Within the fourth chapter of his first epistle, in gentle of all that he’d written as much as that time, Peter continued to unpack how the truth of Christ’s sacrifice ought to form the day-to-day of the Christian life. Residing beneath the shadow of the cross, Alistair Begg explains, means considering correctly, dwelling otherwise, and being ready to face abuse—whilst we hold our eyes fastened on the top:
Historical past will not be cyclical. I believe we’re agreed on that. It’s linear. We dwell in between the 2 advents of the Lord Jesus. … Within the Anglican prayer e book and within the liturgy and within the collects, we acknowledge that the arrival of Jesus in His first coming is in direct relationship to His second coming ….
Everytime you learn a phrase like “The tip of all issues is at hand,” particularly if you happen to’re in a neighborhood Bible examine group, you realize, put your helmet on, as a result of anyone goes to inform you precisely in regards to the return of Jesus Christ—notably when He can be coming. And I’ve at all times been excited when Murray M’Cheyne used to talk to his Bible examine group, and typically, for enjoyable, he would say to them on the finish of the night, “And let me simply ask you: Do you suppose Christ will return earlier than we now have our subsequent examine collectively?” And to a person, all of them stated, “No, under no circumstances.” After which he stated, “Properly, you will need to at all times be prepared, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour we don’t count on.” Once we suppose when it comes to when that can be, “nobody is aware of, not even the angels of heaven”—which is sort of a thought—“nor the Son”—the one who’s coming—“however the Father solely.”
We don’t know the when, however we do know the how. He’ll are available in achievement of the guarantees that He has made and that the Scriptures present us with. He’ll are available in energy to reign. He gained’t come, as per His entry into Jerusalem, using on the foal of a donkey, however He’ll are available in triumph, and He’ll come, as we’ve already famous, “to guage the dwelling and the lifeless.”
“The tip of all issues is at hand.”
