When will Jesus come? how long is long enough?
These study notes correspond with Study #2 of Jesus on Prophecy series. Click here for the YouTube link.
What does the Bible have to say about the nearness of Christ’s return?
(Revelation 22:6-7, James 5:8-9) Jesus was crucified, resurrected and taken up into Heaven in the year 31 AD. We are currently in the very end of the year 2021. The fact that His coming has been delayed for some reason is evident. Nearly 2000 years is an incredibly long wait for something so “soon,” “near, even at the doors.”
The 2nd coming of Jesus is the blessed hope. It is what the Christian longs for more than anything in this world. That hope, delayed, should make our hearts sick, longing to go home. Are we homesick yet? The Bible teaches that the heart is always focused on its treasure. Do we treasure Jesus as He treasures us? What is heaven to you? (Titus 2:13, Proverbs 13:12, Matthew 6:21)
“As through Jesus we enter into rest, heaven begins here. We respond to His invitation, Come, learn of Me, and in thus coming we begin the life eternal. Heaven is a ceaseless approaching to God through Christ. The longer we are in the heaven of bliss, the more and still more of glory will be opened to us; and the more we know of God, the more intense will be our happiness. As we walk with Jesus in this life, we may be filled with His love, satisfied with His presence. All that human nature can bear, we may receive here. But what is this compared with the hereafter?”
- “The Desire of Ages” pg. 331.3
“The definition of heaven is the presence of Christ!”
- “S.D.A. Bible Commentary Vol. 7” pg. 989.9
Are we able, from the Bible, to explain to others why we hold on to this blessed hope after so long a wait? It is time to be sure that we know the answer and have gathered the evidences from God’s Word...(1 Peter 3:15)
There will always be those who “scoff” or mock our faith. There will always be those who would debate the issue. Our purpose is not debate, nor is it simply to prove someone else wrong. What we want is sure ground for our feet so that we can stand firmly on the Word of God for ourselves and share this wonderful news with all who will hear. If we’re looking for the coming of Christ, our primary concern should be the condition of our own hearts. What manner of people are we? If I never said a word, would Christ be made known by my life?...(2 Peter 3:3-4 & 9-11)
Preparing A Place:
Since His ascension to heaven, after His resurrection (Acts 1:9-11), Jesus has been preparing a place for His people (John 14:1-4). Notice, this preparation of “a place” has nothing to do with a physical dwelling. Is Jesus, currently chiseling the finest granite out the finest granite for our counters in the mansion above? No. He said “in my Father’s house ARE many mansions.” Jesus was speaking in present tense. The mansions, therefore, the physical dwelling, was ready for us when He said these words. What then is Jesus doing in Heaven today? What does it mean for Him to prepare for us “a place?”
Notice that the Satan lost “his PLACE” in heaven...(Revelation 12:7-9)
Jesus said that Satan lost his place how? He FELL from heaven...Luke 10:18
According to the Bible, what does it mean to fall? To fall is to be in a sinful condition. Thus, Satan lost his place in heaven because of his sinful condition...(Hosea 14:1 & 9, Ezekiel 28:14-15)
God is “no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34). In other words, He doesn’t play favoritism. If Satan lost his place in heaven because of sin then we can be sure that God cannot accept us into heaven in that same sinful condition. We come to Jesus just as we are, sinful and broken and Jesus NEVER sends us away in the same condition! Preparing a place is all about saving us from that fallen condition, cleansing us of sin and teaching us to live righteously for Him...(Psalm 37:10, 2 Peter 3:10-13, Revelation 22:14-15, Jude 24)
To Hasten His Coming Or to Delay It—The Choice Is YOURS!
We are not to be merely waiting in calm expectancy for the return of Jesus. No dear friends! By His enabling grace, we are to live lives that glorify Him, hastening His coming. The truth about why Christ has not yet returned is that His professed people have not yet experienced His cleansing power. We claim a Saviour from sin but still we cling to the very sins He shed His blood to cleanse us of. Jesus came, not to save us IN our sins but FROM our sins. The power to hasten or delay further is with us... (2 Peter 3:11-14, Matthew 1:21, John 1:29)
This concept, of Christ’s returning in response to a cleansed people, is not only found in the New Testament but also in the Old Testament. David said that the Lord comes in response to a perfect heart (Psalm 101:2) and the prophet Joel said the Bridegroom will not return until we “LET” Him do so. How can we let Him? Surrender to His cleansing work. Jesus alone can sanctify (make holy) His people! He is patiently waiting. (Joel 2:15-16, Ephesians 5:25-27)
“When the fruit is brought forth, immediately He putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.” Christ is waiting with longing desire for the manifestation of Himself in His church. When the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim them as His own. It is the privilege of every Christian not only to look for but to hasten the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, (2 Pet. 3:12). Were all who profess His name bearing fruit to His glory, how quickly the whole world would be sown with the seed of the gospel. Quickly the last great harvest would be ripened, and Christ would come to gather the precious grain.”
- “Christ’s Object Lessons” pg. 69.1-2
