Two thousand years ago, in the Jordan river, the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus, the Son of God, anointing Him as God's Christ. Thereafter the Christ began to minister in the strength of the Holy Spirit by whom and through whom He was being exalted; yet even for all this, men upon the earth denied the resplendent glory and majesty of God.

On the day of Pentecost, the same Holy Spirit descending upon believers, resumed this ministry of exalting Christ, only now that exaltation was expressed in an through Christ's "other" body: the church. To this day, in spite of this ministry sinful men continue to deny and defy God.

Notwithstanding the earth itself presently waits for the day when the Lord will come with ten thousands of his holy ones, "to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against Him" (c.f. Jude 14b).

Christ is not returning in humiliation; He is (as the author of Hebrews extols) "the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of His power." If you are picturing the return of a sandal-wearing Carpenter, your visuals need tweaking. Christ is not returning to us a second time in humiliation. He is not returning with His glory set aside. No: our Lord is returning in the fullness of His power and His glory, and when He does no knee on earth will be able to deny His Lordship.

Those who have denied His glory and majesty will no longer have that option. The unveiled glory of the Lord will so soundly convict the godless, sinners, and all who have every spoken against Him of their error, that they (along with everyone else) will fall to their knees (if not on their faces), before the reality of majesty. Our words might fail, but The Word will not.

Labels: Christ, eschatology, Glory, judgment