“He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.” Rev 22:20-21
My wife and I have been playing the waiting game for the last few weeks. My wife Emily is 38 1/2 weeks pregnant. She is considered full term and our tiny son could come anytime. Emily’s belly is reaching maximum capacity. We have spent the last 9 months preparing our home and our hearts for this little child, and now we know he’s coming soon.
As we wait, I have been reminded that we are also waiting for the second coming of Jesus. As christians, we are called to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord. Jesus ascended into heaven and He promised that one day He would return and He would establish His kingdom on Earth (Matt 24). In His kingdom, there will no longer be pain and He will wipe every tear from our eyes (Rev 21:4). In the meantime, we are called to proclaim the message of Jesus to the world – Be reconciled to God, through Jesus. Turn from your sins and follow Him. There is an urgency to this message, because no one knows the day or hour when He will return (Matt 24:36). We are urged to live like He is returning today.
In the book of Romans, the Apostle Paul describes our waiting and that of all creation as that of a pregnant mother in childbirth.
“For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” Romans 8:22-25
This metaphor rings true to my heart right now, as I wait with my pregnant wife for our child to be revealed. It could be any day, and the truth is that Jesus could return any day. Are you living with the truth of that reality? If Jesus returned today, would you be ready for Him? Would there be things that you wished you’d done or said? I think the answer for many is that we’re not ready. So why not start now? Repent. Share Jesus with your friends. Remove the clutter from your life. Look at your heart and your life and align it with the truth. Jesus is coming soon and there isn’t an hour to waste.
This message is not meant to sound ominous. It is meant to encourage our heart, that the sufferings of this life are temporal. It is meant to wake up our minds, that have too often been lulled to sleep by the comforts and gratifications of our lives. Wake up. Jesus will come ‘like a thief in the night’ (1 Thess 5:2). Be prepared.
Come, Lord Jesus. Amen.
