Pertaining to the final day of judgment the apostle John wrote, “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.” (Rev. 1:7). Let’s consider a brief analysis of this verse of scripture. Christ is the subject of the immediate context (vs. 4-8). Therefore the pronoun “He” obviously refers to Christ. “He is coming with clouds” reminds us of the promise made by the angels to the apostles as Jesus “was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight” at His ascension. The angels told the apostles, “This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into Heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into Heaven.” (Acts 1:9-11).
More succinctly put, Jesus is coming again. We proclaim that truth each Lord’s day. As we partake of the Lord’s Supper we “proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.” (1 Cor. 11:26). A main reason for His coming back will be to take the saved home to Heaven (Jn. 14:1-3; Phlp. 3:20; 1 Thess. 4:16-17). Another reason will be to judge mankind (Acts 17:31; Heb. 9:27). All will appear before Him on that day (2 Cor. 5:10). Going back to Rev. 1:7, John stated that “every eye will see Him…” It will be a startling revelation for a great many people on that day. Many adamantly declare their confidence that there is no God and, therefore, no Son of God Jesus Christ. As the Psalmist described them, how foolish those disbelievers will feel on that day when the Lord returns (Ps. 14:1). Many who believe in Jesus nonetheless do not submit to Him as the Lord of their lives. They will not humble themselves to live by His teachings. How tragic to find themselves at judgment bowing their knee and confessing their faith in Him, too late! (Rom. 14:10-12). John emphasized that “even they who pierced Him” will see Jesus on that day. It is difficult to imagine the shock for those who pushed that crown of thorns down onto His head, driving the thorns into His scalp, for those who drove the nails through His hands and feet, for the one who rammed the spear into His side, to look up and see Jesus standing before them at judgment. But what of those who instigated His crucifixion? What of those who stood at the foot of the cross and mocked Him? What of those who once were washed in His blood and later turned back to unfaithfulness? (Heb. 6:4-6). John concluded Rev. 1:7 by stating, “And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him.” For the lost the return of our Lord will indeed be a day of mourning. They will have wasted their lives on this earth, carelessly having lived without appreciation for what their Savior did for them on the cross. They will be unprepared for judgment and will face the prospect of eternal condemnation as a result. It does not have to be so, but Jesus Himself said that most people will choose to not follow Him in obedience and will subsequently be lost (Matt. 7:13-14). Yes, there will be worldwide mourning on that day. The only question remaining for you is, will you be among the mourners? Think about it… Comments are closed.
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