In previous articles covering Titus 2:11-12, we looked back to the past appearing of the grace of God at the first coming into this world of Christ the Saviour, and the expected transforming moral power of God’s grace in the lives of believers. In verse 13 we are now looking ahead to the future appearing of divine glory linked with the second coming again of the Lord Jesus to this world.
The Future Appearing of the Glory of God (Titus 2:13)
“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing [Greek epiphaneia, shining forth1] of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.”2 Those with knowledge of New Testament Greek constructions and the selective use of definite articles would confirm that the “blessed hope” is one and the same as “the glorious appearing.” For similar grammatical reasons, “the great God” is one and the same as “our Saviour Jesus Christ.” There will be the “appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ” (JND), an unequivocally direct statement of the deity of Christ.
We are therefore an expectant people, “looking for that blessed hope,” greatly anticipating with eagerness this future epiphany or shining forth of the glory of God in the Person of “our Saviour Jesus Christ.” This blessed prospect will begin for members of the Church at the moment when Christ comes to the air for His Church. Subsequent to that Rapture of the Church, and every bit as much a part of “that blessed hope” for the believer, there will be the displayed glory of Christ’s second advent back to this earth.
Several Scriptures speak about our Saviour’s coming back again to this world in “the clouds”: “They shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Mat 24:30); “The Son of man coming in the clouds” (Mar 13:26); “Behold, he cometh with clouds” (Rev 1:7). These will be clouds of glory, when our Saviour comes forth again with glory underneath Him, all around Him and radiating from Him. “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory” (Mat 25:31).
An important point is that these Scriptures emphasise the full vindication for God’s Son at this glorious appearing. “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” (Rev 1:7). That is very strong language in reference to the response of humanity to the coming again of Christ to this earth. Likewise, Matthew 24:30 says, “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.” The One who first came displaying the grace of God, and was generally unrecognized, disregarded, “despised and rejected of men” (Isa 53:3), will come again in great glory, and be vindicated as He displays fully the glory of God in open manifestation to this world. When that bright glory radiates from Christ at His coming, and every human eye sees Him, all in this world will be caused to bow down before Him in acknowledgement of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
The immediate response of humanity to this visible return of the Saviour and the display of His glory will be an expression of dreadful remorse, bringing them to mourn and wail. Today in this world, any passing mention of the second coming of Christ is like an easy joke for the comedians, creating a reflex laugh from an unbelieving audience. But when it takes place and humanity is confronted with the inescapable reality of the glorious appearing of the Christ, and when every eye sees none other than “the great God and Saviour Jesus Christ,” they will know instantly who He is, and the reality will cause all to wail and mourn that they had rejected Him, some perhaps remembering that they had past opportunity to accept Him in the day of grace.
Men today generally show little or no remorse or regret for the sins they commit. When it comes to the unjust way in which humanity treated the Lord Jesus when He first came in grace, there is no accepting of responsibility, no collective sense of shame, and no interest in righting the great wrong committed by humanity when the sinless Saviour was crucified. National apologies are sometimes appropriately expressed for past wrongs, but there has never been a resolution passed at the United Nations acknowledging the past injustice of Calvary. But when the nations of this world do see Him again, when every eye sees the appearing of His glory, there will be a global collective wail of remorse, knowing He is now coming again in power and irresistible judgment.
The Lord Jesus will in that day come back to this world and be manifested in all the displayed character of (1) “the great God” and (2) “our Saviour Jesus Christ.” He will display all the omnipotent power of “the great God” when He destroys all enemies who oppose Him “with the brightness of His coming” (2Th 2:8). “For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Mat 24:27). Christ’s sudden glorious appearing will begin with a manifestation of the glory of His power as He moves in judgment.
Second Thessalonians 1:7-9 describes this appearing in glory and righteous judgment: “When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.” This will be His appearing as “the great God” in all His omnipotence, the appearing of “the glory of his power.”
Believers are thankful that, having trusted Christ for salvation now in this present day of grace, this glorious appearing holds no terror. He first comes as “our Saviour Jesus Christ” at the time of the Rapture of the Church, as our Deliverer away from the coming tribulation wrath. We expectantly “wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come” (1Th 1:10). “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ” (5:9).
1 W.E. Vine, Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words.
2 Bible quotations in this article are from the KJV unless otherwise noted.
