"Surely I am coming quickly." - Revelation 22:20
Anytime you see or hear the words coming soon, the connotation you think of is something updated or brand new is right around the corner. Those two words create an excitement for what may be on the horizon even if it is actually months away. Many of us hip-hop heads of a certain age can recall Mike Jones (Who? Mike Jones!) announcing for three years his 2005 album Who Is Mike Jones? repeatedly in what seemed to be in every verse he rapped. Was it a game-changer? Aside from bringing the chopped and screwed sound to the mainstream, it was a pretty average album that happened to sell five million copies thanks to the buzz it generated.
Throughout the book of Revelation, we learn two things: 1)the 66th book is not one to fear; and 2)coming soon doesn't necessarily apply to our standard of time. What may seem like forever to us is merely a moment to God. While the elders have proclaimed for decades - in the African American Baptist church, those decades date back to slavery - that Jesus is coming soon, Revelation reveals to us that His return takes a sense of urgency. Key phrases such as "things which must shortly take place: (1:1) and "the time is near (22:3) are indicative of a coming return. In Chapter 22, the Lord says "I'm coming quickly" (verses 7, 12, 20) implying the time to prepare ourselves is now.
The most important idea is not focusing on a specific date for Christ's return, but setting our hearts to live for Him today. People have attempted to pick the date only to be rebuffed. In May 1980, Pat Robertson startled viewers of the 700 Club when he informed them that the world would end two years later in 1982 guaranteeing a judgement on the world. Thirty-two years later, we are still here, proving that setting a specific date is a sure sign of failure. These false teachers are responsible for their gullible followers (see Jonestown, the Branch Davidian complex in Waco) who have accepted their brand of twisted doctrine as truth. Titus 2:13 reminds us to live for Jesus today "looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ."
Live your lives as if Christ is coming back today.
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