PJ Hanley… As a believer in Jesus Christ I have no greater longing, no greater anticipation than to see His face. The thought of His return in my lifetime sends chills up and down my spine. Imagine seeing Him in all His glory, setting foot on the mountains of Jerusalem and being next to His side. Just picture being with Him every day and gazing on His beauty and majesty, not to mention His wonderful rule coming to Earth. The thought of being with Him for all eternity and finding the true purpose for all of creation is unimaginable. My brain can’t even comprehend being in the very presence of the Father and looking at Him face to face. Doesn’t that excite you? Doesn’t it make your heart beat faster? Jesus our Bridegroom, is coming to take us to Himself. He is coming soon and He is coming here!
Paul was longing for Jesus’ appearing, and he expected every Christian to do the same. And why shouldn’t we, if we love Him. If we have come to know Him and abide in His love, how could we not be longing for Him to come? Indeed, Paul tells us that even creation itself is longing for his appearing. How much more so should we who are His Bride – His beloved? We should be longing for our wedding consummation. And the knowledge that it is just a few years away should cause us to be feverish with anticipation. This is how the early church lived and what motivated them to suffer so much. They were so consumed with passion for Him that it lit the world on fire. This is what drove them to preach the gospel and gather in the harvest. And they ignited their followers with the same longing for His appearing.
Hope Deferred
“Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.” 1 Peter 1:13 NIV
This is the admonition of the apostle Peter. He told us to prepare our minds, to be self-controlled, and to set our hope completely on the return of Jesus. We are being exhorted to make a decision to focus our minds on the hope set before us, which will propel us forward. What a different perspective Peter had than most pastors and preachers today. Imagine telling people to set your whole focus on Jesus coming. How often we hear preachers say things like; “Don’t focus on End-Times,” “Stop thinking about that all the time,” Just get on with the business of living for Jesus,” “You’re too heavenly minded and no earthly good.” But the early church felt differently. They loved Him and lived for Him. And the hope of His soon return was their primary preoccupation. They put all their eggs in one basket. “Jesus is coming soon and we need to be ready to meet Him,” they said. Their whole hope was in His return. Anticipation of it was their greatest motivation. Listen to what Paul had to say:
“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Col 3:1-4 NIV
To set your mind on something is to focus fully on that thing. This is the same as what Peter said. We are told not to focus on our life here, for we have died and are now hidden. We are to focus instead on Jesus being revealed to mankind in glory and us with Him. This is not some ethereal revealing in heaven after you die someday. Neither is it the manifesting of Jesus’ character in me, as important as that is. No, it is the visible appearing of Jesus Christ being revealed to the world, and us with Him. This is where our focus should be and what we are to be thinking about constantly. Imagine that! How different the church would be if this were the case. How exciting church life would be if we really caught a glimpse of His appearing and understood it as real and not just church doctrine. What do you think would happen if we really believed Jesus was coming in a few years? Would it change the atmosphere in the church? Would it make us nicer, holier, and more evangelistic? I think so! And I’m inclined to think the devil agrees, because he tries so hard to keep this message out of the pulpits and off the shelves. “Nobody really knows,” he says. “He may come someday, but don’t worry about it now, it’s a long way off.” “There is much more important stuff to think about.” But when we fall for these lies, we are robbed of the great hope which is set before us; and the destiny which should energize our souls.
Perhaps you have never considered that the devil is behind these excuses. But since they are the antithesis of what Scripture exhorts, there can be no other alternative. Our blessed hope is His soon appearing. The Bible is very clear about that. All who love Him and long for Him, watch for it and look for it with great expectancy. Serving Him should be a delight and advancing the kingdom a joy, but not because of deferred hope. On the contrary, our hope spurs us to godly living and reminds us of the reason we are here.
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.” Titus 2:11-13
How tragic it is when new believers discover the hope of Jesus’ soon return, only to have some preacher or pastor replace that hope with uncertainty or confusion. How many Christians visit I the pews week after week for their Sunday fix, because the hope they once had has been deferred.
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” Prov 13:12
Hope deferred is hope that has been put off or postponed. This is precisely what the church is doing with End-Times. They are putting it off and postponing it for a later time. And in the process, they are quenching the hope of God’s people worldwide and causing them to trust in human effort, rather than His appearing which alone can save us. But the Bride of Christ is waking up and trimming her lamp. She has heard the voice of the Bridegroom.
She has made sure to fill her flask with the oil of the Spirit. She refuses to let her hope be dampened and soon, very soon, her longing will be fulfilled.
Excerpt from “The 7 Lost Keys of End-Time Prophecy: Unlocking the mysteries and dispelling the myths surrounding the Coming of Christ” by PJ Hanley