He, the Lord Jesus, is coming for us. He is coming, too, to take up His rights, to resolve everything, to leave no question in the universe unsettled. It is this same Jesus whom we love that will do that. I want to be very simple about this because it is a very simple yet holy matter. Are we ready for the Lord Jesus to come and receive us so that we may be as the word is, “always with the Lord”? Have we any expectations here that would stand athwart our hearts longing for His coming immediately? I would say very simply, after what the Lord has graciously given us, that I would like to be at the Supper again, but I would not want to allow even that to hamper the expectancy of His coming.
Think of the glory of His Person who for us has already accomplished all that needed to be accomplished, to the point that the very next thing for us is to go to be with Him. Note the point that may have been observed as we read, the emphatic “we” of 1 Thess 4: 15; alongside of that, we have the emphatic “our” of Phil 3: 20. That is, we can rightly regard ourselves, as part of the great throng that is in the expectancy of His coming. Such are not claiming to be anything, not claiming ecclesiastical status of any kind, but just expectant that the Lord will soon come.
(A J E Welch)
Golden Nugget Number 270
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