December 29, 2023
"He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!"
In our last day of the advent season, we focus on the last words said to us in scripture. These words call us back to the whole point of the season of Advent. Jesus says to us “Surely I am coming soon”. John proclaims what should be the cry of the heart of every believer, “Come, Lord Jesus!”. In Hebrew there is a word maranatha that means “O Lord, come!” This was the cry of the faithful Jews as they awaited the coming of the Messiah. They saw the destruction of sin and the world and yearned for its salvation at the hands of the Messiah. We join in this proclamation now knowing that the war with sin and death have been defeated eternally. We yearn now for the day of Jesus Christ’s 2nd coming when all sin and suffering will be removed, justice will be completed, the world will be remade, and the eternal earthly reign of our Lord Jesus Christ will be the kingdom we dwell in forever. What the Jews didn’t see clearly was the fact that Jesus would come twice, once as the servant and once as the King. We now live in the time between the 1st and 2nd coming of Christ, we should live in even greater anticipation of the consummation of all things under the rule and reign of Christ!
Today, our last day, we end with this prayer: Come, Lord Jesus!