But I say to you, I shall by no means drink of this product of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in the kingdom of My Father. Matt. 26:29
Dear saints, let us pray that the saints would see from the Lord’s supper how the church is a bridge connecting the Lord’s death and His second coming, such that the church continues the Lord’s death and brings in His coming back with the goal of setting up His kingdom (1 Cor. 11:26; Matt. 26:29; Dan. 7:13-14).
We should not take for granted Paul’s words, “Declare the Lord’s death until He comes,” and we should not understand them in a superficial way. It is a matter of great significance that Paul wrote these words. He did not put them down according to his opinion. In verse 23 he says, “For I received from the Lord that which also I delivered to you.” What Paul spoke to the Corinthians was what he received from the Lord. This is the reason I refer you to Matthew 26. In establishing His supper the Lord did speak of His coming back in relation to the Father’s kingdom.
It is crucial to see that there are two comings of Christ. With His first coming a great thing was accomplished—His death to carry out an all-inclusive redemption. After His death, Christ went away to receive the kingdom. This is revealed in the New Testament and also in the book of Daniel. In Daniel 7:13 and 14, the prophet beheld that “One like a Son of Man was coming; / And He came to the Ancient of Days, / And they brought Him near before Him. / And to Him was given dominion, glory, and a kingdom, / That all the peoples, nations, and languages might serve Him. / His dominion is an eternal dominion, which will not pass away; / And His kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.” In Luke 19:12 the Lord, in a parable, refers to Himself as “a certain man of noble birth” who “went to a distant country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return” (Luke 19:12). Furthermore, according to both the book of Daniel and the Gospels, the Lord will come back after receiving the kingdom. He will come back with the kingdom and will establish this kingdom for God’s universal administration. (Life-study of 1 Corinthians, msg. 56, by Witness Lee)
More details via Beseeching.org, day 390.
