Are you looking forward to the Lord’s return?

This text is from a letter written by David Gooding in 1999.

I am certainly looking for his coming again. What a glorious thing it will be when we hear the shout of the Lord, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive shall be caught up with them, to meet the Lord in the air, and for the first time we shall look upon the face of the one who died for us at Calvary.

To me it is a wonderful thing that we can be absolutely sure of the fact that our Lord Jesus shall most certainly come again. We can rely likewise upon his promise, 'Surely I come quickly', even though he has warned us that no one knows the hour of his coming again.

I also think it to be exceedingly important that we understand what is the ground and condition of salvation. Scripture itself is very clear on this fact. When the Lord Jesus ascended into heaven, he passed through the heavens (see Hebrews 4:14), and sat down on the right hand of the throne, according to the prototype that we have in the Old Testament. The throne of God was in the Most Holy Place, where the immediate presence of God was to be found. So, when the New Testament tells us that Christ ascended and 'sat down on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty on high', it must mean that he went directly into the most holy place in heaven.

Moreover, I rejoice in the fact that we can be absolutely certain of our acceptance with God. Nothing more needs to be done before we can know that we also have the right to enter that most holy place in heaven, which is the immediate presence of God. Hebrews 9:1–10 points out that, in the days of the Old Testament, no one could enter the Most Holy Place in the tabernacle on earth except the high priest, and only once in the year. The reason was that the way into the holiest of all had not yet been made manifest; but Hebrews 10:1–22 shows that now, through the sacrifice of Christ, we have immediate access into the presence of God. Christ's once and for all sacrifice was all that was necessary to cleanse us. Therefore, when he ascended he immediately sat down on the right hand of God, because his work was finished: 'For by one offering, he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified' (Hebrews 10:14).

Moreover, the New Testament assures us that this is not wishful thinking on our part; it is the explicit testimony of the Holy Spirit under the terms of the new covenant. The last phrase in that new covenant is this: 'Their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more' (Hebrews 10:17). That was already true of the believers in the first century, when the Epistle to the Hebrews was written, and there was no mention that, in some subsequent century, Christ would begin to investigate and call to God's remembrance the sins of his people. On the contrary, the Holy Spirit bears witness to us of God's solemn unbreakable covenant promise, 'Their sins and iniquities I will remember no more'. It is because of God's promise, never again to recall the sins of his people in his court of heavenly justice, that we are no longer required to offer sacrifices for sins.

The whole matter was settled when Christ said 'It is finished' at Calvary, and then ascended and entered into the presence of God as our forerunner and representative. The very fact that God accepted him as our forerunner, knowing that he came into heaven as our representative, and received him, is the guarantee that we whom he represented have been received and accepted, never to be cast out. This is a wonderful thing, because it means that, as we look forward to the coming of the Saviour, we do so with joy and gladness, and say from our hearts, 'Maranatha': 'Our Lord, come'.

What a wonderful Saviour we have, and how wonderful his great salvation. May he lead us to enter into the joy of it ever more deeply.

With warmest Christian greetings,