He Will Be Abundantly Satisfied!
(Courtesy The National Message)
By the Rev. John W. Shenton, F.R.G.S

“…..Ye men of Gallilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11)

JESUS CHRIST will certainly return to this earth- to reign in righteousness and peace. This doctrine of the Second Advent is very promi­nent throughout the New Testament.

"There are 7,959 verses in the New Testament, and of these 330, or one in 25, directly refer to Christ's second coming, nor is there any subject but faith mentioned more frequently. In all these verses, without a single exception, His coming means His coming and nothing else; and we are no more at liberty to give the word some other import than we are to change the significance of the statement, `Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved'" (James H. Brookes). " The Lord is coming, the Word testifies it, the Spirit has spoken it, holy men have written it, the Church has been looking for it, the Saints today are waiting for it, the devil and all his evil spirits know it to be a fact, that Jesus is coming again. Only the (modern) Church does not seem to know it, but the Lord is waiting for it to awaken." (A. Erdman).

The Holy Spirit testifies in Hebrews 9:28, "Christ shall appear a second time, apart from sin, to them that wait for Him, unto salvation" (R.V.). When one really considers this blessed truth of our Lord's Second Coming, the more one begins to realise what it is going to mean to Him! We often go to great lengths in showing what it is going to mean to us, but let us very briefly consider the Second Advent from His point of view.

First, how He must long to return to the scene of His earthly labours! He must be waiting and eager at His Father's right hand. The failure of the Jewish nation caused Him to utter those heart-breaking words : "0 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!" (Matt. 23:37). That was tender but rejected love. It was uttered out of a broken heart. What must Christ be suffering as He looks down upon His Israel peoples today. Can we imagine it? From the very edge of the throne He is waiting for a long-suffering Father to send Him back again to put an end to earth's misery and begin His righteous reign.

Christ will be satisfied with the church of his building -In Matthew 16 :18 we read Peter's confession to the Christship of Jesus, Who answered and said" “Upon this rock (His Christship) I will build My Church." The Church is of Christ's building. It is now in the process of erection. When Christ returns He will have completed it, for He is the Head of His body, the Church. All the various Christian units will in that day be happily gathered together in one glorious unity. There is a sense in which we cannot see the true Church until the Second Advent of Christ. At the moment we have an uncompleted Church. What kind of a Church will it be? The Holy Writ says that He will present unto Himself "a glorious church not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing." It will be a cleansed, glorified Church made fit and ready by Christ to act with Him in union over the whole creation. Yes, He will be satisfied with His Church.

Christ will be satisfied with the father's answer to his last request. Notice, in John 17:24, the last request of Jesus -concerning His own loved ones: "Father, I WILL that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am." Here we see Jesus using the words "I WILL," not as "I pray" or "I desire" but "WILL." Here Jesus is making His last will and testament concerning those who choose to follow Him. What a joy it will be to Him when the Father fulfils this last will of His beloved Son. Think of the glory of it, the wonder of it! All His faithful followers with Him and associated with His glory and power. No wonder the true Church is waiting to he united to and be forever with her glorious Lord.

Christ will be satisfied with the kingdom of his redeeming and reign. Another important doctrine of the Scriptures is that of our Lord's redemption of Israel. The prophets declare it in the Old Testament and the theme is carried on throughout the New Testament.

At His First Advent Christ came to be the Saviour of the world and the Redeemer of Israel. Zacharias was inspired to prophesy, "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for He hath visited and redeemed His people" (Luke 1 : 68), and in spite of their national blindness God has been loving and using and preserving through the ages the people whom Jesus redeemed. Today the national condition of Israel cannot but be a heartbreak to Him. Apart from the Scriptures the picture is very dark. But we are told of a day when "all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob" (Rom. 11 : 26). The prophet Ezekiel tells of the time when Israel­Britain's filthiness is to be taken away, and the stony heart, and the idols, and she will receive God's Holy Spirit and turn again to love God's commandments, statutes, judgments, and do them. Jeremiah (31:33, 34) tells of the time when all of Israel will know the Lord from the least unto the greatest! Think of the wonder of this-our people are to be cleansed and restored and renewed and bring perfect satisfaction to their Redeemer and King! The scriptures tell again and again of the certainty of Christ's reign. It will be righteous in its administration (Isa. 32:1 ; Psa, 9: 8; 98:9). His reign will be acknow­ledged in submission (Isa. 2:11,17,20,21). Christ's reign will be powerful in strength (Psa. 93:1,2; Isa. 26:1-3). It will be happy and prosperous in its sway (Isa. 12:1-6; Jer. 23:5,6). Think of the glorious liberation, the healing, the pacification, the blessing which will come as a result of Christ's reign. No wonder He will be satisfied'

Christ will be perfectly satisfied with the results of his death. "He shall see of the travail of His soul, and be satisfied." When we think of all the meaning behind that word "travail" in the Hebrew - toil, sorrow, wearisomeness, pain, labour, misery, grievousness, vexation - we should remember that Christ suffered it all; and yet it will be as nothing compared with the satisfaction He will enjoy when He reigns. As a mother looking on her newborn child which has caused her so much pain, suffering and tears, thinks no more of them, so it will be with Christ in the great day of His power and glory.

When Christ comes to reign that will he the epiphany of His Glory. The world has never yet seen the glory of the Christ, for at the First Advent He came meek and lowly, the suffering Messiah.

When Jesus returns to reign there will be a manifestation of His great power and glory. What this will mean the human mind cannot now take in. It will be a glorious event. Listen to the host of angels singing: "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing." (Rev. 5 : 12).

Think of all the great ones throughout history who have received blessings from God; and in many cases consider their tragic end, for all, all are unworthy. Yes, Heaven's song is wondrously true," Worthy is the Lamb." And to add glory to glory, this song begun in Heaven is yet to be taken up by all creation. Universal praise is to be offered before the throne, "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ."

Christ will be satisfied with his final gift to the father. As we look into the future with great anticipation and eagerness of heart and soul, we see the com­pletion by her Lord of the Church; the cleansing, renewal and restoration of God's people Israel; the Lord Jesus on the Throne of David manifesting His power and glory; the kingdoms of this world coming into His universal commonwealth; all sin, disease and sickness removed; the glory of God covering the whole earth, Christ having brought all things into line and order: but what then?

We look for the day when the Son shall give the Kingdom to His Father, and God shall be all in all.

Meanwhile, in the midst of the darkness and travail of our times, it is for His coming we wait, and so echo the seer's closing prayer, "EVEN SO, COME, LORD JESUS."