What Are You Waiting For? :: By Jonathan Brentner
What kept New Testament saints on the edge of their seats? What did they yearn for with excited anticipation?
Paul gives us the answer in Philippians 3:20-21:
“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself” (NKJV, my emphasis).
They longed for Jesus’ appearing.
The phrase “eagerly wait” accurately translates the Greek word Paul used in verse 20, apekdechomai. New Testament writers would strengthen the meaning of a word by adding a preposition to it. With apekdechomai, the apostle added two prepositions to the word meaning “to welcome,” resulting in our English phrase signifying great excitement for what lies ahead, that of Jesus’ appearing and our receipt of glorified bodies.
Our typical experiences with waiting are anything but enjoyable. Many years ago, I waited over an hour at my doctor’s office before a nurse led me back to an examination room, where another sixty minutes passed before he walked in the door. By then, the magazines in the office had long lost their appeal.
There’s something radically different, however, about waiting for the Lord’s return to take us home. It benefits us in several ways. Our eager anticipation of . . .
Jesus’ Appearing Comforts Us
We are not waiting for a medical or dentist appointment, but rather Jesus’ appearing and the radical transforming of our “lowly” bodies to be like His “glorious body.” Paul also wrote about this glorious change in 1 Corinthians 15:51-53:
“Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.”
Our expectation is not only that of meeting Jesus in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17) but also that of a resurrection body, one that will be a huge upgrade from our weak “flesh and blood” bodies. No matter what we experience in our current aging and disease-prone bodies, we know it’s temporary. And nothing, not even death, can change the fact that when Jesus appears, He will give us immortal bodies.
This amazing hope far exceeds any earthly expectation. This short life is not all we have; there’s a better day on the horizon that’s far superior to even the rosiest of futures here below. Regardless of what we face today, there’s amazing comfort in knowing that Jesus is coming to take us home to glory (Colossians 3:4). Such an amazing expectation comforts us as we endure difficult days waiting to meet our Savior in the air.
Jesus’ Appearing Assures Us of a Joyous Eternity
In Romans 8:23-25, Paul uses apekdechomai two more times:
“Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance” (Romans 8:24-25, NKJV, my emphasis).
The phrase, “redemption of our body,” is the same transforming of “our lowly body” that Paul wrote about in Philippians 3:20-21. Both texts refer to what we will experience at Jesus’ appearing.
The Rapture is not a tertiary aspect of the Gospel, as many claim. If this were the case, why would Paul write that “we were saved in this hope,” a clear reference to what happens at the time of the Rapture. Through the apostle, the Holy Spirit added more specifics about the “eternal life” that Jesus repeatedly promised to all who would believe in Him (e.g., John 3:16). Jesus’ appearing to take us home is not an add-on to the Gospel; it’s a vital aspect of it.
The use of apekdechomai in other contexts related to Jesus’ return (1 Corinthians 1:7; Galatians 5:5; and Hebrews 9:28) indicates that it may have become a distinguishing behavior of these early saints as those who “eagerly awaited” His appearing.
The pre-Tribulation Rapture is so much more than just something we believe; it’s the heartbeat of our hope. We endure challenging times and resist fretting over current events because we know things are going to change. Someday, Jesus will dramatically intervene in our world, and nothing will be the same for us, as it will mark the beginning of a joyous eternity beyond our fondest aspirations.
Jesus’ Appearing Assures Us of Deliverance from the Day of the Lord
The New Testament excited anticipation of Jesus’ imminent appearing confirms the biblically sound teaching of the pre-Tribulation Rapture. It makes sense that behind the New Testament excited anticipation of the Lord’s return was the certainty that He would come for His own before initiating the series of deadly judgments recorded for us in Revelation chapters 6-18 or in the Old Testament references to the Day of the Lord.
After reminding the Thessalonians of the sudden destruction that will mark the start of this coming period of great wrath (1 Thessalonians 5:1-3), Paul assures all believers of their deliverance before this horrific day begins:
“For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing” (1 Thessalonians 5:9-11).
As believers, we are “not destined” to endure the judgments that lie ahead for the world but rather the “salvation” or deliverance that will happen when Jesus removes us from this world (see 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). The main topic of 1 Thessalonians 4 and 5 is the Rapture. Our expectation is not that of great suffering and death during the Tribulation period but rather that of meeting Jesus in the air.
Paul expressed the possibility that he would be alive at the time of Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:17; 1 Corinthians 15:52), which the saints of his day caught from his example. Their death doesn’t negate the hope that we might be the ones who will experience the Rapture before we die. The myriad of signs pointing to the nearing Tribulation period tell us it’s a distinct possibility for us today.
The eager anticipation of New Testament saints was not that of death or the experience of the Lord’s wrath but rather that of meeting Jesus in the air. Even though it didn’t occur in their lifetime, this hope comforted them in suffering, assured them of a joyous eternity, and relieved them of fear that they might endure the Day of the Lord. As Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 4:8, Jesus will reward those who love “his appearing” even if they don’t experience it in their lifetime.
What are you waiting for? Are you watching for Jesus’ appearing with eager anticipation? If so, you’re in good company with the early believers.
If you have not yet put your trust in Jesus as your Savior, the question remains the same, “What are you waiting for?” If you would like to know how this joyous anticipation of eternity can be yours, please see my post, Jesus Is the Only Path to Eternal Life. There, I explain how you can know that you have everlasting life and that when Jesus appears, He will transform you in a way that exceeds your wildest expectations.
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My book, The Triumph of the Redeemed-An eternal Perspective that Calms Our Fears in Perilous Times, is available on Amazon. In it, I lay a firm biblical foundation for our hope in Jesus’ soon appearing to take us home. Please consider purchasing it.
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