His cross speaks of grace, His coming of glory, and both tell a story of love. Perhaps there is nothing that more definitely marks the present "blessed hope" in the hearts of the children of God.
In the early part of this dispensation it was this blessed hope that gave character to their entire walk. It shaped and formed their path from the thorns and the burden of the cross, and cast the light of the coming glory across the "little while." Then "they went forth to meet the bridegroom." The Thessalonians were converted "to wait for His Son from heaven." It was as much a part of their Christianity as to believe that He had delivered them from the wrath to come, or that He had been raised from the dead. In writing to the Philippians, Paul says, "Our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ." Where now are eyes looking for Him? Where now are hearts loving His appearing? Where now are lips saying, "Even so?”
Three Hundred Times
In reading the New Testament we meet three all-important and precious truths. First, God's Son has been here in this very scene; second, God the Holy Spirit is here now; third, that same blessed One who was here more than nineteen hundred years ago, is corning again. If I believe one, I must believe the other. If I accept one, I must accept the other, for all rest upon precisely the same basis, namely, the Word of God. Here in the New Testament the Lord's second coming is mentioned some three hundred times, and surely if the Spirit has given prominence and importance to it here. He will also give prominence and importance to it in our hearts, if not hindered.
One cardinal difficulty to our apprehending and entering into the Lord's coming has been in our failing to distinguish between His coming for His saints and His coming with them. His coming for His saints in blessing is found in John 14:1-31Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. (John 14:1‑3); Acts 1:9-119And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. 10And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 11Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. (Acts 1:9‑11); 1 Thess. 4:13-1513But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. (1 Thessalonians 4:13‑15). His coming with them in judgment is found in Col. 3:44When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:4); Jude 14, 1514And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, 15To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. (Jude 14‑15); Rev. 19:7-147Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 8And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. 9And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. 10And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. 11And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. (Revelation 19:7‑14). As there were different stages in His first advent, so there are different stages in His second. In His first advent we have His birth, then His baptism, then His cross. In His second advent, His descent into the air for His saints is in 1 Thess. 4:16, 1716For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:16‑17). His coming to the earth with them is found in Zech. 14:1-91Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. 2For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. 3Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. 4And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. 5And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. 6And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark: 7But it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light. 8And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. 9And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one. (Zechariah 14:1‑9). Then we read of the eternal state in Rev. 21.
Let us look a little at some of these Scriptures. He gave this word to His own just before His departure
to heaven, where He now lives for us as believers, our Priest and Advocate.
Grave Empty Throne Filled
"I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself: that where I am, there ye may be also." Well we know that He is gone. Yes, the cross is empty, the grave is empty, and the throne is filled. His word is "if I go... I will come," not "if I go... you will come, you will follow Me," but He says, "I will come again." What a bright, blessed prospect, His literal, personal return. Not death; His coming in the New Testament never means death, but exactly the opposite.
In John 21, "Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou Me. Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die." When Jesus spoke here of John's tarrying till He come, was it death that entered their minds? No, it excluded the very thought of death to them, and the saying went abroad among them that he should not die. In death the body is "put off" (2 Cor. 5:88We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:8); 2 Peter 1:1414Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath showed me. (2 Peter 1:14)). At His coming, the body is "changed" (1 Cor. 15:5151Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, (1 Corinthians 15:51); Phil. 3:20, 2120For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 21Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. (Philippians 3:20‑21)). In death I depart to go to Him (Phil. 1:2323For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: (Philippians 1:23)), whereas at His return, He comes for me (John 14:1-31Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. (John 14:1‑3)). At death, I go into His presence a disembodied spirit. At His coming, I go into His presence with a body like His own. I assure you, beloved Christian, there is no coffin, no shroud, no grave in the Christian's "hope," but a descending Jesus, an ascending bride, bodies of glory and eternal rapture. Oh, what a blessed transporting!
Love is not satisfied apart from its object, and we cannot do without Him, and He will not do without us. For us His blood was spilled, on us His heart is set, and with us He will share His glory. Yes, He will come for us; His own blessed lips have said it and shall we distrust Him? May we look and watch and wait. The "little while" is fast wearing away; we may be in the last year, the last month, the last week, the last day. Do we realize it? Is it vividly before our hearts? Is it a living expectation and desire? Let Satan crowd nothing between your heart and this blessed hope; indulge, cherish and foster it. It will give brightness to your way, lightness to your feet, and more, it will delight His heart.
Four Exceptions
But you might ask: "Is it not appointed unto men once to die?" Yes, this is the general appointment of God, but I find four exceptions to the law of death in the Word of God: Enoch, Elijah, Jesus, and the Church. Enoch and Elijah escaped death, Jesus overcame it, and the saints who are alive at His return will triumph over it, making the very heavens ring with that anthem, "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" We may die, fall asleep, but even then death is not to be looked at as a necessity but as a gracious provision. That blessed One has robbed it of its terror, extracted its sting, and made it a door into His presence. But remember, death is not our hope, but His coming.
We have been looking at the fact of His coming; let us look at the manner of it. "And when He had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven.” This same Jesus! What a word for those hearts that have had born in them true bridal affection for Himself. What tidings of joy to the widowed heart and how real it is.
Bridal Affection
That One who talked with the woman at Jacob's well, that One who raised the widow's son at the gate of the city of Nain; He who found part with Martha, her sister and Lazarus and loved them is the One for whom we wait. He who passed through this scene, the holy, lowly, gracious Man, binding up broken hearts, and filling empty ones, He who passed out of it by the cross and tomb, He is coming—Jesus is coming again! Does not your heart long to see Him? F.C. Blount