December 22 – Day 23

Daniel 7:13-14

As I continued to watch the vision that night, I saw what looked like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven, And He was presented to the Eternal God. He was crowned king and given power and glory, so that all people of every nation and race would serve Him. He will rule forever, and His kingdom is eternal, never to be destroyed.

So, when we begin to talk about Advent what exactly are we speaking of? Usually when we are speaking about Jesus and Advent we are referring to the birth of Jesus, the First Advent.  If we are speaking of the Second Advent or coming of Jesus, we are referring to the return of Jesus to earth following His death, burial, resurrection and ascension.

I Corinthians 15: 1-4:
“Moreover brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you – unless you believed in vain.  For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scripture, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures”.

Here in Daniel 7 we are looking at a vision that Daniel is having concerning the Son of Man (Jesus) being “given” dominion and glory and a kingdom… “which shall not be destroyed” – Daniel 7:14. In order to understand this, we must look back to I Corinthians 15 to see the two Advents of Christ again.

As a result of His First Coming, Christ came so that our sins could be forgiven by defeating death.  This describes the Second Advent which was made possible by the First Advent.  In the Second Advent, now that death has been defeated, Jesus will put all things under God, even Himself, so “that God may be all in all.” 

1 Corinthians 15:27-28:
“For He has put all things under Him, it is evident that He who put all things under Him is accepted.  Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.”

So all that we need to know about the Second Advent of Jesus Christ is the Gospel which makes a clear path for us to be forgiven of our sins because Jesus conquered death through His sacrificial death on the cross.

I Corinthians 15:50-57:
“Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.  Behold, I tell you a mystery:  We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed – in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.  For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.  So, when this corruption has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written:  Death is swallowed up in victory.”

Once we have completed putting our faith in Jesus to forgive our sins, we await the Second Advent.  I’m looking forward to being present when Jesus presents “all things under Him, that God may be all in all”.  How about you?