He Is Coming!

Revelation 1:1-8
What is Jesus Going to Do? Part 1 - The Pause

INTRODUCTION
Would you please stand with me for the reading of God’s sacred Word? Revelation 1:1-8…
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things
which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that
he saw.
Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things
which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which
is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;
And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the
prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own
blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and
dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him:
and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. I am Alpha and Omega,
the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the
Almighty.”
So far, in our journey through this chapter, we’ve answered two very important questions…
“Who is Jesus?” And “What has Jesus done?” And now we come to what I believe may well be
the most relevant and important question of all, which is, “What is Jesus going to do?”
And we begin to answer that question in verse 7… “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every
eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail
because of him. Even so, Amen.
Now, I want you to understand that where with both previous questions (Who Is Jesus? And
What has Jesus done?) we found John giving three-fold answers. But this question is handled
differently. Here John doesn’t tell us three things that Jesus is going to do, but rather we see
John tells us of that one great thing He is going to do and then John lists three characteristics of
that one thing.
What is that one thing Jesus is going to do? Look again… “Behold, he cometh…” This is what
Jesus is going to do. Jesus is going to come back to the earth. It is sure and it is certain. He is
coming again. Now, the question is, “What will His coming be like?”
John gives us three characteristics of His coming:
“Behold, He cometh with clouds” – The Veracity of His Remarks (Mt. 24:30)
“Every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced Him” - The Visibility of His Return (Mt.
26:64)
“All the kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him” - The Violent Response
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THE VERACITY OF HIS REMARKS - “Behold, He cometh with clouds”
Read entire chapter of Matthew 24 to verse 4 with comments on setting at opening -
(Emphasize verse 30 and 33-35)
30 - “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of
the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with
power and great glory.

33-35 – “So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the
doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.”
It would be easy to get caught up in focusing on the manner and the means of the Lord’s return.
We could spend a fair amount of time talking about the “clouds” and what those clouds really
are and what they signify and all of that.
But that is not the point I want to make. No, because I think the more important point is simply
this. - We need to take Jesus at His Word!
Jesus spoke of His return and He described the manner of this return, right down to the clouds,
and then, years later, on the lonely isle of Patmos, John remembers the promise, and he tells us
that the Lord is coming “with clouds”.
Such a small detail, isn’t it? But this “small detail” is vitally important because it underscores the
veracity of all that our Lord said and gives us reason to trust Him in a world where trusting
anyone is nearly impossible.
Listen. Jesus said He will return in the clouds of heaven, and if that’s what He said he’s going to
do, that is exactly what He’s going to do!
And the words of the prophet John in the Revelation of Jesus Christ corroborates His testimony.
Now, this may not seem like much to you – after all, it’s a minor detail mentioned by the lonely
prophet John, but friends, John wasn’t the only one to talk about it! In fact, we know of at least
two other places in the Bible where this same “minor detail” of the Lord’s return is emphasized.
In Daniel chapter 7, the prophet had a vision of the coming of the Ancient of Days to destroy the
kingdoms of men and set up an eternal kingdom of righteousness and glory. In 7:13, Daniel
describes what he saw in his vision… “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son
of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought
him near before him.”
Six hundred years before Christ even walked the earth Daniel predicted that one like the “Son of
Man” would come to earth “with the clouds of heaven”. Who’s he talking about? He talking
about Jesus Christ in His second coming!
But there’s more. Do you remember when Jesus was preparing to ascend back to heaven after
His resurrection? We see that story in Acts 1. Let’s take a look…
Acts 1:6-11 – “When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt
thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to
know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive

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power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in
Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud
received him out of their sight.
And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them
in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this
same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have
seen him go into heaven.”
Scholars agree that the two “men” that stood by the disciples as Jesus ascended into the
heavens were actually angels with a message of reassurance and comfort. “Don’t worry fellas,
He’ll be back, and He’ll come back just exactly as He said he would… clouds and all!”
You know, this “cloud” thing we may see as irrelevant or a minor detail, or maybe it’s just
something we don’t understand. But it conveys a remarkable message that we NEED to hear
and understand which is…

