FORERUNNER CHURCH – ALLENHOOD ADVENT SUNDAY: LONGING FOR THE RETURN OF JESUS

I. ADVENT SEASON

A. Today, the Church universal is celebrating Advent Sunday. It is the first of four Sundays leading up to the celebration of the birth of Jesus.

B. Advent is taken from the Latin word “adventus” which translates the biblical Greek word “parousia”, meaning “coming”. Advent is the season where the Church prepares for the Second Coming of Jesus and remembers His First Coming. You might say Advent is the season where we prepare for Messiah’s Second Coming by truly remembering what He has done in His First Coming.

C. Advent is the forerunner season and is associated with the ministry of John the Baptist of preparing the way of the Lord. At advent we declare afresh that Jesus is coming, let all the nations tremble and get ready. As Misty sings, “People get ready! Jesus is coming!” It’s the season to hear the words of Isaiah:

3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth; The glory of the LORD shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” (Isaiah 40:3–5, NKJV)

D. Today, I want to talk to us about the Return of the King but with the goal of focusing in on the right emotion related to Jesus’ return. Turn with me in your Bibles to Matthew 9:14.

II. JESUS’ RETURN: OUR BLESSED HOPE AND GREAT LONGING

A. Jesus, in Matthew 9:14, spoke of a time when He would no longer be with His disciples, and in that time they would fast out of longing to be with Him; they would mourn for Him like a bride mourns for the absence of her bridegroom. Jesus’ great leadership development strategy consisted of establishing a team of leaders who were pierced, struck, fascinated, and overcome by the strength and power of His personhood. After He seized their hearts in the first three-and-a- half years, they labored for the kingdom in a sacrificial way. They longed for Jesus and would give all to work for His return. Thus, the apostles spoke with great affection of the second coming of their Savior and King. They longed for His appearing. Their sacrificial labor, diligence, and mission were born out of a deep desire to see the return of their master, savior, and friend.

Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.” (Matthew 9:14– 15, NKJV)

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B. Peter displayed this longing when he appealed to Jerusalem to repent in order for times of refreshing to come, that God might send Jesus back. We were made for the presence of Jesus, specifically designed for intimate communion with Him, and when He’s not here, we long for Him. Jesus’ leadership development strategy was to addict them to His presence so that they would be filled with love for Him and labor unto having Him return.

19“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 21whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. 22For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you.’” (Acts 3:19–22)

6In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls. (1 Pet. 1:6–9)

C. John witnessed Jesus in His Second Coming glory and ended his powerful revelation on the island of Patmos with a cry of great longing, “Maranatha, come, Lord Jesus!” As one born out of time, Paul witnessed Jesus’ resurrected glory on the road to Damascus. This encounter would lead Paul to declare that the love of Christ compels him to preach the gospel. His desire was to take the gospel to the nations that Jesus might return in his generation.

D. Paul called the second coming of the Lord Jesus the Church’s blessed hope. The apostles declared that though the kingdom has now come in the person of Jesus Christ by the forgiveness of sins and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, it will fully come when Jesus returns. At His return we will receive our glorified, resurrected bodies and the earth will be made new as He sets up His eternal throne in Jerusalem, ruling over the nations. Our personal hope and the hope of the entire world lie in the return of Jesus and the consummation of God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.

11For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. (Titus 2:11–14)

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27To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. (Col. 1:27–28)

1Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness, 2in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began, 3but has in due time manifested His word through preaching, which was committed to me according to the commandment of God our Savior. (Titus 1:1–3)

5For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. (Gal. 5:5)

E. Paul, at the close of his life, promised the crown of righteousness to all who longed for and loved the Lord’s appearing. There is a present-day move in the church to set aside the importance of the Lord’s return and focus on only the kingdom coming now through us. This emphasis on the “now” of the kingdom has done much good to remove passivity from the Church. However, emphasizing the “nowness” of the kingdom at the exclusion of the consummation of the kingdom at Jesus’ return was not the practice of the apostles. Their writings are clear. We are to long for His coming and live in such a way now that hastens His return.

8Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing. (2 Tim. 4:8)

F. One might say, “But doesn’t Jesus Himself say that it is good that He goes, for when He leaves, the Holy Spirit will come.” Yes, it is true that we should rejoice in the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Jesus has triumphed over sin and death, and because of His salvific work on the cross we have every thing we need now for life and godliness by the Holy Spirit’s enabling power. We do not long for Jesus from spiritual lack but from a deep longing for something even greater, the fullness of redemption. The Holy Spirit is the first-fruits of our redemption that is to be consummated at Jesus’ return. In fact, the scriptures are clear that even the Spirit Himself yearns within us for our consummation, the resurrection of our bodies.

