Three "Appearings" of Jesus

​Three “Appearings” of Jesus
Heb. 9:24-28

Intro: Notice the word “appear” in these verses:
24 -now to appear
26- hath he appeared
28- shall he appear
Three appearings in the Life and Ministry of Jesus.

I. He Hath Appeared. (26)
Thank God Jesus Christ has already appeared! It is a historical fact that Jesus was born as baby in Bethlehem.
He has appeared as a Human Man. Though he was Deity, he became a human man. Jesus was in the beginning with the Father and created all things. John said that “without him was not anything made that was made. “ Col. 1:15-19 Who is the image of the invisible God... by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
- He is the Image of the Invisible God
- By him all things were created
- He is Before all things
- By him all things consist (stay together, cohere)
- He is the Beginning and the firstborn from the dead.
Yet he has appeared as a human man. According to Heb. 2:16 he did not take on the nature of angels [that would have been a great step down] but he took on the nature of Man. Paul wrote that he made himself of no reputation; took on the form of a servant; was made in the likeness of man; he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. He became a partaker of flesh and blood and appeared as a human man. Yet...
He has appeared As the Son of God.
He was not Just a human man, he was still God the Son. He did not lose his identity; he did not lose his deity; he did not cease to be divine. Jesus did not claim to be just a Good Man or just a Teacher or just a Prophet or just an Example for mankind to imitate. He claimed to be the Very Son of God. That’s why the Jews rejected Him and reviled Him and refused to accept Him. That’s why they tried many times to kill him and finally were allowed to Crucify Him on Calvary. “He made himself equal with God.” (Jn 5:18)
Yes, Jesus Hath Appeared! He Has Appeared as God’s Sacrifice for Sin and As the World’s Savior.

II. He Now Appears. (24)
“Now to appear...”
He Appears Now as our High Priest and Mediator.
Jesus took our sins to Calvary, then He took the Offering of His blood to heaven as the payment for the sins of the world. As our High Priest, he offered his sacrifice to the Father and made the atonement.
He represented God to Us.
He represents Us to God. He is The ONLY mediator between God and Man.

He Appears Now as our Advocate.
He not only acted as our High Priest before the Throne of God in heaven, he also sits on the right hand of the Throne and speaks on our behalf to the Father. John said that if we sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
Remember, Satan is called the “accuser of the brethren.” The Book of Job records how the Devil accused Job before God. When Satan accuses us, Jesus Christ appears as our Legal Counsel, our Advocate, our Divine Lawyer to plead our case.

He Appears Now as our Intercessor.
Not only does Jesus plead our case for us, He Prays for us. Rom 8:34 ... It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
When Jesus warned Peter of Satan’s desire to sift him as wheat, he told him, But I have prayed for you that your Faith fail not.
What a tremendous truth. to realize that Jesus Himself prays to the Father for us. Do you believe that the Father hears and answers the prayers of Jesus?
He has appeared; He now appears, and ...

III. He Shall Appear. (28)
Oh what a glorious truth! Jesus shall yet appear the second time unto them that look for him.

He Shall Appear in the Rapture.
1 Thess. 4:16- For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the arch angel and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
1 John 3:1 Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God... Beloved, now are we the sons of God and it doth not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is.
In Acts 1 Luke told of the Ascension of Christ, how he was taken up and a cloud received him out of their sight. Then angels said to them, “This same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
Jesus will appear In the Clouds in the Air. He shall appear to Rapture, Catch Away, all Believers.

He Shall Appear at His Revelation to Israel and the World.
The Rapture is the first part of what we call the Second Coming of Christ. At the Rapture he comes For His Saints; At his Revelation he Comes With his Saints.
At the Rapture he comes in the Clouds in the Air; At His Revelation he comes down to the Earth [ his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives- Zec.14:4].
At the Rapture those who have believed on Him as Savior and Lord will be taken into his holy presence.
At the Revelation he comes to deliver Israel from the armies of the anti-Christ and to reveal himself as their Messiah. Israel will believe on Christ at that time and be redeemed as his children.
Zec. 12:9 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.10 And I will pour upon the house of David, & upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace & of supplications and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
Zec. 13:1 In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.
Rom. 11: 26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
YES- Jesus Has Appeared; Jesus Now Appears; and Jesus Shall Appear! Are you ready for his future appearing?