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A Crown of Thorns—A Crown of Glory, December 16
And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and
then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the
Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great
glory.
Matthew 24:30
.
Christ is coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Who ... will meet Him in peace? Who will be among that number to
whom the words apply, “He shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to
be admired in all them that believe”?
It is called the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour
Jesus Christ. His coming surpasses in glory all that the eye has ever
seen. Far exceeding anything the imagination has conceived will be His
personal revelation in the clouds of heaven. Then there will be a perfect
contrast to the humility which attended His first advent. Then He came
as the Son of the infinite God, but His glory was concealed by the garb
of humanity. Then He came without any worldly distinction of royalty,
without any visible manifestation of glory; but at His second appearing
He comes with His own glory and the glory of the Father and attended
by the angelic host of heaven. In the place of that crown of thorns which
marred His brow, He wears a crown within a crown. No longer is He clad
with the garments of humility, with the old kingly robe placed upon Him
by His mockers. No: He comes clad in a robe whiter than the whitest
white. Upon His vesture and thigh a name is inscribed, “King of kings,
and Lord of lords.”
As the representative of God, Christ appeared in human flesh. Though
in the form of a man, He was the Son of God, and the world was given
an opportunity to see how it would treat God. Christ declared, “He that
hath seen me hath seen the Father” (
John 14:9
). But when He comes the
second time, divinity is no longer concealed. He comes as One equal with
God, as His own beloved Son, Prince of heaven and earth. He is also the
Redeemer of His people, the Life-giver. The glory of the Father and the
Son are seen to be one.... Then shall He shine forth “before his ancients
gloriously” (
Isaiah 24:23
).
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