His lightnings enlightened the world: the earth saw, and trembled.
His lightnings enlightening the world and the earth trembling describe the personal, visible second coming of the Lord to judge the earth before the millennium and bring in millennial glory. His coming shines as lightning from east to west filling the world with light, which the earth cannot bear, so that it trembles in terror at His presence and judgment. He is compassed with clouds and darkness with righteousness and judgment as His foundation, with fire going before Him to burn up His enemies round about, with the hills melting like wax at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth, while the heavens declare His righteousness and all the people see His glory. Its place among Psalms 96, 97, and 98, whose whole structure of coming and judgment with fire, clouds, righteousness and glory points to millennial times, and Paul's use of these psalms in Hebrews 1:6, fix it as the pre-millennial day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men when every man is rewarded according to his works, at which the wicked flee in dread and terror while the saints rejoice and the earth itself rejoices. His lightnings are His own eternal and unquenchable fire kindled into consuming, devouring flame as at Sodom and Gomorrah, filling earth, air and sea to burn up all the ungodly to ashes and thus remove sin and cleanse the earth before its renewal, revealing His power, dominion and protest against sin and oppression. Those who held otherwise teach that the lightning, trembling earth and consuming fire need not be a literal cosmic display but are graphic, symbolic imagery of God's vindicating justice and recompense giving rest to troubled Christians and overtaking their persecutors at death when the Christian enters heavenly rest.
Visible Coming Described
His lightnings enlightening the world with the earth seeing and trembling describe the personal, visible second coming of the Lord to judge the earth before the millennium, bringing the beginning of millennial glory. It is a visible, earth-shaking event in which His lightning fills the world with light and illuminates it, and the earth trembles at His presence and coming. He comes in judgment with righteousness and equity to reward every man according as his works shall be, which is the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. That day gives the wicked reason to flee in dread and confusion and horror, while the saints look on in joy. The enlightening of the world by His lightnings and the trembling of the earth is literal-style description of a real coming and judgment with fire, tempest, clouds, righteousness and judgment, as plain and literal as the coming and judgment in Psalm 50 and matching the shining of God out of Zion.
The coming is accompanied by clouds and darkness round about Him, with fire going before Him to burn up His enemies and adversaries round about. The hills melt like wax at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth, the heavens declare His righteousness, and all the people see His glory. The worldwide lightning is the visible manner of the coming of the Son of man, shining as lightning from east to west that fills the world with light. The trembling of the earth is terror at His presence and judgment coming, for the earth cannot bear His glory.
Those who held otherwise taught that such highly graphic language does not require a literal cosmic display, for the Old Testament uses equal imagery for far less astounding facts of common providence. In that understanding fire is the symbol of God's vindicating justice, and the lightning, trembling earth, and consuming fire are a graphic, symbolic description of the divine recompense. That recompense gives rest to troubled Christians and overtakes their persecutors at death, when the Christian enters upon the rest of Heaven.
Judgment and Its Outcome
Its place in Psalms 96, 97, and 98 fixes its coming and judgment as before the millennium, for the whole structure and context of those psalms with fire, clouds, righteousness, and glory points to millennial times. It is one of Scripture's strongest descriptions of His coming to judgment, standing with Psalms 96 and 98 and Isaiah 30, 31, and 33. Paul's use of these psalms in Hebrews 1:6 fixes this coming and judgment as pre-millennial. It is one of the thrice-repeated promises of His coming to judgment that answers where is the promise of His coming, and its fulfillment brings the rejoicing of the earth.
It is the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men, when He comes to reward every man according as his works shall be. His lightnings are God's own eternal and unquenchable fire that, when kindled, becomes a consuming, devouring fire to His enemies round about. It is the same fire that burned Sodom and Gomorrah, and it will burn up all the ungodly to ashes in the day of judgment. It fills earth, air, and sea, and in its simple state in nature it gives heat to the blood, but when kindled into flame it becomes a devouring element. The consuming fire removes sin and cleanses the earth before its renewal.
The verse displays Jehovah's power and dominion. In the closing scenes of time it reveals His power and His protest against the world's sins and oppression, with the earthquake as a sign of His power and of the end of earthly things. The coming gives the wicked reason to flee in dread, confusion, horror, and terror, while the saints look on in joy.
