What is something for which you are very excited? Are you hungry and ready for some food? Maybe you are waiting for a friend or family member to return from a long trip? Perhaps you are excited to find out what happens next in a story you are enjoying? We always have things in life that we wish would come sooner, but do we feel this way about the return of Christ? In this post we will discuss why we should yearn for our Lord’s return, what kind of people we should be as we wait for Him, and how this should ignite us with a sense of urgency in spreading the Gospel.
As sure as we are that Christ has risen from the dead, we know that He will return to take us to our eternal home in heaven. We are told of this in Hebrews and many other passages.
“To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.” (Hebrews 9:28)
We are told that Christ will appear a second time to “those who eagerly wait for Him.” In other words, the return of the Savior is for those who are ready and waiting for it. If we want to be among those for whom the Lord returns, we should be yearning at all times for Him to come back.
Take a look at this passage in 2 Peter:
“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” (2 Peter 3:10-13)
This passage informs us that the day Christ returns will come “like a thief.” Paul explains this more in his letter to the Christians in Thessalonica:
“For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, ‘There is peace and security,’ then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.” (1 Thessalonians 5:2-4)
One never knows that a thief is coming-especially at night. In the very same way, there is no way for us to know when Jesus will return. The hope laid out in this passage, however, is that we are “not in darkness (v. 4).” Paul goes on to say that we are not in darkness, but we “are all children of light, children of the day (v. 5a).” As followers of Christ who have put Him on in baptism, and who continue to strive to serve Him, we are children of light. We have no need to fear the sudden coming of a thief. We ought to hasten Christ’s return.
The next couple verses from the passage in 2 Peter affirm this. Look again at verses 11 and 12a:
“Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God…” (2 Peter 3:11-12a)
If you know that you are saved by God and that you are striving to serve Him everyday in a life of “holiness and godliness,” then you can hasten and yearn for the return of Christ Jesus.
The beauty of our salvation in Christ is that no matter what happens to us, no matter how much we mess up, we can be assured of our place in heaven. We can hasten the day of the Lord.
If you feel as if you cannot truly yearn for the Lord’s return, perhaps you are not right with God. Please, do not spend another day hoping the Lord doesn’t come. Repent, and seek God so that you may joyfully hope for your reward in heaven.
The only reason that we may not feel like hastening the Lord’s return is because there are still those we love who do not yet follow Christ. We can still hasten His return, but this should spur us on with urgency to share God’s Word with all those around us.
Dear Lord, may you please come soon. We cannot wait to be with you in all your marvelous glory. Until then, help us to bring as many others to you as we can so that they may share in your glory one day.
V
Leave a comment below with your favorite passage that gives you hope for the Lord’s return.