If we, the believers, live a life in the Triune God that is sanctified, spiritual, victorious, and one spirit with the Lord according to that which was covered in the previous ten lessons of this volume, we will surely await the Lord’s coming with eager expectation.
1) “The Son of Man [the Lord] is about to come” (Matt. 16:27); “I [the Lord] come quickly” (Rev. 22:20).
In these two portions and in many other verses in the New Testament, the Lord definitely promised that He will come again.
1) “The Lord Himself...will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we who are living, who remain, shall be caught up at the same time together with them in clouds into a meeting of the Lord in the air; and so we shall be always together with the Lord” (1 Thes. 4:16-17).
2) “So also shall the coming of the Son of Man be. Then shall two men be in the field; one is taken...Two women shall be grinding at the mill; one is taken” (Matt. 24:39-41).
Both passages clearly show us that, when the Lord comes back, He will rapture us who belong to Him from this dark world and this corrupted earth to meet Him and be together with Him forever.
1) “From which [the heavens]...the Lord Jesus Christ...will transfigure the body of our humiliation, conforming it to the body of His glory, according to the operation of Him who is able even to subject all things to Himself” (Phil. 3:20-21).
These verses reveal to us that the Lord Jesus will come from the heavens to transfigure with His great power the believers’ body of humiliation, conforming it to the body of His glory. This is for the redemption of our body, which will free us from all the problems in the old creation (Rom. 8:23).
1) “Behold, I [the Lord] come quickly. Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book [because he will be rewarded]” (Rev. 22:7).
2) “Behold, I [the Lord] come quickly, and My reward is with Me to render to each one according to his work” (Rev. 22:12).
3) “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever...to give the reward to Your [the Lord God’s] slaves the prophets, and to the saints and to those who fear Your name, to the small and to the great” (Rev. 11:15-18).
The above three passages indicate to us that, when He comes again to possess the kingdom, the Lord will reward all those who belong to Him (Of course, some will receive His punishment, because He said, “My reward is with Me,” implying that there is not only reward but also punishment.)
1) “We should live soberly and righteously and godly in the present age, awaiting the blessed hope, even the appearing of the glory of the great God and our Savior, Christ Jesus” (Titus 2:12-13).
Regarding the coming of our Lord, we should have a godly living in which we await His glorious appearing. This appearing should be the blessing we hope for.
1) “Watch therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord comes” (Matt. 24:42); “And take heed to yourselves lest at some time your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and anxieties of life, and that day come upon you suddenly as a snare; for it will come in upon all those dwelling on the face of all the earth. But be watchful, at every time beseeching, that you may prevail to escape all these things which are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:34-36).
These two portions of the Scripture tell us that we must be careful and watchful, and we must be beseeching, so that when the Lord comes we may overcome and be able to escape all the calamities which will come upon all peoples on the earth and to stand before Him.
1) “Henceforth, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord...will award to me in that day; and not only to me, but also to all those who have loved His appearing” (2 Tim. 4:8).
Even more, we need to desire and love the Lord’s coming again, not that we may gain His reward, but that we may gain His lovely Self.
2) “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:20).
This should be the longing and cry of those who love the Lord and who love His coming again. This should also become our constant prayer.