Word of Salvation – Vol.12 No.37 – September 1966
Christ’s Return
Sermon by Rev. P. G. Geertsema on Rev.1:7
Scripture Reading: 2Peter 3
Psalter Hymnal: 166:2,4; 174 (Law); 394; 200:2,4; 363:2,3
Beloved brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ,
On this occasion I should like to draw your attention to the return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ on the clouds of heaven at the close of this dispensation. May His Spirit guide our thoughts and enlighten our minds as we consider this all-important subject as follows:
1 . That Christ will return.
2. How Christ will return.
3. When Christ will return.
- That Christ will return
In the Old Testament the psalmist, inspired by the Spirit of God, sings in Psalms 96 and 98 of the Lord Who comes to judge the earth, who will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with equity. This is to us, New Testament believers, a clear reference to Him who will once come in glory to judge the living and the dead. One commentator says in this connection: “The main point of the Old Testament expectation of salvation does not so much lie in the Messiah as in the coming near of the Lord.” By these and similar prophetic and poetic words the believing Israelite was strengthened in the faith. God would visit His own people in His good time.
In the New Testament we find many texts which tell us that Christ will return really and visibly. Our Saviour said of Himself; “Then will appear the sign of the Son of man 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.”
At the occasion of the ascension the men in white robes said to the amazed disciples: “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, Who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
Peter, in his second letter, has a special word for the scoffers of his time and, through the Holy Spirit, also for the scoffers of our days. They ask the question: “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things have continued as they were from the beginning of creation”. This is the argument from the side of the unbelievers. Nothing has changed, they say. Don’t believe the story of Christ’s return! To us it sounds like a very interesting fairy tale which you should forget as soon as you have heard it. But the apostle Peter gives this answer for all times: “The Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness, but is forbearing toward you… but the day of the Lord will come like a thief…!”
Our text confirms what has been said in all the previous texts. Therefore we can confidently say that God’s Word clearly teaches us that Jesus Christ will return on the last day.
Generally speaking we can say that the young Christian churches were living in the joyful expectation of the Lord’s speedy return. They had believingly accepted all the given promises in this connection and therefore they tried to live as closely to their Master-to-come as possible. In their heart lived a holy optimism regarding the future of the individual believers and of the Church as a whole. Listen to what the apostle Paul writes to the church in Rome: “For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed; the night is far gone, the day is at hand.”
You believe in Jesus Christ. Every Sunday you confess with the congregation in the words of the Apostles’ Creed: “I believe in Jesus Christ who sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from where He shall come to judge the living and the dead”. The question is: are you really ready to receive Him – at this moment? Or do you almost never give the future return of your Saviour a thought? This question cannot be evaded by making remarks like: “I am very busy in the service of the Lord anyway. I trust He will care for me when that moment arrives.” No, we must live as Christians who expect their Master’s return every day. It is only natural for a person who, by the grace of God, has accepted Christ’s salvation by faith, to expect Him Who did all these things for him, with eagerness. It would be very strange if it were otherwise. You know that He will return. Are you praying and working and watching while you expect Him?
- How will Christ return?
He will return suddenly. He said: “For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of man.” We cannot form a precise idea of how Christ will be seen by everyone and everywhere at once, but if we think of the invention of television combined with tellstar satellite, then these things do not present a problem to us anymore. Isn’t God Almighty? He can perfect these inventions for His purpose in a moment if He needs them,
Certain signs will accompany His return. In Matth.24:31 we read that when Christ comes back, He will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call. And Paul adds the following in this connection: “For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.” These and similar texts convey the one thought: at the sound of the trumpet the dead will be raised and they will hear the announcement from heaven: “The day of judgment has come and the heavenly Judge is ready to pronounce his final verdict.”
