I John 2:28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
When I was a little kid way back in the 1970s, I can remember a series of films that were making the rounds in churches. I don’t remember the theology of them or anything about the specific messages, but they were films about the rapture and the tribulation. They were films that would scare the living daylights out of you about future times. That is not necessarily bad, but that was the upshot of it.
How should we view the appearing of the Lord? I John 2:28 says, “And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.” There are a few things you should know. I John is written to believers in general and specifically in I John 2:1. It says, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” What kind of people can call God Father? The answer is those who put their faith in Christ, those who are saved.
Verse 12 says, “I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.” The Bible tells us in I John 1, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves…if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.” Here, in a more absolute sense, the Bible is writing to people whose sins have been forgiven.
Then, I would say it is important to remember that this book is about fellowship. If you look at I John 1, it makes it very plain that this is written not to unbelievers, make-believers, or fake-believers. It is written to believers, people who have the battles that you and I are familiar with right now. It is not just about your relationship to God, but your fellowship with God.
Now, is it possible to have fellowship but not have a relationship? No, you have to be saved before you can be in fellowship with God. But, is it possible to have a relationship with God, to be saved on your way to Heaven, but not have fellowship? Yes! Thus is the reason for the book of I John. Growing up, my relationship to my dad was fixed. I am his son. My fellowship with him waned and waxed. It depended on if I was doing right by my dad. There were times I wished he were not my dad, but because he was my dad his obligation to me was to punish wrong and reward right. He did this because he loved me.
All that to say, we often think about the appearing of the Lord Jesus at some indefinite period in the future and how frightening that will be. Indeed, I cannot minimize what it would be like if Jesus bodily appeared right here, right now. I have no way of gauging what that would be to my senses, what it would be like to see the Lord Jesus Christ physically before me, yet the Bible says, “Now” and “When.” “When he shall appear, we may have confidence.” There is coming a time when He shall appear in a very visible, physical way. But literally and right now, I can abide in Him. Cultivate an awareness of the Lord’s presence right now. The truth is, if I am with Him right now, I won’t be shocked by Him when He appears later.
Years ago, my daughter was going to college 434 miles from my home. My wife and I decided one weekend to go visit her. We didn’t tell her we were coming, and we called her on the phone just before arriving on campus. We wanted to get a lead on exactly where she was so we could just pull right up to where she was. She happened to be out and around on campus, and we literally pulled up in a parking spot just yards from where she was talking on the phone to us. Now, was she surprised? Yes! In this case, was she thrilled to hear us? Yes! Was it a moment? Yes! Yet, seeing us was merely an expansion of not only a relationship but the fellowship she was currently having with us. She heard our voices on the phone, then she heard our voices without the phone.
Friend, don’t wait to seek the Lord. We are not just waiting for Him, we are waiting in Him. To the extent that you know Him, hear His voice, and know His literal, although not physical, presence in your life right now, you will be confident and not fear before Him. I look forward to the day when the Lord will appear in that special way, but I don’t have to wait one moment to know His presence with me right now. So, cultivate an awareness of the Lord’s presence right now and it will give you confidence about the day He appears in the future.