We Shall See Him — TDW Kids

Every Eye Will See Him

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Jesus said that people “will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven” (Matthew 24:30). Many years later, God showed the apostle John the same day in a vision.

Every eye. John wrote that Jesus is coming with clouds, and that every eye will see Him, even the people who pierced Him (Revelation 1:7). No one will miss it, and no one will be too far away to see.

The One who was pierced. Why does John mention the people who pierced Him? When Jesus died on the cross, a soldier pierced His side with a spear.

Told long before. John wrote that this happened so that another Scripture would come true: “They shall look on Him whom they pierced” (John 19:37). Those words came from the prophet Zechariah, who said God's people would look on the One they had pierced and mourn for Him (Zechariah 12:10).

Sorrow that turns back. Zechariah said God would pour out a Spirit of grace on His people, and they would mourn for the One they pierced. Then God would open a fountain to wash away sin (Zechariah 13:1). God's grace turns sorrow into coming home to Him.

The same Jesus. The King who will come on the clouds is the same Jesus who was pierced for us. He is the Savior who died for our sins and rose again.

Grace appeared. Paul wrote that the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all people (Titus 2:11). That happened when Jesus came the first time.

Looking for His appearing. Paul said believers are looking for the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13). A hope is something good that we wait for and are sure will come.

Hope that rests on grace. Peter told believers to rest their hope fully on the grace that will be brought to them when Jesus Christ is revealed (1 Peter 1:13). Our hope is not in how good we are. It is in His grace.

Grace at both ends. Grace appeared when Jesus came the first time and died for our sins. Grace will be brought to us when He comes again. From start to finish, our salvation is His gift.

Sorrow or joy? People who refused Jesus will mourn when they see Him. People who trusted Him will see the face of the Savior they love.

What to do. Thank Jesus that He was pierced for you. Trust Him now, and His appearing will be your blessed hope.

“And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30). The last book of the Bible opens with the same promise.

Revelation 1:7. John wrote that He is coming with clouds, that every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him, and that all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. The mourning tribes of Matthew 24:30 and Zechariah's pierced One meet in that one verse.

Zechariah 12:10. Through Zechariah God promised to pour out on His people the Spirit of grace and supplication, so that they would look on Him whom they pierced and mourn for Him as one mourns for an only son. The next chapter promises a fountain opened for sin and uncleanness (Zechariah 13:1). That mourning is the sorrow that turns back to God.

Fulfilled at the cross. When a soldier pierced Jesus' side, John wrote that another Scripture says, “They shall look on Him whom they pierced” (John 19:37). The piercing happened at the cross. The looking will be complete when He comes.

The Savior who was pierced. The One every eye will see is the same Jesus who was pierced for our sins and rose again on the third day. The One who comes in glory is the One who first came to die.

Epiphaneia. Paul wrote that believers are looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13). The word for appearing is epiphaneia (say: eh-pee-FAH-nay-ah), a shining forth into view. Two verses earlier Paul used the verb from the same root: the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared (Titus 2:11).

Hope set on grace (1 Peter 1:13). Peter told believers to rest their hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to them at the revelation of Jesus Christ. The grace that appeared at His first coming will be brought to its fullness at His second. A believer's hope rests on what Christ gives, not on what we achieve.

Between the appearings. Titus 2 holds both comings in view: grace has appeared, and believers are looking for the glorious appearing. Everything in between is lived in that same grace.

For you. Every eye will see Him. The question is whether you will see Him as a stranger you refused or as the Savior who was pierced for you. Trust Him now, and His appearing becomes your blessed hope.

Come, Lord Jesus

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Jesus' people are waiting for Him to come. The Bible does not only tell us that He will come. It also teaches us how to wait.

Shown with Him. Paul wrote that when Christ, who is our life, appears, then we also will appear with Him in glory (Colossians 3:4). The life we have in Jesus is real now, even if no one can see it yet.

A hope that changes us. John wrote that when Jesus is revealed, “we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2). Then he added that everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure (1 John 3:3).

Not to earn it. We do not make ourselves pure to earn a place with Jesus. He gives us that place as a gift. But hoping to be like Him makes us want to turn from sin now, and He helps us do it.

Patient like a farmer. James told believers to be patient until the coming of the Lord. A farmer waits for the rain and the harvest, and he cannot make them come early. In the same way, believers wait patiently and keep their hearts strong (James 5:7-8).

No date needed. A farmer does not know the exact day the rain will come, but he trusts that it will. We do not know the day Jesus will come either, but we know He will.

He brings His reward. Near the end of the Bible, Jesus says that He is coming quickly and that His reward is with Him (Revelation 22:12). Our salvation is His free gift, and He will not forget anything done out of love for Him.

The last prayer. Jesus promises that He is coming quickly. John answers with a prayer: Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:20).

Come, Lord. The first Christians had a short prayer in the Aramaic language that meant, Our Lord, come! (1 Corinthians 16:22). They were not afraid of Jesus' coming. They longed for it.

Why we long for Him. We long for Jesus because He loved us first and gave Himself for us. The One we will see is the One who died for us and rose again. We will not be meeting a stranger. We will be meeting our Savior.

What to do. Tonight, add a short line to your prayer: Come, Lord Jesus. Then thank Him that you are already God's child.

Matthew 24 shows what the whole world will see when Jesus comes. The rest of the New Testament shows how His people wait for Him.

Appearing with Him (Colossians 3:4). When Christ who is our life appears, we also will appear with Him in glory. A believer's life is joined to Christ's life, so when He is shown, they are shown with Him.

Hope that purifies (1 John 3:3). John has just said that when He is revealed, “we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (3:2). Then he adds that everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. The hope does not earn the likeness; Christ gives it. But a person who expects to be made like Jesus begins, by His Spirit, to want what Jesus wants now.

Patient waiting (James 5:7-8). James told believers to be patient until the coming of the Lord, like a farmer who waits for the early and latter rain, and to establish their hearts. Patience is not giving up. It is trust that keeps going without needing a date. A farmer's waiting is full of hope, because he knows the harvest is coming.

Reward in His hand (Revelation 22:12). Jesus says He is coming quickly, and His reward is with Him, to give to each one according to his work. Salvation is His gift by grace; the reward shows that nothing done for Him is wasted.

Maranatha. Near the end of 1 Corinthians, a letter written in Greek, Paul writes two Aramaic words, maranatha (say: mah-rah-NAH-thah), which means Our Lord, come! (1 Corinthians 16:22). Aramaic was the language Jesus and His first followers spoke at home.

The Bible's last prayer (Revelation 22:20). Jesus promises that He is coming quickly, and John answers: Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! The Bible ends with God's people asking for the very thing Jesus promised.

Longing, not dread. For a believer, the second coming is not the end of everything good. It is the moment the Savior who was pierced for us is seen face to face, and we are made like Him.

For you. Ask yourself whether you want Jesus to come. If the honest answer is no, ask Him to show you why. If it is yes, pray the Bible's last prayer: Come, Lord Jesus.

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