And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. (Hebrews 09:27-28, NKJV).
According to ancient and venerable Christian doctrine, Christ, the Suffering Servant, is coming again, physically, magnificently, undeniably - as Savior and Lord of Lords.
This next appearing will unfold in two phases: apart from sin, for salvation; and “to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” (Jude 1:15, NKJV).
This is necessary in the same way that it was necessary that Enoch was snatched away before the flood, "…so that he did not see death, 'and was not found, because God had taken him'…" (Hebrews 11:5, NKJV). After which, the Flood of Judgment came, destroying all that walked the earth except for those creatures preserved in the Ark.
So too, when Christ comes again, first He will snatch away His Bride, the church, then pour out God's wrath in judgment against a sinful world, preserving a remnant only of mankind.
And that interval between His Resurrection and Ascension, until He returns, is happening now. For the faithful, it is a time of eagerly waiting and occupying until He comes.
For the willfully unbelieving, it is a time of unacknowledged approaching doom. For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. (1 Thessalonians 5:3, NKJV).
That dreaded inkling of coming judgment is anathema to those who dwell on the planet in conscious rejection of God and the things of God. To be reminded of it in anyway evokes the desperate reaction of a spoiled child confronted with obvious wrong-doing. Shrill and vile accusations, foot-stomping, breath-holding, and even violence often ensues against the messengers of approaching judgment.
But to those of us who believe, we look toward His coming with comfort and joy, eagerly waiting for the Return of the King to put right all that is amiss in this crooked and perverse world. We hold fast the Word of Life so that whatever befalls us here and now is but light affliction, and cannot be compared to the glory which shall be revealed in us.
It is essential to believers to have this anticipatory mindset, to set our minds on things above, lest we, like Lot, become enveloped in the things of the world, and lose sight of where are true citizenship lies. Knowing He might come at any moment for His church purifies our hearts and minds, while we wait and occupy.
Yet, the waiting can be long and hard, fraught with pain and isolation, as we wrestle against our flesh, the world and the Enemy.
Like the fallen beings we are, we either lose sight of our destiny when things are proceeding according to our satisfaction, or we whine and grumble about how long He is tarrying when life is difficult, or our pride is injured, or when we simply become tired of keeping on.
Our Lord knows this about us, and encourages us in our weakness.
But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good. (2 Thessalonians 3:13, NKJV).
Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. (2 Corinthians 4:16, NKJV).
And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. (Galatians 6:9, NKJV).
This world is not our home. Not yet. One day it will be, when He gifts us with a new heaven and a new earth, and with that quality of eternal life which He died to make possible for us.
The primary danger then is twofold while we wait: distraction or weariness.
Both are debilitating.
Both take our eyes off Him and refocus them on ourselves - a sure guarantee of miserable self-absorption.
Yes, it's hard to wait, but the waiting is also part of His absolutely unique and perfect plan for each one of His children.
Remember this, especially in the night seasons.
For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. (Psalms 103:14, NKJV).