You better take Jesus at His Word – and not just some of His word… but all of it!
Listen, it really bugs me the way in which some professing Christians and even so-called
spiritual leaders are treating the Word of God these days. Hey, If what they read is comforting, it
is palatable and they accept it as truth. But when they come to those uncomfortable things
Jesus taught – those lessons on sin, judgment, hell, and the lake of fire, they excuse it away or
outright refuse to accept it as true.
A good example of this is a pastor out of Michigan named Rob Bell, who pastors the Mar’s Hill
Church. Recently he came out with a book entitled, Love Wins. Now, that sounds really good,
doesn’t it? Love wins. I like that. I’ve even seen bumpers stickers on cars with that message.
But the bumper sticker and the catchy title do not tell us that what pastor Bell is actually
teaching in his book is that somehow in the end, even people who do not repent of their sins
and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ in this life, will have a chance in the afterlife, because
God’s love is big enough to overcome their sin, even though they rejected Christ while they
lived.
Brothers and sisters, hear me know – that is pure heresy, and I would hate to stand in pastor
bell’s shoes on judgment day for it. Now, I know we’re afraid to say anything critical of anyone
else, lest we be thought judgmental.
But the apostles had no bones about calling out the heretics, and neither should we. We need
to pay attention, because false teaching is on the rise, and that IS one of the signs of the return
of the Lord.
So, whenever you think about the clouds, just remember this important truth – believe Jesus.
Believe everything He said. Believe this Bible. Believe it when it comforts and believe it when it
convicts and condemns, because God always keeps His word.
“Behold He cometh with clouds”
And then John writes, “and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him:” and this
speaks of…

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THE VISIBILITY OF HIS RETURN - “Every eye shall see him, and they also which
pierced Him”
Turn in your Bibles to Matthew 26 and follow with me as we begin reading in verse 57 (read to
verse 68)
“And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the
scribes and the elders were assembled. But Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest's
palace, and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end.
Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put
him to death; But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At
the last came two false witnesses, And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of
God, and to build it in three days.
And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these
witness against thee? But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto
him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.
Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the
Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need
have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. What think ye? They
answered and said, He is guilty of death. Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and
others smote him with the palms of their hands, Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is
he that smote thee?”
Look again at verse 64… “Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you,
Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the
clouds of heaven.
Do you know what amazes me about this passage? It’s His calmness. At the very moment
when any ordinary man would be terrified and probably groveling for his life, Jesus exudes
confidence and control and a power that makes no earthly sense!
And after admitting that He is Christ, the Son of God, He repeats almost verbatim, the very
words he spoke in Matthew 24. “Hereafter shall ye see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand
of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.”
These aren’t the words of a defeated man, nor are the words of a deluded man. These are the
words of One who saw beyond time and space, therefore He was not intimidated by their threats
or their assaults. Jesus knew who He really was and where He was going. He knew that
everything they were about to do was predicted, expected, and absolutely necessary for the
redemption of a race destined for a godless eternity.
He knew His death was the only thing that could save us. And when He surrendered His power,
His innocence, and His most intimate connection with His Father, He did so to fully taste the
measure of the shame and pain of dying on the cross while bearing the evil of our darkest sins.
But we have to understand that Jesus didn’t just see the agony of the hopelessness of a grave.
He saw BEYOND these things to the glory that lay ahead!

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Listen to how Paul describes it in Hebrew 12:2 “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of
our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is
set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Jesus saw the “joy that was set before him” and that gave Him resolve to endure the cross.
What joy did He see? He saw Himself seated, once again, at the right hand of His Father where
He would again enjoy the glory of that intimate connection none of us can understand, and the
worship of ten thousands of angels.
He looked past the pain to the future of which the King David wrote, when penned these words
in Psalms 110:1 – “The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine
enemies thy footstool.”
Jesus knew that the other side of the cross held great glory for Him, and that’s why He endured.
And do you know, after He arose from the dead, He told His disciples this very thing. Look with
me for a moment in Luke 24:13-26

And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from
Jerusalem about threescore furlongs. And they talked together of all these things which had
happened. And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus
himself drew near, and went with them. But their eyes were holden that they should not know
him.
And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another,
as ye walk, and are sad?
And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a
stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these
days? And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of
Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people: And
how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified
him.
But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to
day is the third day since these things were done. Yea, and certain women also of our company
made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre; And when they found not his body, they
came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive. And
certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women
had said: but him they saw not.
Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:
Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
Jesus looked forward to returning to His glory, and that hope sustained Him through the
crucifixion and death. He knew that the other side of the cross held a crown.
And this is the point I’ve been trying to reach through all of this. Jesus is wearing that crown. He
is the Lamb that was slain before the foundation of the world, and He is the Lion of the Tribe of
Judah, and just as every other Scripture about Him was fulfilled, so this one will be too…
“Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced
him:”

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Do you know there are two amazing truths to this statement? The first is that on the glorious day
of Christ’s return, “every eye shall see Him”. Now scholars used to struggle with this, until
technology made it possible. Now, with satellite imagery and cell phones and internet, we can all
see world events unfold in real time.
But even more amazing is the rest of the sentence, “and they also which pierced him”. Who is
he talking about? Scholars debate whether it is the Jews in general at the time of His return, or
those in that revived Roman empire or mankind in general. But some contend (and I believe
personally) that He is referring to the actual people who were responsible for His death – that
those people, who were there that day, and who helped drive the nails to kill the Son of God, will
indeed, on the great and terrible day of His return to earth… “look on Him whom they have
pierced.”
Listen to how the prophet Zechariah describes it in chapter 12:9-10, “And it shall come to pass
in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour
upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of
supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for
him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in
bitterness for his firstborn.”

