Jesus is coming soon

And the next time He comes, He won’t be coming as a poor infant laying in a feeding trough. The next time He comes, the world will see Him as He is.

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen! (Isaiah 9:6-7)

Soon is one of the most frustrating words in the English language.

It’s vague. Unspecific. It’s a moment of time that could happen immediately or within your lifetime. Soon doesn’t tell us anything except that whatever is going to happen will happen.

There are many things we can know about Jesus out of Scripture. The Bible is His story. It’s how He loved us so much that He died for us, how He is man enough to die and God enough to walk out of His own tomb. Scripture is the most glorious epic that shows us how all the pieces fit together, how God has been weaving the most extraordinary story since the day of Creation and how He plans to bring everything to a stunning conclusion.

We know who Jesus is. He’s told us. And we also know where we will see Him next: Coming on the clouds, returning to call His children home, just as He promised.

But when?

That’s the question. And the answer, as always, is soon. Even Jesus said He didn’t know the day or the hour. Only the Father knows that.

This isn’t a topic I tend to mention very often because a lot of Christians can get pretty contentious over it. I have my own opinions and viewpoints that I have researched apart from other Bible teachers or spiritual mentors; I know what I believe and why I believe it. I hope that you have done the same, but I have no interest in sparking a debate over pre-trib or post-trib or mid-trib or any of those perspectives on the End Times. (Gotta love God’s people … we can turn anything into an argument.)

But I hope that those of us who believe the Bible can agree that Jesus has promised to return. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. Maybe not in a hundred years. Whatever. But He will return, because He said He would. Repeatedly.

Jesus didn’t just come to earth to die and be resurrected. He didn’t leave us here for the rest of eternity with no hope for what comes next. No, Scripture is very clear on that. God has a plan. Jesus is coming back. And the next time He comes, He won’t be coming as a poor infant laying in a feeding trough. The next time He comes, He’ll split the sky. The next time His feet touch the Earth, the mountains will rip apart. The next time the world sees Him, they will see Him as He is: Creator God, Righteous King, The Lamb Who Is Worthy.

I don’t know when that day will get here. All He has told us is that He’s coming soon, and I believe Him. He’s the One who beat death and walked out of His own grave, so I think I’m going to trust His word.

He said Soon. That means it will happen.

Are you ready?

That’s a loaded question, isn’t it? Because sometimes we think “being ready” means we need to hunker down and hide until He gets here. Our Noah complexes kick in, and we want to build arks and crawl inside until the storm is over.

Sorry, y’all. That’s not why Jesus left us here. He left us here to show the world who He is. He has called us to walk in His Light, to share His love with those around us, and to be His hands and feet to a world that hates Him (and by extension us).

So let’s get busy. Let’s focus on what God has asked us to do. Let’s fix our eyes on the prize at the end of the race He’s called us to run, whatever that race may be. We all have one, and we aren’t competing with anyone but our own sinful natures.

Put your phone down. Turn off Netflix and walk away from YouTube. Go outside and talk to someone you don’t know. Ask someone younger than you if they want to have a cup of coffee and talk about Jesus. Ask someone older than you if they’ll share their story of how Jesus changed their lives. Give your time or your energy or your effort to something that will bless other people, and do it in Jesus’ name.

It may be a lifetime yet before Jesus comes back, but that doesn’t mean we have to wait to do life with Him. I don’t know about you, but when He gets here, I want Him to find me doing what He asked me to do.

May we fix our eyes on Him. May we walk in step with Him. May we draw closer to Him each day until the clock runs out.

Come, Jesus, come.

Questions for Reflection

• What do you want to be doing when Jesus comes back?

• How do you define the word soon?

• What is one way you can be Jesus to someone in your life this year?

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