“Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to everyone according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.” Revelation 22:12,13
If there is one theme in Scripture, especially in our day, which should be meditated upon, and grasped because of its significance, it is the appearance of Christ, coming in the clouds, according to His promise. Why? First of all, it is because of Who Christ truly is. Just the fact of coming to grips with Christ’s identity, and the declarations that He makes concerning His person, are more than enough to motivate the believing soul to desire earnestly to be ready to meet Him. In His declaration concerning who He is, not only seen in the book of Revelation, but also in the Old Testament, as the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, we are brought face to face with the incomparable God, in His power, wisdom, authority, and holiness. He declares that He is before creation, the very creator of all things, the sustainer of all things, evermore the same, even after all things that have been touched by the curse of sin have passed away. He, with the Father, by the Spirit, is that One worshipped in heaven, who is worthy to receive blessing, honor, glory and power. Without Him, there would be no creation. Without Him, creation could not hold together. Without Him not a single soul on earth could be saved from sin and death. Christ will be forever absolutely worthy of the reverential worship by the entirety of His creation. This Christ, “…the King eternal, immortal, invisible, …who alone is wise,” is the One who is coming again.
Secondly, the appearing of Christ in the clouds, has for its objective, not only to fulfill the promise that He made two thousand years ago to His disciples, but to accomplish all that He promised concerning His living church, His body on earth. His promise for those who believe is one of eternal hope and everlasting comfort in a present world which is passing away, destitute of true Life, the very Life of God.
There were many times in the Old Testament, and in the New Testament when Christ “appeared.” Sometimes it would be in the form of “the Angel of the Lord.” He also appeared as the “Captain of the Lord’s host.” He appeared after His resurrection to the disciples several times, in order to remove every doubt as to the reality of His resurrection. He would specifically show them His scars which testified of His suffering on the cross, but which also declare that His redeeming work has been perfectly, eternally accomplished. So then, when Scripture speaks again of His appearing, and this in the clouds, what else is it referring to?
In the first letter of Paul to Timothy, he writes: “I urge you in the sight of God, …that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless, until our Lord Jesus Christ’s APPEARING, which He will manifest in His own time.” (6:13,14,15) Then Paul writes: “… 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.” (4:8)
Christ’s promise to His disciples, by the words of His angels just after He ascended into heaven through the clouds, was that He would come again “in like manner.” In John’s gospel, the Lord promised: “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am there you may be also.” (14:3)
Frances Havergal wrote: “Thou art coming, Thou art coming, We shall meet Thee on Thy Way; We shall see Thee, we shall know Thee, We shall bless Thee, we shall show Thee, All our hearts could never say.” The imminent appearance of Jesus Christ is a personal, wondrous hope.
Dear Father, Fill us with expectation. In Jesus’ name, Amen.