Is Jesus Really Coming Soon?
“Jesus is coming soon.” Many people today are saying that. There was a great interest in the return of the Lord in the 1800s. The 1970s were also a time of increased interest in prophecy. But is it true? Does our wanting it to be so make it so? Paul tells us that there is a special reward for those who long for the Appearing of the Lord. And so, it has always been correct to expect the Lord's return.
But can anyone say with authority that Jesus is coming soon? It has been 2,000 years since His promise beside that of the angels and apostles.
6 And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.
7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. (Rev 22)
These words, shortly and quickly, in the KJV, can mean soon (in a brief space of time) or with speed or in a rapid manner. Other English versions use promptly or swiftly.
I have said, in the past, that it means in haste or suddenly. As in our bodily transformation, it happens in a instant instead of a gradual process. While that is true, the text allows for Jesus to say, “I am coming soon” (in the normally understood sense). Can that be true?
There is a debate about when the book of Revelation was written. A 65 AD date is supported by those who want that to be true. A 95 AD date is traditionally held by those who want a post-temple (70 AD) date. How about the truth? That option is not very popular.
An early date could support the idea that the events surrounding the second temple's destruction are what Jesus was referring to in His Olivet Discourse (Matt 24). A later date definitely points to the yet unfulfilled (to us) future and a 3rd or a symbolic temple. It makes a very great difference. When speaking of future events was Jesus and, therefore, John speaking of a relatively near event or of something many centuries future?
In Matthew 24 Jesus responded to some questions about “the end of the age”. Therefore, it was a type of prophecy. Many prophecies have a near/far aspect to them. They may speak of something near and also something farther into the future. When Jesus replies to the disciples, He may have been referring to something more near to them and/or something distant. He speaks of something that will be about 40 years into their future and He may be speaking of another future time as well.
Several times the book of Revelation is called a prophecy. In Revelation 10:11 John is told to “prophecy again”. Was he prophesying about events 5 years future (70 AD) or millennia future? It could be either or both.
Regardless of the actual date of the writing of the book of Revelation, either date would point to the signs. Jesus' sermon on the Mount of Olives would also point to the signs.
The word soon has led many to believe that Jesus' sermon on the Mount of Olives must have been referring to events near to that time (~30 AD). Many believe that the Great Tribulation must have been in 70AD and some insist that Jesus did return at that time because He said, “Soon”. If it matters what Jesus said, He also said:
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matt 24)
The sun darkened, Jesus appearing on the clouds, and the gathering of the elect? Did that happen immediately after the events of 70 AD? Even secular historians would have recorded that. That one word soon has perplexed many Bible students. John tells us that the events that he writes (at Jesus' command) are going to happen soon. He sends letters to 7 then current churches that were located in present day Turkiye. The events of the book of Revelation obviously did not occur soon, according to anyone's definition.
If the book of Revelation is a prophecy, then it may employ a common prophetic tool of using certain city names when referring to other places. For example Jerusalem, Sodom, Egypt, Babylon, Tyre, etc. Although the 7 churches in Revelation were in actual cities in the first century, they may represent something else. One interpretation is that the 7 churches represent different eras throughout the long Church Age. This seems to fit a little but not very well, in my opinion. Another interpretation is that they coincide with the 7 seals of Revelation. Few want to even consider this one because it necessitates going further into the “Tribulation Week” than we want to. However, is it what the Bible says or what we want it to say that matters? Interestingly, the 7 churches are listed in sequential order as they were along a trade route or ancient Roman mail route. In any case, their order tells us something important.
We could take the adamant position that if Jesus said soon, then all end time events happened shortly thereafter (~30 to 70 AD).
Or
We could chose to take the position that if Jesus said soon to what the 7 churches represent, in the prophecy, then that generation is the final generation – the generation that sees the end time events and the Appearing of Jesus.
When the time came for Elijah to be taken up, all the prophetic people knew that it was going to be that day. A day earlier they may have not known it. The students of the prophetic school in Bethel knew it. Then the sons of the prophets in Jericho knew it was going to happen that day. Finally, Elijah was taken up (2 Kings 2:11).
Might God reveal the approaching season of the Rapture to prophetic people in the final generation? Dreams and visions do not carry the same authority as Scripture does. However, if they are true, then they are true. If God really said that Jesus is coming soon, then He did not lie. What John said to the 7 churches could not be said except as a prophecy and not until the actual end time or the last generation.
It is my opinion that many are hearing that Jesus is coming soon because this is the final generation. The events of the book of Revelation are said to be shortly coming to pass because the 7 churches represent the final generation (passing through six or seven of the 7 seals, approximately one per year). I believe that the urgency of the book of Revelation is for a certain generation and not directly for others. That means you, your children and your grandchildren. It did not directly speak to previous generations, though the book contains a special blessing for any who read it.
In 1979 Jesus said to me. “Go, get My people ready to meet Me for I am coming soon!”
This is not because I want to be so but because this appears to be the generation that will see the end time events. If we can survive through them, we will see our full redemption, the Appearing of the Great God and Savior, Jesus the Christ.
Jan 12, 2024