Loving the Lord’s Appearance

Do I love the Lord’s appearance? Do you?

Paul the Apostle wrote, “I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing.” [1]

None of us know the exact day or hour that we will meet the Lord face to face. Someone wrote, “Time is the only currency you spend without ever knowing your balance.” Those of us who are old feel our bodies declining and know that our balance of earthly life is running low.

Paul was ready to see the Lord. Paul enjoyed a personal relationship with the Lord. The Lord by His grace, by His Word, by His Spirit kept Paul in the faith. God revealed to Paul that he had a crown of righteousness for him, and not only for him, but to all who love His appearance.

“Love the Lord’s appearance!” Do I? Do you?

King David wrote, “Lord, I have loved the habitation of Your house, and the place where Your glory dwells. Do not gather my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloodthirsty men, in whose hands is a sinister scheme, and whose right hand is full of bribes.” [2]

David’s love for the Lord moved him to ask the Lord to keep him from temptation and to deliver him from evil, namely, from joining with who do not want to know or walk with God.

The Lord gave King David a heart to be with Him. He wrote, “One thing I have desired of the Lord that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.” “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” [3]

What a gift! Such grace! To be filled with love for the Lord! To want to be with Him! To have faith to see the goodness of the Lord in the land where people live forever! This is God’s gift to all who believe in His Son Jesus Christ.

“This is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the Name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the Name of the Son of God.” “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.” [4]

Eternal life is in Jesus. He is the resurrector of those who believe in Him. He does the resurrecting. Eternal life is God’s gift to believers in Him. There is no other way to the Father, except through Jesus. Jesus holds the key to heaven. All others are imposters. All others are idols which cannot save a soul. Those who have the Son, Jesus Christ, have eternal life. [5]

When the Apostle Peter was about to depart from this earthly life, he wrote, “Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you, knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease.” [6]

He urged people to remember what Jesus did for their salvation. Don’t let other interests to diminish or replace your love for Christ.

Peter’s faith was not based on fables. He met the Lord. He walked with the Lord. He heard God speak from heaven to affirm faith in Jesus.

“For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.” [7]

Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies about Messiah.

Peter wrote, “And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” [8]

The words that Peter believed had been confirmed by what he witnessed Jesus say and do. Jesus personally taught Peter the meaning of the Bible. Peter got his understanding of God from God’s Son and from God’s Spirit. This, in a sense, is how each of us prepare to meet God. We listen to God’s witnesses... His prophets, His apostles and His Son via the Bible, and we listen to His Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit witnesses to the words of Jesus. He also witnesses to us that we are God’s children when we believe in Jesus.

“The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My Name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” [9]

We believers are “sealed with the Holy Spirit” upon believing in Jesus. God’s Spirit is the “deposit guaranteeing our inheritance.” The Holy Spirit serves as God’s pledge or guarantee of the future inheritance that we will receive from Him. [10]

We love the Lord’s appearance because He has done all that is necessary for our salvation. Our faith is in His merits to save us. He appearance equals the beginning of enjoying paradise with God forevermore for us. A place with no more sorrow, no pain and no death!

Praise be to His glorious and wonderful Name! The Name of Jesus!

[1] 2 Timothy 4:6-8
[2] Psalm 26:8-10
[3] Psalm 27:4, 13
[4] 1 John 5:11-13, 20-21
[5] John 11:25; Romans 6:23; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Revelation 1:18
[6] 2 Peter 1:13-15
[7] 2 Peter 1:16-18
[8] 2 Peter 1:19-21
[9] John 14:26; Romans 8:16
[10] Ephesians 1:13-14