The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in James 5:7-8,
"Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near."
"The Lord's coming is near"! The second coming of Jesus Christ is just as certain as his first coming was two millenia ago. The writer of Hebrews tells us, "Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him." Hebrews 9:27-28. Jesus Christ is coming back to planet earth a second time. This time it will be for a different purpose. The first was to secure atonement of our sins by dying on the cross for us. The next visit will be to take us for his own!
James here tells us to sit tight because he is on his way. Some attempt to deny it, "First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, 'Where is this "coming" he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.' But they deliberately forget..." 2 Peter 3:3-5. The Lord tells us, "Behold, I am coming soon!" Revelation 22:7.
When he comes he will take us for all eternity to be his own. "According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever." 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. Could the anticipation of anything else be anywhere nearly as exciting as this?!
Each generation has witnessed what they thought might be the indications of the close proximity of the coming of the Lord. No one, of course, knows for sure the day he will come. The Lord told us, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man...Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come." Matthew 24:36-37, 42. But, he also told us, "Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door." Matthew 24:32-33. As the time approaches, we will know it.
Some of the things the Lord told us to watch for are: "Many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains." Matthew 24:5-8. He also said, "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." Matthew 24:9-14.
Tumultuous times! Exciting times! Does our day fit the picture the Lord gave us? I believe it is worth considering... it certainly is worthy of every generation to consider! Just thinking of what is headed our way brings an excitement and anticipation that nothing else can match!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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