134. REV 1:7. THE SECOND ADVENT
Rev_1:7. The Second Advent
By the Rev. David Sutherland, Bath, State of New Hampshire.
"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."’97Rev_1:7.
God hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness, by that man whom he hath ordained, whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. As certainly as the Son of God was raised from the dead, shall he come the second time without a sin-offering unto salvation. Brethren, we shall all appear before him; all the generations that have preceded us; all our contemporaries; and all the generations that are unborn, shall be there. "Behold, he cometh with clouds," &c.
Our subject leads us to consider, I. The Judge. II. The Manner of his Coining. III. The Witnesses of his Appearing. And, IV. The Effects of his Decisions.
I. The Judge.
John has manifest reference to the divine Saviour: "We shall all stand before the judgment-seat of Christ." Here, then, it may be useful to consider some qualifications of the Son of man for the high office which he sustains.
1. As a judge of glorious dignity, of high, indisputable authority.
Such, indeed, is his dignity, that he if the "brightness of his Father’s glory, and the express image of his person; upholding all things by the word of his power." He is "King of kings, and Lord of lords; Heir of all things," &c. He is qualified for his high office,
2. By his perfection of omniscience.
No man, however acute his discernment, can know the thoughts and intents of the heart. With Messiah, is unbounded knowledge. "All things are naked," &c., &c. "He searcheth the hearts," &c. "He needeth not that any should testify of man, or he knoweth what is in him."
3. He is a Being of the most perfect equity.
No quality more important in a judge than pure justice. Our divine Judge is perfectly free from all the partialities incident to humanity: "Judgment and justice are the habitations of his throne." "A sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of his kingdom."
4. As a Judge he will be armed with almighty power.
To express his omnipotence, he is styled in Scripture, "the only Potentate, the King of kings," &c. "He doeth according to his will in the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth." He is almighty. Power and strength belong to his perfections. When he was in the world, the wind and sea obeyed him, and devils fled at his approach. Let us then consider,
II. The Manner of his Coming.
"In clouds." Jesus gave this reply when asked, "Art thou the Christ?" He answered: "I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven;" Mar_14:62; Mar_13:26; Mat_24:30; Mat_26:64. The angels, at Christ’s ascension, also declared, that he should come again in like manner, as he had ascended, when a cloud received him out of their sight; Act_1:9-11. The apostle, also, describing the Lord’s advent, says: "Then we, which are alive, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air," &c.; 1Th_4:17. The Scriptures connect the visible appearance of our Lord with a magnificent train of angels, which is to constitute his retinue; Mat_25:31. Notice,
III. The Witnesses of his Appearing.
"Every eye shall see him." What a vast assembly! A nation’97an empire’97a quarter of the globe’97whole of the present generation’97all the generations past, and all that are yet unborn. In this assembly will be seen his friends and foes’97Caiaphas and Annas, the high priests’97the Scribes and Pharisees’97the fickle multitude, who one day exclaimed, "Hosanna!" and the next, "Crucify him! crucify him!" There will be Pontius Pilate, who condemned, and Judas, who betrayed him’97Jews and Gentiles’97barbarians and civilized’97bond and free’97great and small; yea, every eye shall see him. Not one human being shall be excused, from Adam to the last-born of our race. Observe,
IV. The Consequences of the Coming of the Messiah.
"All nations shall wail because of him." All nations have sinned against him; multitudes of all nations have hated and rejected him. To them the appearance of the Judge will be terrible indeed! He will then arraign them, try them, pronounce them guilty, and cause them to be thrust out, where there will be "weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth."
Application
1. It is a consolatory truth, that the Judge of all is the Saviour of men. He once died for us; he now invites and entreats us to come to him for pardon and life "Kiss the Son, lest he be angry," &c.; Psa_2:12. "Agree with thine adversary," &c.; Mat_5:25.
2. We see the evil nature and dreadful consequences of sin. It is this that makes life wretched, death fearful, and judgment tremendous. Deliverance from it, therefore, is present happiness, and will lay a foundation for a blessed hope of meeting the descending Judge with joy, and not with grief.
3. To the incorrigibly wicked, that day of the Lord will be fearful indeed! See Rev_6:14-17; 2Th_1:8.
Autor: JABEZ BURNS