“Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.”                                                                                                                                      (Matthew 26)

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and [H]e that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness [H]e doth judge and make war.”                                                                                                                                    (Revelation 19)

 

There are a number of events that occur in Scripture that have eternal effects.  These events include the parting of the Red Sea, the death and Resurrection of Christ, Pentacost, and the divinely scheduled return of Christ to this earth. As the first (1st) four (4) are past, the Return is yet future. The Return of Christ is the hope, the blessed hope of all Christ-ians or is it?

We have heard a number of persons say they would rather Christ’s Return be put on hold so they can experience the water-marks of life such as seeing children married, grand-children born and growing up, etc. These persons are not Scripturally sound or even Scripturally based and certainly not Christ-centered. Did not Christ tell us that if we love others more than Him, we are not worthy of Him? Does that mean those who love others more than Him, they are not worthy of His Sacrifice? I know no one is intrinsically worthy but He counts us worthy and His death and Resurrection make us worthy persons, for the citizens of Heaven must be fitted and worthy.

The fact that some persons want Christ’s Return to be held off betrays that very fact of their very worldliness. This is worldliness by definition and Scripture states that if a person is friends with the world, he is no friend to God, in fact, he is God’s enemy. What does this say about these persons that want Christ to hold off His Second Coming?  Are these Christ-ians Christ’s enemies?  They would say no, but Scripture says otherwise. If I as a husband and father went on a long trip and after that long trip I was traveling home, if my wife and children did not look forward to my homecoming with excitement and anticipation, wouldn’t you think they love me not?  The same is true with the Return of Christ.

How can the Christ-ian, a person called after the Name of Christ, not look forward to Christ’s coming back? This makes no sense. How can a Christ-ian not love the thought of His Return? How can a Christ-ian not long for His arrival upon the terrestrial? Methinks a person cannot be a Christ-ian if they do not long for the Return of the Lord Jesus or they are really Biblically illiterate if a faithful and true Christ-ian can really be Biblically illiterate.

After the Resurrection the next great doctrine packed with great hope and excitement is the Return. One who is made alive by the Resurrection of Christ should be made lively by the Return. The Christ-ian should be; the Christ-ian must be animated and influenced for righteousness in answer to the Hope of Christ’s return. The Return of our Lord is a truth that should cause the Christ-ian to live a holy life as Christ is Both Holy and Life. The truth that Christ will return in and with great power should empower the Christ-ian to live an abundant life.

The person that professes Christ-ianity but prefers Christ remain on the Throne is a professor only and not a real Christ-ian, how can one be real if one does not desire Christ? This seems to me to be a litmus test and a non negotiable. The person that is not longing for the Lord is a person that is not indwelt by the Spirit of Christ.  The Spirit of Christ Who lives within the Christ-ian causes the anticipation and excitement that abounds in the Christ-ian when the doctrine of Christ’s Return is thought upon or spoken of. Persons who do not look for, long for and love the truth of Christ’s arrival is none of His. A crown of life is promised to the Christ-ian who looks and longs for Him. This is a crown I look forward to casting at the Feet of the King of kings.

Even so, Lord Jesus, come.