Ⅲ
If the Lord’s second coming is precious to us, we will love His appearing — 2 Tim. 4:8:
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Loving the Lord’s appearing and loving the Lord Himself are inseparable — 1 Cor. 2:9; 2 Tim. 4:8.
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If we are waiting for the Lord to come, we should be those who love His appearing — 1 Thes. 1:10; 2 Tim. 4:8.
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The Lord’s appearing, His coming back, is a warning, an encouragement, and an incentive to us — vv. 1, 18:
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We should love the Lord’s appearing and look forward to it with earnest expectation and joy — Rev. 22:20.
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We should have a living that loves the Lord’s appearing; this causes us not to be discouraged but to remain faithful to the end — 2 Tim. 4:8; Rev. 17:14.
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Loving the Lord’s appearing is in contrast to loving the present age — 2 Tim. 4:8, 10:
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An age is a part, a section, or an aspect of the world system of Satan, which is used by him to usurp and occupy people and keep them away from God and His purpose — 1 John 5:19; 2:15.
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In 2 Timothy 4:10 the present age refers to the world that surrounds, attracts, and tempts us; we cannot contact the world unless we contact the present age of the world.
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Demas loved the present age; due to the attraction of the present age, he forsook the apostle Paul — v. 10.
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In Romans 12:2 Paul exhorts us to not be fashioned according to this age but to be transformed by the renewing of the mind:
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This age in verse 2 denotes the present, practical part of the world, which stands in opposition to the Body life and replaces the Body life — vv. 4-5.
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To be fashioned according to this age means to adopt the modern fashions of the present age; to be transformed is to allow an organic element to be wrought into our being, thus producing an inward metabolic change — v. 2; 2 Cor. 3:18.
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Because the present age opposes the church, which is God’s will, we must not be fashioned according to it — Rom. 12:2.
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If we are to live in the Body of Christ, we should not follow the present age or be fashioned according to this age or conformed to it — vv. 4-5.
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If we love the present age, we will take sides with the world; if we love the Lord’s appearing, we will take sides with Him and fight with Him for His interests — 2 Tim. 4:1-2, 4-8, 10.
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Those who love the Lord, wait for His coming, and love His appearing will overcome — 1 Cor. 2:9; 2 Tim. 4:8; Rev. 22:20; 17:14.
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Loving the Lord’s appearing is a proof that we love the Lord and live for Him today; hence, it also becomes a condition for us to receive His reward — 2 Tim. 4:8, 18.
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To love the Lord’s appearing does not mean that we should not live a normal life; rather, the more we love His appearing, the more we need to live a normal life today — Matt. 24:40-42; 2 Thes. 1:10; 3:6-12; 1 Tim. 5:8.
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As those who love the Lord Jesus, take Him as our life, live Him, and magnify Him, we should await His coming and love His appearing; this should be our heart’s desire and our living as those who hope to enter into His joy, be saved into the Lord’s heavenly kingdom, and receive the crown of righteousness — 2 Tim. 4:8, 18.
Morning Nourishment
1 Thes. 1:10 And await His Son from the heavens, whom He raised from the dead, Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath which is coming.Rev. 22:20 He who testifies these things says, Yes, I come quickly. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
My burden is this: When the apostles wrote the New Testament, to them the Lord was coming soon. Hence, the teaching of the New Testament shows us that their living was in preparation for the Lord’s return. This is like the situation in which some long-separated relatives are soon to return. The entire family is prepared to welcome them. It is also like a girl waiting to be married, who knows of the wedding day and who is waiting wholeheartedly for that day to arrive….Each chapter of 1 Thessalonians concludes with the Lord’s coming back. From this we can see that Paul was one who loved the Lord’s appearing (2 Tim. 4:8). We also should be this way. (CWWL, 1990, vol. 3, “The Vision of the Divine Dispensing and Guidelines for the Practice of the New Way,” p. 297)
Today’s Reading
Since we love the Lord’s appearing, we should earnestly wait for His coming (Phil. 3:20; 1 Thes. 1:10). Hence, our future is with Him. Our living should indicate that we have no other hope on this earth. Our hope is in the coming Lord. He is our eternal destiny. In 1 Corinthians 7 Paul says, “…The time is shortened. Henceforth both those who have wives should be as though they had none, and those who weep as though they did not weep, and those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, and those who buy as though they did not possess, and those who use the world as though they did not abuse it; for the fashion of this world is passing away” (vv. 29-31). Christ is our real hope.We may express our desire for the Lord’s return in the way of a prayer to Him, calling, “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:20). We should always call for His coming. This becomes our response to His return. (CWWL, 1990, vol. 3, “The Vision of the Divine Dispensing and Guidelines for the Practice of the New Way” pp. 297-298)
The Bible concludes with “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:20). From the record in the New Testament, it is not difficult to discover that in their hearts the apostles firmly believed that the Lord would come quickly, and they also lived a life in preparation for the Lord’s second coming….On the last day of 1925, Brother Nee went to pray with Miss M. E. Barber, and she prayed, “Lord, do You really mean to say that You will let 1925 pass by, that You will wait until 1926 before You come back? However, on this last day I still pray that You will come back today!” Not long afterward, Brother Nee met her on the street, and again she said to him, “It is really strange that up to this day He has not yet come back.”... In Luke 12 the Lord gave a parable concerning a rich man who endeavored to lay up wealth for himself so that his soul might enjoy itself and be merry. But God said to him, “Foolish one, this night they are requiring your soul from you” (vv. 16-20). Every “today” that we have is truly the Lord’s grace. Therefore, as long as we have today, as long as we still have breath, we should love the Lord and His appearing, await the Lord’s coming (Phil. 3:20), and always take His coming as an encouragement.
Paul... said that he had fought the good fight, he had finished the course, and he had kept the faith, and that at the judgment seat he would be awarded the crown of righteousness, which would be awarded to all those who have loved His appearing (2 Tim. 4:6-8). He reminded Timothy, and also us, by the Lord’s judgment and kingdom, that we should have a living that loves the Lord’s appearing. This will cause us not to be discouraged, not to backslide, not to become weak, but to remain faithful to the end. (CWWL, 1990, vol. 3, “The Up-to-date Presentation of the God-ordained Way and the Signs concerning the Coming of Christ,” pp. 587-588)
Further Reading: The Conclusion of the New Testament, msgs. 111-112, 186, 226, 228-229, 243