‘Christ, who is our life, shall appear.’ There are two appearings, we know, of Christ; his first appearing and his second appearing. His first appearing was to work our salvation; his second shall be to accomplish and finish what he hath begun to work. His first appearing was to redeem our souls from death, and his second shall redeem our bodies from the corruption of the grave. So his second appearing shall be to accomplish all the good that he came to do and to work by his first. As verily, therefore, as Christ is come in his first appearing, so verily and certainly he shall appear the second time. And as it was the description of holy men before his first coming to wait for him, ‘to wait for the consolation of Israel,’ Luke 2:25, so Christians now. Those blessed souls that have the report of this, they wait for the coming of Christ.
Richard Sibbes, The Complete Works of Richard Sibbes, ed. Alexander Balloch Grosart, vol. 5 (James Nichol et al., 1863), 211–12.
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Tony Phelps
Tony grew up in Rhode Island. He was educated at BA (University of Rhode Island) and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He worked in the insurance industry for ten years. He planted a PCA church in Wakefield, RI where he served for eleven years. In 2015–18 he pastored Covenant Reformed Church (URCNA) in Colorado Springs. He is currently pastor of Christ Our Hope Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Charlestown, RI. Tony is married to Donna and together they have three children.
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