Urgency and the Second Coming of Jesus
I have learned about urgency on many different occasions. I found an article that I had written 10 years ago after an elder’s meeting that began with these words. “The time is 12:21 am. We have just finished an elders’ meeting. I have to leave in the morning at 8:00 and I still have not written a bulletin article. It is now urgent that I sit down and write the article. I did not get it done earlier and now I am on the hook. This is not a new phenomenon in my life. I did this with almost paper I ever wrote. And, I do it with just about every project I ever undertake.”
Urgency is the price we pay for our own choices. Procrastination leads to urgency. When we put things off for so long, we put ourselves in an urgent situation. Eventually, time runs out and we must face the inevitable. It is likely that we all know what it means to face times of urgency. These times are related to our work life—finishing projects, making goals, meeting deadlines. These times are also a part of our family life—spending time with them because they grow up so fast—could be the primary driving force.
But, there is an urgency that we may not feel every day of our lives to the degree that we should. It is the urgency of the second coming of Jesus. This urgency is so intense because it is a matter of life and death. It is a matter of the eternal destiny of the soul. And, this coming event will be sudden and unpredictable! Peter put it this way. “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night…” (II Peter 3:10). No thief announces when is coming. He shows up when you least expect it, when you are unprepared. However, that does not mean we can avoid the urgency of that time. We dare not wait until the thief comes to set up our defenses.
This is the way that the Lord Jesus will appear a second time. His coming again is imminent. That is, He could come at any time. “But of that day and hour no one knows not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.” (Matthew 24:36) We do not know when He will return. This is why we should feel that urgency. Jesus also added these words as another beatitude. “Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.” (Revelation 16:15).
Such an urgency should make a difference in our lives. It should cause us to have conscious thoughts about the second coming. It should cause us to pray for forgiveness on a regular basis in order that we might be ready. It should cause us to talk about it often. The Lord is coming again. We must have an urgent concern about the event.
— Mike Johnson
