John.14: 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself;

THE “SECOND APPEARING” IS A REVELATION OF CHRIST WITHIN

A mere look at the above, one might think that the “come again” that Jesus talked about implies the popular “SECOND COMING” that is widely anticipated in the church today. But that is not what Jesus really meant like we said in the previous post.

He was merely promising the disciple His coming as the Holy Spirit to unite with them after His death and, resurrection and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

So His coming as the Holy Spirit was the Fulfillment of the Father’s Promise to

“Return Again” in John 14:3.

John 14: 16 “A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.

The little while is the period of his death and his resurrection, walking with them in a glorified body for forty days before the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the fiftieth Day. For,

“Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” ( 2 Cor.3:17)

So He came back to them as the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. The passage therefore was not about a physical being coming down from Heaven.

That means, the spirit has taken over as a new dispensation of God coming to His people. The Spirit will now demonstrate the right of Jesus, to the title “son of God” (John. 10:33; 19:7).

His going to the Father will prove that He is God’s son (John 13: 1; 20:17); therefore He is one with the Father. (John. 17:5).

His ascension shows where he came from, the Father (John.6: 38, 62; 8:42).

And (He) that descended (as a human being) is the same also that ascended up, far above all heavens (realms of spiritual existence) that He might fill all things” (Eph.4: 10) with Himself.

Why? Because He is now spirit, He couldn’t fill all things with Himself as a human being, but as spirit now he can.You see the difference?

This is why a corn of wheat must fall to the ground and die in order to bring forth much fruit (John12: 24…

So know we no man after the flesh, even though we have known Christ after the flesh. 2Cor.5:16.Ampl.

A “SECOND TIME” APPEARING TO THOSE WHO LOOK FOR HIM.

“…unto them that look for him shall be appear THE SECOND TIME without sin unto salvation” Hebrews 9:28.

Here again is anther passage that the church has misapplied to mean Christ supposed “SECOND CO0MING”:

To start with, the Book of Hebrew chapter 9 deals with the priesthood ministry of Jesus. Note that, and according to the above Scripture, Christ shall appear “unto them that look for Him” and not to everybody as the church today has made us believe.

The word again is “second”, so when was the “first”? The first appearing is found in verses 24 -26.

“For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us

25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;

26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world (End of the Old covenant): but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself?”

Now, consider this in the old order, the atoning sacrifice was not accomplished merely by the killing of the animal at the brazen altar.

The blood had to be taken by the high priest to the Most Holy place, where it was presented to God by the high priest.

This is exactly what Jesus did for us at Calvary – a High Priest; He presented the blood of atonement before God. This is the reason He told Mary “Touch me not” because He had to ascend to the Father (John 20:19) to perfect the work of atonement without being defiled/contaminated.

So, how does this apply to us today? Christ as a High Priest did not offer His blood in a physical literal TEMPLE but rather in the MOST HOLY PLACE that is WITHIN US. We are now the temple of God and also, one not made with hands-the type that God dwells in (2 Cor. 6: 16; Heb.8:1-3).

We are the tabernacle in which the Lord has pitched His tenth. It is right in us that God dwells. It is our heart that the blood of Christ-His life and consciousness is now brought to in order to perfect our conscience

(Heb 9: 9) The OT was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience”

” 1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins (Heb 10:1-3).

So “…Christ through the eternal spirit (Holy Ghost) offered Himself without spot to God, purge your

(our) conscience from dead work (that is the removing of our sin consciousness, and animal sacrifices ) to serve the living God …having obtained eternal redemption for us” (Heb.9:14).

Therefore, we now receive the Christ CONSCIOUSNESS in place of sin consciousness as the law of the spirit of Christ is written in our hearts and minds (Heb.8:10; Rom. 8:2).

THE “SECOND APPEARING” IS A REVELATION OF CHRIST WITHIN

“…unto them that look for him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation “-Hebrews 9:28 KJV.

The word “appear” used in the above Scripture is from the Greek word “optanomai.”

It means to appear or show.

It is the same word used in Acts 7:30, 35 to describe the appearance of the angel to Moses in the “burning bush”.

Now, if Moses’ burning bush experience is anything to go by, we can see that there was no physical appearance of God to Moses. Yet, God’s presence was manifested to him and he was ordained as a deliverer to the children of Israel.

Also, the same word, ‘appear’ surfaces in the words of Jesus Christ to Paul during his conversion on his way to Damascus:

“But rise and stand upon thy feet, for I have “APPEARED unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister…” Acts 26:16.

The point here is this; Paul never saw Jesus in the physical. What he saw was a light from heaven as he himself said.

Now, see the puzzle. Paul in his letter to the Corinthians church (1 Cor. 9:1) asked:

“AM I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus?”

So did Paul really saw Jesus physically with his natural eyes? I think the answer is NO! Once again, what he saw was a blinding light from heaven as he himself said. Look at what he said again,

“… but when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb. And called me by His grace, TO REVEAL HIS SON IN me that I may preach Him among the heathen I confer not with flesh and Blood…” Gal.1:15-16.

So we see that the experience he had on the way to Damascus was actually a revelation of Christ in him?

Take special note of the word “in” as used in the passage. The revelation he had was IN him and not TO him.

“To him” would mean that Christ showed up physically and that would be inaccurate.

Beloved, can you see now that the “second time appearing” of Jesus is in those that look for Him, in order that He may complete His work of atonement thereby commissioning them?

We are not just in Christ, Christ is also IN US and He is our hope of glory! (Col. 1:27). Christ dwells IN US, we are His Temple. His Spirit and our spirit have become one (1 Cor.6: 17 )

“But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit”

There is a power at work ‘IN US’ according to Eph. 3:20: “…unto Him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the POWER that worketh IN US.”

This POWER is the Holy Ghost-the Spirit of Christ, Himself who dwells IN US.

UNTO THEM THAT LOOK FOR HIM

“…unto them that look for him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation “-Heb. 9:28 KJV.

The word “look” in the above passage is from the Greek word “apekdechomaia.” It means to expect fully; to look (wait) for.

That’s the word translated “looking” in Hebrews 12:2 which says:

“Looking away (from all that will distract) to Jesus, who is the leader and the source of our faith (giving the first incentive for our belief) and is also its finisher (bringing it to maturity and perfection)… “AMP.

The reason Christ is appearing a second time “unto them that look for him” is to make perfect-bring to maturity and finish the work of atonement He had begun in them.

Look at it;

Rom.8: 23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?”

Since

“..we are citizens of the state (commonwealth, homeland) which is in heaven, and from it also we earnestly and patiently await [the coming of] the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) [as] Savior,

21 Who will transform and fashion anew the body of our humiliation to conform to and be like the body of His glory and majesty, by exerting that power which enables Him even to subject everything to Himself.Phil.3:20-21 Amp.

So you see people, what we are waiting for which you called his “second coming” is the transformation of our bodies like unto his glorious body of resurrection.

This is what is meant by

“51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

52 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.

53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victor”.(1Cor.15:51-54)

So Christ is not coming to catch away people but to transformed them, and it is actually done within, for salvation is spirit soul and Body ..

Someone says but what of “…and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also”

That’s Next…

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To be continued…