Lo! He Comes, With Clouds Descending."
But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment. 2 Peter 3:8-10 NLT
When Jesus made His first entrance to earth, He was seen by only a small group of people. There were a few lowly shepherds and later by some travelling wise men. There was little attention during the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. But this will not be the case when He returns. There will be a great contrast. “And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30). This is our conviction because we have trusted Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We are anticipating His return. So, we need to stand our ground regarding this belief for this is our source of hope and this is based on God’s promise. From the text, the apostle Peter steadfastly is holding his ground on his conviction that the Lord will come again in power and glory. In fact, each chapter of his second epistle, he had reiterated his belief in the coming of Christ (see 2 Peter 1:16–19; 1:20, 21; 2:1–10; 3:4–70). With all the events that are transpiring, there are those who will be asking, “Where is the promise of coming?” “What is God waiting for?” Peter’s response to this question regarding the delay of Christ’s return is that our perception of time is different from God’s. We are temporal in nature while God is eternal. “Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world, from beginning to end, you are God” (Psalm 90:2). Not only that God’s nature is different from ours, the reason for the delay of His return is that “He is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” God wants us to experience His grace but we should not take His grace lightly for His coming will be sudden: “But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment” (2 Peter 3:10). This is what Charles Wesley is anticipating when he wrote the hymn, "Lo! He Comes, With Clouds Descending."
“Lo! He comes, with clouds descending, once for our salvation slain; thousand thousand saints attending, swell the triumph of His train: Alleluia! alleluia! God appears on earth to reign.
Ev’ry eye shall now behold Him, robed in dreadful majesty; those who set at naught and sold Him, pierced and nailed Him to the tree, deeply wailing, deeply wailing, shall the true Messiah see.
Yea, Amen! let all adore Thee high on Thine eternal throne; Savior, take the pow’r and glory, claim the kingdom for Thine own. O come quickly, O come quickly, Alleluia! come, Lord come!”
We have been told that Christ will return, therefore let us be prepared and not be caught unaware.
Blessings,
Comments