The Revelation of Jesus

At the revelation of Jesus from Heaven, the saints will experience glory, but the wicked will receive everlasting destruction.

Paul describes the believers of Corinth as those who are “eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus,” and he connects this event to “the Day of the Lord.” In his letters, Paul refers to Christ's return as the 'Parousia' (“arrival”), the 'erchomai' (“coming”), and the 'epiphaneia' (“manifestation”) of Jesus, as well as his “revelation” or 'apocalypsis.'

By comparing how Paul uses these terms, it becomes apparent that the same event is in view in each case, and whichever noun he uses, it is always in the singular number.

[Mesa Arch - Photo by Karthik Sreenivas (San Jose, CA) on Unsplash]

The Apostle points to this future hope to encourage the Church to progress further in the faith, and in doing so, he identifies the return of Jesus with the Day of the Lord:

• “So that you come short in no gift of grace, ardently awaiting the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you until the end blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ” - (1 Corinthians 1:4-9).

Paul thanks God for enriching the Corinthians in knowledge and gifts, and in the context of the letter, the reference is to the gifts of the Spirit detailed in chapters 12 and 14. Rather than valuing spiritual gifts and manifestations too highly, believers must remember that they are waiting for the fuller glories they will experience when Christ arrives.

The reference to the “revelation of the Lord” introduces the subject of right conduct, and Paul corrects the Corinthians for tolerating unacceptable behavior in the congregation. They must be found “blameless on that day,” the Day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The English term “revelation” translates the Greek noun 'apokalypsis', which means “revelation, disclosure; an unveiling.” On that day, what was previously hidden will be revealed, namely, Jesus Christ in all his glory, majesty, and power.

God will “confirm” believers, “until the end.” The Greek term translated as “until” means that God will continue to confirm believers until the last moment, which, among other things, indicates some believers will be alive when Jesus appears.

The English word “blameless” translates the Greek legal term for persons against whom charges can no longer be made by any court ('anegklétos'). They are “unimpeachable, guiltless, irreproachable.”

No one will bring charges against the saints when they stand before Jesus, who redeemed them through his sacrificial death and thereby overcame every legal claim of the Devil on humanity. The Book of Revelation portrays this victory and its cost quite graphically:

• “You are worthy to take the book, and to open its seals, for you were slain, and purchased for God with your blood men from every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation, and you made them a kingdom and priests for our God, and they are reigning upon the earth” – (Revelation 5:9-10).

• “And I heard a great voice in heaven, saying, Now has come the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ, for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, who accuses them before our God, day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and because they loved not their life even unto death” - (Revelation 12:10-11).

“The Day of our Lord Jesus Christ” is Paul’s adaptation of the biblical term, “the Day of the LORD,” the day when Yahweh delivers his children, judges His enemies, and concludes the existing age. By adding “Jesus Christ” to the term, Paul centers this ancient hope on the Nazarene:

• “And it will come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my Spirit. And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible Day of Yahweh arrives. And it will come to pass, that whoever will call on the name of Yahweh will be delivered; for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those that escape, as Yahweh has said, and among the remnant those whom Yahweh summons” – (Joel 2:28-32).

That day will be a time of unveiling, not only because the world will see Jesus, but also because the blameless status of the saints will be confirmed. Both the wickedness of the unrighteous and the blameless status of the sons and daughters of God will be revealed for the entire Cosmos to behold.

The Day of our Lord Jesus Christ will be the day of the vindication of his saints, but also the  moment when all those who have rejected his Gospel will be condemned.

IN THESSALONICA

Paul expresses the same idea in his first letter to the Thessalonians when he declares his hope that God will increase their love for him and others. By doing so, their faith will become complete, enabling them to stand “blameless” before God when Jesus “arrives” - (1 Thessalonians 3:11-13).

In his second letter to the Thessalonians, Paul encourages the congregation to persevere despite “persecutions and tribulations.” Persecution by the world is “evidence of the just judgment of God so that you be considered worthy of the Kingdom of God on behalf of which you are suffering” - (2 Thessalonians 1:5-10).

Suffering for the sake of Jesus is a matter of rejoicing, not despair. It demonstrates that God honors the faithfulness of His saints. It is a great privilege to be accounted worthy to suffer for Jesus.

Persecution also demonstrates God’s justice. Just as faithful believers will be rewarded on that day, so their persecutors will reap condemnation and destruction:

• “Since it is just for God to afflict those afflicting you at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with the angels of his power in flaming fire, rendering vengeance to them that know not God, and to them that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus” – (2 Thessalonians 1:7).

Those who have rejected the Gospel and persecuted the saints will receive “everlasting destruction” and banishment from the presence of Jesus. His arrival will mean glory for those who believed the “witness” of the Gospel, but affliction for those who did not.

The stress is on the willful decision of the unrighteous to reject and oppose the truth. Likewise, apostates from the faith will be judged, because “they believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness” – (2 Thessalonians 2:12).

Before that day comes, the “apostasy” must occur along with the “revelation of the Man of Lawlessness.” This deceiver’s unveiling will mean his destruction when Jesus arrives to destroy him at the “manifestation of his arrival” or ‘Parousia’. The unrighteous and all apostates will be rejected, because they “welcomed not the love of the truth” – (2 Thessalonians 2:1-14).

The Apostle’s descriptions of this coming day demonstrate that Christ’s single return will affect believers and unbelievers. The saints will be vindicated and the wicked condemned. His revelation from heaven will occur on the Day of the Lord, which is why Paul labels this event “the Day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

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SEE ALSO:

• The Day of the Lord - (Jesus will arrive to gather his people on the Day of the Lord, and in the New Testament, this event becomes the Day of Christ)

• Your Endurance and Faith - (Paul praises the Church of Thessalonica for its faithful endurance through persecution and various tribulations - 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4)

• Just Judgment - (The arrival of Jesus will mean vindication and rest for the righteous, but everlasting loss for the wicked - 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10)

• La Révélation de Jésus - (À la révélation de Jésus du Ciel, les saints connaîtront la gloire, mais les méchants recevront une destruction éternelle)