By David ReayThursday 10 Nov 2022LifeWords DevotionalsDevotionsReading Time: 2 minutes
I don’t think, friends, that I need to deal with the question of when all this is going to happen. You know as well as I that the day of the Master’s coming can’t be posted on our calendars. He won’t call ahead and make an appointment any more than a burglar would. About the time everybody’s walking around complacently, congratulating each other—“We’ve sure got it made! Now we can take it easy!”—suddenly everything will fall apart. It’s going to come as suddenly and inescapably as birth pangs to a pregnant woman. (THE MESSAGE)
In most Christian circles we don’t hear much about the second coming of Jesus. Of course, in some circles it is given such prominence that there is unwise speculation about it. We can easily get preoccupied with how and when it will happen.
We can indulge in minutely examining current events and seeing in them some indication of when it will happen. And there have been some who have confidently predicted the return date and ended up having to explain later why it didn’t happen. We need to remember that while it is certain that Jesus will return, it is not at all certain just when it happens. Reading too much into world affairs and various bits of Scripture might leave us with egg on our faces as we engage in speculation.
All this misses the point. The second coming is when heaven invades earth entirely. Right now, we only have a tantalising taste of heaven. Jesus will come to finally establish his rule over his creation. We will live forever in this new creation, the new heavens, and the new earth.
It will be the end of an era, the closing off a chapter in human history and our own history. It will mark the beginning of a never-ending story. All imperfection, frustration, sorrow, and pain will be banished for good. All that held us back from our true and full humanity will be gone. We will be the people we were created to be. Look forward to that rather than trying to be clever in putting a date on a calendar.
David