"And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming." [2 Th 2:8]
In Isaiah, regarding the millennial period, The LORD says, “moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days…” [Isa 30:26] In that glorious period wherein Jesus Christ shall reign as king over all the earth, the moon and sun will shine far brighter, a physical representation of how wonderful and beautiful a time it shall be. But beyond that, I believe we gain insight into the brightness of Jesus in His glorified state; for in another place it is written, regarding the same time period, “then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when The LORD of Hosts shall reign in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before His ancients gloriously.” [Isa 24:23] Why shall the sun and moon be put to shame? For even though they shall shine far brighter than at present, yet Jesus Christ, when He reigns upon earth bodily, shall shine far brighter. It says regarding New Jerusalem,
“And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.” [Rev 21:23]
Even though the sun shall be seven times brighter in that day, yet New Jerusalem requires zero of its light. Even though the sun shall be so much brighter, yet Jesus Christ shines far, far brighter; so much so, that if one were to compare the brightness of Christ with that of the sun, the sun would hang its head down with shame at its dimness.
Thinking of the breathtaking beauty and the intense brightness of Jesus, let us read again our verse for today: “…[The Lord] shall destroy [the wicked one] with the brightness of His coming.” [2 Th 2:8] Jesus will shine so brightly, so intensely, that the Antichrist, who is the wicked one, shall be utterly annihilated. A radiance never seen or imagined before, far beyond the power and glory of seven suns, and certainly any known star, (for how shall something created be more glorious than Christ the Creator?), shall appear in that day and completely destroy the enemy.
It is similar to what is written in John, “the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness could not overcome it.” [Jn 1:5] There is no darkness, no evil, no power or scheme of satan or any enemy, which can stand against Jesus Christ’s glory. His brightness, His glory, His character, shines so brilliantly and so powerfully, that all things of the enemy are dashed to pieces and removed at its arrival. There is no enemy too strong; no problem too confusing; no temptation too burdensome; no, there is nothing of darkness or evil, whether on earth or in heaven, which can stand against the glory of Christ: they shall altogether be destroyed at the manifestation of Jesus’ glory.
And so, seeing that Jesus’ character/glory is so powerful, may it be the focus of our studies; may it be the focus and devotion of our heart and mind. For if we have found ourselves troubled by the enemy of late, by his infiltration into our hearts, minds, or lives, then let us take a fresh, long gaze upon the glory of Jesus Christ, and find that its beauty and glory are powerful enough to remove and push back the enemy.
We can see this truth in The LORD’s revelation of Himself at Sinai. We read in Exodus, “and the glory of The LORD abode upon Mount Sinai…and the sight of the glory of The LORD was like devouring fire…” [Ex 24:16, 17] And in Hebrews, regarding this glory/fire, it is written, “for our God is a consuming fire.” [Heb 12:29] In Isaiah, surrounding this concept, a question is asked: “…who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?” [Isa 33:14] The answer, of course, is the righteous: those who have been justified through their faith in Christ Jesus, for it is through Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection that we can draw near and approach our God, not in trembling and with expectation of death, but in sincere love and expectation of grace and mercy. When we behold The LORD’s glory, it enters into our hearts and minds as a consuming fire, a fire that does not destroy us, who are in Christ, but the enemy. If the enemy has found his way into your heart or mind, dear Christian: whether that be the flesh, satan, the world, or condemnation from the law, then take heart and fill yourself with and gaze upon the glory, the character, of Jesus Christ.
Click here to see more posts in Daily Meditations on Jesus’ Glory: Volume IV