“The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants-things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant, John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.” ~ Revelation 1:1-3
In Matthew 24:3, Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives with a few of His disciples who had come to Him privately, and they asked Him, “Tell us, what will be the sign of Your coming and the end of the age?“
Jesus said, “Take heed that no one deceives you. There will be wars and rumors of wars, nation, rising against nation, famines, pestilence, and earthquakes in various places.“
Jesus reminds us not to let our hearts be troubled, that we are to keep our eyes fixed on Him. When you read the headlines, it looks like every nation is preparing for war. It seems like the accounts that Jesus mentions are happening right now. Israel and the Middle East are always front and center, as the Bible predicted that they would be. When we read these accounts and see prophecy being fulfilled right before our eyes, we should always look up and know that one day soon our King will return. But why aren’t we talking about it? Should we be talking about it? I believe we should.
I was talking with a friend one day at church, and I told her I had been studying the book of Revelation, and she said, “Revelation! Oh that book scares me!”
I said, “Oh, it shouldn’t! When you are a born again believer in Jesus Christ, this book should excite you! But those who aren’t saved, this book would be terrifying.“
What got me interested in the book of Revelation was around the time when COVID hit, and the world was systematically shut down. I began to think that maybe I should read Revelation and start understanding the prophetic teachings that were in it.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t hear a lot of people talking about the return of Jesus, after all, I believe His return is as much a part of the Gospel as His death, burial and resurrection.
What I would like to share are five reasons why we should be talking about the return of our King Jesus! I find these five things to be very exciting, and I hope you will too.
- It is a foundational and elementary truth of the Gospel (Hebrews 6:1-4). The Bible also tells us in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2 that we need to know end times prophecy and not be ignorant of it.
- God promises a special blessing to those who listen to, read, and obey the prophetic scriptures in Revelation 1:3. By obeying, we are living, godly lives, consistent lives, living in peace with one another, watching in prayer, and are full of the Spirit.
- Watching and being excited for His return purifies us! We are empowered by the expectation, along with others, to live holy lives, to pursue holiness and purity, because without it, we will not see God (1 John 3:1-3, 2 Corinthians 7:1, Titus 2:12-13).
- It gives us wisdom to know the proper posture and behavior that keeps us in line with God’s will (Luke 2:25-33, 1 Chronicles 12:32).
- Knowing what scripture is telling us in Revelation is so important. There are 300 scriptures telling us of Jesus’ first coming, yet the people were unaware. They didn’t know the “season” of His first coming. There are over 2400 scriptures about His second coming, which is about eight times more, so it must be very important, and we certainly need to be properly prepared.
Here are a few more scriptures that remind us of the return of our soon-coming King:
~ Ephesians 5:27 reminds us of our calling to be a pure and blameless bride of Christ as we eagerly await the day when we will be presented to Him.
~ Matthew 25:1-13 (the parable of the wise and foolish virgins), reminds us to be spiritually prepared for His coming.
~ 2 Timothy 4:1-5 reminds us of our accountability and the importance of preaching the Word of God, particularly in the face of adversity.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, soon coming King! Thank You for Your Word, which gives us guidelines and prophetic timelines to watch for as we anticipate Your imminent return. Help us to be watchful, praying, loving one another, and telling others about you. May we be the glorious bride, prepared and waiting for our soon-coming King! In Jesus’ name, amen.
Beth Nahkala
Lean into Jesus Ministries
#bethnahkalablogs