The Extent to which the Appearing of the Lord Will Be Through His Saints

Let us make clear at the outset our conviction that there indeed will come a bodily manifestation of Christ, a return of the Lord Jesus from Heaven, and that this has not taken place as yet. Our emphasis on the spiritual coming of the Lord in our day, and in the days to come, is not to be confused with the worldwide coming of the Lord (Revelation 1:7).

The Lord Jesus will come both in and with His saints. Jesus is here now in the Spirit. He Himself is building His Church. His coming, in one sense, will be as that of a person returning from afar, but in another sense will be a bodily manifestation of what is here already.

Prior to His descent to the Mount of Olives there will be a manifestation of Christ's Glory directly over the earth.

Notice the following:

And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. (Revelation 6:14)

When the above verse takes place the peoples of the earth will become aware of the reality of God and His Christ.

And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: (Revelation 6:16)

Think about this! It is not that God came from afar, from beyond the galaxies. Rather, that which always has been immediately above the earth but has been hidden by the heaven will suddenly appear to us. The scroll will be rolled back and the Glory of God and His Christ will be witnessed by the inhabitants of the earth. The play will be over.

This is why we say that the coming of Christ will be the manifestation of that which never has been far from us.

The Lord's coming is His Presence (parousia).

The same principle applies in large measure to the appearing of the saints. The members of the Body of Christ are partly in Heaven, partly on the earth. The Church is one. Those who have died physically are not far off. Rather, they have passed into a dimension invisible to us. When they were alive in the flesh the glory that was in them was not "present," as far as the peoples of the earth are concerned.

Those of us who still have our physical bodies are with Jesus in the Spirit and yet are alive bodily on the earth. But the glory in us is not present and available to the peoples of the earth. Our true life is hidden with Christ in God.

When Christ is manifested we also shall be manifested. The eternal glory being wrought in us is even now among people because it is in us. Yet it is not available to the nations because it is hidden with Christ in God.

When the sky above us is rolled together as a scroll, the nations of the earth will become conscious of the reality of the Glory of God and of His Christ. At that time we also shall be manifested. The glory in us will be expanded greatly and will become visible to people on the earth. This is the true nature of the "coming" of the Lord.

To be continued.