The Final Criterion: Love For His Appearing.


The Final Criterion: Love For His Appearing.

The final test of the profession of our faith is love for the Lord's appearing.
He that loves the Lord will love his appearing and long/look forward to it.
He that loves not his appearing, does not love him no matter how much he or she professes love for the Lord.
The mouth can verbosely worship and profess love for the Lord, while the heart has little or no place for him.
The heart of man can be very deceitful; even our own hearts can deceive us. The heart can be very very subtle, covertly leading one on in vain worship.

In Luke 12:45-46, we see the Lord Jesus(He who searches the hearts & reins) reveal that the servant who defers his Lord's coming in his heart, by resolving that the Lord delayeth his coming, is an evil servant.👇🏼

"But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers."

Note: What constitutes him an evil servant is the wrong disposition of his heart towards the Lord's appearing/coming. The Lord's searchlight/focus is what is in his heart and not what he says or preaches, for he may even preach the Lord's coming occasionally yet in his heart, he has no love for his appearing. The coming of the Lord is thus deferred in his heart. He resolves in his heart that the Lord delayeth his coming & assures his heart that the Lord's coming is not at hand, he thus settles in that false self assurance/conviction to live his life, have fun and render ministry/service the way he chooses/likes; lording it over those under him even to the point of bullying them, giving himself over to excesses and wanton living in destructive prosperity/superfluity of naughtiness.


Solemn Words For Us To Reflect On.

In view of the Lord's coming,1st Corinthians 16:22 says if anyone loves not the Lord(not fond of the Lord), let him be anathema [accursed, doomed to destruction];  Maranatha ["The Lord cometh"]. 

Very solemn words indeed!
Are we fond of the Lord or have we fallen from him as our first love?
First love is the object of foremost obsession; that which the heart is foremostly & chiefly given to, in utmost/boundless affection and fondness.
The loss of first love(a heart burning with affection for the Lord) is the beginning of every spiritual decline/departure.

It is in the last/closing lines of Paul's first epistle to the church in Corinth, that we find these solemn words...if any man is not fond of the Lord let him be accursed or doomed to destruction.

Right from the beginning of this first epistle, he had presented the importance of the Lord's coming & the need for God's people not to be found wanting at his appearing..."So that ye come short in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall also confirm you to the end, blameless and unimpeachable in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ." (1st Corinthians 1:7-8).

Now in closing this epistle, the apostle brings out this issue of the Lord's coming again, making it clear that anyone who does not love the Lord's appearing, anyone who is indifferent or ill-disposed to his coming, is in the danger of being destroyed.

According to 1st Peter 1:9, the end/consummation of our faith(which is the salvation of our soul, accompanied by the redemption of our body) is bound up with the Lord's appearing.
The implication of this is that the professing believer who loves not the Lord's appearing, is in danger of damnation.

Hebrews 10:37-39 shows that every drawing back from the hope/expectation of the coming one, tends/leads to perdition.
If we are to go unto the saving of the soul at the end, we must not lose the love and hope of his appearing.

At the end of his ministry work & race here on earth, we read the solemn words of Paul the apostle in his last epistle to Timothy thus: "I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth the crown of righteousness is laid up for me, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will render to me in that day; but not only to me, but also to all who love his appearing" - 2nd Timothy 4:8.


The final criterion will be: Are we in a love/affectionate relationship with the Lord Jesus, do we love the Lord so much that we long for his appearing?
It will not be an issue of our religiosity and engagement in religious activities; it won't be an issue of how many times we pray, the prayer altars we have set up or religiously follow. No! it won't be an issue of how long we fast, how much we sacrifice or give, for scripture reveals that we can bestow all our goods to feed the poor & even give ourselves/our bodies to be burnt yet not in love(1st Corinthians 13:3).

The final criterion won't even be merely an issue of doctrinal correctness but how much such has furnished an affectionate relationship & love for the Lord in the heart.
If we have every other thing in place but have not love for the Lord Jesus & his appearing, every other thing at the end is useless & a complete waste of time.

At the end of the day, the final criterion will be: "If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha".
"The Spirit and the bride says Come"
Even so, Come Lord Jesus".

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