He will Appear for those who LONG for His Appearing!

 

 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.  Hebrews 9:28

 

 The Greek phrase "unto them that look" is the word  apekdechomai which means assiduously and patiently waiting for

 

assiduously -  with careful and consistent effort; diligently or tirelessly;  constantly; ceaselessly:

 

Discovering the meaning of that phrase really blessed me this week. Like many of the saints, I'm weary of this world, tired of the evil, tired of reading about the enemy's plans, sad about my lost loved ones, frustrated at constant troubles, problems, arguments, and so incredibly fearful at what is coming upon the lost of this world. 

 

As the days and weeks pass in which we hoped the Lord would come, it's easy to get discouraged, despondent, and even begin to wonder if He's coming at all.  I'm reminded of Peter who after he'd spent over 3 years following Jesus around, hoping Jesus would take the throne of David and kick Rome out, then watching him die and rise again, found himself wondering what to do now. In John 21 we see him say to the other disciples. 

 

Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.”

In other words, Peter, no doubt frustrated and confused at how things turned out and with Jesus all but gone, decided to just go back to what he knew best, fishing. 

I admit that some days, as doubts creep in about the Lord's soon return, I think, "I'm just going to stop spending so much time watching. I'm just going to go back to writing novels." But I am reminded of this verse in Hebrews, that offers a special reward for those who remain watching. We see from the meaning that this type of watching is not a casual glance into the sky, but a purposeful, patient, unceasing, tireless, effort to keep looking for Jesus, no matter the cost, no matter the disappointments, no matter how long it takes. 

The verse is clear: to those who do this, He will appear.  I have wondered if that meant that Jesus won't appear to those who aren't watching, and in all honesty, I'm not sure. It seems to say that, doesn't it? In my mind, since Jesus is coming back (the rapture) for a Bride, it would make sense that He would only want a Bride who knew the season of His return and was excited and watching. But only God knows. 

It's interesting that when Peter and the other disciples went fishing that day, they had no idea they would see Jesus yet again. The entire story of what happened is yet another picture of the rapture. I wrote a post on it over a year ago called The Rapture and the 153 Fish. I think you'll find it very very interesting. 

Back to how weary are the saints these days. We are human. It's okay to get tired, weepy, frustrated, and disappointed. But never ever stop watching for the Lord's return! He is coming. We see all the signs growing around us every day. We know we are in the season. So, set your face and your heart like flint toward heaven and finish the race God has set before you. Don't despair, don't go back to the world. Keep looking up. Keep praying. Keep praising. 

Soon, and very soon, we're going to see the King!