The Appearing Of Jesus Christ(salvation ready to be revealed in the last time).

1st Peter 1:3-5

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, according to his great mercy, has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from among the dead, to an incorruptible and undefiled and unfading inheritance, reserved in the heavens for you, who are kept guarded by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

*Mark "Inheritance reserved in the heavens for you", and "salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." 

Now let's read verse 6 to 7 

"Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the proving of your faith, which is more precious than gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ". 

Here in verses 6 & 7 scripture speaks of the test/proving of our faith; how it is much more precious to God than of gold which perishes, though it be proved by fire, and how the manifold temptations we go through is to the end that the proving of our faith might be found to praise and honour and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 

*Here also mark and juxtapose "salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" and "the revelation of Jesus Christ" 

• The word translated as "Revelation" in the common english version is "apokalupsis" in the greek and means laying bear, a disclosure of truth. It also means an appearing, coming or a manifestation.

Peter, having spoken of the salvation ready to be revealed in the last time in 1st Peter 1:5, went on to speak of the revelation of Jesus Christ in verse 7; 

and in a much later verse, he speaks of the grace which will be brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ(vs.14).

The salvation ready to be revealed in the last time is thus the revelation of Jesus Christ, and the revelation/appearing of Jesus Christ in the last time brings to us a grace that is unprecedented....the grace of a sudden change & glorious transformation whereby our vile mortal bodies are transformed/'jointly formed together his glorious body'. 

The appearing, coming/manifestation of Jesus Christ is inevitably the salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Those who do not love the Lord's appearing or speak despicably of the hope of his coming, do so to their own peril and destruction. They are the mockers of the last days prophesied/spoken of in the second epistle of Peter chapter 3:3-4. 

In verses 13-18, they are further revealed as unlearned and unstable(untaught and ill-established); who for lack of understanding, twist scriptures which speak of the promise/hope of the Lord's coming & the coming/burning day of God, which will bring in the perfect eternal state of new heavens and earth. 

What Is The Significance Of The Revelation/Appearing Of Jesus Christ To The Church? 

Hebrews 9:28 says "Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation." 

The appearing, coming/revelation of Jesus Christ to his own, is unto salvation; the final salvation to be revealed in the last time, even the salvation of our soul. 

As a matter of emphasis, sripture says in Hebrews 9:28 that it is unto those who look for him that he shall appear again the second time without sin unto salvation. The word translated as "look" in the text is "apekdechomai" in the geeek and means assiduously and patiently waiting for, expecting fully.

We can thus say that it is those who are assiduously and patiently waiting for him, those in full expectation of him that will see him. 

It's also very important to take note of the word "appear" used in Hebrews 9:28. 

It is "optanomai " in the greek and means to come into view, to allow one's self to be seen from a distance. 

This is the picture painted by the prophecy of the catching away in 1st Thessalonians 4:16-18. There, scripture says the Lord himself will descend from heaven but says nothing about him coming down to the earth in the sense of his feet touching the ground as pictured/captured in the prophecy of Zechariah 14:1-4 concerning his millenial coming to Israel, where his feet will touch/stand upon the mount of Olives; the very mount from whence he was literally taken up into heaven(Acts 1:9-12).

The prophecy in 1st Thessalonians 4 rather than painting a picture of a literal coming down/touching the earth, says the saints both living and resurrected dead saints, will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air; in other words the Lord will descend from heaven and come into view but remains in the air to summon/catch his saints away to himself. 

The word optanomai in Hebrews 9:28 perfectly aligns with the picture painted in 1st Thessalonians 4; he will descend and come into view, allowing himself to be seen from a distance, but it is those who look for him that will see him. 

This is the sense in which Hebrews 12:14 says "Pursue peace with all, and holiness, without which no one shall see the Lord". 

Scripture clearly distinguishes the Optanomai(coming/appearing) of the Lord from his millenial coming when he comes with the clouds of heaven to the earth. 

Of the millenial coming, scripture says all eyes will see him...."Behold, he comes with the clouds, and every eye shall see him, and they which have pierced him, and all the tribes of the land shall wail because of him. Yea. Amen." Revelation 1:7. 

Those who fail to see this clear distinction in scripture are either willingly ignorant or have hearts that are waxed gross, ears that are dull of hearing, eyes that are closed/shut from seeing & understanding the truth concerning this matter. 

I leave for now with this word for our contemplation & meditation...

If anyone doth not dearly love the Lord, let him be anathema [that is, "accursed"]: Maran atha [that is, "The Lord, cometh"]. 1st Corinthians 16:22.

To Be Continued.