We are constantly being told that we have to be prepared for Jesus to return. This devotional reading looks at how we are to prepare.
Nuggets
- Jesus will refine us until He returns so that we can be purified.
- Success in enduring in our faith will be rewarded with the crown of life — eternal life.
- Judgment for non-believers and Matthew 7: 21 people will not be pretty.
We’ve been looking at Jesus’ Second Coming. We looked at one verse in Daniel in a previous devotion.
In this devotion, we are going to look at some more verses of prophesy.
Let's Put It into Context
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Devotions in the The Second Coming of Christ series
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Phil Weber
Being Prepared for Jesus’ Second Coming
“But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord” (Mal. 3: 2-3 ESV)
Jesus will refine us until He returns so that we can be purified.
We don’t know much about Jesus’ Second Coming. But then, what do we gain by not knowing what, when, where, and how? We actually gain more than we might think.
We know Jesus lived, died, resurrected, and ascended to Heaven. But we know that by reading it in a Book.
It is only when we believe that it means something to us. Jesus’ Second Coming isn’t a big deal for us unless we believe God is real, Jesus is the way to obtain salvation, and we will be punished if we don’t have that salvation.
That is what faith is — belief in the unseen. We believe even though we don’t understand. Understanding isn’t relevant. (I think we are going to have a lot for our UNR book before we are done.)
We don’t want to know when Jesus is coming. If we knew it was a long way away, we may put off cutting sin out of our lives. (That might bite us because God may call us home before then.)
We know Jesus is going to come in the eastern sky, but we don’t know how He is going to be visible to everyone – although we do get a hint on that. “For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man” (Mt. 24: 27 ESV).
No, we don’t know exactly what that is going to look like or how Jesus is going to accomplish that.
Look at it this way. We don’t know how Gabriel came to visit Zechariah or Mary. We just know he did. So, we don’t know how Jesus will come back — we just know He will.
Yes, that is a lot of uncertainty. But it proves the point that we just have to be ready.
It isn’t about us and what we know or don’t know. It is about us watching for Jesus to return — and longing to see Him face to face. It is about us believing anyway.
In other words, we have to be prepared.
- We have to have ABCDed.
- We have to be seeking God.
- We have to be imitating Jesus.
- We have to be walking in the Spirit.
I don’t think everyone gets the implications of this. Jesus will return as Judge and King. He isn’t going to take excuses – even from disciples.
Jesus is going to know who is truly following Him. He isn’t going to accept people acting like they believe in Him but really don’t. That would be Matthew 7: 21 people.
Enduring until Jesus Comes Again
“But who can endure the day of his coming ...” (Mal. 3: 2 ESV)
Success in enduring in our faith will be rewarded with the crown of life — eternal life.
One of the keys is that we have to endure until the Day of the Lord. Yes, part of that is suffering patiently. Satan will make us suffer for believing in God.
A big part is remaining until the end. We have to continue to pray, read God’s Word, and live for Him.
In other words, our faith has to be at the heart level. That is how we can say, “Me!” when we are asked, “But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? …” (Mal. 3: 2 ESV).
Enduring in our faith is how we prepare for eternity.
We either endure in our faith or we don’t. There is no middle ground. We are, as Cooper said, either a habitual sinner or a humble disciple. Lobingier told us what is required to become a humble disciple.
- Consecration
- Purity
- Non-resistance
- Forgiveness of injury
Resource
Life is full of daily trials that we must endure. We endure because of our unflinching faith.
We have to choose to endure while on the Sanctification Road. The sanctification process happens from conversion to perfection.
What we want to hear is well done. “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master’” (Mt. 25: 21 ESV).
Our rewards come at the end times. We will receive the crown of life.
- “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev. 2: 10 ESV).
- “Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing” (II Tim. 4: 8 ESV).
- “And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory” (I Pet. 5: 4 ESV).
The crown of life is only gained through becoming a child of God. It isn’t about what did or didn’t do.
We are only God’s children once we have ABCDed. “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (Jn. 1: 12 ESV). We’re not going to get the crown of life if we are not His children.
We shouldn’t get caught up thinking this is an actual, physical crown. “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (Jn. 3: 36 ESV).
A major determinant whether we get the crown is if we love the Lord. But we focus on the crown part and gloss over the life part. A crown is an earthly symbol.
Yes, that is a high standard to follow. That is where the refining comes into play. The refining makes us pure as Jesus is.
Yes, we are going to sin. We only need to ask forgiveness when we do. Besides, those sins will help transform us to who we need to be.
But our goal should be to follow God’s laws and commandments.
Consequences for not Enduring
Judgment for non-believers and Matthew 7: 21 people will not be pretty.
Those not enduring in God will suffer horrible consequences.
We tend to skip the life part — eternal life. But that is what the whole Plan of Salvation is about. We are to accept the gift of salvation so that we can be restored to live eternity with God.
Think about it this way. The Jews thought they knew what the Messiah would look like when He came. They didn’t.
Apply that to today. The Church thinks it knows things it doesn’t. We have been taught incorrectly for whatever reason — mainly to make sure it falls in line as we want.
Lilley told us what the fullers’ soap was used for. White garments were worn in Jewish festive occasions. The fuller got the stains out and used a kind of marl to whiten them. Sometimes, though, the marl destroyed the garment.
Resource
Isn’t that refining, also? We are put through trials to cleanse us. If we can’t endure, we are destroyed in judgment.
Whately gave us a list of who those not abiding will be.
- Hypocrites
- Formalists
- The self-righteous
- The lukewarm
- Those with stony hearts (Ezek. 36: 26).
Resource
We have to make sure we are prepared. We can’t just assume we are.
Refining is needed to purify us. We just have to endure until Jesus returns.
Making the Connections
Lilley said something that kickstarted a thought. He wrote, “If God were fully to disclose Himself no flesh could live.”
Resource
We tend to think of that as visual. We can’t see God in whatever form He is in because our systems can’t handle it.
But God discloses Himself in more ways than presenting Himself before us. He reveals Himself through disclosing knowledge to us.
What if that, too, is something we can’t handle? We know God’s ways and thoughts are higher than we are (Isa. 55: 8-9 ESV).
We tend to think of God revealing to us what we are capable of understanding — i.e., what we can get. There is no way we are going to understand everything God knows.
But hook that with Lilley’s “If God were fully to disclose Himself no flesh could live.” That opens it up a little, doesn’t it?
Isn’t that what Eve wanted in the original sin? “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Gen. 3: 5 ESV).
We are talking spiritual death here, not physical death. That is the worst kind.
We have to keep in perspective that God is our Creator. He is Sovereign God.
We aren’t.
How Do We Apply This?
- Live in harmony with God.
- Continually watch and pray.
- Find favor with God.
- Don’t procrastinate getting our hearts right with God.
Resource
Father God. We praise You for Who You are. We put our faith and trust in You. Help us to prepare for Jesus’ return by increasing our faith. Help us to endure. Amen.
What do you think?
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