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Title: "The Second Coming of Christ For His Own" Subject: The second coming of Christ for the elect of Israel Purpose: To relate the joy at the coming of Christ Intro: The Bible says, "Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober." 1 Thes. 5:6 I think you would all agree that the events of the last month have caused a renewed interest in the subject of prophecy, and of the second coming of Christ. Certainly we can speculate about what the days ahead have in store for us, and we can rejoice that "the coming of the Lord draweth nigh." Though believers are taught in the N.T. that we are not to look for signs, but we can look at signs to see if they line up with the events revealed in the Word of God. We are not a people of signs, but a people of a returning Saviour, and so we are to be always watching and prepared for the return of Christ, and the catching away of the saints. The Bible says, "Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober." 1 Thes. 5:6 The day of the Lord, which includes the time period of the 7 years of Tribulation on earth, and the 1000 year reign of Christ on earth is a distinctly Jewish time period. It is during this time period that God brings tribulation judgment on disobedient mankind, and brings millennial blessings on those Jews and Gentiles who have trusted in the Messiah (Jesus Christ). As such, we should not be surprised to find references to the second coming of Jesus Christ in the O.T. But you may be surprised to see the second coming of Jesus Christ in the Song of Solomon! The Bible says, "Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober." 1 Thes. 5:6 The Song of Solomon tells the story of a Shulamite maiden, who is in love with a lowly Shepherd, but who is courted by none other than King Solomon. In context, the Shulamite maiden represents the godly remnant of the Nation of Israel. By application, she represents believers in Jesus Christ. The Shepherd is a representation of the Messiah, or Jesus Christ. King Solomon represents the world, its power, authority, and wealth. So we have the eternal love triangle. An interesting aspect to the Song is that the Shulamite maiden is never physically in the presence of the Shepherd, but He is always on her mind. In the O.T. the Messiah is never physically in the presence of the godly remnant, yet He was the One longed for. For us, Jesus Christ has never been in our presence, yet, "Whom having not seen, ye love; in Whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory" (1Peter 1:8). Song 2:8-13 -- "The Second Coming of Christ For His Own" -- prayer Note: The setting for this passage begins in 1:12 where the Shulamite maiden to taken into the presence of King Solomon. In 2:4, she is taken to the king's banqueting house for a state dinner, and ends up in a swoon (v5-7). It is during this swoon that she has a vision of the coming Shepherd, or the second coming of Christ. Where do you get that??? Though the Song is difficult to put into a neat little package, the Jews have always considered the Song as an allegory of the history of Israel from the exodus to the coming of the Messiah. We see the second coming in these words; "He cometh" (v8), "Shewing Himself" (v9), and Christ's command to "rise up and come away" (v10). Remember that the Song is a lyrical poem. I. THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST AS THE BELOVED CONQUEROR (v8) Note: In speaking of the second coming of Christ we do not often speak of the blessings, but of the carnage. A. Beloved = deeply loved, or uncle (kinsman redeemer). Each time the Shulamite speaks of the Shepherd, in this passage, she calls Him her Beloved. B. She Hears His Voice ("sound") (v8a) Note: Do your remember how eagerly you listened for the sound of your beloved's voice, whether on the phone or at the front door? And if you had been separated for months, how you longed to hear that voice? Imagine the Nation of Israel as she had waited over 3000 years to hear that voice! Yet, when she heard it Israel rejected it! Think of the voice of Christ: It resounded in creation as He spoke the worlds into existence; it resonates down through the centuries, "Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand"; it reverberates from the cross throughout eternity, "It is finished!"; it rings from the clouds to believers, "Come up hither!"; and it roars from heaven at His appearing, "King of Kings, and Lord of Lords!" "The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of His people, and the strength of the children of Israel" Joel 3:16 For us the N.T. says, "For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first" (1 Thes. 4:16) Is your ear attuned to the voice of Christ? C. She Sees His Approach (v8bc) 1. Leaping on mountains Note: The picture is one of no obstacles, for nothing will be able to hinder the coming of Jesus in power and majesty. It will be as the mountains are mere hills. For us John the Baptist said, "Make straight ("level") the way of the Lord." Is anything in your life a hindrance to keep folks from coming to Christ? 2. Skipping upon the hills Note: "Skipping" is not a serious, solemn activity! It is an expression of unrestrained joy. Sad people do not skip! That there is great joy in the final redemption of the Jews. The curse is lifted off this earth, the desert will bloom as the rose, and the millennial kingdom will be a time of peace and plenty, when the lion lays down with the lamb? And we will be part of it! Note: Though I cannot be dogmatic, it appears that at Christ's second coming, and after He touches down on the Mt. of Olives, that He proceeds to the rock city of Petra, and Bozrah in Edom, east of the Dead Sea. Here the Jewish remnant has been in hiding from the wrath of the antichrist. Here the surviving Jews recognize Jesus Christ as their Messiah, falling on their faces and crying, "Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us: this is the Lord, we will be glad and rejoice in our salvation" (Isa. 25:9). As the enormity of their sin in rejecting Him is brought to mind, they tear their clothes and cover themselves with ashes and dirt, but the Lord had promised, "To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified" Isaiah 61:3 As the procession of Jews, led by Christ, forms to triumphantly reenter Jerusalem, the words of the prophet Isaiah break