His lightnings enlightening the world and the earth trembling describe the personal, visible second coming of the Lord to judge the earth before the millennium and bring in millennial glory. His coming shines as lightning from east to west filling the world with light, which the earth cannot bear, so that it trembles in terror at His presence and judgment. He is compassed with clouds and darkness with righteousness and judgment as His foundation, with fire going before Him to burn up His enemies round about, with the hills melting like wax at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth, while the heavens declare His righteousness and all the people see His glory. Its place among Psalms 96, 97, and 98, whose whole structure of coming and judgment with fire, clouds, righteousness and glory points to millennial times, and Paul's use of these psalms in Hebrews 1:6, fix it as the pre-millennial day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men when every man is rewarded according to his works, at which the wicked flee in dread and terror while the saints rejoice and the earth itself rejoices. His lightnings are His own eternal and unquenchable fire kindled into consuming, devouring flame as at Sodom and Gomorrah, filling earth, air and sea to burn up all the ungodly to ashes and thus remove sin and cleanse the earth before its renewal, revealing His power, dominion and protest against sin and oppression. Those who held otherwise teach that the lightning, trembling earth and consuming fire need not be a literal cosmic display but are graphic, symbolic imagery of God's vindicating justice and recompense giving rest to troubled Christians and overtaking their persecutors at death when the Christian enters heavenly rest.
Visible Coming Described
His lightnings enlightening the world with the earth seeing and trembling describe the personal, visible second coming of the Lord to judge the earth before the millennium, bringing the beginning of millennial glory. It is a visible, earth-shaking event in which His lightning fills the world with light and illuminates it, and the earth trembles at His presence and coming. He comes in judgment with righteousness and equity to reward every man according as his works shall be, which is the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. That day gives the wicked reason to flee in dread and confusion and horror, while the saints look on in joy. The enlightening of the world by His lightnings and the trembling of the earth is literal-style description of a real coming and judgment with fire, tempest, clouds, righteousness and judgment, as plain and literal as the coming and judgment in Psalm 50 and matching the shining of God out of Zion.
The coming is accompanied by clouds and darkness round about Him, with fire going before Him to burn up His enemies and adversaries round about. The hills melt like wax at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth, the heavens declare His righteousness, and all the people see His glory. The worldwide lightning is the visible manner of the coming of the Son of man, shining as lightning from east to west that fills the world with light. The trembling of the earth is terror at His presence and judgment coming, for the earth cannot bear His glory.
Those who held otherwise taught that such highly graphic language does not require a literal cosmic display, for the Old Testament uses equal imagery for far less astounding facts of common providence. In that understanding fire is the symbol of God's vindicating justice, and the lightning, trembling earth, and consuming fire are a graphic, symbolic description of the divine recompense. That recompense gives rest to troubled Christians and overtakes their persecutors at death, when the Christian enters upon the rest of Heaven.
Judgment and Its Outcome
Its place in Psalms 96, 97, and 98 fixes its coming and judgment as before the millennium, for the whole structure and context of those psalms with fire, clouds, righteousness, and glory points to millennial times. It is one of Scripture's strongest descriptions of His coming to judgment, standing with Psalms 96 and 98 and Isaiah 30, 31, and 33. Paul's use of these psalms in Hebrews 1:6 fixes this coming and judgment as pre-millennial. It is one of the thrice-repeated promises of His coming to judgment that answers where is the promise of His coming, and its fulfillment brings the rejoicing of the earth.
It is the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men, when He comes to reward every man according as his works shall be. His lightnings are God's own eternal and unquenchable fire that, when kindled, becomes a consuming, devouring fire to His enemies round about. It is the same fire that burned Sodom and Gomorrah, and it will burn up all the ungodly to ashes in the day of judgment. It fills earth, air, and sea, and in its simple state in nature it gives heat to the blood, but when kindled into flame it becomes a devouring element. The consuming fire removes sin and cleanses the earth before its renewal.
The verse displays Jehovah's power and dominion. In the closing scenes of time it reveals His power and His protest against the world's sins and oppression, with the earthquake as a sign of His power and of the end of earthly things. The coming gives the wicked reason to flee in dread, confusion, horror, and terror, while the saints look on in joy.