Soon Coming of Our Lord | Part 1

... ... As He returns, His glory will be unveiled and we will truly see Him. The book of Revelation describes His return in vivid detail. If you have your Bible, turn to Revelation chapter 1. We'll begin in verse 3 as Adrian Rogers begins part 1 of The Soon Coming of Our Lord. Turn to the book of Revelation chapter 1, right here on the threshold of the book of Revelation. It speaks of the soon coming of our Lord. In verse 3, the Bible says concerning this book, Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein. Now listen to this, for the time, the time is at hand. What does that mean? It means that at any moment Jesus can come. You think of that. Don't get the idea that eternity is way out yonder. It's only a heartbeat away.

At any moment, Jesus may come. There's an old story about a grandfather's clock that sat in the hall of a farmhouse for many, many years, very faithful to chime the time, and upon a time in the middle of the night, the old clock began to chime. It was dark and somewhere in the middle of the night, and the clock chimed bong one, bong two, bong three, bong four, and it continued to chime bong 12, bong 13, bong 14, bong 15. Something was wrong with the old clock, and it would not quit chiming. The farmer listened for a while and gave his wife an elbow and said, Wake up. Wake up quick.

She rubbed her eyes and said, Why? What time is it? He said, I don't know, but it's later than it's ever been before. Now folks, I want to tell you that is exactly where we are in history. I cannot tell you exactly precisely what time it is on God's clock, but I can tell you that all of those of us who study the Bible, and you included I'm certain, know that there's something strange and mysterious in the air. We have a feeling that we're living in the climax of the ages, and we know indeed that the apostle Paul told us two millenniums ago that the time is at hand, and any time from John's time to this time, Jesus could give a shout, burst through the blue, and come in glory for his own. Is that not true?

It is true. Now, I would have loved to have seen the Lord Jesus when he was here in the flesh. I would have loved to have seen the Lord Jesus healing the multitudes. I would have loved to have heard the Lord Jesus teaching. I would have loved to have seen the Lord feeding the 5,000.

What a thrill it would have been to see the Lord Jesus walking on water. But that's past. That's history.

That is gone. But I'll tell you something else. I had rather see him when he comes again, and that I will. Notice here as the Bible describes the Lord Jesus, and let's begin to read. Skip on down, if you will, to verse 7. And John the apostle says, Behold, he, that is Jesus, cometh with clouds.

And the cloud here he's talking about is the Shekinah glory cloud. And every eye shall see him. They also which pierced him, and all kindreds of the earth, shall wail because of him.

That is because they did not understand him and see him sooner. Even so, amen. And then the Lord Jesus begins to speak, I am alpha and omega. The alpha was the first letter in the Greek alphabet.

This is written in Greek. The omega is the last letter in the Greek alphabet. There's nothing before the alpha. There's nothing after the omega. Now what Jesus is saying is that I am the alpha and the omega. I am the beginning and the end. You see the Greek alphabet is encased in those two bookends, the alpha and the omega.

Now if Jesus were speaking to a modern congregation of English, He would say, I'm what? I'm the A and the Z. Do you know all the books in my library are made up of only 26 letters?

All of them between A and Z. Everything in there. All of the knowledge, all of the wisdom, all of the history, all of the facts, all of it is comprised with just 26 letters. Now friend, Jesus, Jesus is all of everything.

He's just all of everything. He is the alpha and the omega and He is every letter in between. And that's what He is telling the apostle John there when he appears to him. John is on the island of Patmos. I've been on this island. It's a little rocky, craggy island in the Mediterranean.

It's about ten feet long, ten miles long and five miles wide. It was the Alcatraz of that day. And the reason the apostle John was there is he had been put there for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. Look, if you will, in verse 9. I, John, who also am your brother and companion in tribulation. Now he's an old man now, about 90 years of age. He's been exiled to this devil's island, this Alcatraz.

Perhaps he's there doing hard labor, working in the quarries, breaking rocks or whatever. And he says, I'm your brother and companion in tribulation and in the kingdom and patience, that is the endurance of Christ, I was in the isle that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Christ. And I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day. And I heard behind me a great voice as of a trumpet saying, I am alpha and omega, the first and the last. What thou seest, write in a book and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia, unto Ephesus and unto Samirna and unto Pergamos and unto Thyatira and unto Sardis and unto Philadelphia and unto Laodicea. And that's the book of the revelation that we have right today.

This is when the apostle John got his commission to write the book that we hold in our hands today. Now, John hears this voice like a trumpet and he turns around to see, verse 12, And I turned to see the voice that spake with me, and being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks or lampstands. And in the midst of the seven candlesticks, one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps or the chest with a golden girdle.

And then John begins to describe the glorified Christ that he sees. There on Patmos, there on that Alcatraz, that rocky, barren island, Almighty God pulled back the veil and showed Jesus in his glory. Now, when Jesus came to this earth the first time, he came with his glory veiled. As a matter of fact, we sing it in the Christmas carols, Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see. There was a veil over his glory. We could not have seen his glory and stood it. So he came with a veil over his glory, not a veil like a woman wears at a wedding.

