Christ Will Be Glorified in the Joy of His People

For many Christians, the second coming of Christ is a powerful hope a future moment wrapped in anticipation, awe, and final victory. But what if this event holds more than just justice and triumph? What if it also unveils one of the most intimate revelations of God’s love: our joy as the very means of Christ’s glorification?

This is the profound realization explored in Come, Lord Jesus: Meditations on the Second Coming of Christ, a recent reflection that invites us to see Christ’s return not only as an act of justice, but also as the culmination of God's design to be glorified through the gladness of His people.

Let’s consider one striking passage from 2 Thessalonians 1:10: “When he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed.” Here lies the heart of the discovery: Christ’s glory and our marveling are not separate outcomes they are intimately intertwined. To marvel is to emotionally respond, to be deeply stirred by beauty and greatness. It is a form of joy, and it is in this joy that Christ is most glorified.

This is not a new concept for those familiar with the theology often referred to as Christian Hedonism the belief that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. But its connection to the second coming of Christ sharpens the focus and deepens the wonder.

Marveling Is Worship Through Joy

When Jesus returns, He will not merely demand awe; He will awaken it. He will not extract praise; He will evoke it through the sheer magnitude of His majesty and mercy. Our marveling is not a duty it’s a response. The glory of Christ will be so overwhelming that joy becomes inevitable for those who love Him.

This marveling is not just an emotional experience, but a God-designed instrument of glorification. Just as clapping is the celebration of greatness, marveling is the soul’s applause at the beauty of Christ. The two cannot be separated. In other words, the more we marvel, the more He is glorified.

Statistically, around 62% of evangelical Christians in the United States say they believe that Jesus will return in their lifetime. Yet many of these believers primarily associate that return with judgment or escape from suffering. What if instead, we began to associate His return with delight with the glorious satisfaction of seeing the One we’ve longed for?

God’s Glory and Our Gladness Are Not at Odds

This raises a vital question: If God is so focused on His own glory, can He still be loving? The answer found in Scripture is a resounding yes because the way He glorifies Himself is by giving us what satisfies us most: Himself.

This is not self-exaltation at our expense. It is self-exaltation through our joy. In designing a universe where His glory and our joy converge, God expresses the deepest form of love. He is not a distant deity demanding praise, but a gracious King who shares the joy of His reign with His people.

In John 17:24, Jesus prays, “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory.” Not merely to acknowledge it, but to see it to take delight in it, to marvel at it. Why? Because He knows that our seeing is our rejoicing, and our rejoicing glorifies Him.

A recent Pew Research study showed that over 75% of American Christians agree with the statement, “Experiencing God’s presence brings joy.” That joy is not only a result of God’s presence, but also a divine strategy to magnify Him. The more joy He produces in us, the more His glory shines through us.

Loving His Appearing

This leads us back to 2 Timothy 4:8: “There is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord… will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.”

To love His appearing is to long for it to yearn not just for justice or peace, but for Him. To love His appearing is to desire the Person of Christ with the kind of affection that makes His return the most thrilling promise in Scripture. And now we see why: because in that appearing, our joy will surge, and in that joy, He will be glorified.

This is not just a theological reflection. It is an invitation. An invitation to prepare our hearts not only for the event of His coming, but for the emotion of it to cultivate the kind of longing that says, “Come, Lord Jesus,” not out of fear or escape, but out of love, because we want Him.

This discovery reframes the second coming not just as an end to suffering, but as the dawn of endless joy joy that glorifies Christ and fulfills our deepest desires. It’s a love story written from eternity past and fulfilled in eternity future, when Jesus comes to be glorified in the marveling of His saints.

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