Revelation: Jesus Christ Unveiled

This week’s biblical term is taken from the book of Revelation. The book begins with the opening phrase, The Revelation of Jesus Christ. The word “revelation” (“apokalypsis” in Greek) occurs 18 times in the New Testament, but only once in the book of Revelation. The word means “to uncover,” “to disclose,” “to make known.” While there are related Greek words that shed light on this subject, this particular word is used in several senses. It is used of the revealing of the truth of the Gospel (Romans 16:25), it is used for revelations in terms of people having visions (Galatians 1:12), and it is used in a general sense for the return of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:7).

Jesus Revealed at the Second Coming

While Jesus was revealed to the world when He was born in Bethlehem and especially when He started His public ministry, He will also be revealed in a much more dramatic way when He returns. The Bible is clear that at the coming of Christ every eye will see Him (Revelation 1:7). There will be a worldwide understanding that God in the Person of Jesus Christ has unveiled Himself to the world to execute judgment. 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10 tells us this with excruciating detail. It will all happen, 7 when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, 8 in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, 10 when He comes, in that Day. The word “revealed” is used in verse 7 to describe the disclosure of Jesus to humanity. It will be a spectacular revealing of the exquisite glory of Christ (Matthew 24:27-30). It is going to be an earth shaking day. Civilization as we know it will end. The nations will be startled like never before. No one will be able to escape the righteous indignation and judgment of Christ. He will set up a judgment that will separate the sheep from the goat nations and give a perfectly just verdict on their fate (Matthew 25:31-46).

Good News & Hope for Believers

The good news for believers who are alive before the visible Second Coming of Christ is that they will be raptured to heaven before the seven-year Tribulation Hour comes upon the whole world (Revelation 3:10). The Apostle Peter uses the word “apokalypsis” to refer in a general sense to the return of Christ in his first letter (1 Peter 1:7; 13; 4:13). The generality of those passages makes it such that either the Rapture or Second Coming could be in view. Certainly both are true, but Peter does not get into the details, rather he is exhorting believers to endure trials and rest their hope totally on the grace that is to be brought at the coming of Christ. This is a reminder that Christ is coming soon, either to be unveiled to believers at the Rapture (1 Corinthians 15:51-53) or to the world at the Second Coming (Revelation 19:11-16). For believers this hope motivates us to live pure lives before Christ because He could call us to our heavenly home at any moment (1 John 3:2-3).

Scripture Reference

Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past,

For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will cmourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.

7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire,

8 dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

9 These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,

10 when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed—for our testimony to you was believed.

27 For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.

28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

29 “But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

30 “And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.

The Judgment

31 “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.

32 “All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats;

33 and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

35 ‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in;

36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink?

38 ‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?

39 ‘When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’

40 The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’

41 “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;

42 for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink;

43 I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’

44 “Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not 1take care of You?’

45 “Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’

46 “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

‘Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.

so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.

51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed,

52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.

11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.

12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself.

13 He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.

14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.

15 From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.

16 And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.

3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

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