ARE YOU LONGING FOR HIS APPEARING?
should be longing for Christ's appearing.
"Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day -- and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing."
(2 Tim 4:8)
These words have made a profound impression on me. I see that, within the Body of Christ, God recognizes a special group of people: those who are longing for Christ's appearing. For those people God has a special reward prepared: the crown of righteousness. I ask myself, therefore: am I one of those people? Do I fulfill the requirement of longing for His appearing?
As I pondered these questions, the Holy Spirit showed me four biblical reasons why all Christians should be longing for Christ's appearing:
1. It will consumate our personal salvation by equipping us with our resurrection body. We eagerly await the coming of Jesus to transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory. (Reference: "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body."
Phil 3:20-21)2. It will consummate our eternal union with Jesus and our fellow Christians. (Reference: "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever." 1Thes 4:16-17)
3. It will end the intolerable and ever-increasing suffering of humanity. Nothing but Messiah's reign can abolish oppression, injustice, sickness, poverty and war.
(Reference: "Endow the king with your justice, O God, the royal son with your righteousness.
He will judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice.
The mountains will bring prosperity to the people, the hills the fruit of righteousness.
He will defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; he will crush the oppressor.
He will endure as long as the sun, as long as the moon, through all generations.
He will be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth.
In his days the righteous will flourish; prosperity will abound till the moon is no more.
He will rule from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.
The desert tribes will bow before him and his enemies will lick the dust.
The kings of Tarshish and of distant shores will bring tribute to him; the kings of Sheba and Seba will present him gifts.
All kings will bow down to him and all nations will serve him.
For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help.
He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death.
He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight. Ps 72:1-14)4. It will end the groaning of creation and bring universal release form the bondage of corruption. (Reference: "For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for {our} adoption as sons, the redemption of our body." Rom 8:19-23)
The Holy Spirit went on to show me five marks that distinguish all Christians who are truly longing for Christ's appearing:
1. We will make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy. (Reference: "Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord." Heb 12:14) Knowing that when He appears we shall be like Him, we shall purify ourselves just as He is pure. (Reference: "Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope {fixed} on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure." I Jn 3:2-3)2. We will be diligent to complete our earthly task. Each righteous act that we perform constitutes a thread in the fine linen garment in which Christ's Bride is to be arrayed. (Reference: "And it was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright {and} clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints." Rev 19:8) May God help each of us to weave a complete garment!
3. We will be continually watchful and prayerful that we may have strength to escape all things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man. (Reference: "But keep on the alert at all times, praying in order that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man." Luke 21:36)
4. We will look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. (Reference: "....looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, on account of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!" 2 Peter 3:12) To this end, we will be committed to proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom to all nations. (Reference: "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." Matt 24:14)
5. We will prepare the way of the Lord by comforting the Jewish people, making them ready to receive their Messiah. (Reference: "Comfort, O comfort My people," says your God. "Speak kindly to Jerusalem; and call out to her, that her warfare has ended, that her iniquity has been removed, that she has received of the LORD'S hand double for all her sins." A voice is calling, "Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness; make smooth in the desert a highway for our God. Isa. 40:1-3 "I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob." Rom 11:25-26)
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THE RETURN OF JESUS CHRIST
THE DAY OF THE LORD
