Habakkuk 3:4-The Lord Jesus Christ Will Manifest Some of His Power at His Second Advent

Habakkuk 3:3 God will travel form Teman. Then, the Holy One will travel from Mount Paran. Selah. His majesty will cover the heavens so that His praise will certainly fill the earth. 4 In fact, His splendor will be like lightning. Flashing rays of light will come from His hand on His behalf. Indeed, there it covers His strength. (My translation)

As we noted in our study of Habakkuk 3:3, Habakkuk 3:3-20 is a prayer which the prophet Habakkuk offered up to the God of Israel, which he directed to be sung in the temple as part of the worship of the God of Israel.

We also noted in verse 3 that Habakkuk 3:3-15 is prophetic referring to the events of the seventieth week and Second Advent of Jesus Christ but alluding to the might acts of God which He performed on behalf of the nation of Israel.

Now, we come to Habakkuk 3:4, which contains two more prophetic statements and a third statement which explains for the reader or identifies for the reader these two.

All three statements are describing the Lord Jesus Christ and His actions when He returns to planet earth at His Second Advent.

The first prophetic statement in verse 4 asserts that the Lord Jesus Christ’s splendor will be like lightning.

This statement is advancing upon and intensifying the third and fourth prophetic statements in Habakkuk 3:3.

The third prophetic statement asserts that the Lord Jesus Christ’s majesty will cover the heavens and the fourth presents the result of the third and asserts that His praise will certainly fill the earth.

Therefore, a comparison of these statements indicates that the advancement and intensification is with regards to the Lord manifesting His presence at His Second Advent.

This indicates that not only will the Lord’s majesty cover the heavens so that His praise fills the earth but this manifestation of His presence will be as bright as lightning or in other words, it will be as bright as lightning when it flashes across the earth’s atmosphere.

This first prophetic statement in Habakkuk 3:4 echoes our Lord’s description of His Second Advent in Matthew 24:27 where He compared His appearance at His Second Advent to lightning flashing across the sky.

Matthew 24:27 For just like the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. 24:28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. 24:29 “Immediately after the suffering of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken. 24:30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man arriving on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. (NET)

The second prophetic statement in Habakkuk 3:4 asserts that flashing rays of light will come from the Lord Jesus Christ’s hand on His behalf since they will result in the destruction of His enemies.

The third and final statement in Habakkuk 3:4 asserts that the Lord’s hand covers His strength.

It is advancing upon and intensifying the second prophetic statement in that it advances upon and intensifies the use of the Lord’s hand.

In other words, not only will flashing rays of light proceed from His hand on His behalf but also His hand covers His strength, i.e. His omnipotence.

His hand covers His strength in the sense that these flashing rays of light which will issue forth against His enemies at His Second Advent are a small manifestation of His infinite power or omnipotence.

In other words, His hand localizes His omnipotence which is infinitely greater than these flashing rays of light which will issue forth from His hand against His enemies at His Second Advent.

O. Palmer Robertson writes “This power, this glory, must be hidden, because of the limitations of finite human beings. Just as one cannot stare directly into the brilliance of the sun, observing only with caution the shining of its glory, so also the glory and power of God must be veiled. For he dwells in light unapproachable (1 Tim. 6:16).”[1]

J. E. Smith writes “The visible rays of light streaming from God’s hand were only a shield for the invisible and awesome power of the Coming One. The human eye cannot even stare directly into the brilliant light of the sun. Yet it is this light which shields the glory and power of God! No wonder, then, that it must be veiled from human sight! (3:4) Paul later would declare that the God of the Bible dwells in unapproachable light (1 Tim 6:16).”[2]

“Omnipotence” is one of the characteristics of the divine essence (Father: Mark 14:36 and Luke 1:37; Son: Col. 1:16-17; Heb. 1:3; Spirit: Rom. 15:13).

God has limitless and infinite ability to do something (Gen. 18:14a; Ps. 147:5a; Isa. 40:26; Lk. 1:37).

There is power in the Word of God (Ps. 33:6a; Heb. 1:3a; 4:12a; 11:3a; 2 Co. 6:7; Heb. 4:12; 2 Pet. 3:5).

The cross of Christ is the power of God, which delivers the believer from the sin nature, the cosmic system of Satan and Satan himself (1 Corinthians 1:18).

