From Newsgroup: alt.bible

Sight for Blind Eyes: Will the World See Jesus Again?

The Plain Meaning of John 14:19

(1) "Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will
see me. Because I live, you also will live." (John 14:19 ESV)

(2) "God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, not to all
the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate
and drank with him after he rose from the dead." (Acts 10:40-41 ESV)

Jesus spoke the words of John 14:19 on the night of His betrayal, hours
before His crucifixion. In "a little while," the Roman soldiers and
Jewish leaders buried Him, and the unbelieving world never saw Him again during His earthly ministry. When God raised Jesus from the dead, He did
not appear openly to the worldly authorities or the unbelieving crowds;
He manifested Himself exclusively to His chosen disciples. The world saw
Him no more from the day of His death through His resurrection and
ascension.

To take a statement describing His physical departure from the world at
His crucifixion and apply it as a denial of His bodily return
contradicts the plain teaching of Jesus and His apostles elsewhere.

Proposition: John 14:19 describes the termination of Christ's earthly
ministry before the world, and His exclusive resurrection appearances to
His disciples, not His glorious Second Coming.

Direct Statements of Scripture That Every Eye Will See Him

(1) "Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on
account of him. Even so. Amen." (Revelation 1:7 ESV)

Notice what the Scripture says:
First, "Every eye will see him."
Second, "Even those who pierced him." The very men who condemned and
crucified HimrCothe epitome of the unbelieving worldrCowill see Him.
Third, "All tribes of the earth will wail on account of him." This does
not refer to believers rejoicing, but to the unbelieving world mourning
at His visible arrival.

(2) "Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all
the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man
coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." (Matthew
24:30 ESV)

Jesus Himself expressly declared that "all the tribes of the earth" will
"see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven." The phrase "all the tribes of the earth" is identical in meaning to "the world."

(3) "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus,
who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you
saw him go into heaven." (Acts 1:11 ESV)

How did Jesus go into heaven? He went visibly, bodily, and personally
before the physical eyes of observers. How does the Bible say He will
return? "In the same way."

Proposition: The Bible explicitly and repeatedly declares that the
entire world, including every tribe of the earth and those who rejected
Him, will visibly see Jesus Christ at His return.

Direct Statements of Jesus to Unbelievers Concerning His Visible Return

(1) "Jesus said to him, 'You have said so. But I tell you, from now on
you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming
on the clouds of heaven.'" (Matthew 26:64 ESV)

Jesus was speaking directly to Caiaphas, the high priest who presided
over His trial and condemnation. Jesus did not tell Caiaphas that he
would never see Him again. Jesus warned Caiaphas that he would see the
Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven.

(2) "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 ESV)

Lightning is not invisible. Lightning flashes across the entire sky
where all under heaven can see it. Jesus chose the most visible,
conspicuous phenomenon in the natural world to describe the manner of
His coming.

Proposition: Jesus Christ warned His enemies that they would see Him
coming in glory, and He compared His return to visible lightning across
the sky.

Summary

John 14:19 taught that the unbelieving world would see Jesus no more
after His death and burial, which was fulfilled when His
post-resurrection appearances were granted only to His disciples.

Revelation 1:7 affirms without qualification that at His final coming,
"every eye will see him," specifically including those who rejected and pierced Him.

Matthew 24:30 and Matthew 26:64 record the direct testimony of Jesus
Christ that all the tribes of the earth and His earthly accusers will physically see Him coming on the clouds of heaven.

Conclusion:

Believing that Jesus will return visibly does not make Jesus a liar; it
honors the words of Jesus Himself in Matthew 24:30 and Matthew 26:64. To wrench John 14:19 out of its context to deny the clear, unmistakable declarations of Revelation 1:7 and Matthew 24:30 is not handling the
word of truth rightly. The Bible teaches with unmistakable clarity that
the return of Jesus Christ will be bodily, personal, and visible to the
entire world.
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Good News rCa

The sacrificial death of Christ paid the penalty for our sins in full (Colossians 2:14), as demonstrated when God raised Him from the dead
(Romans 1:4). This allows a righteous God to forgive our transgressions (Romans 3:26) and preserve us from the coming day of wrath (1
Thessalonians 1:10). Eternal life is a free gift for everyone who trusts
in Jesus (Romans 6:23). Believe the gospel and cry out to the Lord for deliverance (Romans 10:9-13):

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