The Manner of His Appearing

Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; (Titus 2:13)

When He comes for His own they will be caught up to meet Him in the air. (I Thes. 4:17) But those on the earth will not see Him. When he appears with His saints, every eye will see Him. As He appeared to His disciples after His resurrection and showed Himself, so shall He appear the second time and manifest His glory. To put the truth in order, let us ask:

What will be the manner of His appearing? It will be:

I. CERTAIN.

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. (John 14:3)

(“If I go…I will come again.”)

1. His coming again, then, is as certain as His departure. (“If I go…I will come again.”)
2. This is not the coming of death, but of Himself.
   

   For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
   (I Thessalonians 4:16)

II. PERSONAL.

Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. (Acts 1:11)

A spiritual coming or the coming of the Holy Spirit is not “this same Jesus”.

III. SUDDEN.

Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness. (Malachi 3:1-3)

1. The believer is to be ready at all times, for there will be some saved during the Tribulation Period.
   

   Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. (Mark 13:35-36)

2. His coming will be as quick as lightning.
   

   For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. (Matthew 24:27)

IV. VISIBLE.

Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. (Revelation 1:7)Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. (Matthew 26:64)

1. What a sight for this pleasure-loving, Christ-rejecting age.
2. Men will wail because of Him.
   

   Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.(Revelation 1:7)

   And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. (Isaiah 2:19)

V. GLORIOUS.

Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;  (Titus 2:13)

1. When first He came, He made Himself of no reputation and became the “Man of Sorrows”, but when He appears the second time it will be in “great power and glory”.
   

   And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. (Mark 13:26)

2. His Name is above every name.
   

   Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
   (Philippians 2:9)

VI. WITH HIS SAINTS.

And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, (Jude 14)When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:4)

1. By that time we will have been made “like Him”.
   

   Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. (I John 3:2)

2. This is the fruit of grace.
3. Bless the Lord Who has made us partakers of such an high and holy calling.
   

   The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,(Ephesians 1:18)

VII. TO ESTABLISH RIGHTEOUSNESS.

To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.  (Jude 15)

1. He will judge with righteousness.
   

   Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity. (Psalms 98:9)

2. He will bless the earth with prosperity and peace.
   

   In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth.(Psalms 72:7)