MANNER OF CHRIST'S COMING. 13
God,” made like Christ and sharing His glory. 1 John 3:1-3;
Phil. 3:21. The word means a complete showing forth. When
the Son of God was first upon earth, it was a ‘‘coming’’ to
earth, but it was not His “revelation” or ‘‘disclosure.” His
divinity was veiled by humanity. He had no form nor come-
liness that men should desire Him. Isa. 53:2. He was to
many only a prophet, to many more the son of Joseph and
Mary. But He will come again, and that coming will be a reve-
lation of all that His people have believed Him to be, ‘“ Christ
the power of God and the wisdom of God.” He will be seen
then as the blessed Redeemer, the Lifegiver, the mighty
Creator and Recreator, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Every knee shall then bow, and every tongue shall then confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord. Phil. 2:11.
The word epiphancia, rendered ‘‘appearing’” and ‘ bright-
ness,’”’ refers, when used of Christ, to His appearing, shining
forth, or glory, which will be revealed when He comes. See
1 Tim. 6: 14; 2 Tim. 1:10; 4:1, 8; Titus 2: 13, where itis rendered
“appearing,” and in 2 Thess. 2:8, where it is rendered “‘ bright-
ness.” ‘That wicked” will be destroyed ‘‘with the brightness
[epiphaneia, shining forth] of His coming [ parousia, pres-
ence].”
The word erchomai also refers to the same event as well as
to others. That simply denotes His coming, as in Luke 21:27.
Parousia applied to the same event as in Matt. 24:27 and 1
Thess. 4:15 shows that this coming will bring the veritable,
literal presence of Christ. FEpiphaneia shows, as in 2 Thess.
2:8, that that coming, or parousia, is overwhelmingly glorious,
“the glory of His Father” (Matt. 16:27). This is also taught
by Luke 21:27. And the word apokalupsis shows that all this
coming and glory and presence of the Son of God are the
revelation of His divine majesty and complete fullness. What
the people of God have believed by faith, that glorious coming
and presence of Christ will then reveal to all.
From the foregoing evidences, therefore, we can come to
no other conclusion than this: The Scriptures reveal but one
second coming to this earth of our Lord Jesus Christ; that this
coming will not be invisible and secret, but personal, literal,