A.W. Tozer - Preparing for Jesus Return: Daily Live the Blessed Hope

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

LIVING THE BLESSED HOPE

No biblical truth drew closer to the heart of A. W. Tozer than the imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ. This focus on our Blessed Hope dictated much of his passion to encourage believers to rise above the times and fix their gaze on Jesus, our soon-coming King. He taught that for those who are ready for Jesus return, there is no calamity raging around them that can shake the quiet assurance and confidence that Jesus Christ will return.

Tozer was not known in his day as a Bible prophecy teacher, and yet he did his share of teaching on the subject. He referred to Bible prophecy as prehistory, and he created this series of messages on the book of Revelation to spur every believer on to get ready and stay ready in this season that leads up to the Lords return. The Blessed Hope is what Tozer looked for and what he lived for.

Tozer believed that an important reason why prophecy should be pursued today is because of the abuses down the years. Almost every generation has had its share of the End is Near people claiming to know the time and day of our Lords return, despite the clear teaching in the Bible that of that day and hour knoweth no man (Matt. 24:36).

Some headline-seeking preachers, it seems to me, hope that Christ will give them some leeway or at least enough time so that they can write a book and become known as the one who accurately predicted the return of the Lord. Thankfully, our Lord does not give credence to such absolute nonsense.

Right up front, Tozer points out the difference between the evangelical mystic and the evangelical rationalist when it comes to the book of Revelation. Here is where some will probably find occasion to pause and wonder which side they are going to be on. Tozer explains, The evangelical mystic, like John, stands in the presence of the awesome God and cries holy, holy, holy, and falls down at His feet as dead. But the evangelical rationalist figures it all out and says, We can understand it, we know how it is, then writes a long book about it, telling exactly what it is like.

As you might well know, Tozer aligned himself with the evangelical mystic. This is how he approached Bible prophecynot to fit in every little piece and person, but rather to focus on the Lord Jesus Christ as coming again. It is, after all, the revelation, or unveiling, of Jesus Christ.

I think an important emphasis in this book is that no matter what your beliefs are about the timing of the coming of the Lord, you should not make your particular view of Bible prophecy the litmus test for believer fellowship. We can disagree without being disagreeable. We can hold different views without disrupting our fellowship. This is the ploy of the enemyto get Gods people to fight about their particular slice of Bible prophecy and not realize it as part of the whole pie.

Instead of Bible prophecy being the great divider, it should unite us all around our risen and glorified Lord who will soon appear. No matter which angle you are looking from, the center of your focus is Jesus Christ. So let us not argue over the right sleeve of Christs robe in contrast to the left sleeve. We need both sleeves to make a robe, and we need the whole of Bible prophecy to bring the focus onto the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Tozers message does not offer speculation, but hope. In the midst of our times, we need to look up, for our redemption draweth nigh (Luke 21:28). We are almost out of time, but in the meantime, we are to occupy until He comes. We are not to be occupied with trying to figure out the exact day or time. Rather, we are to daily live with the knowledge that He could come at any moment, while at the same time we continue to accomplish the work He has given us to do.

When Tozer started his ministry, he was a fiery evangelist. He held evangelistic meetings in churches, campgrounds and wherever he could get an audience, which sometimes meant on street corners. As he grew older, his emphasis began to change toward the deeper Christian life. Even though Tozer preached these sermons during the last two or three years of his life, there is still a strong evangelistic element to them. No matter where he starts, no matter what his topic, he always brings a person to bear upon these thoughts: What will you do with Jesus Christ right now? and, Are you ready for His coming?

The best compliment Tozer could ever receive from this book is that it created within your heart an overwhelming passion for the Lord Jesus Christ, our Blessed Hope.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus (Rev. 22:20).

Rev. James L. Snyder

PREPARING FOR JESUS RETURN

THE SEASON OF THE BLESSED HOPE

Heavenly Father, I bow before You in humble expectation of Thy grace and goodness. May my heart be prepared in righteousness and holiness to receive Thee when Thou comest. I live each day in the expectation of Thy soon return. May I daily live the Blessed Hope. Amen.

Bible prophecy is a subject that carries a great deal of religious baggage. Eliminating that baggage and getting to the core is the aim of this book. To do that will require two things: caution and courage. We must cautiously take care not to allow the focus of our study to stray from Jesus Christ; and we must courageously keep the central purpose of the Blessed Hopeour Lords returnin view so that we dont get stuck in the quagmire of religious trivialities. As I have prepared this teaching, I have prayed for wisdom to know the difference.

The purpose of Bible prophecy is not to alarm us but rather to alert us to the times so that we can prepare for the return of Jesusone of the great themes in the Bible and one that brings comfort and encouragement to the believer; hence the phrase the Blessed Hope. In a world filled with all kinds of uncertainty, the believer possesses the comfort of the Blessed Hope, which means Jesus will soon return.

I readily acknowledge that Bible prophecy is a fertile field for religious cults and scams and has been the downfall of much in Christianity today. Heresies associated with Bible prophecy, especially the book of Revelation, have caused many to turn away from the subject altogether. Although heresies abound in this area, I will not deviate from what the Bible teaches, because prophecy is the Blessed Hope of the believer.

After reading many books on prophecy and revelation, I have concluded that some prophecy teachers think they know more about prophecy than the apostle John who wrote the book of Revelation. How they came upon their knowledge is more than I can understand. They know more than Daniel; they are wiser than Isaiah; and they see further into the future than the beloved apostle John. These pseudo-prophetic teachers make predictions that these wise old men of God never would have made. They understood the purpose of Bible prophecy, while many of these modern prophetic teachers do not; consequently, they major in surface incidentals.

I shall not spend my time or yours focusing on the outer shell of Bible prophecy. Rather, I will delve into the deep core of what it is all about. The supreme purpose of prophecy is to alert us to the fact that Jesus is coming. By looking at what the Bible has to say about prophecy, we begin to understand the nature and character of the one who will soon return, even the Lord Jesus Christ.

His Coming Is Sure

During His public ministry, our Lord taught His disciples that He would return to earth again. Consequently, all of the apostles taught that Jesus would return. Down through the years, the church fathers held to this truth that Jesus Christ will come back to earth again. Even the very angels dressed in white that saw Him go off into heaven said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven (Acts 1:11).