We need to Love the Lord’s Appearing and take His Coming as an Incentive and a Warning

If the Lord’s second coming is precious to us, we will love the Lord and also love the Lord’s appearing; we will not love the present evil age but rather, we will live in the light of His return, taking the Lord’s coming as an incentive and a warning, for He comes with either a reward or a discipline.

Our Christian life and church life are at the consummation of the age, and our daily life should be with the Lord’s return in view; we are not here on earth for a career or for ourselves – we are here to bring the Lord back and to hasten His return.

However, if we don’t love the Lord and we don’t love the Lord’s appearing, we will fall into loving the present evil age.

The present evil age has an aspect that appeals to each one of us, and once we start appreciating the world with the things of the world, we will start loving the world and the love of the Father is no longer in us. Oh, Lord Jesus!

Especially in countries that are more affluent, it is so easy to be occupied and love the present age, yet this is so subtle; in the name of taking care of our family, studying for a career, or making more money for our daily living, we may be drawn away from the Lord and from loving His appearing. Oh Lord Jesus!

May we not be fashioned according to this age but be transformed by the renewing of our mind so that we may love the Lord, love His appearing, and do all things to hasten His return.

This doesn’t mean that we give up our job, we have no more responsibilities to take care of our family and the things related to our daily living; no, no such thing.

We take care of all the things of our daily living, our needs, our family, our chores, etc. and we do all these with the Lord’s return in view.

Our focus is not these things, our focus is the Lord, for we love Him and we love His return. We love Him, we lean on Him, we look away unto Him, and we are being infused with Him; He is the Author of our faith, and He is its Perfecter too.

We run the race with endurance, knowing that God designed our journey, and we run in such a way that we would receive a prize.

By the Lord’s mercy and grace, may we all run to the end so that we may receive the kingdom as the reward given to the overcoming believers.

May we run in such a way that we would receive the crown of righteousness, which the Lord – the Righteous Judge – will recompense all those who love Him and His appearing! Amen!

As we look away unto Him, He infuses Himself as faith into us, and He Himself in us becomes the believing ability, keeping us in an organic union with Him so that we may be enabled to run the race with endurance toward the goal.

Amen, may we forget the things behind and we stretch toward the goal for the prize to which God in Christ Jesus has called us upward!

If the Lord’s Second Coming is Precious to us, we will Love the Lord and we will Love the Lord’s Appearing

What do we love? At the end of this age, many people are lovers of all kinds of things; they love themselves, they love their stomach, they love pleasures and entertainment, and they love the present evil age.

What about us, what do we love? Do we love the Lord? Do we love the Lord’s appearing? If we love the Lord’s second coming and if His return is precious to us, we will love the Lord and we will love the Lord’s appearing (2 Tim. 4:8).

However, if we still love the things in the world and we love ourselves, we will be like Lot’s wife when the Lord returns, taking a lingering look back and not being raptured. Loving the Lord’s appearing and loving the Lord Himself are inseparable, for if we love the Lord we will also love His appearing (1 Cor. 2:9; 2 Tim. 4:8).

We cannot say that we love the Lord and yet we don’t love His appearing. If a brother loves his wife, and his wife loves him, and they are apart for some time due to a work trip or a conference, they love one another even more and they yearn to have one another’s appearing.

If we’re waiting for the Lord to come, we should be those who love His appearing; we need to treasure the Lord’s appearing daily, and seek to contact Him, enjoy Him, and spend time with Him today (1 Thes. 1:10).

The Lord’s appearing – His coming back – is a warning to us, an encouragement, and also an incentive (2 Tim. 4:1, 18).

On one hand, the Lord will return as our lovely Bridegroom to rapture His bride; as His bride-to-be, we love the Lord, we are preparing ourselves for His return, and we love Him and love His appearing.

On the other hand, however, the Lord will return as a righteous Judge to give each one according to their deeds; some will receive the crown of righteousness, while others will receive a dispensational discipline.

Furthermore, the Lord comes back with His reward, so we need to love Him and love His appearing today.

May we love the Lord’s appearing and look forward to it with earnest expectation and joy, even saying one with the Spirit, Come, Lord Jesus (Rev. 22:20).

And may our living be one that is in the light of the Lord’s appearing; may we not be discouraged but remain faithful to the end (2 Tim. 4:8; Rev. 17:14).

Some of the young people and young adults, when they hear the older saints speaking about the Lord’s return and their desire for the Lord to come back, they may agree and say, Yes, come Lord Jesus, but come a bit later, for I want to still experience this, enjoy that, get an education, get a good job, get a wife, have some children, own a house, own a car, etc… there are so many things that the young ones want to have and do, so they may not love the Lord’s appearing too much.

However, when the Lord returns, there will be saints of all kinds of ages, and it is only those who love the Lord and love His appearing that will be taken; we need to let the Lord work in us a love for His appearing.

Loving the Lord’s appearing is in contrast to loving the present evil age; Paul speaks of Demas who, for the love of the present age, forsook him (2 Tim. 4:8, 10).

Demas was one of his co-workers; he had the vision, he had a ministry, and yet he abandoned Paul because he loved the present evil age.

If we are lukewarm saints, with one foot in the world and another in the church, it is easy for us to love the present evil age, and therefore not to love the Lord’s appearing.

Especially with this age being as it is, and the spirit of the age being so prevailing; many young people are being shaped by the present age, by its values and concepts, and they are led without knowing to love the present evil age. Oh, Lord Jesus!

Especially in the affluent countries, may the Lord save us from the love of the present age, and may we love Him and love His appearing!

