'Unto them that look for Him shall He appear' Heb. 9:28
THERE is an evident parallel intended between the first and second advent, and especially in the manner of looking for it. At the first advent there were many who were definitely looking for and hastening to that day. Simeon was waiting for the consolation of Israel [Luke 2:25,26]; and Anna spoke of the infant Lord to those who were expecting redemption in Israel [Luke 2:37,38]. To look for the consolation and to look for the redemption were the two articles in that early creed. And presently this quiet, patient waiting broke out into the rapturous song of the Nunc Dimittis. [Latin for “Now dismiss”; Luke 2:29-32]
But all Jews were not looking for that blessed Hope, the appearance of the Grace of God. When our Lord came, the leading teacher of Judaism was Philo, and he not only had no Messianic hopes of his own, but discouraged them in other people. He conceded that there might be a return of Jewish national life; but he had no expectation of it being under the leadership of the Christ.
It has been truly remarked that this eager looking for the Advent has always been the mark of the living Church. “Ye turned,” said the apostle, “unto God from idols . . . to wait for his Son from heaven.” [1Th. 1:9,10]. And again he said, “A crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give unto me in that day; and not to me only, but to all them that love his appearing” [2Tim. 4:8]
As it was with the first Advent it shall be with the second. The Son of God will come at a time and in a manner for which men are not prepared; and only the elect, who may have been contemned and despised by the world at large, will discern Him, and go forth to meet Him in the air [1Thes. 4:16,17].
F.B. Meyer 1847-1929 (Our Daily Homily - 1899)
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[The return of the Lord Jesus Christ for his bride and the 'second coming' are two separate events. At His return in judgment [Rev. 19:11], which is, to use the common phrase, the second coming, the Word of God is very clear that at that time "every eye shall see him", looking or not [Rev. 1:7; cf. Mt. 24:30; Luke 21:26-27]. The 28th verse of Hebrews chapter nine then can only refer to the 'imminent coming', or, as more commonly referred to, the rapture.]
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THERE is an evident parallel intended between the first and second advent, and especially in the manner of looking for it. At the first advent there were many who were definitely looking for and hastening to that day. Simeon was waiting for the consolation of Israel [Luke 2:25,26]; and Anna spoke of the infant Lord to those who were expecting redemption in Israel [Luke 2:37,38]. To look for the consolation and to look for the redemption were the two articles in that early creed. And presently this quiet, patient waiting broke out into the rapturous song of the Nunc Dimittis. [Latin for “Now dismiss”; Luke 2:29-32]
But all Jews were not looking for that blessed Hope, the appearance of the Grace of God. When our Lord came, the leading teacher of Judaism was Philo, and he not only had no Messianic hopes of his own, but discouraged them in other people. He conceded that there might be a return of Jewish national life; but he had no expectation of it being under the leadership of the Christ.
It has been truly remarked that this eager looking for the Advent has always been the mark of the living Church. “Ye turned,” said the apostle, “unto God from idols . . . to wait for his Son from heaven.” [1Th. 1:9,10]. And again he said, “A crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give unto me in that day; and not to me only, but to all them that love his appearing” [2Tim. 4:8]
As it was with the first Advent it shall be with the second. The Son of God will come at a time and in a manner for which men are not prepared; and only the elect, who may have been contemned and despised by the world at large, will discern Him, and go forth to meet Him in the air [1Thes. 4:16,17].
F.B. Meyer 1847-1929 (Our Daily Homily - 1899)
***
[The return of the Lord Jesus Christ for his bride and the 'second coming' are two separate events. At His return in judgment [Rev. 19:11], which is, to use the common phrase, the second coming, the Word of God is very clear that at that time "every eye shall see him", looking or not [Rev. 1:7; cf. Mt. 24:30; Luke 21:26-27]. The 28th verse of Hebrews chapter nine then can only refer to the 'imminent coming', or, as more commonly referred to, the rapture.]
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I don’t own a TV, for good reasons, and I am not a follower of football, so I have never really been interested in the Super bowl games. Yet, I have recently been made aware of the absolute evil that has pervaded the recent opening and closing ceremonies of both the regular Olympics and the special Olympics, as well as these halftime shows for the Super bowl, so I did glance at the news to see what kind of show pervaded this year’s halftime. I only got a glimpse of Beyonce’s halftime performance, and that was much more than I cared to watch, but all I could think about was wondering how many hundreds or thousands of “Christians” in America were sitting there watching this sexual and seductive performance that was fraught with evil and Satanic imagery, and of how many of them did so without thought to what they were watching. I don’t know the answer to that, but it came to mind again this morning as I read these words:
ReplyDelete"You have seen many things, but have paid no attention;
your ears are open, but you hear nothing.
…It enveloped them in flames, yet they did not understand;
it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart."
This is speaking not only of not seeing or hearing what is of the Spirit of God, but also not having the ability, thus, to discern what is purely evil. There is a war going on against the Christians in this nation of ours but it is not being fought with guns or knives. The battlefront is our minds, and the weapons are TV, news shows, commercials, halftime shows, movies, video games, smart phones, the internet, I-Pads or other tablets, etc. Over time we, the people and Christians of America, have been desensitized to evil through TV, movies, video games, music videos and the like. The most evil of all evil is right at our fingertips in our own homes, and now with the use of smart phones and electronic tablets the world of evil is available 24/7 and in absolute privacy, and therefore the temptation is great. The worst part of all, though, is most people don’t see it for what it truly is.
Yet, not only is this evil available at our fingertips 24/7 in the world, but it has invaded the church, too, and in course of time the gospel has been watered down to where it no longer slays the sinner, but it entertains him. See “The Old Cross and the New” by A.W. Tozer: http://www.ldolphin.org/oldcross.html. He wrote this in 1946 but it speaks of today.
The above was quoted in part from what the Lord taught me today through reading in Isaiah 42-43. For the entire post see: http://christsfreeservant.blogspot.com/2013/02/return-to-me-o-israel.html
Sue J Love
http://originalworks.info