Tag Archive for Second Coming

Energetic Waiting

A prayer response to Revelation 14:6-20,
visions of the last days

Father, You call us to
wait on You.
But the waiting You want is not
passive.
Waiting on You is
active and
energetic.
You call us to wait
focused on You,
trusting You,
obeying You,
glorifying You,
serving You wholeheartedly,
eagerly anticipating
our full joining with You.

Father, we believe that You are
all You say You are.
We believe You will do
all You say You will do.
You say You will judge the world
in perfect righteousness.
You say Your judgment
could come at any moment.
You say Your judgment
will determine our eternal destiny:
deep and endless life or
deep and endless death,
unending joy in You or
unspeakable separation from You.

So, today and every day
we will await Your coming
actively and
energetically.
Our hearts will be standing at the door,
waiting,
listening, and
longing for You. 

Listen and sing:
Hymn: Come, Our Lord!
Recording
Printed Music & Lyrics

Christmas Is Past, Present, and Future

Christmas is more than just a celebration of a past event,
however wonderful or important.
The God who came to us as an infant still comes to us
personally,
gently,
quietly,
now as then.
He still comes to us as marvelous, mysterious Life,
drawing us toward Himself.

He is still the Light in every dark place,
the Star shining from the bottomless blackness,
the fresh glow in every dingy stable.

He still invites the magi and the shepherds,
the highest and lowest of people.
He still comes in stunning humility,
yet in unearthly glory.
He is still awe-inspiring in
His transcendence and
His simplicity.

The God who came
is still coming.

And He is coming again.
As before, He will come
unexpectedly,
after a seemingly endless wait, and
at just the right time.
But this time, He will come,
not quietly,
but with sound of a trumpet;
not simply,
but with all of heaven’s angels;
not in a dark corner,
but where every eye will see Him.
He will come,
not as a helpless infant,
but as sovereign Lord and Judge of all.

The God who came
is coming and
will come again
in love,
to save completely all who will receive Him.

Listen and sing:
Hymn: God Is Here among Us
Recording
Printed Music & Lyrics

You Come

God, so eager to give,
You came to us.
You gave Yourself completely,
birth to death.
You became like us,
weak,
humble,
suffering,
dying,
so that we might become like You.

Holy God,
breath of love,
unbounded Spirit,
You come to us.
As we trust You,
though imperfectly,
You give Yourself to us.
You live and breathe as
Christ in us,
eagerly sharing Yourself with us.

God of unfailing promises,
You will come to us again.
At the perfect moment You will come
as a bridegroom comes,
eager to sweep away His bride on their long-awaited day.
All the universe will celebrate with us.

You came once,
in love.
Come again, Lord Jesus.
We are waiting.

Listen and sing:
Hymn: Our God Came to Visit
Recording
Printed Music & Lyrics

WAITING Devotional Tapestry

WAITING Devotional Tapestry

Devotional Tapestries are short recordings designed to draw your heart and mind to the Living God. Each includes a devotional reading over instrumental music, leading into a hymn.

Listen to WAITING Devotional Tapestry.

Printed devotional & hymn
More Devotional Tapestries

What a Day!

“They are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 7:15-17, NIV)

Imagine the moment of Jesus’ resurrection,
when the power of the Father crushed death—
we will share in it.

Imagine the full splendor of His glory—
we will share in it.

Imagine when all the universe crowns Him
King of Kings and Lord of Lords—
we will share in it.

Imagine the beauty of His life and love,
spreading, blooming, growing everywhere and forever—
we will share in it.

We will share in all He is.

Listen and sing:
Hymn: In That Morning
Recording
Printed Music & Lyrics

The Second Coming

“Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.” (2 Peter 3:4, NASB)

The New Testament teaches that the same Christ who came in weakness as an infant will return in power and great glory. His first coming was secretive. But the second time, “every eye will see Him” (Revelation 1:7, NASB).

But nearly two thousand years have passed, and still, no Second Coming. And since our Savior Himself said that no one can know when it will occur, it could be another ten thousand years before the prophecy is finally fulfilled.

So why do we continue to teach, write, sing, and make movies about it? To many, the idea of Christ coming in the clouds, in full view of every living human being, seems hard to believe and remote from practical daily life. Why should we risk embarrassing ourselves and alienating our listeners by emphasizing such an incredible idea, one that even believers admit might not happen for generations, centuries, or even millennia?

Consider this:

  1. Jesus taught His return as centrally important. He spoke about it clearly, emphatically, and at length. Realize that He knew life both in heaven and on earth. He had seen both time and eternity. If He considered His return important, it’s important!
  1. The New Testament writers unanimously teach it. The Spirit of Christ spoke about His return through each and every one of them. They considered it essential to believe that Christ will come to finish all that He has started and to consummate our salvation. For all the New Testament writers, the truth of Christ’s return fueled faith, hope, perseverance, and holy living.
  1. The stakes are high. When Christ returns, He will judge every individual. Depending on our relationship with Him, we will go to eternal life or eternal death, to joyful union with Him or complete and final separation from Him (Matthew 25:31-46).
  1. When He comes, we must be ready. Since no one can know when He will return (Matthew 24:36), His return will seem sudden and unexpected (Matthew 24:37-44). He will come as a thief in the night (1 Thessalonians 5:2). The only sure way to be prepared is to stay prepared (Luke 12:35-48).
  1. Christ’s first coming had been foretold for centuries, and He did come, at God’s right time. His second coming, long foretold, is just as certain. It will occur when the time is right. The reality of Christmas proclaims the reality of His return.
  1. Peter reminds us that with our eternal God, “one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day” (2 Peter 3:8, NASB). His sense of time is far different than ours. But be assured that He is not lax about His promises but “is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:8-9). God’s “delays” are His patient love.

Consider the beautiful things Christ has done in you already, and eagerly anticipate His completing each one. Look forward to that wonderful day. Wait patiently for it, knowing that it will happen in the fullness of time. Keep first things first. Stay focused on Him. Stay faithful.

In a world completely obsessed with the shallow and temporary, it is vital that the people of Jesus Christ continue to proclaim the ultimate things: Jesus’ return, the judgment, and the world to come. Whether He returns today or in a thousand years is not the point. The certainty of His return shapes the entire reality in which we live.

Listen and sing:
Hymn: Second Coming Hymn
Recording
Printed Music & Lyrics

Come, Our Lord!

The Lord himself will come down from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. (1Thessalonians 3:16-17, NIV)

The One who left heaven to come to us,
who suffered the ultimate suffering to draw us near,
has physically left us for this reason:

He is preparing a place for us so that
soon we can be with Him forever.
When the time is exactly right,
He will return.

Listen…and sing if you want:
Hymn: Come, Our Lord!
Recording
Printed Music & Lyrics