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"Waiting for Jesus" (posted November 2, 2012)
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You turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven.
- 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 "Oh," but someone says, "you will have to go through death." I don't deny that I may have to, but I absolutely deny that I must, and I truly confess that I am not looking for death but waiting for Jesus from heaven. The early Christians were called to wait for the Son of God from heaven, and so they were waiting. Quite true, while they waited some "fell asleep" [that is, they died; compare 1 Thessalonians 4:13], and therefore the apostle wrote to comfort those whose friends had fallen asleep; but nevertheless, it is apparent that the dominant hope of the Christian in that day was the immediate return of the Lord Jesus Christ, and nothing could be more blessed. "But when will He come?" you say. Scripture never sets a moment as to when He is to come. No date or time is ever given. Why? Because if it fixed a date, it would necessarily put the Lord's coming off to the date that had been fixed. Nowadays some have been foolhardy enough to fix a date. They have gotten into the company of those of whom the Lord speaks in the 24th chapter of Matthew: "That evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming’" (verse 48). I ask you, would you like Him to come tonight? Let us put it to ourselves clearly and simply. "No," you say, "I would like to put it off for a bit." Then I say you are arm in arm with the evil servant. The evil servant says in his heart, "My lord delays his coming," and what is the next thing he does? He begins to "beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards;" that is, he gets into the world. Then the Lord comes and appoints to him his portion with the hypocrites, because he said, "I am waiting for Christ," whereas in his heart he was not doing so. The Lord give you grace to be really ready! Get hold of the wonderful atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ, and that whosoever will is welcome to come to Him, to receive Him, to believe Him, and to know Him. Then what is the next thing? We rise and meet Him in the air*, and we pass into the scenes of rest and life and joy that He has prepared for us in His infinite grace. We go to the Father's house and eternal rest; and oh, what a wonderful thing to be sure about! Can you be sure? Indeed you may. He died that you might be sure. Walter T. P. Wolston *Note: This event is sometimes called the "rapture" of the Church, when Christians are "caught up" to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17). |