I believe the Lord Jesus is coming to His people today in order to give them total victory over sin. This is not His appearing to the world, but His appearing to His disciples to prepare them to appear with Him when He returns in His historic second coming.

There are several passages in the new Testament that refer to the coming of salvation in the last days.

Who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. (I Peter 1:5—NIV)

We are being kept through faith until the salvation comes that shall be revealed in the last time.

Who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:14—NIV)

We have the Holy Spirit as a deposit that guarantees our redemption when the time comes. A great part of our redemption—perhaps the major part—is the filling of our body with the eternal life of the Holy Spirit.

Our body shall be filled with the eternal life of the Holy Spirit after our body has been raised from the dead, providing we have sown to the Holy Spirit during the days of our discipleship on the earth.

But if we have allowed the pleasures and cares of the present world to kill our spiritual life, then, when the Lord appears, we will not be able to rise to meet Him. The door shall be shut in our face. Remember the foolish virgins!

This is true whether or not we have taken the four steps of salvation.

Most of the severe warnings in the New Testament are not to the unsaved but to the Lord's servants. We stand by faith. But we also can be removed from the olive tree if we do not abide in Christ to the end.

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. (Ephesians 4:30—NIV)

We have been sealed by the Holy Spirit in terms of the day when our mortal body is redeemed and we are adopted as a son of God. The great hope of the Christian life is that our body will not return to dust and perish but that it shall be raised up and filled with eternal life—the very Life of God given to us through the Lord Jesus Christ.

And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. (Romans 13:11—NIV)

Salvation is past, present, and future.

We were saved when we first received Christ as the atonement for our sins.

We are being saved as we work out our salvation with fear and trembling.

We shall be saved when the Lord appears, provided we have sought Him each day, continually abiding in Him and bringing forth His moral image in our personality.

To be continued.