"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." (2 Timothy 4:8).
"Who are those who love His appearing? Such will not only have "a crown of life," but a "crown of righteousness." Precious thought! What then are we to understand by loving His appearing? Observe, it is not here His coming for us, but His revelation from heaven, His appearing in flaming fire and His saints with Him. It gives us joy to know that now in heaven He is not only crowned with glory and honor, but angels, authorities and powers are made subject unto Him.
On earth, however, He is still, with very many, the rejected Stone, notwithstanding God's proclamation by His servants of forgiveness of sins, the gift of eternal life and glory to everyone that bows to Him as his Savior and Lord. Every loyal heart must deeply feel the appalling indifference there is on almost every hand to the Lord Jesus Christ and to His present interests. But we remember the solemn testimony of Scripture that this is the prelude to the utter rejection by Him of the professing church as His corporate witness on earth after He has removed His loved and loving saints to meet Him in the air and before His appearing with them to judge the world. How quickly these anticipations may become matters of fact!
“The stone which the builders rejected" will soon come forth in power. The "stone...cut out without hands" must ere long fall upon the nations, and "grind [them) to powder." Alas! how few seem to think of this, and how many are trying to satisfy themselves with a kind of Christianity without Christ which they call religion! At this moment many precious souls are being deceived by reasoning infidelity. They think themselves competent to judge the things of God by their natural powers and thus set aside the divine authority of His Word, instead of allowing it to judge them. On the other hand, multitudes are being ensnared by the infidelity of ritualism, which refuses to accept the "once for all" finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We may be assured that the only deliverance from these fatal deceptions is resting on Christ and finding peace and joy in what He has done and what He is. Blessed be His name, with arms opened wide and a heart full of tenderest love He said,
What a boon is rest! especially rest of conscience as to our eternal safety. This no one but He can give. No one else ever proposed it. Those only have it who have it from Him. Precious indeed are His words,
"I will give you rest."
Yes, He gives it."
H. H. Snell
From Loving His Appearing
Bo Yeshua (Come Jesus) - Joshua Aaron
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