The Lord’s coming for us entwines itself with all the states, thoughts and motives of the Christian life. In leaving His disciples, the Lord comforts them, first of all, with the assurance that He would come again and receive them to Himself. The last parting word of Revelation is, “Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22:2020He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. (Revelation 22:20)). Having Jesus among them again, whom in a personal sense they had lost, was the bright and blessed hope set before them. Every right feeling and motive is connected with it; it is interwoven with the gospel and enters into its whole texture.
I do not go into warnings to the world, because my object is the saints, but His appearing will come upon it as a thief in the night. But we are thoroughly associated with Christ in glory now. As yet our life is hid with Christ in God, but He will appear, and we shall appear with Him in glory. We know that “when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:22Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2)), and hence the word to us is: He “that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure” (1 John 3:33And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. (1 John 3:3)).
Watching
The Lord’s statement, as to the true character of the Christian (Luke 12), is that he is waiting for the Lord; the blessing rests on those who are found watching. The act of watching is distinguished from service while He is away, and the reward for each is distinct (see vss. 37,43-44). For the watcher, the joy of heaven is ministered by Christ; for the servants, they will rule over all things. “Occupy till I come” (Luke 19:1313And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. (Luke 19:13)) was the direction to the servants when He went away. What led to worldliness and ecclesiastical oppression in Christendom was some saying in their hearts, “My Lord delayeth His coming,” and judgment and cutting off as unbelievers and hypocrites was the consequence. Neither the Lord nor His apostles ever speak beforehand of His coming as beyond the life of those concerned. The virgins who fell asleep are the same who awoke; the servants who get the talents are the same as those who were judged.
Our Destiny
We are predestinated to be conformed to the image of God’s Son that He may be the firstborn among many brethren, but this is as He is in glory, not as when He died and His body was in the tomb. We have borne the image of the earthy, and we are to bear the image of the heavenly. We are to see Him as He is, to be like Him when He appears; we are to appear with Him when He appears, having been caught up to meet Him in the air, and then brought with Him in glory.
Holiness
Present holiness is always identified with this likeness to Christ in glory, perfected when we are raised. “We all, looking on the glory of the Lord with unveiled face, are transformed according to the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Lord the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:1818But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. (2 Corinthians 3:18) JND). So in John: “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is; and he that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure” (1 John 3:2-32Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 3And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. (1 John 3:2‑3)). So in 1 Thessalonians 3:1313To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints. (1 Thessalonians 3:13); the holiness now sought is in its true perfectness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints. In Ephesians we read, “Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it by the washing of water by the word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing” (Eph. 5:25-2725Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. (Ephesians 5:25‑27)). Holiness is always identified with our correspondence to Christ in glory when He comes — being like Him then.
The Hope of His Coming
Every book in the New Testament but two (Galatians and Ephesians) specifically and distinctly presents the coming of Christ as the known constant hope, characterizing the Christian. It is identified with every element of Christian life and service. The saying, “My Lord delayeth His coming,” is noted as the cause of the church’s worldliness and ruin; the denial of His coming is characteristic of the scoffers of the last days.
The church in general has lost the object, as to what is before us in hope, to which they were converted. Are we walking in the power of the indwelling Spirit, who makes us have our conversation, our living associations, what we belong to, in heaven? The waiting for God’s Son is the normal state of the Christian because he does belong there. Until we are caught up to be with Christ in glory, all is imperfection, for “we have this treasure in earthen vessels” (2 Cor. 4:77But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. (2 Corinthians 4:7)). The living presence of the Holy Spirit, and the waiting for Christ, characterize Christianity and the Christian state. Not to be enjoying it is to have lost it.
Bible Treasury (adapted)