coming. Nowhere is this taught. On the contrary, ‘every eye shall see him”” Scripture is clear that the 2nd coming is a event everyone will see - sky rolled up, fire coming down, trumpets blown, and so much more. John Darby in the 1830’s preached about 2 comings of Christ - 1 for the believers, 2 worldwide event. This became the theological system call “Dispensationalism -A theological system dividing the history of redemption into separate periods (dispensations) in which God relates to his people in unique ways” Dispensationalists divide time in 7 distinct eras of God’s administration…

Innocence (Eden)

Conscience (Fall > Flood)

Human Government (Noah > Babel)

Promise (Abraham)

Law (Moses > Christ)

Grace (Church Age)

Millennial Kingdom

Contrast to Covenant Theology (My position) which have 3 distinct covenants...

Redemption (Eternity Past)

Works (Eden)

Grace (Post Fall)

Problems with Dispensationalism > Separation of Israel and Church, Biblical Intersection, Christ Return. John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:18 “No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.” Colossians 2:9 “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells bodily,” Hebrews 1:3 “who is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power; who, having accomplished cleansing for sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,” Christ was and is God incarnate - His glory was self emptied (Phil 2:7) and was veiled (2 Cor 3:16). When He returns MacArthur - “His glory will be obvious to the entire human race.” When Christ returns everyone will face a judgement LBC 32 :3 “As Christ would have us to be certainly persuaded that there shall be a day of judgment, both to deter all men from sin, and for the greater consolation of the godly in their adversity, so will he have the day unknown to men, that they may shake off all carnal security, and be always watchful, because they know not at what hour the Lord will come, and may ever be prepared to say, Come Lord Jesus; come quickly. Amen.” Once again John is drawing from OT prophecy Zechariah 12:10 ““And I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.” This was written 6-650 years before John writes this. As mentioned this will be very public, just as His death was public. Who are those who pierced Him? Not referring to the gentiles who pierced but “The Jews who rejected Him are then going to see that Jesus of Nazareth, whom they crucified, is, indeed, the Christ!” (Hendriksen). 2 verses to consider - Isaiah 53:3 “He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.” John 1:11 “He came to what was His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.” Believing and accepting Jesus as the Divine Holy Son of God is what separates us from the Jewish religion. Yes, it was the Romans “Gentiles” who pierced Jesus (Jn 19:34) but it wsa the Jews that sent Him to the cross (In God’s foreordained plan). Peter echoes this in Acts 2:22–23 ““Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God did through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know— this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of lawless men and put Him to death.” (cf 3:14-15). Doner - “Israel pierced Christ, and after piercing Him, they started mourning over having done this. Peter indicting them for crucifying the Lord Jesus Christ, their mourning over having done such a wicked deed, and their being saved” Just a quick note about repentance and sin. Sin isn’t simple a mistake, mishap, accident, a slip up, etc. It is cosmic treason against a holy, loving , just God. And repentance isn’t just feeling bad, sad, grieving, mourning, crying, etc. It is “The willful turning from *sin and toward Christ in true sorrow and humility” It’s not turning from 1 sin to another sin, but turning to Christ who is our faithful great high priest and is just to forgive us (Heb 4:16, 1 John 1:9). Judas felt sorry but never repented hence why I believe he is in hell. Repentance is a daily defense because sin is a daily attack. This is why Paul tells us to pray without ceasing, for sin is without ceasing.

3. The Response (7C).

and all the tries of the earth will mourn over Him. Yes, amen. -