Deeper Reflection
THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST IS NOT UNRELATED TO His First Coming – when “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn 1:14). The theological relationship between the two comings of Christ provides an important perspective that is necessary for our discipleship.At His First Coming, Jesus lived, suffered, died, rose and ascended to heaven. But Jesus’ ascension is not the end of salvation history. After the ascension will be the descension: “the Lord Himself will descend from heaven” (1 Thess 4:16). And having disappeared into heaven (Acts 1:9), Jesus will reappear: “when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven” (v.7b).The Second Coming of Christ will be in glory and power and “public magnificence”⁹, descending from heaven “with His mighty angels in flaming fire” (vv.6-7a). The “flaming fire” is “a regular biblical symbol of the holy, consuming nature of God’s presence”¹⁰ (Exo 3:2; 19:18). But in His First Coming, Jesus came in weakness: He “was crucified in weakness” (2 Cor 13:4). And Jesus came in obscurity as “Jesus of Nazareth”. When Philip told Nathanael that “Jesus of Nazareth” is “the Messiah”, his immediate response was “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?”(Jn 1:45-46). What lies behind Nathanael’s skepticism is “not that the town had a bad reputation but that it was considered totally insignificant”¹¹. “Jesus of Nazareth” “reflected the self-abasement of the man from heaven.”¹² The First Coming of Jesus serves as a discipleship pattern for us, as we wait for His return in glory and power. In following Jesus, we walk the path of “Jesus of Nazareth”.

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⁹ John R. W. Stott, 148 ¹⁰ John R. W. Stott, 148 ¹¹ Herman Ridderbos, The Gospel of John: A Theological Commentary (Eerdmans, 1997), 88 ¹² D. A. Carson, The Gospel According to John (Eerdmans, 1991), 160