"...for the time is near."
"Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near." -Revelation 1:3
If you've been in church for any length of time, you've probably heard a sermon or two where the preacher exclaimed, "The time is near!" or "Jesus could come at any time!" or "The Lord could come tonight!" We've been told that the End could happen tomorrow, in the next seconds, today....but nothing has happened. Even in the early church days, the Apostles faced the same issue and arguments: "...you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, 'Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.'" (2 Peter 3:2-4)
Today, we hear the same doubts, the same scoffers, the same naysayers. Sometimes, we even hear these same doubts or questions in the church. People wonder when and even if the Lord Jesus will truly be coming back. Many believe but lose hope, feeling that the Lord won't be coming back in their lifetime. As believers, we're all ready for Jesus to come back now, do away with everything wrong in this world, and bring in the new Kingdom. But, a sobering truth is that God doesn't operate on man's time, and He never has. He works on His time.
A few verses later, Peter, led by the Spirit, wrote, "But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." (2 Peter 3:8-9) Although we would all love it if Jesus came back before I finished typing this sentence, praise the Lord He tarries! Why? Because that means there is still time being freely given to all sinners who would humble themselves, repent and put their faith and trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior. Once Jesus comes back, that's it! There will be no purgatory, 3 strikes, mulligans, cases made in court, or second chances. When Jesus comes back, all opportunity to repent and believe will be gone.
So, what does that mean for us as believers? What does that mean for us who patiently (and often impatiently) wait for Jesus to return? It means we press on and complete the race before us (Philippians 3:14; 2 Timothy 4:7). It means we do our best to witness to those who are lost, while there's still time (Matthew 28:18-20). It also means that we need to regularly encourage one another with the hope of a future glorified body, an eternal Kingdom, and the glories and riches of heaven (1 Thessalonians 4:18). Promises are only as good as the source of those promises. The Source of these promises is none other than Jesus Christ! Take heart in this fact because we know that Jesus' Word is trustworthy!
If you've been in church for any length of time, you've probably heard a sermon or two where the preacher exclaimed, "The time is near!" or "Jesus could come at any time!" or "The Lord could come tonight!" We've been told that the End could happen tomorrow, in the next seconds, today....but nothing has happened. Even in the early church days, the Apostles faced the same issue and arguments: "...you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, 'Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.'" (2 Peter 3:2-4)
Today, we hear the same doubts, the same scoffers, the same naysayers. Sometimes, we even hear these same doubts or questions in the church. People wonder when and even if the Lord Jesus will truly be coming back. Many believe but lose hope, feeling that the Lord won't be coming back in their lifetime. As believers, we're all ready for Jesus to come back now, do away with everything wrong in this world, and bring in the new Kingdom. But, a sobering truth is that God doesn't operate on man's time, and He never has. He works on His time.
A few verses later, Peter, led by the Spirit, wrote, "But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." (2 Peter 3:8-9) Although we would all love it if Jesus came back before I finished typing this sentence, praise the Lord He tarries! Why? Because that means there is still time being freely given to all sinners who would humble themselves, repent and put their faith and trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior. Once Jesus comes back, that's it! There will be no purgatory, 3 strikes, mulligans, cases made in court, or second chances. When Jesus comes back, all opportunity to repent and believe will be gone.
So, what does that mean for us as believers? What does that mean for us who patiently (and often impatiently) wait for Jesus to return? It means we press on and complete the race before us (Philippians 3:14; 2 Timothy 4:7). It means we do our best to witness to those who are lost, while there's still time (Matthew 28:18-20). It also means that we need to regularly encourage one another with the hope of a future glorified body, an eternal Kingdom, and the glories and riches of heaven (1 Thessalonians 4:18). Promises are only as good as the source of those promises. The Source of these promises is none other than Jesus Christ! Take heart in this fact because we know that Jesus' Word is trustworthy!
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