CHRIST’S RETURN TO EARTH

“Who shall stand when he appeareth?”, Mal. 3. 2.

Here we extract verses from Psalms 91, 96, 48, 45 to highlight the magnificence of Christ’s coming in glory.

The Man, 91. 11-13. Compare these verses with Matthew 4. 6, where Satan quotes (or rather, misquotes) these verses in connection with Christ’s temptation in the wilderness. Satan omits the phrase “to keep thee in all thy ways”. This implies obedience. Christ did the will of His Father in heaven. Satan completely omits verse 13 because it refers to himself and his ultimate defeat. As Christ was victorious in the wilderness, so He will be victorious when He returns to this earth.

The Monarch, Psa. 96. The new song in verse 1 suggests the times of the Messiah, and the psalm is a coronation anthem, extending to all nations and embracing the renovated earth. The heavens rejoice, the earth is glad, the sea will roar approval, the field will be joyful and the trees will rejoice.

The Metropolis, Psa. 48. The holy city Jerusalem will one day be a great administration centre of the world. Note how it is referred to in this psalm: “the city of our God”, v. 1; “the mountain of his holiness”, v. 1; “mount Zion”, v. 2; “the city of the great King”, v. 2; “palaces”, v. 3; “the city of the Lord of hosts”, v. 8; “thy temple”, v. 9; “towers”, v. 12; “bulwarks”, v. 13. Here we have a measure of what God thinks of His city, and it behoves us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

The Might, Psa. 45. The measure of the might of God in that day is seen in such expressions as “sword, mighty, glory, majesty”, v. 3; “ride prosperously, truth, righteousness, terrible things”, v. 4; “Thine arrows are sharp … the people fall under thee”, v. 5. This catalogue of events serves to indicate the might of the return of Christ in terms of the international situation and world politics. In the light of territorial claims and the aspirations of world domination, v. 6, puts everything in its right perspective by asserting that the throne of God is “for ever and ever”, stressing not only its duration but its quality and equity. Note:

Heaven to earth: “Lo, I come”, Psa. 40. 7.

Earth to heaven: “I come to thee”, John 17. 11.

Heaven to earth: “I come quickly”, Rev. 22. 20.