Behold, He Cometh

"Behold, He Cometh!"

Revelation 1:7

Revelation 1:7 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. Even so, Amen.

Introduction: How many of you have wished for the Lord Jesus to come back in the last few months? Probably most of us have due to what's happening at home and around the world. G. Campbell Morgan, a preacher from the last century said "To me the second coming is the perpetual light in the path which makes the present bearable. I never lay my head on my pillow without thinking that: maybe before the morning breaks the final morning may have dawned. I never begin my work without thinking perhaps he may interrupt my work and begin his own."

Our text this morning is a powerful statement of the surety of the second coming of Jesus Christ. The Apostle John has a unique distinction in the history of the church in that church tradition tells us that he is the only disciple to die a natural death. The setting for our text is the Isle of Patmos. Somewhere between 81 A.D. and 96 AD, the Apostle John was banished in Patmos by the emperor Domitian for preaching the Gospel at Ephesus.

Revelation 1:9 I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

The Gospel declares that Jesus is Lord and God, but Domitian required to be called Dominus et Deus "Lord and God." Something had to give! To shut him up, Domitian had John thrown into a cauldron of boiling oil before the Porta Latina at Rome but John suffered no injury! The only way that Domitian could get rid of him was the same way he got rid of his wife - exile.

It was here on this island that Apostle John wrote Revelation (Apocalypses.) John, during his exile in Patmos lodged into a grotto of which today's name is "Apokalypsis". At the Emperor Domitian's death in 97 AD John returned to Ephesus where he lived to a ripe old age. As you can imagine at the time of John's vision he was in a difficult place in his life. He was being persecuted for his faith and things looked very bleak to say the least. It is my belief that the Lord gave this vision to him to encourage His servant and all those who would follow him. Let's look

I. The Promise of His Coming

a. The Scriptures and His Coming

There are over three hundred references to the coming of Jesus Christ in the OT alone. Some mention His first and second coming within a single verse but there can be no doubt that He is coming again.

Job 19:25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: 26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: 27 Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.

Isa 25:8 He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it. 9 And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

Daniel 7:13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

b. The Signs of His Coming

(From an article entitled "10 Signs of the Times") "No one can tell us with certainty what tomorrow's weather will be except the one who causes it - God - but by listening to the weather report or looking at the sky, people use their eyes and their brains to at least make an educated guess about tomorrow's weather. Likewise, no one can tell us with certainly when the exact timing of Jesus' return will be except the one who will cause it to happen, God the Father (Mt. 12:36), but by listening to the right information sources, people can use their eyes and their brains to at least make an educated guess about how close we are to the return of Jesus Christ. Jesus said that when you see certain things begin to happen, "Look up and lift up your heads, for your redemption draws near," and "when you see them happen the kingdom of God is near" (Luke 21:28,31). Jesus and Paul both taught that the proper way to wait for His return is to therefore be watchful, ready and sober (Matthew 24:42-44,25:13; 1 Th. 5:6).