The King is Coming

We are little more than 10 days away from Easter celebrations. In that time when we remember what Christ did for us, we must also praise the Lord for what He continually does, and what He is about to do - much sooner than a world in denial wants to even recognize:

"I will come again." -John 14:3 (NASB)

There are few promise Christians hold more dear than this: He is coming back. This is not just wishful thinking, or a far-off distant hope that we hype excitedly only to have that spiritual adrenalin rush fade into an obscure "well, I hope so; probably, but who really knows," kind of eschatological dream lodged somewhere in our daily doctrinal fix of happy thoughts.

Read that verse again in a more literal reading:

and if I go and prepare for you a place, again I am coming and will receive you to Myself, that where am I, also you may be (emphasis mine).

 That word if is an enormous stumbling block for many. There are only three legitimate ways we can understand that word.

• one condition means "if equals maybe, maybe not. Maybe it will happen, maybe it won't." Such doubt will always cause distrust and stumbling for those who embrace it. Those who find themselves in this camp will find it hard to truly have any trust in God.
• another condition means "if equals no. No, He's not coming back. No, He will not return. Ever. Especially not in my lifetime." This camp generally falls outside what is considered the Christian camp; there are those, however, within the camp who consider His a return a spiritual allegory, that His kingdom is represented by the church at large, and that His literal return is not a future reality.
• the third condition says, "if equals yes. Yes it is indeed true. Yes He will return. Yes, yes, yes!" This is the condition Christ used in the verse quoted above. He did not say maybe. Jesus was declaring unequivocally His intention: again I am coming!

Dear ones, the ultimate test of faith for us is this: do we take God at His word, His whole word?

The choice is yours.