Blog
On Sunday nights, my church has started going through a deep study of the book of Revelation. It started at the beginning of this year, and although we are not far into it yet, I am looking forward to seeing how much I can learn from it.
Revelation is a mysterious book. We love to look at it with a sense of curiosity and wonder, or we fear to look at it over anxiety about the future. There is so much we do not know, and so many ways that different scholars and teachers have interpreted that unknown data across the centuries.
I am the kind of person who, by nature, likes to know details. If my wife and I are making plans, I want to know the “wheres” and the “whens” and the “how longs.” I don’t want to go into something without information that would have helped me better prepare. So when it comes to a book like Revelation, with so much vague symbolism and mind-blowing imagery, there’s no way I can fully comprehend or predict exactly what will happen and when it will come.
Regardless of which of the many camps of study you sit in, there is one thing that virtually all of them agree on: Jesus is coming back. There’s no room for debate on that. He said it Himself: “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:3).
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that one of the few things we can very accurately predict from Revelation is that Jesus will, some day, unquestionably return. Though there is disagreement on when that will happen and the nature His return will take, the fact of He is returning is set in stone. I believe this reminder was placed in the Bible—at the very end, no less—to be our reminder that a greater hope is on the horizon, that no matter how bad things get, His second coming will wipe that all away.
This got me thinking about my expecting wife. Our baby is due soon, and needless to say, we are very excited! We are eagerly anticipating her arrival, looking forward to the day when we can cradle her and talk to her and simply enjoy her presence. That is going to be a great day, one of unspeakable emotion and excitement. I wish we didn’t have to wait so long, and my wife would agree—we want her here now.
Do we anticipate Jesus’ return the same way? Are we on the edge of our seat, hoping that His return will happen sooner than later? Or are we content to go about our lives, as if He’s so far off that He’ll never return in our lifetimes? It’s true that we don’t know the time, but shouldn’t we be preparing just the same?
It would be irresponsible of me or my wife to not prepare for our baby. If the nursery was not a nursery yet; if I was using that room instead for a game room or an office, and no decoration or furniture was to be found indicating that a baby would soon reside within; if we had bought no clothes, no essentials, saying “she’ll get here when she gets here,” we might say, “and we’ll worry about her once she does” –that would be the height of irresponsibility, wouldn’t it?
We have certain duties and obligations as soon-to-be parents, but more than that, we should be ready out of love.
The same could be said of us as Christians. We know Jesus is coming, and we know He has given us instructions on what to do in the meantime.
We are to
make disciples,
grow the church,
and preach the Gospel around the world.
He gives us plain instructions in Matthew 28:16-20. There really isn’t room for discussion on what we’re supposed to do while waiting for Him.
So, not just out of duty, but out of love, what are we doing to prepare for Jesus’s arrival? How are we preparing our hearts and the hearts of those around us to see Him one day? We know that eternal life waits only for those who believe. Have you believed?
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Salvation comes by faith in God, a gift of His grace alone.
If you have been saved, what are you doing to make sure others have the same opportunity? Romans 10:17 says, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Are you giving others the chance to hear the word of Christ? They need Him. You can be the one to show them the way.
In anticipation of His return, we must prepare our hearts and prepare the world. Are you ready? Or will He find your life like an unfurnished nursery?
Copyright © 2023 Lifeword.org. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from Lifeword.org