1For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, 3if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. 4For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. 5Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. (2 Cor. 5:1–5)

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5For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. (Gal. 5:5)

13In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. (Eph. 1:13–14)

G. At the outset of the book of Revelation, the Father commissions Jesus to reveal more of His majesty to His Church. One of the major reasons for revealing Jesus’ majesty and glory in the book of Revelation is to create desire in the hearts of His believers to cry out for His return.

1The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants . . . (Rev. 1:1)

H. In His first coming Jesus revealed Himself in a way that created a longing for Him above all worldly pleasures and ambitions. His disciples considered the honor and delight of loving and knowing Him to be above all earthly joys. Eager for Jesus’ return, they labored for His return. His revelation and their witness were so powerful that the Church in the first two centuries longed for His appearing. In the book of Revelation, Jesus is revealed in His second coming glory that produces great affection for Him and a great desire for His return.

I. Wayne Grudem states in his, Systematic Theology, “To some extent, then, the degree to which we actually long for Christ’s return is a measure of the spiritual condition of our own lives at the moment.”1

1. Many times while growing up I hoped Jesus would not come back before certain things happened: receiving my driver’s license, getting married, or having children. The return of Jesus was merely a doctrine. It was not personal. But the second coming of Jesus was highly personal for the disciples and will be for the Church worldwide.

2. Revelation 22:17 speaks of a time when the Spirit and the Bride will be in complete unity in their desire for Jesus to return and rule on the earth. At the end of the age, the heart cry of believers will be one of longing for their King and God. God will release revelation concerning His Son that will produce the highest expressions of longing and love. John closes Revelation with a divine dialogue. Jesus gives the revelation of His coming. John receives it and responds back with the cry of yearning, longing love. “Come, Jesus! I miss You!”

20He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! (Rev. 22:20)

1. Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994), 1093.

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The cry of the early church was, “Come, Lord Jesus!” It is no mere coincidence that the very last words of the Bible are first the words of the Lord, “Yes, I am coming quickly,” and then the response of the church: “Amen, Come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20). This is the cry that the whole Bible is meant to leave in the hearts of the elect.2

J. There are many reasons why believers don’t long for Jesus’ return — political correctness and worldliness to name a few. Ignorance is also a main reason why people fail to long for Jesus. They fail to grasp two primary things about the end times. First, they fail to understand the absolute good news of what is ending and what is beginning as a result of Jesus’ second coming. Second, people fail to understand that the end times is primarily about the revelation of the personality and power of Jesus. The Father has planned an ultimate climax to redemptive history that will display the glory of Jesus in such a way that will bring the church into maturity and set the entire foundation for His earthly reign and the eternal age.

III. THE EFFECT OF JESUS’ COMING – WHAT IS ENDING AT THE END TIMES AND WHAT IS BEGINNING?

A. What is ending at the Second Coming of Jesus?

1. The hiddenness of Jesus’ identity and rule will end at the Second Coming. When He returns, He will return in great power and glory with every eye openly seeing Him in His true identity.

Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. (Matthew 24:30, NKJV)

Jesus said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Matthew 26:64, NKJV)

Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen. (Revelation 1:7, NKJV)

2. John Piper, A Hunger for God (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1997), 85–86.

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11Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. 15Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS (Rev. 19:11–16)

2. All the suffering and persecution of the saints will end. The saints will be delivered from every opposing power to the gospel.

. . . 28so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. (Heb. 9:28)

. . . 7and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, 8in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, 10when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed. (2 Thes. 1:7–10)

“And I said to him, “Sir, you know.” So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”” (Revelation 7:14–17, NKJV)

3. Jesus will end the influence of Satan and his demons and punish them with eternal torment. The one who deceived the nations and brought forth untold devastation to God’s creation will be tormented day and night forever in the lake of fire.

15And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel. (Gen. 3:15)

It shall come to pass in that day that the LORD will punish on high the host of exalted ones, And on the earth the kings of the earth. (Isaiah 24:21, NKJV)

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“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more . . . The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. (Revelation 20:1-3, 10, NKJV)

4. The corrupt systems of this world will end and be destroyed (Gen. 3:15; Rev. 19; 20). The kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of Christ.

Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ (Psalm 2:8–9, NKJV)

The Lord is at Your right hand; He shall execute kings in the day of His wrath. (Psalm 110:5, NKJV)

It shall come to pass in that day that the LORD will punish on high the host of exalted ones, And on the earth the kings of the earth. (Isaiah 24:21, NKJV)

“And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.” (Daniel 2:44, NKJV)

8And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. (2 Thes. 2:8)

Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” (Revelation 11:15, NKJV)

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Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.” And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh. (Revelation 19:17–21, NKJV)

5. The tyranny of the wicked will end and be condemned (Dan. 12; Mt. 25:31; Jn. 5:28– 29; Rev. 20).

3For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 4But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. (1 Thes. 5:3–4)

2“And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt.” (Dan. 12:2)

28“Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.” (Jn. 5:28–29)

4We ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, 5which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer; 6since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, 7and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, 8in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, 10when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed. (2 Thes. 1:4–10)

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13The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. (Rev. 20:13)

6. The effects of sin over the created order will end. Isaiah portrays this with the most beautiful imagery in Isaiah 11:6-9. Ezekiel 47 portrays the healing of the land and the seas.

6“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. 7The cow and the bear shall graze; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den. 9They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.” (Isa. 11:6–9)

19For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. (Rom. 8:19)

5Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” (Rev. 21:5)

7. Israel as a nation will end its season of blindness and hardness of heart against Messiah and will enter into everlasting righteousness. Romans 11:15 states that this return of national Israel to Messiah will be like life from the dead for the entire world.

11Indeed the LORD has proclaimed to the end of the world: “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Surely your salvation is coming; behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him.’” 12And they shall call them The Holy People, The Redeemed of the LORD; and you shall be called Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken. (Isa. 62:11–12)

25For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; 27for this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.”

28Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. 29For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, 31even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. 32For

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God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all. (Rom. 11:25–32)

10“And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. 11In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.” (Zech. 12:10–11)

1“In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness.” (Zech. 13:1)

7Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. (Rev. 1:7)

B. What will begin when Jesus returns?

1. The saints will be glorified with Christ, receiving their resurrected, glorified bodies.

4When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. (Col. 3:4)

2Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 3And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. (1 Jn. 3:2–3)

2. The righteous will be rewarded for their faithfulness and good works (Dan. 12; 1 Cor. 3:13).

2“And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt.” (Dan. 12:2)

12Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. (1 Cor. 3:12–15)

8Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing. (2 Tim. 4:8)

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3. The saints will begin ruling and reigning with Jesus for all eternity.

But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever. (Daniel 7:18, NKJV)

And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth. (Revelation 5:10, NKJV)

They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever. (Revelation 22:4–5, NKJV)

“If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us.” (2 Timothy 2:12, NKJV)

Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3 Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?3 (1 Cor. 6:2-3, NKJV)

4. The Kingdom of God will be established on earth forever just as it is in heaven (1 Cor. 15; Rev. 20–22). Jesus will initiate the millennial reign and begin to restore all things under His leadership. For one thousand years He will reign on earth to fulfill all the promises of the Word of God. He will disciple the nations and establish the kingdom of God in every sphere of human life (political, social, agricultural, economic, spiritual, educational, etc.). In this period of blessing, initiated at Jesus’ second coming, Satan will be bound and Jesus will rule the earth with a rod of iron.4

a. John Piper describes Jesus’ millennial reign, saying: “The result of Jesus’ rule will be a one-thousand-year period of peace, righteousness, prosperity, and unprecedented blessing for the whole earth, as Jesus restores life to conditions seen in the garden of Eden. Jesus as King of kings will govern a worldwide kingdom from Jerusalem in partnership with resurrected saints who rule with Him in establishing a biblically- based social order.”5

3 The New King James Version. (1982). (1 Co 6:2–3). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

4. Rev. 2:26–27; 3:21; 5:10; 20:4–6; 22:5; Mt. 19:28; 25:23; Lk. 22:29–30; 1 Cor. 6:2–3; 2 Tim. 2:12.

5. Piper, A Hunger for God, 85–86.

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34“You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. 35Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.” (Dan. 2:34–35)

44“And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. 45Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold—the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure.” (Dan. 2:44–45)

23But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. 24Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. 25For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. 26The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. 27For “He has put all things under His feet.” But when He says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. 28Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all. (1 Cor. 15:23–28)

b. Jesus as the Messianic King, who is God in the flesh, will lead a literal world-wide government from Jerusalem, which will instruct the nations in every sphere of life and judge the course of nations, enforcing world-wide peace and righteousness. Righteousness and peace will be taught through the Word of the Lord and established through His swift justice. The Abrahamic and Davidic covenants will be fulfilled as the nations of the earth are blessed through Israel. What was foreshadowed for a short time during the reign of Solomon6 will come forth for a thousand years under the reign of Jesus the Messiah. Jesus’ leadership will usher in a time of universal peace. Human creativity used to design instruments of war in the previous age will be used to create instruments of peace and blessing during the reign of Messiah.

