302. Blessed Hope of Glorious Appearing
Titus 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.
We look for and eagerly anticipate the fulfillment of this promise: the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of Jesus, who is God and Savior. We have the promise and the hope that Jesus is coming back again. The hope is blessed because it is the present certainty of a future event. The hope is blessed because we feel comfort and strength for the day. Blessing feels good; this hope makes us feel good. Hope is the substance of a future reality not yet seen. The coming of Christ has not yet happened, but by faith we know it is coming and the effect of that near approach fills the heart with joy. Just the anticipation lifts our spirits.
We are looking for the glorious appearing. This promise has not yet been fulfilled; it is yet to come in our future. The appearing of Jesus Christ in physical, visible form will be glorious, for He will come in glory. Matthew 25:31: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.” His appearing will also be glorious for us, for then the redeemed will shine with a glorious light. When the resurrection of the transformed body occurs the darkness of sin will be gone forever and the inner character of righteousness will erupt into glory. The appearing will be glorious in these two ways: 1) Jesus will appear in glory for all to be stunned, and, 2) we ourselves will appear glorious when we come with Christ to judge. Just as the Lord has fulfilled hundreds of promises in the first appearance of the Son of God on the earth, so also we can be just as certain that He will fulfill the promises of the second appearance of the Son of Man. The event is future; the hope is present. We look for that hope to be seen; and it will.