It’s the end of the year again. If the world even knows to be thankful, Christians certainly should be more thankful.
He who is able to give thanks in good things is wise; he who is able to give thanks also in his difficult encounters has great wisdom.
But for those who know the Lord, love Him, and see in Him the great end (perfection, fulfillment), gratitude in all things is more than a good attitude, a good philosophy, or a superior mentality.
This is because these people know why they should be thankful for everything: because this past year has brought their lives closer to the great end in Christ.
Yesterday I attended the wedding of a young couple. These are young people who each grew up in a godly and loving family.
They invited the Lord Jesus Himself to officiate at their wedding.
So not only did the Lord come and bless the young couple, but also all those who attended the wedding through the ceremony.
A hymn was sung at the wedding: “Lord, Thou wilt soon appear”. The last line of the verse captured my heart.
‘Tis this we long for,
And Thou too wilt be satisfied.
This refers to the last day, the great end of the universe, ending with a wedding with the introduction of the new heavens and the new earth.
The wedding of Christ.
He will surely be satisfied. In the great end of the universe, everything is characterized by one word: “telos” – the end, the final end, the finished.
The last occurrence of the word “telos” (the end) in the Bible is in the last chapter of Revelation (22:13): “…I am Alpha, I am Omega; the first, the last; the beginning and the end.”
“I am the end.” The end (original telos ) is the great end of the universe. And that end is in Christ.
The God who created all things in heaven and earth is a God of purpose. Can He not have a good end for all that He has made!
Thank God that this end is in Christ.
But what a great price the Lord Himself paid for this ending.
Did you know that the last word the Lord spoke on the cross was this word?
“Teleo” (verb perfect tense of Telos).
“It is finished!” said the Lord, and he bowed his head and gave his spirit to God.
This is the end of the cross. There, it was not a wedding, not the bridegroom meeting the beloved bride, but the Savior meeting the sinner. The Lord himself bore the sins of all of us there, so that God might deal with sin once and for all, without a second time.
If you are not in that ending on the cross, how can you be in the last great ending of the universe?
“It is finished!.” This word appears many times elsewhere in the New Testament of the Bible as an adjective (teleios ) and is often translated as ‘complete’, ‘perfect’, or ‘full-grown’.
“And when that which is perfect is come, then this finite shall be brought to nothing.” 1 Cor. 13:10:
“…until we all arrive at the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, at the full-grown man, at the measure of the stature of the fullness of the Christ;” Ephesians 4:13.
“As many therefore as are perfect, let us be thus minded;” Philippians 3:15.
Who are the “perfect”, the “full-grown”? Are they not those who understand the will of God and voluntarily give their lives to the great ending in Christ?
The Lord himself came to walk the path of perfection in order that we might be perfect. He Himself first walked this path in the flesh and then brought His church (His bride) to walk it by the Holy Spirit.
“So it was fitting, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make perfect the leader of their salvation through sufferings.” Hebrews 2:10.
Blessed are those who are partakers of the Lord’s sufferings today, for it is they who will be made perfect and matched with Christ.
“…your brother and fellow-partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and patience, in Jesus,” Revelation 1:9.
Often, we refer to the “perfect man” and think that such a person must be perfect in every way, but at the same time, we know it is impossible, so we all have to agree that there is no perfect man in this world except the Lord Jesus Himself. In a sense, this conclusion is true, but it is not complete. In the mind of God, He has given the Lord Jesus Christ who is perfect to us. As a result, anyone who loves Him, understands His mind, sees the great end in Christ, and sincerely commits his life’s future to the Lord, is a “perfect man”.
This is true, and is an even greater truth. This is how God makes the imperfect perfect in Christ. If we see this greater truth, we will not limit our vision to our wretchedness in the flesh.
This is the difference between David and Saul. David became “a man after God’s own heart,” not because he was perfect, but because he had a heart that was perfect toward the Lord.
Our heart, which is our true faith, is created by the Lord Himself and will be completed by him as well. Christ is the beginner and finisher of our faith – Hebrews 12:2. How precious this is! When the Lord returns, He will look for one thing on earth, and one thing only, and that is the faith of the saints, and in the eyes of the Lord, there is nothing more precious on earth than this.
It is because our faith is so valuable that God will repeatedly purify us through various trials to verify it so that the treasure may show its true value.
For any suffering and trials in Christ this past year, we thank the Lord that He has brought our lives closer to the great ending in Christ.
Here is the full text of the song.
Lord, Thou wilt soon appear
1
Lord, Thou wilt soon appear,
Thy day is almost here.
Oh, how we love Thy coming soon!
We have no other
Lord, life, or lover
Than Thou, Lord Jesus, our Bridegroom!
2
The hour is drawing nigh,
Soon we shall hear Thy cry
And with Thee on the clouds descend.
Oh what an hour sweet
When Bride and Bridegroom meet
And love surpassing comprehend.
3
The moments fly apace,
Soon we shall see Thy face!
Amen, Lord Jesus! Quickly come!
We long Thyself to see
And with Thee ever be,
Thou who our inmost heart hath won.
4
‘Tis but a moment now;
Thou, our Lord Bridegroom, Thou
Soon wilt return to claim Thy Bride.
O Hallelujah!
‘Tis this we long for,
And Thou too wilt be satisfied.