6 1 Kings 10:1-29.

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The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the LORD’s house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow to it. Many people shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore.” (Isaiah 2:1–4, NKJV)

5. The New Jerusalem will descend from heaven and come to the earth. Just as the work of Calvary and the ministry of the Holy Spirit is preparing the earth for the Lord Jesus’ return, so will the earthly rule of Jesus, in the full power of the Holy Spirit, prepare the earth for the coming of the Father to fully join heaven and earth. Before this takes place, at the end of the one thousand years, God will release Satan for one final testing of the nations. This conflict will end with the casting of Satan, the wicked, and hell itself into the lake of fire. Then all things will be made new, and God will tabernacle with men.

IV. BEHOLDING THE GLORY OF JESUS IN HIS SECOND COMING7

A. The book of Revelation is more than apocalyptic imagery about the coming Antichrist. Its main focus is on the glorious person of Jesus. The book begins with the Father commissioning Jesus to reveal Himself to the nations. This is an interesting assignment given to the Son toreveal Himself to the nations? Hasn’t Jesus already revealed Himself to the nations in His life, death, and resurrection?

B. The Father commissions Jesus to reveal Himself in His second coming glory as the Bridegroom King who will conquer the nations to establish His kingdom of love and righteousness on earth. The main theme of the book of Revelation is to reveal the personality, power, and plan of Jesus in preparing His Church to participate with Him in releasing God’s glory in all the nations.

1The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants . . . (Rev. 1:1)

26“And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” (Jn. 17:26)

1. Jesus is the passionate Bridegroom who is filled with tender, yet jealous love. Jesus will return to a prepared Bride who lives in unity with Him and the Spirit.

7. Some of the following is taken from Mike Bickle’s notes on the Book of Revelation and is used with his permission. These notes can be found on mikebickle.org.

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7“The marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” (Rev. 19:7)

2. Jesus is the King who will intervene to save the earth by taking over the government of every nation for the glory of God and the good of His people forever. Jesus will replace all the unrighteous governments on earth with righteous leaders and laws.

15Then the seventh angel sounded: and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” (Rev. 11:15)

3. Jesus is the righteous and wise judge who works redemptively to confront hatred toward God and reveal truth in order to establish love across the whole earth (Rev. 16:5–7; 19:1–5).

3“Great and marvelous are Your works . . . Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints! . . . 4For Your judgments have been manifested.” (Rev. 15:3–4)

4. In the person of Christ, the world will watch God declare His name in terms of mercy, compassion, deliverance, protection, righteousness, justice, wrath, and love. Jesus will declare His Father’s name again as He delivers the saints, protects and saves Israel, destroys the wicked, and binds Satan in the bottomless pit—all through the partnership of a praying, purified Bride. All His manifold glory will be displayed as He vindicates His loving nature by removing wickedness from the earth and saving the entire created order.

C. The apostle John was the beloved disciple. He leaned on Jesus’ breast at the Lord’s Supper and asked Him who would betray Him. He followed Jesus to the cross and watched as the Son of God poured out His life as an offering for sin. Jesus entrusted His very mother into John’s care. Yet, on the island of Patmos John would experience a different face of Jesus. In Revelation 1:9– 20 John is in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day when suddenly the Lord appears in His second coming glory. The beloved apostle falls as a dead man before Jesus’ glorious majesty.

D. For the next 22 chapters Jesus would reveal God’s beautiful plan to bring this age to a close and usher in Christ’s kingdom. Undone at Jesus’ glory, power, and love, John falls down throughout the revelation, unable to continue writing. At the end he can contain himself no longer and cries out, “Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!”

E. Revelation 19:12 tells us that Jesus even has a name that we do not yet know: “His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself.” We have all eternity to mine the endless depths of God’s beauty, power, and glory contained in the person of His Son. I imagine that He cannot wait for us to receive our resurrected bodies so we can fully engage with and enjoy His self-revelation.

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F. Have we read what John saw? Have we glimpsed His glorious splendor and longed for His return, or are we mired in the world’s pleasures, too busy to gaze on the One who is coming with the fire of love in His eyes? Are we watching and waiting for our beloved Bridegroom, or are we intimidated by the foolish sages of the day who ignore His plea to be found waiting for our master’s coming? Remember His injunction, “What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!’” May He find us ready and waiting, longing for Him like He longs for us!

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