“So, prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world” (1 Peter 1:13). The past twelve to eighteen months have magnified the need for hope. COVID19 has caused much pain, and current events have people starving and searching for hope. Hope for a change in pace; hope for a better tomorrow. Perhaps as you are reading this, you are wondering about hope. Allow me to remind you of the hope we have in Christ’s Second Coming and what it means for us.

We have a great promise for which we can be hopeful. Revelation 1:7-8 says, “Look, he comes with the clouds of Heaven, and everyone will see him. Even those who pierced him and all the nations of the world will mourn for him. Yes, amen. ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end,’ says the Lord God, ‘I am the One who is, who always was, and who is still to come, the Almighty One.” Think about the hope we find in those words of Scripture.

The Lord is Coming

The Lord’s coming is the first point of this great promise. We do not have to doubt or wonder if he will return. We know he is coming. “There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you. When everything is ready, I will come and get you so that you will always be with me where I am,” promises Jesus in John 14.

In a world where it seems heartache and pain are around every corner; this prophetic declaration of the Lord is a grand promise to you and me. “In spite of the threatening circumstances, Jesus spoke with calm assurance of the divine provision for them, and took for granted that they would have a place in the eternal world. Jesus never speculated about a future life. He spoke as one who was as familiar with eternity as one is with his hometown. The imagery of a dwelling place, rooms, is taken from the oriental house in which the sons and daughters had apartments under the same roof as their parents. The purpose of his departure was to make ready the place where he welcomes them permanently. Certainly, he would not go to prepare a room for his friends unless he expected that they would also eventually arrive,” according to the Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Jesus promises he will come back and take us to his Father’s house, so his return is as certain as his departure. The agony of this life is only temporary. The struggles we encounter are only a stop on eternity’s timeline, because “look, he comes with the clouds of Heaven,” and everyone will see him.

Everyone Will See Him

This is an exciting point in the Lord’s promise. We can only imagine and hope for that day. We are not sure what it will be like or how we will respond. I’m sure there will be joy, thanksgiving, and awe, but I am not certain those emotions justly describe the feelings of that day. I am not sure there are words to express the emotions we will feel. I am sure, though, Christ will come. He guarantees it.

Guarantees It Himself

This is an awesome promise which God himself guarantees. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary remarks, “Such a stupendous promise requires more than the prophet’s own signature or even Christ’s amen. God himself speaks, and with his own signature vouches for the truthfulness of the coming of Christ. Of the many names of God that reveal his character and memorialize his deeds, there are four strong ones in this verse. Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. Their mention here is similar to the first and last in verse 17, and is further heightened by the beginning and the end in 21:6 and 22:13. Only this book refers to God as the Alpha and Omega. He is the absolute source of all creation and history, and nothing lies outside him. Thus, he is the Lord God of all. He is the One who is and One who was and who is to come. He is continually present to his people as the Almighty (lit. “the one who has his hand on everything.””

To erase doubt concerning Christ’s Second Coming, God himself speaks to its truthfulness. God says without a doubt, we should know Jesus is returning and we will see his face. We can find blessed hope in this promise.

Right Timing

John is the one who received the vision of Revelation. It came to him as he was advanced in years and isolated on an island. This vision may have served as a boost to John’s hope, and like all things with God, came at the perfect time. The historic time in which we are living is the perfect time for hope, and as Christians, we have hope. We have hope in Christ’s return, in the fact we will explicitly see him, and the guarantee of his truth. Everything else may give way, but our hope will remain. Hebrews 12:28 encourages, “Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshipping him with holy fear and awe.” Hang on because Christ’s Second Coming will be at the right time.

Please share this post, and a big thanks to Light magazine for including it as part of a recent article.