THE BLESSED HOPE
\n\u201cThis is the resting place, let the weary rest; and this is the place of repose\u201d\u2014
\n\u201cThat blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ.\u201d Titus 2:13
\nThis is rest under God\u2019s Palm-trees of promise, with a glorious vista seen through their branches. Their fronds form, so to speak, a framework for the believer\u2019s distant but \u201cblessed hope\u201d (as Middleton translates our motto-verse)\u2014\u201dThe glorious appearing of Jesus Christ, our great God and Savior.\u201d
\nThat \u2018second coming\u2019 was to the early Christians the theme of habitual contemplation\u2014their cherished harbor of refuge in the midst of environing storms: \u201cAnd to wait for His Son from heaven\u201d (1 Thess. 1:10); \u201cThe Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and the patient waiting for Christ\u201d (2 Thess.3:5); \u201cEstablish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord draws near\u201d (Jas. 5:8). Moreover, it is well worth noting, that, in the inspired Epistles, it is not the day of death which is spoken of or looked forward to by the Church with jubilant expectation, but the day of Christ\u2019s appearing. Need we wonder at this? Death is no pleasing theme: though the Christian\u2019s last enemy, it is an enemy still\u2014the \u2018King of terrors.\u2019 But the \u201cParousia\u201d\u2014the Advent of the Divine Savior\u2014is identified with final triumph over death; when \u201cthe perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: \u2018Death has been swallowed up in victory.\u2019\u201d (1 Cor. 15:54). Not only so, but that \u201cvile body\u201d (itself a part of the redemption-purchase) will come forth from the dishonors of the grave, fashioned like the glorious body of its glorified Redeemer.
\nHow many anguished, bereaved mourners have had their grief calmed and their tears dried by this sublime antidote of the great Apostle, as he points them on to the second coming of their Lord, and associates that coming with the restoration of their beloved dead! \u201cI would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that you sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died, and rose again, even so them also who sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him\u201d (1 Thess. 4:13, 14). At that blessed season when \u201cthe tabernacle of God shall be with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people; and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God;\u201d amid these revived friendships and indissoluble reunions, \u201cGod\u201d\u2014the God on the throne\u2014the Brother-man\u2014\u201dshall wipe away all tears from their eyes\u201d (Rev. 7:17).
\nNor is the anticipated joy of that Day altogether a personal and selfish one. No small element of it is the believer\u2019s joy at the glory which will then encircle the brow of his adorable Lord. It will be the public enthronement of Jesus of Nazareth. He will come \u201cto be glorified in His holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed\u201d (2 Thess. 1:10). All the humiliations of His first coming\u2014the manger\u2014the carpenter\u2019s home\u2014the unsheltered head\u2014the nights of wakeful anguish\u2014the scorn, and taunt, and jeer\u2014the piercing thorns\u2014the bitter cross\u2014the ignominious sepulcher\u2014all, all now exchanged for the shout of welcome\u2014\u201dLo, this is our God, we have waited for Him!\u201d (Isa. 25:9). How often among His own people on earth is He dishonored; wounded in the house of His friends\u2014the unstained beauty of the Master tarnished with the blemishes and inconsistencies of the disciples. But not so on that Day. Even these marred, blotted, imperfect images and reflections shall then, at least, become perfect copies and transcripts of their glorious Divine Original: \u201cWe know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is\u201d (1 John 3:2). \u201cI saw,\u201d says John, \u201cthe Holy City, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband\u201d (Rev. 21:2).
\n\u201cLet every man that has this hope in him purify himself even as He is pure\u201d (1 John 3:3); amid the rough wear and tear of a workday world, keeping a conscience void of offence; \u201chaving the loins girded, and the lamps burning; and being like those who are waiting for the coming of the Lord\u201d (Luke12:35, 36). \u201cBlessed is he who watches\u201d (Rev. 16:15). Blessed is he, who, in whatever calling he be called, therein abides with God. Thus remaining expectant under the shadow of the desert palms, we can mark the rainbow-arch which spans the sky of the future, connecting the cross with the crown; and say, in lowly believing confidence, with one of the Church\u2019s noblest watchers, \u201cNow there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day!\u201d (2 Tim.4:8).
\nYes, \u201cHe will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.\u201d The assembled Jewish worshipers looked for the reappearance of their High Priest, when He was ministering in the Holy of Holies. They waited anxiously in the outer porch to see the veil withdrawn, and the Intercessor of the nation come forth, to pour upon the multitude, with outstretched hands, the old benediction, \u201cMay the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you His favor and give you His peace.\u201d (Num. 6:24-26). Not until then were the imposing services of that high day of Hebrew festival completed.
\nDo we know and love the significance of the type? Are we on the outlook for our Priest and King returning from the heavenly Presence, to say to the waiting myriads of His redeemed Church, \u201cCome, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world\u201d? It was a gladdening sound to the Jewish multitudes in their Temple area, when they heard the music of the silver bells on the hem of the High Priest\u2019s garment, giving intimation of his approach, \u201cBlessed are they who know the joyful sound.\u201d \u201cBlessed are those servants who, when their Lord comes, shall be found watching!\u201d
\n\u201cThe watchers on the mountain
\nProclaim the Bridegroom near,
\nGo, meet Him as He comes,
\nWith Hallelujahs clear!
\nThe marriage feast is waiting,
\nThe gates wide open stand
\nUp, up! ye heirs of glory,
\nThe Bridegroom is at hand!\u201d
\n\u201cMy soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning.\u201d MacDuff.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
THE BLESSED HOPE \u201cThis is the resting place, let the weary rest; and this is the place of repose\u201d\u2014 \u201cThat blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ.\u201d Titus 2:13 This is rest under God\u2019s Palm-trees of promise, with a glorious vista seen through their branches. Their fronds […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2073","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-author-john-macduff"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2073","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2073"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2073\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2075,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2073\/revisions\/2075"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2073"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2073"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2073"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}