When the Second Coming Seems So Soon

 

Have you ever looked back and wondered, “Where did the time go?” Perhaps you remember your children when they were small, your first day at a particular job, or a time in your life that seems like yesterday. Yet years have passed. The older we become, the more quickly the years seem to disappear.

That experience can help us understand something about the second coming of Jesus. For us, it may seem as though Christ has been gone for a very long time. Nearly two thousand years have passed since the angels declared, “This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11).

Generation after generation has waited. Some have wondered why Jesus has not returned yet. Others have grown discouraged by what appears to be a delay. But Scripture gives us a different perspective.

God Has Not Forgotten His Promise

Peter wrote:

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness” (2 Peter 3:9).

What may look like a delay to us is not a delay to God. We measure time by calendars, clocks, birthdays, and generations. God sees history from an entirely different perspective.

Peter continues:

“But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Peter 3:8).

This does not mean that God literally experiences every day as a thousand years. Rather, Peter is reminding us that God's relationship to time is not limited by our human perspective.

We see a long wait. God sees the entire story.

We see generations passing. God sees His purpose unfolding.

We see what appears to be a delay. God sees an appointed time.

There Really Is No Delay

The prophet Habakkuk gives us an important principle:

“For the vision is yet for an appointed time... though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry” (Habakkuk 2:3).

That sounds almost contradictory. How can something “tarry” and yet “not tarry”?

The answer is that God's promise may seem slow from our perspective, but it will arrive exactly when God intends it to arrive.

The second coming is not an event that God has forgotten to schedule. Jesus is not sitting in heaven wondering when He should return. The Father has an appointed time.

Jesus Himself said:

“But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only” (Matthew 24:36).

The fact that we do not know the exact time does not mean there is uncertainty in heaven. There is no confusion in God's plan.

The appointed moment will come.

And when it does, we may look back on these years of waiting and realize how quickly they actually passed.

“Lord, It Really Was Soon!”

Imagine standing before Christ when He returns.

The heavens open. The trumpet sounds. The dead in Christ rise. Those who have trusted Jesus are transformed. The Savior whom we have read about, prayed to, and longed to see is suddenly standing before us.

What might our first thought be?

Perhaps something like:

“Lord, it really was soon!”

We might think about all the years we spent wondering when He would come. We may remember times when we thought the wait was unbearably long.

But suddenly, the waiting is over.

In that moment, the years of anticipation will seem incredibly small compared with the eternity that lies ahead.

Paul understood something about this perspective when he wrote:

“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2 Corinthians 4:17).

Paul called this present experience a moment when compared with eternity.

That changes how we view waiting.

The “Delay” Is Actually Mercy

There is another reason we should not think of God's timing as a delay.

Peter explains:

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

God's patience is an expression of His love.

Every additional day of history is another opportunity for someone to hear the gospel.

Another person can discover the love of Christ.

Another sinner can repent.

Another family can encounter Scripture.

Another person can turn toward Jesus.

Another life can be changed by grace.

We naturally ask, “Why hasn't Jesus come yet?”

Perhaps a better question is:

“Who is God still giving time to reach?”

The waiting period is not evidence that God has abandoned His promise. It is evidence of His patience.

God wants as many people as possible to be ready for that day.

What Should We Do While We Wait?

Jesus did not tell His followers to spend their lives trying to calculate the exact date of His return. He told them to watch, prepare, and remain faithful.

The passage in Hebrews gives us another important encouragement:

“Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised)” (Hebrews 10:23).

Notice the reason we can hold on:

“He is faithful that promised.”

Our confidence is not based on our ability to predict the future.

It is not based on world events lining up according to our expectations.

It is not even based on how quickly time seems to be moving.

Our confidence is based on the character of the One who made the promise.

Jesus is faithful.

He promised to return.

Therefore, He will return.

Don't Let the Waiting Become an Excuse

There is a danger in believing that Christ's return is “still a long way off.” If we think we have plenty of time, we may postpone our relationship with God.

We may tell ourselves:

“I'll get serious about my faith later.”

“I'll forgive that person someday.”

“I'll spend more time with God when life settles down.”

“I'll make things right eventually.”

But life itself teaches us that “later” is never guaranteed.

James wrote:

“For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away” (James 4:14).

Life passes quickly.

That should not make us fearful. It should make us intentional.

We have today.

We have this moment.

We have this opportunity to trust Christ, to love others, to serve, to forgive, to share the gospel, and to prepare our hearts for His coming.

The Wait Is Not Wasted

Perhaps you have prayed for Jesus to return for years.

Perhaps you have wondered why He hasn't come yet.

Perhaps you have watched people grow old and die while still waiting for the promise.

Remember this: the waiting is not wasted.

God is working during the waiting.

He is shaping character.

He is strengthening faith.

He is reaching people.

He is preparing His people.

And He is moving history toward the appointed moment.

We may not know how much longer the wait will be. But we know something far more important:

The wait will end.

Jesus will come.

The promise will become sight.

Faith will become reality.

And when we finally see Christ face-to-face, the long years of waiting may seem like nothing compared with the eternity we will spend with Him.

So don't become discouraged by the passing of time.

Instead, let the passing of time remind you that eternity is getting closer every day.

Jesus' promise has not failed.

There is no forgotten appointment.

There is no mistake in God's calendar.

There is an appointed time.

And when that time comes, Jesus will return.

Until then, keep looking up.

Keep trusting.

Keep serving.

Keep your heart ready.

And keep believing the promise:

“He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).

Prayer

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for the promise that Jesus will return. Sometimes the passing of time makes us wonder why He has not come yet. Help us to remember that what seems like a delay to us is not a delay to You. You have an appointed time, and Your promises never fail.

Thank You for Your patience and mercy. Thank You for giving people time to repent, to hear Your Word, and to accept the salvation offered through Jesus Christ.

Help us not to become discouraged while we wait. Keep our faith strong and our hearts focused on Christ. Teach us to use the time You have given us wisely—to love, to serve, to forgive, to share Your truth, and to live each day in preparation for Jesus' return.

When life seems to pass quickly, remind us that eternity is ahead. When we become impatient, remind us that You are faithful. And when Jesus finally appears in the clouds of heaven, may we be among those who joyfully say, “This is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us” (Isaiah 25:9).

Lord Jesus, we are waiting for You.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Amen.

More on Lesson 8:  The Power of Christ's Resurrection  

3rd Quarter Sabbath School: 1st and 2nd Corinthians