Comes to Judge

Peter desired that God "'may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you" (Ac 3:20). The purpose is that "'times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord'" (:19). Paul told the Thessalonians would they not be "in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming?" (1Th 2:19). It would be a "period of restoration of all things" (Ac 3:21). However, those who don't "repent and return, so that [their] sins may be wiped away" (:19) "will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power" (2Th 1:9). "The Judge is standing right at the door" (Ja 5:9) "who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom" (2Ti 4:1). He will be "dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel" (2Th 1:8).

Paul's revelation was that "in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing" (2Ti 4:8). "'I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown'" (Rev 3:11). Christ's appearing is called an epiphaneia. It is bringing forth into light causing something to shine. An epiphany is a sudden, intuitive perception into the reality of something. "When the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory" (1Pe 5:4) and "at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation" (4:3). "When He appears we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is" (1Jn 3:2). This is because we "abide in Him . . . and [will] not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming" (2:28). This is possible as we are "children of God" (3:1). The "Father has bestowed [this] on us . . . [and] for this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him" (:1).