Our Anticipation


He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
(Rev 22:20)


The Bible ends with a cry for the quickening of the Lord’s coming. Our forefathers in the faith lived with great anticipation as though Jesus will be coming in their generation, not with any other reason save in response to Christ’s promise that He will indeed come quickly. Paul’s prayer is that God preserves us unto His Coming not unto when our pilgrimage of earth ends (1 Thess 5:23), meaning there is a glorious anticipation for us in witnessing ‘the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory’ (Matt 24:30). James asks us to be patient with an established heart for the coming of the Lord is drawing nigh (Jam 5:8).


And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. (Heb 11:15)


The Patriarchs saw with revelation of a greater inheritance beyond the temporal by embracing the eternal thus living an antithetical life of being strangers and pilgrims (Heb 11:13). Abraham the tent dweller saw beyond the temporal and physical for a city with foundations built by God (Heb 11:10), his life was lived in tents but desiring the eternal with permanent and unshakable foundations. God looks at such precious lives unashamed to be called their God (Heb 11:16). Do we live with the same perspective as our spiritual forefathers? Has the reality of God penetrated, intruded into our lives, turning it upside down, victoriously over sin and self; and we being conformed to the image of His Beloved Son? Perhaps the answer is in our anticipation.


The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer (Prov 30:25)


What differs between the ten virgins, five with and five without oil (Matt 25:1-13)? It is wisdom versus foolishness; where the former live in the state of preparedness. The Book of Proverbs teaches wisdom to avoid certain people and terrible circumstances (setting apart), and it teaches us preparedness in anticipation for the future. Our future hope in which we are to comfort each other is in the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thess 4:18) not for a better future on earth. May we have revelation as the Patriarchs did and share the same anticipation as the early apostles, for He comes in the night hour least expected where the unprepared will be caught unawares.