JESUS IS COMING BACK VERY SOON (PART 1)
TEXT:
"Surely I come quickly." (Revelation 22 verse 20, King James Version).
For sure, the Lord Jesus is coming back very soon. I don't know how you would interpret the phrase "very soon"; but in His own Words, according to the Scripture reading for today, He said "Surely I come quickly".
The verity of Jesus' Words to us is confirmed by Him in yet another place saying, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." (Matthew 24 verse 35). Thus, if Jesus said He was "coming quickly", we should expect it to be so because as God, it's contrary to His nature to deceive us. He never lied and will never lie because He is the "Truth" (John 14 verse 6).
That men today wouldn't believe that the Lord Jesus is coming again isn't new or strange. In the time past, there were those that had accused Him of slackness as regards the promise of His coming again. They had asked, saying in 2 Peter 3 verse 4 “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.” (New Living Translation)
In answer thereto, the Bible says that "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." (2nd Peter 3 verse 9). God desires for every person to respond to Him and receive salvation. God's longsuffering as regards the promise of His coming again is indeed to our advantage and shouldn't be taken for granted. Truth is, He doesn't want anyone to die and go to hell.
Although it's God's will for everyone to be saved, the truth is, not everyone will eventually be saved. This is because the Bible clearly reveals that God's will doesn't automatically come to pass. In regards to salvation, it requires our response to His Offer through Jesus Christ, His Son. (See Matthew 7 verses 13 and 14). In the law of Contract, for instance, for there to be a valid and enforceable Contract, someone's offer has to be accepted by another. In the same vein, God's offer of His Son has to be accepted by you before your salvation can become enforceable.
The Bible clearly reveals that God has offered (gave) His Only Begotten Son as the propitiation for the sin(s) of the world, that whosoever shall believe, receive, accept, and confess Him should not perish but have Eternal Life (see John 3 verse 16; 1st John 2 verse 2). Now, the crucial question that's begging for your answer this morning is whether you have received God's offer of His Son, Jesus Christ. Unless and until you do so, you do not possess Eternal Life, neither will you see God's glory at death.
Whether He comes now or later, one thing is certain, we will all die someday (Hebrews 9 verse 27). Understand therefore that Jesus' second coming is for an appointed time. According to God's calendar, He will come quickly. But your responsibility is to prepare for His coming by accepting Him into your life and thereafter, resolving to live for Him, daily.
PRAYER:
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.