The Importance of Watching and Waiting for Christ's Return

The Importance of Watching and Waiting for Christ's Return

1. Introduction

It is crucial for us to base our understanding of Christ's return on His teachings and exhortations about events preceding and following it, including the rapture or the final resurrection. We cannot ignore His words or treat them as meaningless or hollow predictions likely to have become less relevant or valid with time. Even though we don't fully know what He meant or who was to be told about certain things, we are in the proper position to take Him seriously and, more so, to ask questions about those further implications of what He was telling His disciples. We must especially first consider our personal and other responsibilities and make them our primary questions. But where to begin to assure utmost readiness for the Day of the Lord and to exercise proper influence over others for the same objectives?

Do your eyes turn upward in anticipation and readiness whenever you hear the sound of an airplane in flight? Do you strain to get a better glimpse of the horizon as the sun comes slowly up or goes slowly down past the curvature of the earth? Jesus said that many would not even see opportunities to serve Him and others or acknowledge His presence right in their very midst as He goes by. Therefore, how much more likely is the intensely spiritual or near spiritual significance of the hours of His return to have bypassed the lives of most of us? Let us then put questions about the day or the hour, even about the generation when this will take place, completely behind us and take Jesus at His word according to His spirit and anticipations of one inseparable from His commands.

1.1. Background and Significance

Despite much misunderstanding of what Paul said, he announced that the apostasy had to come before the mystery of lawlessness was going to be revealed as the end-time man or the man of lawlessness. With this man, there is a lot of opposition to anything that is or has been called God or is worshipped, and all that opposes himself is exalted above all that is worshipped, so that he sits in the temple of God. A better wording may exist in the later copies, asserting that that man is a god. Knowing to let something hold him back so that he may be revealed when the time for revealing him had come since the secret of the lawlessness was already at work, but the restrainer was confirmed through the military revolt of the people of the Romans. After it was defeated by these, the time for revealing him came and he was going to be done away with when Christ was going to return. However, his coming was not going to be through the normal means of execution, destruction, or death brought on by whatever means, but it was going to be accompanied by the splendorous physically brilliant forthshining of the appearing of his presence.

In the first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul sought to provide some clarification concerning the hope of Christians and to give reasons why they should not be overly concerned about the eventual blessedness of their fellow believers who had died. Because of the widespread misunderstanding of when the second coming was to take place, Paul called them to witness both the integrity with which the apostles amongst them had acted towards them and the hope which had characterized their life amongst the believers. They were also to take note of the way in which the gospel had drawn them out of a life of deep pagan immorality and had continued to shape in them a strong fellowship through their mutual love for each other and all the believers in the whole of Macedonia. Then Paul went on to speak about the fact that Christ would return at the Day of the Lord, and it was those who were seeking to live godly and respectable lives who would be caught up in the air when this event happened.

2. Biblical Foundations

When Jesus told Peter that He would build His church, He didn't spell out the details of what the church would look like. But Jesus certainly told Peter why He would establish His church - to provide a platform to bring the "Good News" of the gospel to a lost and dying world. He also provided an understanding of what He expected of the followers who make up the Church, the Body of Christ, to accomplish that epic mission. One thing is very clear. The Church is Jesus' idea, not man's. And nothing blesses the heart of the Savior more than for Him to find His followers about their joint business of redeeming a lost and dying world in their daily lives.

The Bible is clear that we are to be about our heavenly Father's business of redeeming a lost world and that Jesus could return at any moment for His Church. That understanding does not mean that we are to be preoccupied with His return. Rather, Jesus told His disciples in the Upper Room to "occupy" until He returned. In Matthew 25, Jesus told a series of parables to illustrate how one is to watch and wait for His coming. The "what?" and the "how?" of watching and waiting for His return are important questions for a follower of Christ.

2.1. Key Scriptures on Christ's Return

Of course, no book so explicitly deals with Christ's return as Revelation. This simply shows that text after text on this come from whom the book calls "the apostle John," "one of my brethren the prophets," "they which keep the sayings of this book."

As 1 Corinthians 15:23-26 makes clear, Christ returns at the last Trumpet. This scripture also adds some additional information, that when Christ returns to rule, He will become subject to the Father who subjects all things under Christ that God may be all.

A key scripture is 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. This tells us that we should not be ignorant about this, that there will be a shout, the voice of an archangel, and the trumpet sound that those dead in Christ will rise first, and that those who are alive will join them in the air and so be always with them.

This section will review some key scriptures which make it clear that Jesus is coming bodily to the earth again in the future. Interestingly, these are not just from the revelation given to the apostle John and expected from the prophecies from the Old Testament. The teaching is found throughout the New Testament and is the almost universal understanding and expectation of the early church - sure they today expected it in their lifetime, but expected it soon regardless.

3. Spiritual Preparedness

One cannot nurture love for God - the true faith - without having a profound respect for both the moral law and God's law. Good conduct is intended to lead to virtue; one's life will reflect the type of person one truly is. The confidence of faith makes us put into practice God's commands, as a child does for their parents, and the wish to conform one's life according to God's commands stresses the perfections of all men. (1 John 5:3).

A second condition of spiritual preparedness for the return of Christ is to obey the commandments of God. A person's heart must be filled with love for God and total commitment to His will. Doing the Father's will strengthens us and gives us the ability to live in a world that is often at odds with the things of God. Doing the Father's will sets us apart from the world, and at the same time, keeps us from becoming world-weary. It is the will of the Father which keeps us ready for the coming of Christ. "The man who claims, 'I have known Him' without keeping His commandments is a liar... but whoever obeys His word, truly has the love of God been made perfect in him." (1 John 2:4, 5/CCC 143). Not only love for God must be kept burning in one's heart, but it must be demonstrated in actions according to the 1st letter of Saint John. (1 John 4:12-21).

