body changed, likened unto the glorious body of our Lord Jesus Christ. What a wonderful expectan cy and hope each of us have as a believer in Christ! In the early days of the Christian church the believers were intensely interested in the events of the last days, spoken of in prophetic Scrip ture. With this blessed hope they comforted one another despite sor rows and persecution. It is sad to realize that in some quarters be lief in the second coming of Christ has faded into a remote and some times irrelevant concept. There are many pulpits where the return of the Lord is never preached. Mem bers of the congregation know nothing about this “ blessed hope." It is entirely possible that the present lack of courage in Chris tian living as well as experiencing spiritual joy may result from a weakened attitude toward Biblical prophecy. This is no "pie-in-the- sky" philosophy. The return of our Lord Jesus Christ is mentioned in every one of the New Testament books except Galatians. That epistle was written with a particular prob lem in view. Jesus often spoke of His own return (Mark 8:38; 13:26, 27; John 14:2, 3). Paul's letters to the churches, as well as those by John and Peter, all written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, were filled with the subject (I Thes- salonians 4:16,17; I Peter 1:3; Titus 2:13, Revelation 1:7). The early Christians expressed their belief in the personal return of Jesus Christ knowing that it was to be associated closely with a pe riod of great wickedness on the earth. They expected the final judgment of individuals and na tions. They rightly acknowledged
that their lives should be lived on a higher plain because of His return. The second coming should have a very profound bearing on our lives and conduct today. This con viction ought to alter our concern for social issues in our day. At the height of the race crises in the United States in the early 1960's, two signs hung on the wall of a res taurant in Decatur, Georgia. The first sign read, "Jesus is coming again." The second sign, directly below it read, "We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone." I won der if our Lord might even have been refused service. How incon gruous are the lives of many peo ple today. If we are motivated by prejudice then the return of Jesus has not made its proper impression on our lives. If you are contemplat ing some sin you have not been greatly concerned with His coming. If your life is marked by a conten tious, devisive spirit, as you always try to tear down someone else then the blessed hope has made little impact (I John 3:1-3). The greatest consequence in believing in the re turn of the Lord should be a purifi cation of our conduct. We should have a new appreciation and un derstanding of what it really means to go through trials, sufferings, and difficulties in life. This is why the Apostle Paul writes of the believer's hope (Romans 5:3-4). So, through tribulation, we can understand the real meaning as born-again believ ers what it will be like in that day when Jesus Christ comes again. One of the things we need to do in these trying days is to "stand fast in the Lord" (Philippians 4:1). We are to be united as God's soldiers against a spiritually hostile environ ment. There is a definite spiritual Page 43
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