Yes, every eye shall see Him – even those who drove the nails, from wherever they are in
eternity, shall see Him return in His glory!
Now, I know that the thought of His return in power and glory excites most of us here, but the
truth is that most people won’t be happy about it at all. Notice in our text in Revelation 1:7
again… … “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which
pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

THE VIOLENT RESPONSE - “All the kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him”
How will the world react to the coming of the King? Will they roll out the red carpet and prepare
His throne? Will they welcome Him with open arms and willing hearts?
No, they will not. In fact, every kindred (or race) of people will be stricken in conscience and
broken in heart when they see the skies open and the Son of God returning in glory; and their
response will be violent!
John says that the world will “wail” because of Jesus Christ. This word “wail” is an intense word,
a verb meaning, “to chop"; or “to beat the breast in grief” it also means to be “cut down”; “to
lament” and “to mourn”.
It is the same word used to describe the emotional state of the men and women who followed
the condemned Christ to His cross. Luke 23:27 says, “And there followed him a great company
of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him.”
This word, “wail” describes a sobbing and crying, and a shrieking and moaning that only
accompanies the most intense grief imaginable. And this is the response the world will have
when Christ comes again.
The question is why? Aren’t they happy that the Lord has returned to destroy injustice, set the
captives free, and restore this broken world with a righteous kingdom and rule?
No, they’re not happy in the least. They are in grief and terror and the reason is also in this word
“wail”. See, not only does it refer to “beating the breast in grief or lamenting” but it also means
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to “chop” or be “cut down”. And only as we understand this meaning do we see why their grief
is so violent.
Listen, Jesus’ second coming is not going to be a time of joy and gladness for the world. It will
be a time of dread and darkness – a time of justice and judgment – a time of purging. And for
those who have lived for self with no thought for the King, it will be a time of terror and grief like
nothing they’ve ever known.
How can we understand what that day will be like and why the people will react so violently?
Let’s turn in our Bibles to Revelation chapter 18.
Now, there are two events described in chapters 18 and 19 that explain the violent reaction of
the world’s population at Christ’s return.
The first is in chapter 18 where we read the graphic description of the destruction of Babylon
and the effects that her destruction will have on the world.
In verses 9-11 it says, “And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived
deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her
burning, Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon,
that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. And the merchants of the earth shall
weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:”
We have to understand that the reaction to the destruction of Babylon is so intense and
widespread is because it isn’t just a city that’s crushed, but because the entire world economy is
shattered.
If you read the accounts of the Great Depression of 1929 you’ll discover that suicide rates went
way up as men threw themselves off buildings in sheer hopelessness over the prospect of
losing everything.
Listen, when Christ comes again, He will destroy the world’s economy. There will be nothing left,
and the world will mourn. But that’s not all, because when Christ comes, he will also bring death
and destruction with Him… Look at chapter 19:11-21…
“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called
Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame
of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but
he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word
of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine
linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite
the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the
fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name
written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls
that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the
great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty
men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free
and bond, both small and great.
And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war
against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.

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And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with
which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his
image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant
were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his
mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
Do you better understand why “all the kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him”? It is
because all of their hopes and dreams of a life without God – a life of selfish evil – are shattered
when the King comes again! They will be cut down and they will react with “weeping and
gnashing of teeth”, not because they are sorry for their sins, but because the King has ruined
their profitable, enjoyable, sinful way of life. They will wail and cry, not because they now love
the one they crucified, but because the one they hate so much finally has brought them ruin!
CONCLUSION
Listen, you and I are living in a time I like to think of as the great “Pause”. It is that time that
connects God’s past overt activity in the world through prophets, miracles, and visible
intervention in the affairs of men to the future when He once again will move into the world in
way that is visible and unmistaken.
This great “Pause” is what we read of in 2Peter 3:1-15, where the Apostle writes,
“This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by
way of remembrance: That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the
holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour: knowing
this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying,
Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they
were from the beginning of the creation.
For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the
earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being
overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same
word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly
men.
But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand
years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some
men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that
all should come to repentance. (THIS IS THE GREAT PAUSE)
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass
away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the
works that are therein shall be burned up.
(THIS IS HOW WE SHOULD REACT) Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what
manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and
hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved,
and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein
dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that
ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. And account that the
longsuffering of our Lord is salvation;”