REVELATION 22:20 – He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
THEME OF THE DAY: DO WE THINK ABOUT IT? Before we get into today’s nugget, a few quick questions for self-examination – How often do we think about the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus? Did it cross our minds the past few days? Past week? Month? Is the Lord’s return a regular topic of meditation and thought?
One more question, but not for self-examination but for information. The answers might surprise us – How dominant is the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus in the Bible? Here are the figures. Both the Old and New Testaments are filled with promises of the Second Coming of Christ. There are 1,845 references to it in the Old Testament, and a total of seventeen Old Testament books give it prominence. Of the 260 chapters in the entire New Testament, there are 318 references to the Second Coming, or one out of 30 verses. Twenty-three of the 27 New Testament books refer to this great event. The four missing books include three which are single-chapter letters written to individual persons on a particular subject, and the fourth is Galatians which does imply Christ’s coming again. For every prophecy on the First Coming of Christ, there are 8 on Christ’s Second Coming.
To say our Lord’s Second Coming dominates scripture is a great understatement and begs the question – if Jesus’ return is referenced so much in scripture, should it not be the shaping force in our lives? The obvious answer is “yes” but I want to take it one step further. To think on the Second Coming of Jesus has practical implications for Christian living. It is a chief motivator to pursue the goal in the Christian life – holiness.
The Apostle John would remind us how Second Coming thinking promotes holiness or conformity to Jesus which is holiness – See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure (1 John 3:1-3).
So, the theme of today’s nugget – Do we think about it with the “it” being the Lord’s Second Coming?. It has long been said, “As we think so we live.” Think on the Second Coming and we will be a people living with a watchful and waiting posture, waiting and watching for that Great Day of our Lord’s Return.
PRAYER: “Father, may I live my life fixed on the 2nd Coming of Your Son.”
QUOTE: “A day should not go by we don’t think of the return of Jesus and live accordingly.”
In the affection of Christ Jesus,
Pastor Jim