Longing for the Glorious Appearing of Our Lord
(Overcomer Wu)

"Awaiting the blessed hope, even the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.” Titus 2:13

Back in the days of the apostles, the disciples were comforted and encouraged by the prospect of the personal return of our Lord Jesus Christ. An angel of the Lord had said to them, as they watched the Lord depart from the earth, “You men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). This was the hope of the Church throughout all the centuries, and this hope and longing should have been maintained up to His actual return. The Lord's second coming should have continued to be the hope of the saints, but it is lamentable that for many a dear saints this has not been the case. Too many dear believers are caught up with advancing their career, establishing their educational foundation, climbing the corporate ladder, expanding their wealth, fame, position at the neglect of keeping our foremost aim and energy in pursuit of the Lord's heart's desire in order to bring His kingdom and His second coming. It is a common excuse, though some may not verbalize it nonetheless it is in the reasoning behind our actions, that the Lord's interest and His will can wait until someday, somewhere, somehow in the future when time avails itself for us, then we will dedicate that time to the Lord... perhaps after we retire or sometime between our golfing (or other forms of sports or entertainment) or vacationing.

In confessions of our faith, the truth that our Lord Jesus will come again may still have a place, but practically, to by far the greater number of His disciples, it has been a mere doctrinal statement that has no reality nor influence upon their lives. It grieves the Lord deeply to see His dear saints in such pitiful condition. It is the Lord's heart's desire to see the Church that will be His Bride would seek Him with all her heart, and that she would eagerly watch and wait for His return. Indeed it is inconceivable for a bride to not yearn to meet her bridegroom face to face. Repeatedly during His ministry on the earth, the Lord Jesus foretold of His return. After His ascension and enthronment the apostles also referred continually to it as our great hope and glorious expectation. Titus 2:11-13 says, “The grace of God that brings salvation had appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world; awaiting the blessed hope, even the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.” It should be quite natural for the saints to look for the blissful hope and the appearing of the glory of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ; yet we have somehow been deceived and usurped by many things in this glittering world or set our hope elsewhere other than our Lord Himself. It is sad state of affair to see that we long for our graduation day with honor, for our passing a license exam, our attaining to a certain position in the company, or our achieving a certain degree of fame and fortune more than we long for the Lord's second coming.

The Lord said to His disciples, "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour when the Son of man comes” (Matt 25:13). Again He said, "Watch therefore, for you know not when the master of the house comes, at evening, or at midnight, or at the cock crowing, or in the morning; lest coming suddenly, he finds you sleeping. And what I say unto you, I say unto all, Watch" (Mk 13:35-36). Again the Lord warns us, “Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walks naked and they see his shame" (Rev 16:15). Are we really watching for the Lord's coming? Are we earnestly longing for and passionately love the return of our Bridegroom? Are we busy about many things or are we concentrating our whole being on doing the one thing that shall not be taken away from us (Luk 10:42) – loving the Lord and doing His will? Do our hearts truly yearn after Him, and long for His glorious appearing? It may be habitually our prayer that the Lord will hasten the fulfillment of prophesied events that sets the forum for His coming, but are we doing our part to hasten His return?

These are critical questions which all believers in the Lord Jesus should ask themselves, seeing that we are not our own, but are bought with a price, even with His own precious blood. Instead of indulging in worldly or selfish pursuits and listlessness on account of the evil state of things around us, we should watch and pray as if it were in our power to stem the torrent of abounding iniquity and to pave the way for the Lord's return.

We should seriously consider before the Lord the sobering words directed at us in 2 Peter 3:11-14: “Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought we to be in holy manner of living and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, ...? Nevertheless, we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth wherein dwell righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that you look for such things, be diligent, that you may be found of Him in peace, without spot and blameless.”

It is wonderful to know that God has predestinated us His children to be perfectly conformed to the image of our risen Lord (Rom 8:29, Eph 1:5), in spirit, soul, and body, when we shall see Him as He is. Then shall we enter into the possession of our inheritance which is incorruptible, undefiled, and unfading (1 Pet 1:4). The apostle Paul affirmed that the Lord has reserved the “crown of righteousness” to “those who have loved His appearing” (2 Tim 4:8). Yet the greatest of all rewards is that we will be one with our Bridegroom forever and never to be apart.

“Behold I come quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give every man according to his work” (Rev 22:12).