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Revelation 1:7-9
“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. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Revelation 1:7-9
“For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven . . . and the dead in Christ shall rise . . . then we which are alive shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” “Jesus, who is taken up from you into Heaven, shall return in the same manner as He went up.” “For as lightning comes out of the east and shines to the west, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be . . . and all the tribes of the earth shall mourn and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of Heaven.” The promise of Jesus’ return is the hope of every sincere Christian, for His appearing marks the end of this sinful world and the ushering in of His everlasting kingdom when He comes to gather the inhabitants of the new Jerusalem. What greater day can we expect than the day of our Lord? To see and touch Him who bought our eternity with the blood and passion of His own death, separated from the Father on the cross as He took the punishment for our iniquities upon Himself. There will be no escaping His return. Even those who pierced Him shall have to bear the responsibility of facing Him again; this time with Jesus as King.
John calls us to the hope of the Second Coming because there is no other place for us to be but in the house of our Lord. Like Abraham, we confess that we are but strangers and pilgrims on this earth, waiting for the reality of the promised land in resurrection and patiently awaiting the fulfillment of God’s covenant with those who believe in His Son: Jesus, who is the beginning and end of all things. He created this planet for life and He shall put an end to all things that separate us from God. He is the eternal one who existed one with the Father from the beginning of time. He is ever-present with us each moment through the Holy Spirit and will be with us throughout the ages, having become our brother in humanity. Because of His obedience to the Father, He becomes the Ruler of us all.
John writes us of his own tribulation: imprisoned alone on the island of Patmos by the Roman emperor Domitian for the preaching of God’s word. He, too, (like us: those to whom he writes and associates) awaits the coming of Jesus as he writes. How lonely and desperate his life must have been, the last living apostle; miraculously saved (so tradition relates) from being boiled alive in oil, now abandoned and exiled as an old man. How John loved his Master! And now he waits patiently for the kingdom, (perhaps with better endurance than his predecessor: the Baptist of the same name) enduring to the end. And Jesus sends him this special letter, not only to comfort His old friend, but also to give a word of hope to His church through John. Can we do less than John as we wait for Jesus? Home | About Us | Bible Study | Billerica Blog | Bible Commentary | Devotional | Online Giving | Ministries | Prayer | Media | Bookstore | News | Calendar | Contact Us | Sermons
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