The Reveal

"And inasmuch as it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this cometh judgment; so Christ also, having been once offered to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time, apart from sin, to them that wait for Him unto salvation."
                                                                                     (Hebrews 9:27-28)



We are currently living in between two epic events: the first and second Advent of Christ.  While many believers in the Old Testament did not understand that the coming of Christ would occur in two separate events, we are blessed to know that we have one Messiah who fulfills two separate roles.  The purpose of the first Advent was to become the sacrifice for all sins: past, present, and future and to destroy the works of Satan.  The purpose of the second Advent is to award salvation to those who eagerly await it.

The first Advent of Christ is now an historical fact.  When Jesus lived on this earth for thirty-three years, He fulfilled many of the prophecies found in Scripture, but not all of them.  Born as a helpless infant, He entered our world in meekness and humility.  Jesus was rejected by His own (the Jewish people) and He completed His mission as the Suffering Servant (Isaiah 53).  He became the Savior of sinners and yet the government remained in the hands of men.

At the Cross, Jesus defeated sin, which became our doctrine of atonement.  This is the very heartbeat of Christianity and it literally means "reconciliation [to God]".  Through the atonement that Jesus provided for us, we are: regenerated, redeemed, reconciled, justified, forgiven, and adopted by God.

Additionally, we are told that the first coming of Christ defeated the works of Satan.  The apostle, John, writes, "[But] he who commits sin [who practices evil doing] is of the devil [takes his character from the evil one], for the devil has sinned (violated the divine law) from the beginning.  The reason the Son of God was made manifest (visible) was to undo (destroy, loosen, and dissolve) the works the devil [has done]" (1 John 3:8).

The second Advent of Christ will be completely different from the first- the Lamb becomes the Lion of Judah.  Our focus shifts from the Cross of Calvary to the Crown of Christ.  Jesus will appear the second time, completely apart from sin, in power and authority.  He will appear in the clouds, with the armies of heaven, to rule and reign forever.

All of the prophecies concerning Christ that have not previously been fulfilled will be fulfilled at His Second Coming.  Our Conquering King will come with the government in His hands and on is shoulder.  This time, He will be received by the Jewish people who will claim Him as their own Messiah.  Instead of coming as the Savior of sinners, Jesus will come as the Judge of sinners.  Jude tells us that Jesus will "execute judgment upon all and will convict all the impious (unholy ones) of all their ungodly deeds" (Jude, v.15).

The second Advent of Christ is referred to as the Glorious Appearing (Titus 2:13).  And, glorious it will be! Jesus will take an upside down world and He will turn it right side up.  It is at this time that everything will be redeemed.  Isaiah tells us that, "[The Lord God says], 'And the redeemed of the Lord shall return and come with singing to Zion; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing will flee away'" (Isaiah 51:11).

It is at this time that Satan will be dethroned.  Since the Cross, he has been under the authority of Christ but God allowed him to still be the "god of this age".  He has yet to be chained and thrown into the lake of fire, but his time for that is soon to come!

At Jesus' Second Coming, all curses will be reversed.  In addition to that, all nations will be freed from the bondage of sin and corruption.  When Jesus rules, all of creation will be transformed.

When this world is reborn, Jesus will be the King and we will be a kingdom of priests that reign with Him.  We will have rulership to carry out His commands.  Peace will have its' perfect order throughout the world.  The condition that Christ gives to us is that we endure and not deny Him (2 Timothy 2:12).

In an increasingly hostile environment, this will require intentionality and the power of the Holy Spirit.  As the hostility increases so will the outpouring of God's Holy Spirit because He will never leave us in a position where we are not equipped to do His will and walk in victory.  As we transition into epic times, we have before us the most exciting moments of history ever to be experienced!

We are not to focus on the evil that is advancing, but, rather on what God is doing in the midst of it.  Remember, we all have a date with deity in our future.  Those who have been redeemed by the Lamb will rule and reign with the Lion of Judah.  When this happens, we will no longer have an advocate or defender for us because the evidence is all in.  Heaven does not exist for "good" people or religious people.  Heaven only exists for forgiven people that have a relationship with the One who "died for [all] our sins" (1 Corinthians 15:3).

The first Advent of Jesus occurred in an obscure, remote setting.  But, His Second Advent will be Jesus' big Reveal!  He will come with the clouds and "every eye will see Him" (Revelation 1:7). Some will be thrilled and others will lament and mourn at the sight of Him.  The time to be excited is now!  Are you awaiting the ultimate Reveal?


"Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there.  Its' rider was named Faithful and True, for He judges fairly and wages a righteous war.  His eyes were like flames of fire, and on His head were many crowns.  A name was written on Him that no one understood except Himself.  He wore a robe dipped in blood, and is title  was the Word of God.  The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed Him on white horses.  From His mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations.  He will rule them with an iron rod.  He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress.  On His robe at His thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords."
                                    (Revelation 10:11-16)