from their lips, "Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? This that is glorious in His apparel, traveling in the greatness of His strength?" Christ responds, "I, that speak in righteousness, mighty to save!" There is no joy like the joy of deliverance, or salvation from your sins! There is no moment of your life that is as precious or important, then the moment you trust Christ! For us the N.T. says, "...these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full" 1 John 1:4 Are you joyful in your service for Christ II. Second Coming of Christ as the BELOVED Messiah (v9) Beloved = deeply loved, our kinsman redeemer A. See Sees His Beauty(v9a) 1. Like a roe (?), or young stag (male deer) representing "beauty, glory, honor" Note: Later in the Song, the Shulamite maiden exclaims of the Shepherd, "...He is altogether lovely. This is my Beloved and this is my Friend." (5:16). Yet in Isaiah it is said of Christ as the suffering Servant, "..He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him" (Isaiah 53:2). But at His second coming men will see His beauty, glory, and honor exhibited for all the world to see, "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..." (Rev. 19:11-12) Have you seen the beauty and glory of Christ? B. She Sees the Crucified One (v9b) 1. Jesus was crucified outside the walls of Jerusalem, while the types of Christ, the innumerable lambs, were sacrificed inside the walls of Jerusalem. And Jesus Christ will carry the scars of the Cross down through eternity. Note: Isn't it interesting that the wall of external religious practices kept the O.T. Jews from ever clearly seeing the Messiah they claimed to be looking for. Isn't it amazing how a religion can keep you from a relationship? Today, Satan and sin have blinded the eyes of men, for "...if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost" (2 Cor. 4:3). But when Christ comes again, "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" (Zech. 12:10) For us the N.T. says, "For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth" Acts 13:47 Are you sharing the good news of the crucified One? C. She Sees His Eyes (v9c) 1. "Looketh forth" = stare "Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with Whom we have to do" Hebrews 4:13 a. 3 times in Rev. it speaks of His eyes as flames of fire (judgment) b. Yet Matt. speaks of His eyes of compassion "But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no Shepherd" Mat 9:36 For us the N.T. says, "For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil" 1 Peter 3:12 Do you live under the compassion and conviction of Christ's eyes? D. She Sees His Veiled Glory (v9c) 1. Shewing Himself through the lattice Note: In the O.T. the Jews only saw the Messiah through the lattice of the Law and the sacrificial system. In the N.T. we still , "...see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face..." (1 Cor. 13:12), but we have the advantage of seeing God in the person and humanity of Christ. But when Christ comes again, "Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him..." (Rev. 1:7) For us the N.T. says, "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth" John 1:14 The word "glory" means to make known. Are you making Jesus known? III. THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST AS THE BELOVED RISEN ONE (v10) Beloved = deeply loved, our kinsman redeemer A. She Hears His Voice of Authority ("my Beloved spake") For us the N.T. says, "...Never man spake like this Man" John 7:46 Are you a spokesperson for Christ, repeating His Word? B. She Hears His Command ("rise up & come away") Note: The Shulamite maiden has swooned, probably in the presence of all the finery and flattery of King Solomon. In other words, she was overcome with the world, but her mind was stayed on Christ. Book, prayer, church "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee" (Isaiah 26:3) And then she heard the voice of Christ, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33) 1. Consider this that the Shepherd could not have commanded her to rise up if He had not risen Himself. a. He rose above His circumstances (Lk. 23:34) b. He rose from the dead (Jn. 20:19-20) c. He rose from this earth (Acts 1:9) For us the N.T. says, "They are not of the world, even as I Am not of the world" John 17:16 Are you OF the world, or NOT OF the world? C. She Delights in His Encouragement ("My love, my fair ("beautiful") one") 1. Notice His love. a. It is the highest form of love, the love of God for a sinner, but now, even a greater love for one of His own. b. It is self-sacrificing love, for Christ gave Himself for us c. It is proven love, for Christ sealed it with His Own blood 2. Notice the change (1:6) a. Changed by salvation "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" 2 Cor. 5:17 b. Changed by sanctification "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" 2 Cor. 3:18 c. Changed by resurrection "Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed" 1 Cor. 15:51-52 d. Changed by glorification "Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself" Philip. 3:21 e. Where once there was the ugliness of sin and enmity with God, now there is beauty and peace with God Note: Have you ever noticed what sin does to a person's looks, attitudes, desires, and purposes in life? And have you ever noticed the change that trusting Christ as Saviour brings? Night and Day! Are you beautiful in Christ and for Christ? Conclusion: Jesus Christ is coming again! And that is the blessed hope of both the believer and the Jew. It was so in the O.T. and it is so in the N.T. But, how does your lifestyle line up with Christ's coming? Are they in sync so that the coming of Christ will not dramatically change your lifestyle, but just your place of residence? I don't know, Bro. Darst, how can I tell? 1. Is Christ your Beloved? 2. Are your ears attuned to the voice of Christ? 3. Is anything in your life a direct obstacle to someone else coming to Christ? 4. Are you joyful in your service for Christ? 5. Do you appreciate the beauty of the sinless Son of God? 6. Are you sharing the goods news of the crucified One? 7. Are you, on purpose, living under the convicting power of the Holy Spirit? 8. Are you scriptural representative of Christ? 9. Are you, though in the world, not of this world? 10. Do you delight in the encouragement Christ has for you in His Word? |