Christ’s return at the second coming will bring universal awareness that He is the King. John writes “even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him” (Rev 1:7). The tribes are the nations of the earth that will mourn in judgement as they see Him.

This prophecy is stated in Matt 25:31-32 in which Jesus tells the disciples He will return to sit on His glorious throne in front of all the gathered nations, and He will separate them one from another like a shepherd separates sheep from goats. The sheep will be put on His right and will be invited to inherit His kingdom (Matt 25:34). Those on the left will be accursed and sent to eternal punishment in hell (Matt 25:41-46). These verses are often used as proof texts to care for orphans, and although Christians are called to this, that is not the point of these verses. In context, Christ’s return will come to end the tribulation period in which both Jews and Christians will be persecuted, and it will be Christians who care for them. What divides the people like sheep from goats will be that some will take action to care for the “least of these”, the ones who are persecuted. They will be caring for all those persecuted during the tribulation period and taking care of the “least of these”, the lowest of society.

Future mourning of the nations over the reality of Christ’s judgement is not the only warning in this text. The phrase “those who pierced Him” refers to the Jewish people. In Zechariah 12, the prophet foretells the final attack on Jerusalem which is inhabited by the House of David and the Jews (Zech 12:9-10). As God pours out His Spirit of grace and supplication, the Jews will look on Christ, the One they pierced, and recognize Him as the Messiah. When the Jews see Him as the King, and are aware He is the Messiah, they will mourn for Him in repentance. In John 19:37, John quotes Zech 12:10 to show Zechariah’s prophecy that Christ would be pierced with a spear was fulfilled after His crucifixion (John 19:36).

In Rev 1:7, John refers to the Zechariah prophecy to show that the rest of the prophecy will also be fulfilled in the future as Israel will come to repentance and salvation. Paul explains in Rom 11 that God partially hardens Israel to the truth to give time for the Gentiles to come in. During this time of partial hardening, some of the Jews are saved, but not all. But when Christ returns, and they see Him for who He is, the Messiah and King, the nation of Israel will repent and be saved.

Believers have confidence that every eye will see Him! Understanding God’s purpose and plan gives us patience like God’s, and should fill us with compassion for the unsaved, especially Israel knowing God will bring it about when they see Him.

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Revelation 1:7b – Every Eye Will See Him!