The Lord of Spirits Podcast Episode: "His Glorious Appearing" Date: August 11, 2023 Hosts: Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick & Fr. Stephen De Young

Episode Overview

This episode continues the podcast’s eschatology series by examining what Orthodox Christianity means by the "Second Coming" or "Glorious Appearing" of Christ. The priests reframe standard assumptions—critiquing both secularized and pop-Christian views of Christ’s return—by exploring the biblical and patristic roots of Orthodox understanding. They discuss language, expectations, biblical prophecy, resurrection, the transfiguration, and what it means for Christian life today.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Framing the Modern Anguish for the Spiritual

• The hosts open with a reading from First Enoch and reflect on the modern world's "haunting" by spirits and the hunger to break from materialism, to see reality’s spiritual depth.
• [00:00 - 02:01] Fr. Andrew introduces the episode as a deep dive into "the second coming of Christ," the spiritual reality behind it, and its integrality to Christian faith.

2. Pop Culture, American Christianity, and Eschatological Anxiety

• The hosts joke about climate change, pasta, and Robert Frost, using humor to ease into weighty material and highlighting how deeply eschatological themes (the end times, Christ’s return) saturate American culture.
• [11:06] Fr. Andrew: “Here in America, for our foreign listeners, there are billboards...a sign that says 'Jesus is coming back soon.' Or my favorite, 'Prepare to meet thy God.'”
• Both critique the prevalence of millennialist thinking as often reactionary, disconnected from historic Christian teaching.

3. Dispelling Common Myths About the Second Coming

• Refuting the ‘Cope’ Theory:

  • The idea that the church invented Christ’s return as a way to cope with the delay of immediate messianic fulfillment is historically ignorant and biblically unfounded (see [13:12], [17:46]).
  • Millennarian fervor is not unique to modern America; it has appeared repeatedly across Christian history (e.g., the Millerites’ “Great Disappointment,” Crusades, Reformation—[15:06], [16:17]).

• Preterism & Other Shortcuts:

  • The temptation to historicize or symbolically “complete” Christ’s coming (e.g., by assigning it to 70AD) is reductive and contrary to the Church’s living expectation.

4. What Does the 'Second Coming' Really Mean? Language Matters

• Literalism vs Symbolism:

  • The Ascension is not about Jesus rocketing into the sky, but the enthronement ‘at the right hand of God’ as depicted in Daniel 7. The iconographic presentation (Christ on a cloud) embodies symbolic, not scientific, reality ([27:02]–[28:12]).

• Christ's Presence Now:

  • Christ is not absent. “His ascension into heaven was not him leaving” ([22:51]), but a change in the mode of presence—now manifested especially in the Holy Spirit and in the Eucharist.
  • [32:34] Fr. Stephen: “Christ is present everywhere. He hasn't gone away where he needs to come back.”

• On 'Spiritual' Language:

  • Greek Bible terms translated “spiritually” are often misunderstood as “unreal.” Fr. Stephen insists: "The Holy Spirit is real and the Holy Spirit is God" ([39:02]). The "spiritual presence" of Christ—especially in the Eucharist—means real presence by the power of the Spirit, not just an idea.

5. Biblical Language for Christ’s Appearing

• The hosts go in depth analyzing three major Greek terms in the New Testament:

  • Parousia ("presence" or "coming"): Used for the in-person arrival of not only Christ but Roman emperors—stressing bodily presence, not just spiritual ([45:01]–[55:54]).
  • Epiphaneia ("appearing"/"manifestation"): Links to Old Testament theophanies and 'the Day of the Lord' ([56:37]–[58:33]).
  • Apokalypsis ("revelation"/"unveiling"): The last day is when Christ is “unveiled”—His presence revealed, not newly arrived ([59:05]–[61:16]).
    • [60:35] Fr. Andrew: “He’s there, but—like you said, veiled—and then…he reveals himself.”

• All three highlight that the “return” is not about Christ coming from absence, but about his current presence becoming universally manifest and visible.

6. Why Does the Messiah 'Return'? Jewish Context & Psalm 110

• Ancient Messianic Expectations:
  • The idea that Judaism was monolithic on end times and messianic expectations is a modern myth ([67:09]). In the Second Temple period, ideas about messiahs and the end varied widely.
  • The “two appearings” (enthronement and judgment) are rooted in Jewish Scriptures, especially Psalm 110 and Daniel 7.
    • Psalm 110: Shows the Messiah enthroned among enemies—a real reign prior to final judgment ([79:07]–[82:43]).
    • Psalm 2, Daniel 7: Similarly describe an already-enthroned Lord whose final, visible victory is still future.

