The Coming and Reign of Our Lord Jesus Christ: Hope

 •  4 min. read  •  grade level: 8
My dear reader, are you one of those who know the love of Christ? Is this glorious One the treasure of your soul? Have you believed on Him? Are you a Christian? Such alone can enter into these things with joy. But if you are a mere nominal professor, wake up ere it be too late! come as a guilty sinner to the Savior. He will in no wise cast you out (John 6:3737All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. (John 6:37)); and all your soul needs you will find in Him. Come, oh, come to Him now! and peace with God shall be yours, and you with us will joy in God, and rejoice in hope of His glory (Rom. 5:1-111Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 5And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. 6For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. 11And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. (Romans 5:1‑11)).
Having thus briefly sought to show what a Christian is, let us now dwell upon the hope that God has given him as a stay to his heart, as he passes along through this scene, that he may be encouraged and sustained as he copes with the difficulties of the way, and as an incentive to faithfulness and devotedness to his Lord. This hope is twofold. We are taught to look both for the personal return of our Lord Jesus Christ in the air for His saints, and also for His manifestation in power and great glory with His saints. These are two events which, though both form part of His second coming (the one being preliminary to the other, with a certain interval between), are carefully distinguished by the Spirit of God, and must in no way be confounded together. I shall seek to clearly show the difference between them from the Word. Many have mixed up the two, and therefore marred both, by making Scriptures to clash which harmonize most perfectly, and misled thousands by causing them to look for things coming on the earth instead of waiting for the Lord from heaven, as well as for His appearing in glory. Hence they have helped greatly to lower the whole tone of the Christian’s walk and character.
If we turn to the Old Testament, and trace through its pages, we find a repeated testimony to the sufferings and rejection of the Messiah, and His return in power to judge His enemies, take His throne, and set up His kingdom over all the earth (Isa. 53, for the former, and Isa. 11, for the latter.) It is then that He will appear in glory (and, as we find in Colossians 3:44When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:4), we shall appear with Him); but not a single word about His coming FOR His people, which is brought out in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-1815For 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. 16For 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. 18Wherefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:15‑18); and referred to in several other passages in the New Testament. Distinct mention of it is made by the Lord Himself, in the familiar passage in the opening of the fourteenth chapter of John’s gospel, “Let not your heart be troubled; ye believe in God, believe also in Me. In 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. 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” (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)) The Lord Jesus is about to leave this scene; He is going to the cross and the glory, leaving His beloved disciples in this sinful world. He cheers and encourages their troubled and drooping hearts by telling them of His Father’s house, the many mansions (or abodes, see JND trans.); and, precious thought! He Himself is going to prepare a place for them. He Who was about to give Himself for them on the cross, to atone for their sins by the shedding of His own precious blood (Rev. 1:5, 65And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. (Revelation 1:5‑6)), will Himself prepare a place in virtue of His own work. And not only so, but He will come again, and receive them to Himself, that where He is, there they may be also. Nothing short of this will satisfy His heart; He delights to do everything for them Himself. Blessed Lord Jesus! He does not say He will receive them into heaven, but to Himself. It is all for the joy of His own heart of love. And it is not the place, but His own blessed, glorious Person, that He keeps before the hearts of His disciples. Hence Scripture nowhere speaks of the believer going to heaven in so many words, but always to be with Christ, unless in the case of the dying thief, and then it is, “Today shalt thou be with Me in paradise” (Luke 23:4343And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. (Luke 23:43)). Perfectly true, it is heaven, but what would it be without Him? He does not occupy us with a place, but with Himself.
(To be continued.)