3.1. Prayer and Meditation

In Philippians 4:5 we are instructed to "let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand." Many are familiar with this passage, but the context is commonly overlooked. The preceding explanation tells us how a gentle forbearing spirit might be practiced. First, "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!" (v. 4). That fruit might be a regular part of a Christian's life. But how? In verses 6-7 the argument is made that, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." How might we avoid an anxious spirit amidst stressful circumstances? By prayer and supplication.

What practical instruction do the Scriptures provide to us for eschatological themes? 1 Corinthians 1:7 tells us we "wait for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." The above words relate to our duty of looking for Jesus "eagerly." How do we do such a thing? The command "wait for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" relates to prayer, watching and considering the end or becoming ready.

4. Signs of the Times

None condemn the desecration of holy things—and remember, do not let your pastor hide behind the skirts of the tempting but undefendable assertion that because Christ, who had promised to come again, did not do so, the unfolding of the course of interrupted time proved that he had been talking of a specific event—with the idea finally evolved of the inevitable elimination of the word should, modifying the word come, that his references are wholly to the Second Advent. However, the preclude-Tribulation Societies may and do, the great masses of those who claim only to be part-time Christians could not care less if heaven stopped operating. At least one-third of the population is aware, more or less clearly, of the meaning of that dietary law to which God confirmed with an oath peculiar to Himself. Opium and alcohol are staples in most 'developed' and in many 'underdeveloped' nations. As a people commemorates the anniversary of Christ with a vile pantomime that to such a people is a blending of roast turkey, turkey-lurkey, chicken-little, Santa Claus, and profound contempt, surely there is time, plenty of time.

To the attentive, believing, obedient, watching Church, the signs of the times proclaim El Shaddai's approach. To the indifferent and careless, they are meaningless or misinterpreted. Yet when so-called Christian nations prepare for war and keep the world armed against all-comers, we may know that peace is a long way off. When either the nations or the ungodly factions within all nations infiltrate schools and provide expertly designed trains of entertainment to catch only the attention of all too many of our children and turn by the millions against the Christian record and the Church, we may know that the reign of Christ is not around the corner. There are nearly a score of conditions that are all but universally true if we but take the trouble to look.

4.1. Prophecies and Current Events

1 Thessalonians 5:3 - "For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape." Fulfilled: "Roadmap to Peace" and "land for peace" are common phrases in the media. Result: World War III (tribulation) will begin, then Armageddon.

Luke 21:11 - "And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven." Fulfilled: 1906 - San Francisco, 1960 - Chile, 1964 - Alaska, 1965 - Indonesia, 2004 - Indonesia. Result: Several large earthquakes when the seventh seal is broken.

Matthew 24:6-7 - Wars and rumors of wars. Fulfilled: World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, and many more small wars. Result: World War III (tribulation) will begin, then Armageddon.

There are numerous prophecies in the Old and New Testaments related to what the end of the age will look like. Almost all of these prophecies have already been fulfilled in the last century. Here are just some of them, along with a few events that naturally result from the completed prophecy:

5. Conclusion

What are you watching and waiting and working for primarily? Is it some blessing? Is it some exaltation? No, it is Christ Himself. The prayer that introduces the marriage of the Lamb is "Come!" The prayer that begins the book of Revelation is "He cometh." The last verse of the Revelation, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus." The desire of the Church is that her Spouse should come. Any love that does not desire to see the loved one is questionable. In fact, let us always be in a state of preparation for death or the coming of Christ, or both, not perplexed, not discouraged, not spiritless, but filled with hope. The Master will not tarry long. If for the time He tarries, serve the Lord with gladness and tell of His love. Go from this service with thanksgiving and hope and joy in your heart, because your Master is coming. Amen and Amen!

The Christian's service is done as he or she watches and waits for our Lord to return. Those of us who are looking forward to that happy day should be busy doing the work of the Master, pressing on with all our might, making full proof of our ministries. If we have to work on earth while He is in heaven, it is in order that we may get through the work of this life and that He may come to receive us unto Himself at the time He sees to be the best. Believers, whatever you have been doing in the past, wait rationally - not madly or wildly. God's pattern is, waiting, working, and watching. For how long? Until Christ comes. He may come today. He may come tomorrow. He may come while I am speaking to you.

5.1. Summary of Key Points

The texts which we have considered: Lk 16:10-13; Tit 2:11-15; 1Cor 3:10-17; 1Th 5:8 failure to watch and wait: Lk 17:26-37; Mk 13:32-37; Lk 12:35-40 the coming of Christ: Lk 21:20-28; 1Th 5:2, 4-8; Eph 5:6-16; Col 3:1-4; Rm 13:11-14 who will be able to stand: Rev 6:12-17 what they trimmed their lamps with: Mt 25:1-13; Lk 12:35-36; Col 4:5-6 we will all be changed (Mt. 1 Cor. 15:50-52): Rm 13:11-14; 1Co 15:51-57; Phil 4:5 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds watchful when he comes (Lk 12:36) - Jesus exhorts us to watch for His coming with an almost impatient eagerness, because when He comes He will bring us the fullness of our redemption. We must not let Him surprise us - we had better be ready when He comes - and He might come any time. Watchful waiting for Christ is the attitude of the Evangelical who has a keen sense of the divine life within him.