7. Resurrection, First Fruits, and the Transfiguration as Key to Christian Hope

• Christ’s Resurrection: The ‘First Fruits’

  • Christ is not just resuscitated (like Lazarus), but the first of the new, transformed humanity ([98:29-101:56]).
  • [103:04] Fr. Andrew: "All those other people died again. Whereas Christ will die no more.”

• Transfiguration as a Glimpse of Our Destiny

  • The Transfiguration (celebrated as a major Orthodox feast) reveals the endgame: the world suffused by the uncreated light of Christ, humanity and (eventually) all creation radiant in the Holy Spirit.
  • [115:46] Fr. Stephen: “...the world to come is an actual world. It’s a material world, a material universe, in which we’ll have bodies.”
  • It’s not just “this world with all the bad stuff gone”—it’s the world transfigured.
  • The second appearing will unveil the true reality hinted at in the Transfiguration—Christ glorified, ruling in the midst of his saints ([119:45]–[124:37]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• On presence and ascension:

  • Fr. Stephen: "His ascension into heaven was not him leaving." ([22:51])
  • Fr. Stephen: "Christ is present everywhere. He's not absent from any place. He hasn't gone away where he needs to come back." ([32:34])

• On spiritual realities:

  • Fr. Stephen: "Spiritual is not opposed to real, because the Holy Spirit is real and the Holy Spirit is God." ([39:02])
  • On the Eucharist: “…the Holy Spirit makes Christ present on the altar. In the Eucharist.” ([42:40])

• On history and expectation:

  • Fr. Andrew: "In America, for our foreign listeners, there are billboards... 'Jesus is coming back soon.'" ([11:06])
  • Fr. Stephen: “This is not a cope. There was no need for a cope.” ([17:18])

• On the Resurrection:

  • Fr. Andrew: "All those other people died again. Whereas Christ will die no more... The way his body functions, his human body, is now significantly different after the resurrection." ([103:04])
  • Fr. Stephen: “The Holy Spirit is the atmosphere of the world to come.” ([110:12])

• On the Transfiguration:

  • Fr. Stephen: “They are beholding… the resurrected Christ before he died.” ([114:56])
  • Fr. Stephen: “…the world to come is an actual world. It’s a material world, a material universe, in which we’ll have bodies… Beyond that, we can’t understand.” ([116:40])

• Closing perspective:

  • Fr. Andrew: "We should be truly looking forward to the second and glorious appearing of the Lord but not in a way that's about fear and anger and hyperactivity—...it's time to repent." ([128:08])
  • Fr. Stephen: “…this age…is a part of what Jesus does as the Christ—as the Messiah—ruling in the midst of his enemies. He is active; he is at work in the world continuously.” ([130:08])

Important Segments & Timestamps

• Opening & Theme Setup: [00:00]–[02:01]
• Pop Culture & Eschatology in America: [10:01]–[16:17]
• Refuting Misreadings of Christian Expectation: [13:10]–[18:30]
• Problems with 'Second Coming' Language: [19:16]–[32:34]
• On Christ's Presence Now & Spiritual Reality: [32:34]–[44:13]
• Biblical Terms for Christ’s Manifestation: [45:01]–[63:44]
• Why Two Appearings? Jewish & Scriptural Roots: [66:26]–[78:08]
• Psalm 110 & Daniel 7 in the New Testament: [77:22]–[86:08]
• Resurrection & 'First Fruits': [98:29]–[106:41]
• Transfiguration as a Glimpse of the Kingdom: [110:12]–[117:44]
• Practical/Spiritual Application—Repent, Be Transfigured: [126:00]–[134:01]
• Final Reflections: [134:01]–[137:23]

Theological & Spiritual Takeaways

• The Orthodox expectation of Christ’s return is not escapist, speculative, or fear-based. It is about reality’s fullness being unveiled—Christ enthroned, reigning even now, and the world (and us) being drawn stepwise into transformed glory.
• Christian life is not “pause mode” or a waiting room; it is engagement—repentance, communion, and being suffused by the Spirit now, in anticipation of the world to come.
• The Transfiguration isn’t an exotic add-on to the Gospel but a preview of what God intends for all creation—a radiant, resurrected, Spirit-filled kingdom.
• The “second appearing” is not a fix for a failed messianic age, but the full unveiling of what is—the seen and unseen joined in Christ, God with us, for eternity.

Recommended Further Listening/Episodes Referenced:

• Son of Man
• Messiah
• Millennium
• Antichrist
• Make Straight the Paths for Our God (on St. John the Forerunner)
• How to Read (and How Not to Read) the Bible
• Sacred Geography

Final Thought:
Be hopeful, be faithful—actively seek to participate in the life of the Resurrection now. "Let us, too, be suffused—in moments, in glimpses—with the light and love of the Holy Spirit, so that at Christ's glorious appearing, we may enter His joy."