In His Father’s glory

In His Father’s glory

Scripture:

For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.

“Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” Matthew 16:27-28

Observation:

At first the Lord tells his disciples that they must deny themselves, take up their cross and follow Him. Then he warns them of the folly of exchanging one’s soul for even the whole world. And now, the Lord prophesies to them the manner of His second coming, of which we are told four things.

Firstly, Jesus is coming in His Father’s glory. How incredibly magnificent and wonderful would be God the Father’s glory! The nearest comparison we can picture here on earth would be the glorious rays of the sun, giving life and warmth to the earth. In His first coming, the Lord came as a little baby, born in the most humble of places, a smelly, stinking stable. However, in His second coming, it will be a great and triumphant and spectacular entrance in the skies!

Second, Jesus is coming with His angels. He is not coming alone but with the entire host of Heaven, powerful and mighty. Who can stand before the Lord of hosts and His mighty army?

Third, when Jesus comes He will reward each person according to what they have done (NIV) or according to their works (KJV). This verse alongside other Scripture such as the parable of the talents and the minas show us that there are different degrees of rewards for Christians who are faithful to the Lord. Paul later speaks of a man whose work does not stand before the fire of God and is barely saved, as if just out of the fire.

We are saved by grace, through faith in Christ Jesus, yes! However, is our faith genuine, real faith? That’s where our works come in. True faith will lead to good works! As James said, faith without works is dead! The main point of this is how we live our lives matters. It is not sufficient to profess to be a Christian yet live a life that shows otherwise. We will be given according to what we have done, whether good or bad.

Fourth, the Lord mentions that there will be some standing here will not see death before they see Him coming in His kingdom. What does it mean to see the Lord come in His kingdom? The way the verse is structured implies that not all, but perhaps only a few will see Jesus coming in His kingdom before they see death. However, the Second Coming hasn’t occurred yet and for sure all who were standing there would certainly have passed away. Perhaps, the best clue we have concerning this is the experience of Stephen as he was just about to be martyred. He spoke of seeing the Lord in the sky, seated at God’s right hand! Though the event hadn’t happened yet, some of the early Christians must have been granted a vision of seeing the Lord’s second coming. John would certainly have seen this, as evidenced by his writings in the book of Revelation, and most likely Peter would have seen this vision, given his absolute confidence and clarity as he wrote about Christ’s second coming in his letters.

Application:

Picture in our mind’s eye the image of Jesus coming in the clouds with His vast army of angels, full of the Father’s glory, shining like the sun! Praise the Lord for the promise of His second coming where He will take His place as rightful ruler over all the earth.

Remember the Lord’s word that He will come as judge, rewarding each one according to the things they have done. Consider how we spend time here on earth in light of eternity. Pray for God to lead us to do work that pleases Him and will stand the test of His fire. Praise the Lord that He rewards His saints and blesses abundantly those faithful to Him.

Prayer:

We praise thee, Lord Jesus, for the promise of Your coming, great and glorious, shining like sun! We look forward to Your coming O Lord. Prepare our hearts and minds to live lives worthy of You we pray. Forgive our sins, yet lead us to lives full of meaning and purpose. Lead us to do work that pleases You. Give us your passion so that we may serve You with strength in the Holy Spirit. Grant us fresh visions, and fresh strength, even as You lead us from glory to glory. Praise Your holy name, O Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.