Longing for the Coming of the Lord

And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent His angel to show His servants what must soon take place.”

“And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”

And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”

“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing My recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.

I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.

Revelation 22:6-21

Do you long for the coming of the Lord?  
If we are honest, our longing for the Lord’s return often proves weak, when we actually remember that we are called to eagerly anticipate His coming. In truth, we are frequently distracted and distressed. The immediate, material cares of our daily lives often distract us from the true hope and joy of Jesus’s promise that He will come again. Our schedules, the incessant notifications on our devices, and even the relationships we enjoy tend to command and consume our attention more than the call and coming of our Savior. Distressed by the circumstances of our lives, we often improperly use Jesus’s promise that He will come again as an excuse to neglect and escape the present or we turn to various forms of self-medication. Consistently confronted with the presence of relational, physical, and spiritual brokenness in our lives, we look to and hasten the next promotion, the next purchase, or the next vacation, rather than the coming of the Lord. Yet, in spite of and amidst our distraction and distress, Christ is faithful.

He came as the sacrificial Lamb of God, but He will come again as the Lion to judge the whole earth, bringing His recompense with Him. If not for the glorious grace of God in the person of Jesus Christ, we would not joyously beckon Christ’s return but our own destruction. Not consciously, but deceived, in incremental instances of rebellion we would herald our inevitable, eternal separation from the Lord. For, as Augustine said: “Without You, what am I to myself but a guide to my own self-destruction?” (Confessions, Book IV). This is true of us all. But by God’s grace, we are not those destined to live outside the city, but those destined to enter the gates and live forever in the presence of God. He has called us to Himself, is sanctifying us, and will keep us blameless at His coming, for “He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24). Christ is the bright morning star, and He will guide us home.

Just as He has called us to Himself, Jesus urges us to beckon Him, saying, “Come.” We are those whom He has called, who have heard His words and recognize His voice, who have tasted and seen that He is good (Psalm 34:8). In loving response to His abundant goodness, let us beckon Him, all the while hastening to share His words with others, remembering that to all who are thirsty our Lord offers the water of life without price.

The coming judgement of the Lord will be a truly terrible thing for those who are not in Christ—outside the city—but for those who are in Christ, the judgement of the Lord brings blessedness. Isaiah depicts this reality: “And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away” (Isaiah 35:10). For children of the King, the world does not end in sorrow but in song. Let us long to sing on that day!

Surely He is coming soon. Let us beckon Him, for He is our hope and our future. Let us live as joyous heralds of His coming, for we are His and He is ours. Come, Lord Jesus!

“The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.”