"Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is."
It is when we look upon Christ "as he is" that "we shall be like him". God has created us to be in his image, that is the human image of Christ, so that we might always reflect God's glory. Like mirrors, we shine only that which we behold. So if our eyes are turned towards Christ, will they not reflect his glory as the risen Son of God exalted to the right hand of the Father?
We are children of God. We are mere children who have not yet grown into heavenly adults with all the rights and privileges of kingdom citizenship. We cannot yet vote in the Kingdom. Our adult bodies may fool us into thinking we are grown, they are but flesh and not spirit. But he who looks upon Christ shall be mature in spirit, perfect in every way and as verse 3 puts it, "pure as he is pure".
But rest assured, my beloved, you will be men and women of God by the power of simply beholding the risen Christ slain from the foundation of the world. As you draw nearer to Christ your vision of him will only become clearer until the great and fearful day of his coming when you will see him as he truly is: The risen messiah, broken for you.
Showing posts with label second coming. Show all posts
Showing posts with label second coming. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Saturday, May 21, 2011
1 Thessalonians 5:1-3
"Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape."
Paul himself knows the dangers of setting dates and times for the coming of the Lord. This passage occurs after the famous 1 Th 4:13-18 passage used as evidence by many proponents of the rapture. This is not our concern. The point isn't what Christ's coming will look like, but that He is coming back. Just as no one knows when a thief will come[1], no one knows the dates and times the Father has set.
The day of the Lord is directly from the Hebrew yom Yahweh, which describes both a time of God's judgment but also a time of deliverance.[2] We are not called to worry about when Jesus will come back, but to eagerly await his return. Only the unprepared are worried.
Again to belabor the point, just as a pregnant woman knows not the hour she will go into labor, it will fall suddenly on those who do not expect it. We persevere in our preparations because we know the Bridegroom can come at any minute. We do not simply wait and watch and worry, we live. Come, Lord Jesus, come! Let’s celebrate!
[1] Matthew 24:43 "But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into." (Jesus's words)
[2] Am 5:18-20; Ob 15; Joel 1:15; 2:1f; Zp 1:14-16; Joel 2:31-32; Zc 14:1-21
Paul himself knows the dangers of setting dates and times for the coming of the Lord. This passage occurs after the famous 1 Th 4:13-18 passage used as evidence by many proponents of the rapture. This is not our concern. The point isn't what Christ's coming will look like, but that He is coming back. Just as no one knows when a thief will come[1], no one knows the dates and times the Father has set.
The day of the Lord is directly from the Hebrew yom Yahweh, which describes both a time of God's judgment but also a time of deliverance.[2] We are not called to worry about when Jesus will come back, but to eagerly await his return. Only the unprepared are worried.
Again to belabor the point, just as a pregnant woman knows not the hour she will go into labor, it will fall suddenly on those who do not expect it. We persevere in our preparations because we know the Bridegroom can come at any minute. We do not simply wait and watch and worry, we live. Come, Lord Jesus, come! Let’s celebrate!
[1] Matthew 24:43 "But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into." (Jesus's words)
[2] Am 5:18-20; Ob 15; Joel 1:15; 2:1f; Zp 1:14-16; Joel 2:31-32; Zc 14:1-21
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