Christ will come on the clouds of heaven. These clouds have a specific meaning; they are signs of the divine presence and majesty. On its journey through the desert Israel was guided by God Himself; He went before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on their way. Throughout the whole journey of the covenant people the cloud above the ark reminded them of God’s presence. The New Testament tells us that a bright cloud overshadowed the mountain of transfiguration and that after. wards God himself spoke from the cloud. When Jesus ascended to heaven, a cloud took Him out of the disciples’ sight. In the light of these facts we can say that the clouds on which He will come, in their own way represent His divine majesty. Christ will return with His human but glorified body. This is what the angels said to the disciples at the time of Christ’s ascension: “This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” “…In the same way…!” This means not only; returning from heaven to earth, but also: with that same glorified body. Behold, says our text, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him. At his arrival Jesus Christ will show that He is the Lord of Lords and that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him.
Christ will return, surrounded by His angels, He will sit on his glorious throne. Then his angels will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
What a glorious sight this will be: Christ, our beloved Saviour, returning on the clouds of heaven in power and glory, surrounded by an innumerable host of heavenly beings, ready to do his will. In front of His throne of judgment there will be the millions and millions of people, summoned to appear before Him, the heavenly Judge Who, according to the psalms quoted at the beginning of this sermon, will then judge everyone with righteousness and equity.
- When will Christ return?
This question is as old as the Church itself. The disciples, representing the church, asked Jesus that question after He had announced the destruction of the temple and city of Jerusalem. “Tell us,” they asked, “when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?” In answer Jesus says: “Of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.”
Now this is a clear-cut answer. But notwithstanding that, many efforts have been made to predict the exact day of Christ’s return. In the second century Motanus of Phrygia preached Christ’s coming back as immanent. About the year 1000 many people lived in the expectation that the glorified Christ would appear again. Much later the scholar Bengel worked out that Christ’s return would take place in 1836. A certain Miller prophesied 21st March, 1844 as the final date. That day arrived and it passed, but nothing happened.
All these endeavours are not only senseless, they are sinful. How can we try to predict this day when Christ expressly tells that nobody knows the day of his return? The secret things belong to the Lord our God (Deut.29:29), and we should not try to find out the things God in his wisdom has withheld from us. But there is one thing we must do. Even because we do not know the day nor the hour we must be watchful. We should notice the signs of the times that have been predicted by Jesus long ago in his prophetic speech.
A reddish glow announces the rising of the sun. A distant noise in the sky tells us that an aircraft is in the vicinity. The tender branch and the young fresh leaves of the fig tree tell us that summer is near. “So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates.” For the unbelievers the return of Christ will be like an unexpected flash of lightning. They who once pierced his hands, his feet and his side while He suffered on the cross will see Him. But He will also be seen by those who did the same in a spiritual sense, who rejected Jesus Christ, who profaned the blood of the covenant by which they were sanctified. At the moment of Christ’s return they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us’ and to the hills ‘Cover us’.
Our text ends with the word ‘Amen’. This word does not only form the end of this heavenly proclamation, it is at the same time a divine confirmation of what has been said in the text. For God’s children the day of their Saviour’s return may be sudden, but it will not be unexpected. At least, that is how it should be. To encourage us, Jesus told his well-known parable of the ten virgins, five of which were foolish, and five were wise. In many respects there was no difference between them. They all took their lamps, they all went to meet the bridegroom, they all slumbered and slept. The difference between them is only seen when the cry is heard, ‘Behold, the bridegroom!’ We know that the difference lies in the oil. Five of them have it, five of them don’t. And the application of this parable is as meaningful today as it was in the time when it was spoken: “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour”.
Are you ready to meet your Saviour any time? Do you not only expect Him, but do expect Him joyfully? Jesus is coming soon! Listen to the concluding words of our Confession of Faith: “Therefore we expect that great day with a most ardent desire, to the end that we may fully enjoy the promises of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
This confession was written at a time when the persecution of the true believers was a matter of daily routine. No wonder therefore that they were longing for Christ’s return. But we should do the same. We should act like the wise maidens who took flasks of oil with their lamps and who at the given time were ready to go with the bridegroom to the marriage feast.
Perform your task on earth faithfully. And while doing so, expect the Son of God’s return. You may do so confidently because He who will be the Judge will also be your Saviour, the very same Person! Expect Him watchfully! Expect Him watchfully! Expect Him prayerfully! Let your prayer join the prayer of the militant Church on earth: “Come, O Jesus, come soon!”
AMEN