“When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory,” Colossians 3:4.
‘Tiocfaidh ár lá’, Gaelic phrase, is translated as ‘Our Day Will Come’! It has often fallen from the lips of the likes of Gerry Adams, leader of Sinn Fein for many years and alleged instigator of many of the IRA’s foulest acts of terrorism, murder and intimidation.
The phrase is pronounced in a mocking, supercilious and gloating tone, indicating the Irish Republicans’ confident expectation that they will reap a rich harvest from the sowing of years of Satanic crimes. They proudly expect to enter into a glorious triumph over all things Protestant and British!
In truth, there is only one people that ever have had the right to claim in triumphant expectancy that ‘Our Day Will Come’.
That people have ever been at the centre of Irish Republican hatred and loathing and of all of their ilk throughout the ages.
I am referring to those “that are Christ’s” who “live in the Spirit” and who “also walk in the Spirit,” Galatians 5:24-25.
Our text teaches most plainly that there is a glorious day coming for the true Christian, the one born again of the Holy Spirit and who have given proof of their new birth by obeying the Word of God and keep His commandments.
1. LET ME FIRST OF ALL INDICATE THAT SUCH A HOPE IS NOT ‘PIE IN THE SKY’!
Gerry Adams and his like have been fondly repeating this ‘catch phrase’ for many years. Many of those who repeated it on Irish Republican platforms are dead. They have gone out into eternity to reap the consequences of their engaging in the politics of terror. They may well have been buried in ‘the sure and certain hope’ of heaven by false prophets but that is not where unrepentant murderers go! Why? Because the Bible says so!
“But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death,” Revelation 21:8.
“Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie,” Revelation 22:14-15. Here is where murderers go and here is where they do not go!
2. ON THE OTHER HAND, THE CHRISTIAN’S EXPECTANCY IS BUILT UPON THE DAWNING OF A CERTAIN DAY.
The Christian’s anticipated time of triumph will happen on a certain day! It is a God-appointed day, and God keeps His appointments. It is the day “when Christ . . . . shall appear”!
Christ is coming again. “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory,” Luke 21:25-27.
“Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead,” Acts 17:31.
That is the hope which has united true believers throughout the ages. Long, long ago David expressed this hope. “As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness,” Psalm 17:15. That hope enables each believer to say: ‘Our Day Will Come’!
3. IT IS A DAY WHICH WILL BE WITNESSED BY MANY.
“Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.” Revelation 1:7. For the ungodly the day is the “the great day of his wrath,” Revelation 6:17 but for the child of God it is great and glorious day of the fulfilling of all their hopes. “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works,” Titus 2:11-14.
4. IT WILL BE A DAY OF UNPARALLELED DISAPPOINTMENT AND HORRIFIC REALISATION FOR MANY, BECAUSE THAT WHICH THEY RESTED THEIR HOPES UPON PROVE TO BE AS SAND RATHER THAN ROCK!
“And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb,” Revelation 6:15-16. I have never read these words without sensing something of the horror of that moment.
I have listened, over the years, to an ever increasing number of people express confidently that the most wicked, having died, are in heaven! Godless men and women are confident that so it will be with them and all like them that have passed away before them. What utter folly and blind ignorance of God and His Word this portrays!
The Saviour plainly says: “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God,” John 3:3.
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”John 14:6.
Peter declared plainly, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved,” Acts 4:12.
If you are not ‘born again’ then please consider what I say and obey the gospel.
Heed the Saviour’s words: “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it,” Matthew 7:24-27.
Sand is what so many have built upon and a day is coming when ‘great’ will be the fall of all their hopes!
5. FOR THE TRUE CHILD OF GOD, THE RETURN OF CHRIST WILL BE A DAY OF GLORIOUS RESURRECTION, SATISFYING VINDICATION AND ETERNAL GLORIFICATION.
RESURRECTION. Paul said that the social status of the christian has never been very high amongst men.“For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: that no flesh should glory in his presence,” 1 Corinthians 1:26-29.
But there is a day coming when all that will change.
“But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: but God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: it is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body,” 1 Corinthians 15:35-44.
“And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away,” 1 Peter 5:4.
“Behold, I shew 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 trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ,” 1 Corinthians 15:51-57.
VINDICATION. For the Christian, life has been one chiefly of being contradicted and challenged about the truthfulness of their witness. As with Cain and his reaction to God’s rejection of his sacrifice and his taking it out upon his brother Abel, so it is with men still when faced by the witness of the Christian!
But when Christ returns there will be a vindicating of each of His saints, no matter how men treated them. “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD,” Isaiah 54:17.
“Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth. The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming,” Psalm 37:3-13.
“Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him,” Malachi 3:16-17.
“And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day,” 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10.
“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is, 1 John 3:1-2.
GLORIFICATION. What the child of God will be like throughout eternity is beyond our comprehending and our imagining! Consider what Daniel said under the promptings of the Holy Ghost.
“And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever,” Daniel 12:2-3.
Christian, heed these words. “But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect (fixed, confirmed) day,” Proverbs 4:18.
“The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear,” Matthew 13:41-43.
“The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together,” Romans 8:16-17.
Thus it is that the Christian can joyfully and humbly say that by God’s mercy and grace, “Our Day WILL Come”!
Rev Ivan Foster (Rtd)
15th December 2023