Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. Revelation 2:16
I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. Revelation 3:11
And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book. Revelation 22:7
Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. Revelation 22:12
He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! Revelation 22:20
Do you believe Jesus is still coming soon? Soon is such a nebulous word. So promising in feeling but illusive in timing, but yet with a surety. What is required with the word ‘soon’? Faith. Faith from knowing the user that they will actually ‘deliver’ on their promises. I have come to believe God’s timing is perfect ALL the time, so my difficulty with His timing then is obviously with me and how I understand it.
I once asked God to help me understand eternity. He sent me to 2 Peter 3:8.
But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
I was still confused for quite awhile until my math brain kicked in and thought I could treat it like an equation rather than a metaphor. Looking at it like an equation looks something like this…
1000 days =1day
4.2 days =1 second
40 days = 9.5 seconds
1 year = 365,000 years
70 years = 1 hr 41 minutes
Looking at this equation can really make one ponder certain situations in the scriptures, like when Moses was on the mountain with God. Did Moses really experience the time of 40 days or for him was it a really brief time? Yet like Jesus’ equation to Peter on how many times we should forgive … this equation is only a simple comparison of a much more complex perfect system.
Certainly if God’s kingdom / heaven ran on a different time then those who experienced heaven the timing here on earth would seem wonky when they returned to this dimension. I have experienced that feeling more than once, in visions, in Holy Spirit infused intercessory prayer, and other spiritual encounters. But those always leave me desiring heaven’s time more than earthly time. Those experiences have me pondering many things. I often wonder that those in heaven will experience a much less span of time than we do and the separation from us will seem oh so short to them. But for us time can really drag on and seem like such a chore, so the word ‘soon’ does NOT seem like it is quick in any sense of the word. Yet other times, especially as I am now older the time isn’t moving so slow anymore, and the anticipation for heaven increases. Now ‘soon’ doesn’t seem so infuriating and confusing to me.
What is your experience with God and time? Do you still struggle with His timing? I know He never seems to be early in our estimation when we want Him to move and act for us. Yet He has never has let be down… in my hind sight. I often wonder if He waits to the very last second so that there is no question it is Him moving on our behalf and supplying our need. But mostly likely that feeling of the lateness of God we are feeling is from our very limited perspective, and that God was moving more pieces on our behalf even before we asked Him. For God who is Omniscient and Omnipresent that makes sense to me in His love, even if I don’t understand it completely.
Do you trust Him with His timing for you?