“So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that
look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation" (Heb. 9:28).
The Lord Jesus Christ Himself told about the day of His second coming in Luke
17. In verses 34 to 36 He said, “I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in
one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be
grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the
field; the one shall be taken, and the other left." Those who love the world and look
toward it will be left behind, but those who love the Lord's appearing, and look for
His coming, will be caught up. It depends on which direction you are looking. "Where
your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Luke 12:34). If Christ is your
treasure you will wait for Him. In the Old Testament there is a very good example of
some people who waited for their master.

David was the anointed king of Israel. His rebellious son Absalom drove him
out and occupied the throne. We have that story recorded in 2 Samuel 15. David is
the type of the Lord Jesus Who is rejected today. Absalom the false king speaks of
the devil who rules the world today. Eventually Absalom was killed and David
returned to his throne as we read in 2 Samuel 19. That is a picture of the day when
the Lord Jesus Christ will come back and Satan will be defeated. While David was
away as the rejected king, many people became unfaithful to him and turned to the
false king. They realized that if they would not be faithful to Absalom, they would not
get any favor from him. So they became unfaithful to David, the rejected king. They
did not want the fellowship of David's sufferings. However, some people remained
true to David. We want to consider two men who were faithful to David even in the
day of his rejection.

The first one was Ittai, the Gittite. "Then said the king to Ittai the Gittite,
Wherefore goest thou also with us? Return to thy place, and abide with the king: for
thou art a stranger, and also an exile. Whereas thou camest but yesterday, should I
this day make thee go up and down with us? Seeing I go whither I may, return
thou..." (2 Sam. 15:19, 20). But Ittai replied, "As the Lord liveth, and as my lord the
king liveth, surely in what place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life,
even there also will thy servant be" (v.21). How wonderful it would be if we could
say the same words to the Lord Jesus Christ! Ittai said, "Oh David, if you are
rejected by the Israelites, then I don't want to be with them:' we also should be able
to say, "Oh Lord, the world has rejected Thee and crucified Thee.

Oh Lord, I don't want any fame or popularity in this world. I want to be Thy faithful follower".
The Lord Jesus said in John 12:26, "...where I am, there shall also my servant be:' In
other words, as He was on the cross, so must we be willing to bear the cross. After
His death, He went up to Glory. So those who bear the cross today, will one day
share His glory with Him. Another faithful person is mentioned in 2
Sam. 19:24. Mephibosheth could not be happy with those who were singing
and rejoicing with Absalom. He sat alone in his room and thought, "When will my
lord the king come back?”This is what it means to wait for the coming of our Lord
Jesus. From the day David went out of Jerusalem, Mephibosheth neither cut his
toenails, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes. These are lawful things.

But he did not have any desire for lawful things, also, because he was looking for his
king. This is the real way of looking for the Lord. Our heart longs for Him so much,
that we let go lawful things also. Perhaps we do not read worldly books and
magazines, but we sit and talk and waste time in unnecessary things. In that case,
we will be left behind wh13n our King returns! When King David returned,
Mephibosheth was so happy. David asked him to divide the land with Ziba, but
Mephibosheth said, "...let him take all, forasmuch as my lord the king is come again
..." (v.30). He wanted nothing, because he was not after rewards. He was happy that
his king had come back. We should wait for our King In the same way.

In Psa. 42:1, 2 the Psalmist says, "As the hart panteth after the water brooks,
so panteth my soul after the~, 0 God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God:
when shall I come and appear before God?" This is what it means to wait for the
coming of the Lord Jesus. That is why the Lord said, "Watch and pray." In Psa. 63:1,
2 we have the same cry; "0 God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul)
thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water
is; to see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary." For a
true believer this world is a place where he cannot get any satisfaction. Some people
are satisfied in this world with their position, money and land. All they want is. How
to make more money and build many buildings. At the same time they say they are
thirsty for the Lord. Be not deceived. God cannot be mocked. Let us not be
hypocrites. If your hearts are set upon the treasures of this world, and you are
satisfied with worldly pleasures, worldly magazines, eating and drinking, and yet you
say you are looking for the Lord, that is only hypocrisy. But a true believer says,
"Lord, I thirst for Thee. Nothing in this world can satisfy me. Thou alone canst satisfy
me." Some believers find satisfaction in God's service. But a true believer says, "Oh
God, I thirst for Thee. You can take away everything from me; my house, my lands,
my clothes, my treasure, my gift, my preaching, my singing. Oh God, I just want
Thee. I just want to give self to Thee. I ask for nothing in this world. I am not
longing for friends, I am not asking for any thing. Oh desire only one thing. I want
more of Thee and thyself. You please possess me fully". This is what it means to look
for the coming of the Lord. He will appear the second time for those who look for
Him. In Psa. 73:24, 25, we read, "Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and
afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none
upon earth that I desire beside thee: We do not look for streets of gold and gates of
pearls. Our desire is only for the Lord. That is how Mephibosheth looked for David
and that is how we should look for the Lord Jesus.

One of the signs of the end days is, iniquity will abound and the love of many
will wax cold. (Matt. 24:12). It is true, in the last days it will be so but we can truly
say, "I do not know when my Lord will come, but I am ready for His coming. I am in
this world, but my soul is thirsty for Him." May God help us to keep the fire of our
love for Him always burning upon the altar. If you truly love Him, be willing to
humble yourself. Be willing to have the last place in the assembly. Be willing to be a
servant to everyone as our Lord Himself was. Desire nothing in the world, but just to
be at the foot of the cross. Be willing to go and ask forgiveness of those whom you
have offended. If you are not in talking terms with someone, set it right. Have a
longing to help those who are weak. Let us love the Lord and His House. Let us say
with the Psalmist, "I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to
dwell in the tents of wickedness" (Psa.84: 10).

A final word to those who do not know the Lord yet. There is only one reason
why you do not love the Lord Jesus Christ; it is because you do not know Him. If you
realize how much He loves you, if only you knew what He gave to make you His own,
you will give your all to Him. Just look at the cross where He shed His precious blood
and gave His life to redeem you. "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed
with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by
tradition from you r fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb
without blemish and without spot" (1 Pet. 1: 18, 19). Repent of your sins, dear
reader, and believe on the sacrificial death of the Lord Jesus. Today receive Him as
your personal Savior and be ready for His second coming.