The King returns to his kingdom after an extended journey. His fortress stands tall. The banners flap above the fortress. The troopers nonetheless put on his colours and converse his language. All is because it was, externally.
He first notices one thing amiss as he walks among the many folks. They nonetheless seek the advice of his valuable e-book he left them — however not with one eye anxious for his return. The folks preserve lots of his smart precepts, it’s true, but he himself is little wanted, little missed. He overhears prayer in his identify, but few gaze over the partitions, pleading on the heavens for him to return once more.
What number of have made his return their lifelong psalm?
I anticipate the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his phrase I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
greater than watchmen for the morning,
greater than watchmen for the morning. (Psalm 130:5–6)
We have now his legal guidelines, his e-book, his identify, his folks, his songs, his ordinances — however not him as he supposed it to be. Have we actually seen? Have his good items develop into sufficient for us? Are you and I actually ready for him to return?
Behold, He Comes
The ultimate image of the church recorded in Scripture exhibits her in a posture of craving. Her greatest hopes and expectations discover abstract in a single phrase: Come!
The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” (Revelation 22:17)
Come, Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:20)
When the deep enchantments of worldliness wears off, we higher hear this groaning of the Spirit inside, crying out for Jesus to return to us. This alone is the consummation of heaven for God’s folks:
Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He’ll dwell with them, and they are going to be his folks, and God himself might be with them as their God. (Revelation 21:3)
Immanuel, God with us, isn’t just his Christmas identify. This should be his eternal identify, lest our heaven stay elsewhere.
“The church’s greatest hopes and expectations discover abstract in a single phrase: ‘Come!’”
A tearless eternity? Pointless, if the King of glory just isn’t there to wipe sorrows away. Reigning on the throne of the cosmos? Youngster’s play, if we reign not with him. The loss of life of loss of life, the abolition of sin, perfection of life with angels and countless comforts? A cage and a jail, if Christ be not with us. The insistence on the backside of each born-again coronary heart, the one need it won’t be refused: Come, Lord Jesus!
Come Rapidly
It isn’t sufficient for our religion to know merely that Jesus is coming again. Ultimately works drowsiness and mischief in our hearts. Unintentionally, we banish him to the ever-Tomorrow, the distant By no means. We now not count on him anytime quickly, so we drop anchor and make do with out him. “Your kingdom come,” we start to wish from reminiscence, however not from the center.
Thus, within the ultimate chapter of Scripture, Jesus tells us extra.
Behold, I’m coming quickly. (Revelation 22:7)
Behold, I’m coming quickly. (Revelation 22:12)
Certainly I’m coming quickly. (Revelation 22:20)
He exclaims that he’s not simply coming, however coming shortly. This little adverb strikes his return from inevitable to imminent, from sometime to any day.
Jesus would have us ready, expectant, peeking time and again on the clouds with childlike anticipation. Rapidly sends us to stay atop the watchtower, squints for his look upon the horizon. Jesus wouldn’t have his folks take naps on the information of his return.
Keep awake — for you have no idea when the grasp of the home will come, within the night, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or within the morning — lest he come instantly and discover you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake. (Mark 13:35–37)
He desires us speaking about his return, hoping in his return, praying for his return. He expects us to trim our lamps, put together the home, and prepared the Grasp’s favourite meal. He’s coming again, quickly.
Counting Time
How can we acceptable this revelation two thousand years later? Rapidly, the scoffer thinks. Two thousand years stretches the phrase past credibility. How can we actually imagine such a promise?
What is that this however the insect talking again to the mountains about time? The God spanning eternal to eternal — not the gnat of some seconds — says shortly. The forest of Lebanon — not the housefly — bellows, “I come quickly.” We sprout within the morning and die within the afternoon; his roots go deep. The Historic of Days is his identify.
The standard psalmist teaches Israel to sing to her Maker, “A thousand years in your sight are however as yesterday when it’s previous, or as a watch within the evening” (Psalm 90:4). The apostle tells us to not overlook this truth, “that with the Lord sooner or later is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as sooner or later” (2 Peter 3:8). Generations of males have come and handed; his moon has solely seen two nights. He “just isn’t gradual to meet his promise as some depend slowness” (2 Peter 3:9).
And he waits purposefully. He waits for the final sheep to return into the fold, after which he shall return. But his return might be swift and when most don’t count on. As with the ultimate days of Sodom and Gomorrah, or the final morning earlier than the Flood, when he comes, all wedding ceremony planning, soccer video games, and holidays might be rendered out of date.
Behold, I’m coming quickly, bringing my recompense with me, to repay every one for what he has carried out. I’m the Alpha and the Omega, the primary and the final, the start and the tip. (Revelation 22:12–13)
Males will reap what they’ve sown. Repent and imagine.
For Love and Warfare
Christian, your Lord comes shortly. Does this not converse of your Savior’s love?
Because the Bride cries, “Come! Come! Come!” he doesn’t reply, “Worry not; I’ll come again once I get round to it.” He doesn’t say he’ll add it to his record. He assures, “Behold, I’ll include haste, with intention, in earnest.” Rapidly lays this promise upon our hearts: “I cannot tarry a second past what’s greatest.”
As soon as the final recipient of my crimson blood is washed, as soon as the ultimate sheep makes it into the fold, I might be there and convey you the place I’m. In a second shorter than a lightning flash, I might be there. I cannot stroll. I cannot delay.
“In a second, the trumpet shall blast, the wall between this world and the following shall fall, and the Lord might be earlier than us.”
Will he discover us wanting over the partitions for his coming?
This world just isn’t our residence. We’re not but in our factor. We open the window and ship our dove from side to side about this earth, discovering that it returns to us having discovered no strong homeland. However in a second, the trumpet shall blast, the wall between this world and the following shall fall, and he might be earlier than us, with us. The Lord of lords and King of kings, dazzling because the solar in all its power. This current world will go as a dream. We’ll look and shout and level,
Behold, that is our God; we now have waited for him,
that he may save us.
That is the Lord; we now have waited for him;
allow us to be glad and rejoice in his salvation. (Isaiah 25:9)