But his very humanity veiled that glory that was inherently his. And the book of the Revelation is called the Apocalypse. That's the Greek name for it, the Apocalypse.

It comes from a Greek word apokalupsis, which simply means an unveiling. If an artist was commissioned perhaps by the city to do a sculpturing, and there comes a time when they're going to dedicate that sculpturing and it has a veil over it. Maybe there's a canvas encasement over it, and at an appropriate time a string is drawn and that statue as the encasement falls away, it's unveiled, it's revealed. That's the reason why we call the book of the Revelation the Revelation. It's a revelation.

It's an unveiling. And what the apostle John is about to see is an unveiling of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is about to see, what I want you to see today as we get ready to give him glory, he is about to see the Lord Jesus Christ not as he was walking in sandals by Galilee, but as he is ruling and reigning. And there are ten wonderful things about this Christ that I want you to see today. The Jesus that appeared to the aged apostle John on the Isle of Patmos, this Alpha and Omega. And by the way, John said, I'm your brother in tribulation. And all the saints will not go through the great tribulation, but we will all go through tribulation for Jesus said in John chapter 16 verse 33, in this world you will have tribulation. And friend, in tribulation it's always good to get a glimpse of the glory.

Now let me give you these ten things. And I want you to look at them very carefully because this will help you in your worship. Because your worship is going to be no better than your vision of the Lord Jesus Christ. The first thing I want you to see is that he is the resurrected Christ with undiminished humanity. Look, if you will, in verses 12 and 13.

And I turned to see the voice that spake with me and being turned I saw seven golden candlesticks. And in the midst of the candlesticks one, now notice this, like unto the Son of Man. Not the Son of God, though he was the Son of God, but one like unto the Son of Man. Now the apostle John had not seen him for some 60 to 65 years. And when he appears to the apostle John on the island of Patmos after he'd already gone to heaven and come back to appear to John in all of his glory, how does John see him?

John sees him still as a man. Now when Jesus Christ stepped out of heaven and was born through the portals of a virgin's womb at Bethlehem, he took upon himself humanity. And friend, he still has that humanity today.

Now let me tell you something. When we get to heaven, we are going to see in heaven the man Christ Jesus. He is still a man. He did not take human form only to be here on earth and then lay it aside. There is a man in the glory. And when I get to heaven, I will see the nail prints in his hand.

And so will you. Friend, when the Lord Jesus Christ took our humanity, he took our humanity and he will forever be like us. And when we see him, we will forever be like him.

Now that right there is a praise point. So the very first thing he sees is the resurrected Christ with undiminished humanity. Second thing he sees is the reigning Christ with unrivaled majesty. Notice in verse 13, And he is clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps of the chest with a golden girdle.

What is this? What is this sash that he wears around his chest? What is this robe that he wears?

These are the robes of a king and a priest. And that's what our Lord is. He is still the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. He has this unrivaled majesty. You see, he is not now pictured as the Savior. He is now pictured as the Sovereign. He is now the reigning, ruling, regal Lord with the robes of regality round about him. He is now our King Priest.

It's very important that you understand this. Because when he came to the earth the first time, he came to a tree. And when he comes again, he's coming to a throne. When he came the first time, he came to redeem. But when he comes again, he will come to reign. When he came the first time, he came as a Savior.

But when he comes again, he's coming as the Sovereign. I heard about an individual one time who was arrested for a crime, and he indeed was guilty, but he thought perhaps he could find mercy on the court because the judge that was sitting on the bench at one time represented this man as a lawyer. And the judge said to him, I'm sorry to inform you of this, but I can show absolutely no partiality on your point at that time. I was your lawyer to represent you, but now I am your judge to judge you. And I want to tell you this, folks, that if you do not allow the Lord Jesus Christ to be your Savior, you will meet him as your judge, and the lamb will become the lion.

You may have cursed him behind his back, but I doubt seriously that you'll curse him to his face. Here's the third thing I want you to see about him. Number one, he's the resurrected Christ with undiminished humanity. Number two, he is the reigning Christ with unrivaled majesty.

He's wearing the robes of regality. And then I want you to notice in verse 14, he is also the righteous Christ with undiminished purity. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow.

What does that talk about? His holiness, his purity. He has this unblemished purity.

The whiteness of the snow represents purity. Isaiah 118, come now and let us reason together, saith the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. And if you think that he can accept you as you are without being born again, you are grossly ignorant of two things. You don't know how holy he is, and you don't know how sinful you are. Now, here's the fourth thing he saw about this Christ. He is the revealing Christ with unhindered scrutiny. Look, if you will, again in verse 14. And his eyes were as a flame of fire.

What does this mean? It means that his vision not only sees you, it sees through you. He has x-ray vision.

The Bible tells about this in Hebrews chapter 4, verse 13. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight, but all things are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to be. Did you know the Lord Jesus Christ right now sees your heart this moment? Did you know he knows what you're thinking this very second?

