Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Revelation 1:7

The “coming One” was a title for the Messiah. John the Baptist, while imprisoned, heard of the works of Christ, and sent word by his disciples and said to Him, ‘“Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” (Matt. 11:2–3). The theme of the book of Revelation is the coming One, the Lord Jesus Christ.

There has been and always be those who doubt the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3:3-4, tells us… “knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires.  They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” Despite those who deny the Second Coming the Bible repeatedly affirms that Jesus will return. That truth appears in more than five hundred verses throughout the Bible. It has been estimated that one out of every twenty-five verses in the New Testament refers to the Second Coming. Jesus repeatedly spoke of His return and warned believers to be ready for it. The return of the Lord Jesus Christ to this earth is, therefore, a central theme in Scripture.

During the incarnation, Christ’s glory was veiled. Only Peter, James, and John caught a glimpse of it at the Transfiguration. But at His second coming every eye will see Him, His glory will be obvious to everyone.

John divides those who will see the Second Coming into two groups. Those who pierced Him does not refer to the Roman soldiers involved in Christ’s crucifixion but to the unbelieving Jews who demanded His death. Peter affirmed that the Jewish people were responsible for Christ’s execution, boldly declaring, “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. (Acts 2:22–23).

John describes the second group as all the tribes of the earth, a reference to the unbelieving Gentile nations. Like the Jewish people, they too will mourn over Christ. Some of that mourning may relate to the repentance of those who are saved at that time. But unlike the Jewish nation, the Gentiles’ mourning will not generally result from genuine repentance. The Gentiles’ mourning, for the most part, will be prompted by terror, not repentance. They will mourn not for the Christ they rejected, but over their doom.

Do you look forward to the Second Coming of Christ? Do you pray for His return? In the Lords prayer we are told to pray for His Kingdom to come (His return). Did you know that the very last prayer in the Bible is  a prayer for Jesus’ return, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20). As believes we should be anticipating the Second Coming of Christ with great joy because this is when God will usher in the millennial kingdom. On that day scripture will be fulfilled, “So that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”(Philippians 2:10-11).