The Gospel is the power of God for salvation (Romans 1:16).

All three members of the Trinity are omnipotent since they are co-equal, co-infinite and co-eternal: (1) God the Father is omnipotent (Eph. 1:17; 2 Pet. 1:2-3). (2) Holy Spirit is omnipotent (Acts 1:8; Rm. 15:13, 19; Eph. 3:16; 1 Th. 1:5). (3) Word of God is omnipotent (Ro. 1:16; 1 Co. 1:18, 24; Heb. 4:12).

The life of the Lord Jesus Christ was a life of power (Luke 1:35; 4:36).

He used the power of God the Holy Spirit to cast demons out of people (Matt. 12:28).

The impeccable body of the humanity of Christ was conceived by the power of God the Holy Spirit (Matt. 1:20).

The Lord was brought back from the dead by three categories of divine omnipotence: (1) Omnipotence of God the Father sent back our Lord’s human spirit to the body in the grave (Acts 2:24; Rom. 6:4; Eph. 1:20; Col. 2:12; 1 Thess. 1:10; 1 Pet. 1:21). (2) Omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit sent back our Lord’s human soul to the body in the grave (Rom. 1:4; 8:11; 1 Pet. 3:18). (3) Omnipotence of God the Son raised His physical body from the grave (John 6:39-40, 54; 10:17-18).

The Lord Jesus Christ has the power to raise the dead (John 5:21; 6:40; 11:25).

The same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead will raise the believer from the dead (1 Corinthians 6:14).

The same power that raised the humanity of Christ from the dead has been made available to every church age believer because of their union and identification with the Lord through the Baptism of the Spirit (1 Co. 6:14; Eph. 1:18-20).

Thus because of the church age believer’s union with Christ, he can have a lifestyle of power and wisdom (2 Ti. 1:7).

The church age believer is the beneficiary of three categories of divine omnipotence in positional sanctification: (1) The omnipotence of God the Father in eternity past as related to the divine decree, eternal inheritance, election and predestination (Rom. 9:22; Eph. 1:3-14; 2 Pet. 1:3). (2) The omnipotence of God the Son created the cosmos through His Word in order that the Father’s eternal purpose through the divine decree, the eternal inheritance, election and predestination might be carried out in time (Heb. 1:3; 4:12) and also the omnipotence of God the Son in the form of the Word of God, i.e. the Gospel provided the means of salvation (Rm. 1:16). (3) The omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit places the believer in union with Christ at the moment of salvation, thus providing in time the principle of achieving that which the Father had purposed in eternity past (1 Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:26-28).

The church age believer is the beneficiary of three categories of divine omnipotence in experiential sanctification: (1) The omnipotence of God the Father as related to the principles of election and predestination (Eph. 1:3-14). (2) The omnipotence of God the Son as related to the perpetuation and preservation of human history (Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:3) and the Word of God for the execution of the plan of God for the church age (1 Co. 1:18; 2 Co. 6:7; Heb. 4:12; 2 Pet. 3:5). (3) The omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit as related to the filling of the Spirit for the execution of the plan of God for the church age (Rm. 6:4-11; 15:13; 2 Co. 6:7; 12:9; Eph. 1:19; 3:20; Col. 1:11; 2 Pet. 1:3).

The church age believer is the beneficiary of three categories of divine omnipotence in perfective sanctification: (1) Omnipotence of God the Father in relation to the believer’s human spirit being placed back in the resurrection body (Acts 2:24; Rom. 6:4; Eph. 1:20; Col. 2:12; 1 Thess. 1:10; 1 Pet. 1:21). (2) Omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit in relation to the believer’s soul being placed back in the resurrection body (Rom. 8:11; 1 Pet. 3:18). (3) Omnipotence of God the Son in relation to the believer’s resurrection body being created (John 5:21; 6:39-40, 54; 10:17-18; 11:25).

Church age believers have been given divine power and made partakers in the divine nature (2 Pet. 1:3-4).

It is the power of God that works within believers who apply the Word of God (Eph. 3:20).

[1] Robertson, O. P. (1990). The Books of Nahum, Habakkuk and Zephaniah (pp. 225–226). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

[2] Smith, J. E. (1994). The Minor Prophets (p. 462). Joplin, MO: College Press.