His eyes like a flame of fire. He cannot be deceived. He cannot be disputed. He cannot be discredited.

Number five. He is the relentless Christ with untarnished integrity. Look in verse 15. And his feet like unto fine brass as if they burned in a furnace. Now in the Bible, brass is an emblem of judgment. In the outer court where the sacrifices were made in the tabernacle, those implements were made of brass.

That brazen altar where the sacrifice was consumed was indeed brass. And the fires of God's judgment burned themselves out upon that sacrifice. And what is this talking about when the Bible says that he burned in a furnace? What is this talking about when the Bible says that his feet are like molten brass? The feet speak of his progress, his going forth. And he is going forth to judge. He is the relentless Christ, the relentless Christ with untarnished integrity.

Now he came the first time to say, but when he comes again he's coming with those feet of glowing bronze to trample out his enemies and to trample his foes he is unstoppable. Symbolically this speaks of judgment. When our Lord Jesus comes the second time he's coming not to redeem, he's coming to judge.

You might put Acts chapter 17 verses 30 and 31 down. The Bible says in the times of this ignorance God winked at, but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent because he, that is God, hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained, whereof he hath given assurance unto all men and that he hath raised him from the dead. The Lord Jesus Christ is the judge as well as the Savior.

He himself said the Father judgeth no man. He hath committed all judgment unto the Son. So he is the relentless Christ coming in judgment with untarnished integrity.

Number six, he is the regal Christ with unchallenged authority. Look if you will again in verse 15. And his voice was as the sound of many waters. Now this speaks of the majesty and the power of our Lord. His voice like many waters. Psalm 29 verses three and four says, the voice of the Lord is upon the waters. The God of glory thundereth. The Lord is upon many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful.

The voice of the Lord is full of majesty. It's like a hundred Niagara Falls. I've been to Niagara Falls like many of you have. I've watched in amazement as that water pours over that cataract.

Can you imagine standing at the foot of those falls and arguing with Niagara Falls? This is what he's saying here, that his voice is like 100 cascading waters and his voice is like 100 cascading waterfalls. The power of his voice, the unchallenged authority of this. The apostle John said in John chapter five and verse 28, marvel not at this, for the hour is coming in which all that are in the grave shall hear his voice. There'll be no talking back.

We'll stand before him in silence. Number seven, he is the regulating Christ with unequaled mastery. Look in verse 16. And he had in his right hand seven stars. He's holding seven stars in his right hand. What does that speak of?

Well, seven is the number of perfection. And the stars speak of several things. They speak of all creation that he has in his right hand as he is the one who regulates them.

He has in his right hand as he is the one who regulates and rules the universe. But these stars have a deeper symbolic meaning. Look down in verse 20, the mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches. Every one of the seven churches in the book of Revelation had an angel. And the word angel is the word angelos, which means messenger.

And Bible teachers believe this refers to the pastor. Did you know that your pastor is an angel? You didn't know that, did you? He's also a star. You didn't know that, did you?

And I'll tell you one thing you can rejoice in. He's in Jesus' hands. God keeps his men. He keeps his messengers, those who are God called.

And it's just his way of saying, look, I've got this thing in my hand. Adrian, it's not your ministry. It's not your church.

It's not your mind. I hold you in my hands. As a matter of fact, I have a motto, beautifully framed, that's on my wall in my study at home.

And here's what it says. Adrian, trust me, I have everything under control, Jesus. Adrian, trust me, I have everything under control, Jesus. He's the one who holds everything in his right hand. He's the regulating Christ with unequaled mastery. Isn't that a great thought to end today's message? Jesus is the one who holds everything in his right hand.

Rest assured of his unequaled mastery today. And coming up next time, we'll hear part two of this important message. Today, if you have questions about who Jesus is, about what he means to you, how to receive the forgiveness that he's freely offering you, go to our Discover Jesus page at lwf.org slash radio.

You'll find resources and materials that will answer questions you may have about your faith. Now, if you'd like to order a copy of today's message, call us at 1-877-LOVEGOD and ask for the title, Soon Coming of Our Lord. This message is also part of the powerful and convicting series, Exalting Your Savior. For the complete collection, all seven powerful messages, call 1-877-LOVEGOD or go online to lwf.org slash radio.

Or you can write us at Love Worth Finding, Box 38600, Memphis, Tennessee 38183. As you continue with your day, dwell on these poetic words from Adrian Rogers. When Jesus came the first time, he came to redeem, but when he comes again, he will come to reign.

When he came the first time, he came as a savior, but when he comes again, he is coming as the sovereign. What great comfort we have in our Lord. And join us next time for the powerful conclusion of Soon Coming of Our Lord, right here on Love Worth Finding. A listener from Virginia wrote not long ago to tell us how these messages have inspired her personal study. She said, Dr. Rogers' teaching has helped me think more deeply about what I'm reading in the Bible. I no longer skim or scan, I sink deep in the Word. Thank you for your ministry.

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