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 so that he may keep them away from God and His purpose (1 John 5:19; 2:15).

The world that surrounds us, attracts us, and tempts us, is the present age; we cannot contact the world unless we contact the present age of the world.

The Lord prayed that we would be kept from the evil one, for we are not of the world; we are in the world, we are in the present situation of chaos, lawlessness, and hatred, but we are not of this world!

May we give ourselves to the Lord to love Him and love the Lord’s appearing, and may we not love the present evil age!

Lord Jesus, we love You. Infuse us more with Yourself and with the love for Your return. May we love You and love Your appearing more. Oh Lord, save us from loving the present evil age; save us from being deceived into loving the present aspect of the world, the world that is around us. May our only focus be You and Your return. May our living be one that loves the Lord’s appearing so that we would not be discouraged but remain faithful to the end. Amen, Lord Jesus, what about our heart? May our heart be turned toward You, loving You and Your appearing. May we flee the youthful lusts and all that the world has to offer, and may we love You to the uttermost, for we are here for You and You alone, and we desire that You return soon!

Taking the Lord’s Return as an Incentive and a Warning, and Loving the Lord’s Appearing and Kingdom, so that we may receive the Crown of Righteousness

In 2 Tim. 4:8 Paul said that the crown of righteousness is laid up before him, with which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will recompense him in that day, and not only him but also all those who loved His appearing.

The crown is a symbol of the prize given to the triumphant runner of the race (1 Cor. 9:25); it is a prize given in addition to the Lord’s salvation.

This prize is not of grace nor by faith as salvation is (Eph. 2:5, 8-9), but of righteousness through works (Matt. 16:27; Rev. 22:12; 2 Cor. 5:10).

This is why it is the crown of righteousness, which the Lord as the righteous Judge awards it to those who love the Lord’s appearing.

Here the Lord is not the merciful God or loving Savior but the righteous Judge; Paul was assured that such a prize was reserved, laid up, for him, and it will be awarded to him at the day of the Lord’s second coming.

Such a reward was not only for Paul but also for all those who love the Lord’s appearing.

This crown of righteousness is an incentive to the believers in Christ; if we are faithful to the healthy word of the truth and if we’re faithful inoculators to dispense the ingredients of the divine inoculation against the decline of the church into Christians today so that they may return to the full knowledge of the truth, this reward will be given to us at the time of the Lord’s appearing.

If we’re faithful to the Lord’s ministry, we shall receive the crown of righteousness as our reward.

We should not be deceived concerning the Lord’s return; when He returns, He will not come as a gracious Savior or as the merciful God; He will come as the righteous Judge.

The Lord’s return should be not only an encouragement but also a warning to us, for we need to prepare ourselves to stand before this Judge.

May we bring this matter to the Lord and receive this charge, realizing that He will return as a Judge to the living and the dead.

We must declare the fact that, when the Lord comes back, He will be the Judge of all, both believers and unbelievers.

All of the Lord’s servants will have to give an account to Him (Matt. 25); some will be good and faithful slaves, while others are evil and slothful slaves (vv. 21, 26).

In His righteousness, the Lord Himself will decide whether or not we will receive a reward.

May we consider the Lord’s appearing not only as an incentive for us to receive the reward but also as a warning to us, for it is a time of great solemnity for every believer in Christ.

May we all give heed to this solemn warning, and may we love the Lord and love the Lord’s appearing today.

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); we want to be those who love the Lord, love the Lord’s appearing, and wait for His coming, so that we may overcome and receive the reward when He returns.

Loving the Lord’s appearing is proof we love the Lord and live for Him today; hence, it also becomes a condition for us to receive His reward.

Simply agreeing with loving the Lord and His appearing doesn’t mean we love the Lord and we love His appearing; we need to seek the Lord’s kingdom first and love the Lord’s appearing, and we need to develop this matter in our daily living so that we may receive the kingdom reward.

Dear Lord Jesus, we love You! We want to be faithful to the healthy word of the truth and be faithful inoculators to dispense the ingredients of the divine revelation against the decline of the church into Christians so that they may return to the full knowledge of the truth. Amen, Lord, we want to cooperate with You for Your return by loving You and loving Your appearing. Grant us to be Your overcomers, those who love You, wait for Your coming, and love Your appearing so that we may overcome in this dark age! Amen, Lord, we love You and we want to live for You today. We seek Your kingdom first. We love Your appearing. Oh Lord, infuse us with such a love for You and for Your appearing today!

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Sources of inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by Ron Kangas for this week, and portions from, Truth Lessons—Level Two, vol. 1, lsn. 12 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, The Christian Life, the Church Life, the Consummation of the Age, and the Coming of the Lord (2020 fall ITERO), week 7, Fighting the Good Fight, Finishing the Course, and Loving the Lord’s Appearing.
• Hymns on this topic:
  – Living out His resurrection, / Dying to the flesh and soul-life. / Living by the mingled spirit, / Natural man we will deny. / Now we’re living in the Body, / Every day we’re overcoming, / Striving for the peak of Zion, / Watching for our Lord’s appearing. (Song on, God has called us for His purpose)
  – Work, then, the Day is coming, / No time for sighing now; / Prize for the race awaits thee, / Wreaths for the victor’s brow. / Now morning Light is breaking, / Soon will the Day appear; / Night shades appall no longer, / Jesus, our Lord, is near. (Hymns #897)
  – Christ is coming as a judge, all His people to meet. / All our work He’ll test through fire before His judgement seat. / So burn in me today, Lord! I open to Your searching. / Burn the wood and fill with gold; I’m desperate for Your purging! (Song on, Christ is coming as a thief)