In this message we shall consider Christ in His coming back and in the kingdom.
In His coming back Christ will still be the Son of Man. The Lord’s word to the high priest indicates this: “Henceforth you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven” (Matt. 26:64). In the heavens today the Lord is the Son of Man and He will be the Son of Man even at His coming back on the clouds.
Revelation 14:14 says, “I saw, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud One sitting like the Son of Man, having a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand.” This indicates that when the Lord comes back to reap His harvest on the earth (v. 15), He still will be the Son of Man. At that time He will no longer be wrapped, or concealed, in the clouds (Rev. 10:1), but will be sitting on the cloud. This corresponds to 1 Thessalonians 4:17 and refers to the open aspect of Christ’s coming back.
In Matthew 24 the Lord Jesus repeatedly tells His disciples that in His coming back He will be the Son of Man. In verse 27 He says, “As the lightning comes forth from the east and shines to the west, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be.” This is the open aspect of the Lord’s coming toward the unbelieving Jews and Gentiles. Lightning is concealed in a cloud, waiting for the opportunity to flash forth. Christ will also be clothed with a cloud (Rev. 10:1) in the air for a time and then will suddenly appear like a flash to the earth. By then He still will be the Son of Man.
Matthew 24:30 says, “The sign of the Son of Man shall appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the land shall wail, and they shall see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” The sign must be supernatural and clearly visible (perhaps like the lightning in verse 27), appearing in heaven. The tribes refer to the tribes of the nation of Israel, and the land refers to the Holy Land. At the Lord’s appearing all the tribes of Israel will repent and wail (Zech. 12:10-14; Rev. 1:7). By this time He will be no longer in the cloud but will be on the cloud with power and great glory, appearing to the people on earth. This is the open aspect of His second coming. Then His power will be exercised to execute God’s judgment, to destroy Antichrist with his armies, and to bind Satan for the establishment of His kingdom on earth. The Lord will do all these things as the Son of Man.
In Matthew 24:37, 39, and 44, the Lord goes on to tell us that He will come back as the Son of Man. When He came the first time, He came to be a man through incarnation. When He died on the cross, He was crucified as a man. When He was resurrected, He was resurrected as a man. Furthermore, when He ascended, He ascended as a man, and He is now in the heavens as a man. When He comes back, He will still be the Son of Man.
In His coming back Christ will be the morning star to the overcomers (Rev. 22:16). In Revelation 2:28 He gives a promise to the overcomer, saying, “I will give him the morning star.” At Christ’s first appearing the wise men, not the Jewish religionists, saw His star (Matt. 2:2, 9-10). At His second appearing He will be the morning star as a reward to His overcomers who watch for His coming. To all others He will appear only as the sun (Mal. 4:2). There is a great difference between the appearing of the morning star and the appearing of the sun. The appearing of the morning star is secret, but the appearing of the sun is open. The Lord promised that if we are watchful and wait for His coming, He will appear to us as the morning star for a reward.
In Revelation 22:16 the Lord Jesus says, “I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the bright morning star.” Christ as the Root and Offspring of David is related to Israel and the kingdom, whereas His being the bright morning star is related to the church and the rapture. The morning star appears before the darkest hour, prior to dawn. The great tribulation will be this darkest hour, after which the day of the kingdom will dawn. In the kingdom the Lord will appear publicly to His people as the sun, but before the great tribulation He will appear privately to His overcomers as the morning star.