mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord

The Word for today:
Ezekiel 42:1-43:12

Is there a picture of Jesus' Second Coming in scripture?

I'm pretty sure we are looking at it right here in Ezekiel 43.

In Ezekiel 43, the glory returns to the Temple. We tend to think of glory as a light show, and we are right to envision it that way. However, the glory described in Ezekiel 43 is not an it, but a He. What we are seeing isn't just light, but a Person clothed in light:
And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east. His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory. It was like the appearance of the vision which I saw--like the vision which I saw when I came to destroy the city. The visions were like the vision which I saw by the River Chebar; and I fell on my face. And the glory of the Lord came into the temple by way of the gate which faces toward the east. The Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the temple. Then I heard Him speaking... (Ezekiel 43:2-6)

Throughout scripture, we are told that Jesus will return in glory:
"For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels..." (Matthew 16:27)

"When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory." (Matthew 25:31)

Ezekiel tells us that the glory appeared from the east, causing the earth to shine. In the book of Matthew, Jesus describes his return in the very same way:
"For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man." (Matthew 24:27)

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The visible presence of God in the Old Testament was referred to as the Shekinah glory, which appeared above the Tabernacle as a pillar of cloud and fire and, later, illuminated the Temple. The glory also appeared in the vision of Ezekiel chapter 1.

But we read, in Philippians 2:7, that Jesus emptied himself when he came to earth the first time. When he did, he laid aside Shekinah glory. (Because in order to take your place on the cross, the Word had to become flesh.)

Today, however, there is grave danger in limiting our comprehension of God to the emptied Jesus:
Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. (2 Corinthians 5:16)

We know him after the flesh no longer. He is now the man in the glory. We confine and limit his present person when we continue to envision him as the man from Galilee.

He wants us to become all that we really are. Let's return the favor -- and see him as he really is.

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