Right from the time of Jesus’ ascension into heaven, people have wondered about the time of His return because He promised His disciples He would come again. In John 14:1-3, he said, "Let not your hearts be troubled. You are trusting God, now trust in Me. There are many homes up there where my Father lives, and I am going to prepare them for your coming. When everything is ready, then I will come and get you, so that you can always be with Me where I am. If this weren't so, I would tell you plainly. And you know where I am going and how to get there" (the Living Bible). This is one of several promises Jesus made but the important thing here is to understand these promises as expressions of God’s generosity and inclusiveness. More on that in a minute.

The earliest believers thought that Jesus would return before they died, based on a misunderstanding of several of Jesus’ comments. When it became apparent that they would die before Jesus’ return, they began to transcribe the stories they knew about Jesus’ life into what later became our New Testament – they did not want the telling of the events lost or misstated. They began to understand that the sharing of the Gospel was, literally, to all corners of the earth and to people spread across great expanses of time. Still, people have speculated in all ages about Jesus’ return and many have been certain it would be in their time – these are called Millennial movements. One of the greatest was at the approach of the year 1000 A.D. when many thousands across Europe eagerly awaited the end of the age, based on an interpretation of the Book of Revelation.

But no one knows the exact time of Christ's coming. Jesus said, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father" Matthew 24:36. Still, that doesn’t stop folks from speculating and while I guess there’s nothing wrong with that, it can become a kind of superstition or even idolatry of sorts, trying to prove from world events or from perceptions of prophecy that these are the end times. I think it’s wisest to live as if Jesus’ return was tomorrow but prepare as if it’s a thousand years from now.

So why the delay? Why is Jesus’ second coming taking so long? Peter addressed this in his time, saying "But don't forget this, dear friends, that a day or a thousand years from now is like tomorrow to the Lord. He isn't really being slow about His promised return, even though it sometimes seems that way. But He is waiting, for the good reason that He is not willing that any should perish, and He is giving more time for sinners to repent" 2 Peter 3:8-9, TLB. Again, we come to understand God’s timing as generous to us, opening the gates of heaven to countless millions across so many generations. God wants this good news to be told to as many of us as possible.

Now here’s the final bout of good news for now, Jesus’ return is not to blame us or get us, it’s for the purpose of completing us and finalizing God’s restoration plan. The author of Hebrews wrote, "So also Christ died only once as an offering for the sins of many people; and He will come again, but not to deal again with our sins. This time He will come bringing salvation to all those who are eagerly and patiently waiting for Him" Hebrews 9:28, TLB.

So this is good news, a forward looking promise and blessing, never a threat. It’s such a great day when we finally discover that God is waiting to receive us, not to get us.