Jesus is Coming Soon

By Tammy Hopson

Mitchell County

The Crucifixion was over.  They had killed Jesus. Now what was there to do? What would their future hold? What was the point in even carrying on as a follower of Him? The Emmaus Disciples were left kicking cans down the street. Oh, how disappointed they were! They had placed all their hopes and dreams into the hands of their Messiah and now He was gone.  They had heard the tomb was empty but what did that even mean? They were left to walk in their own sadness.

And then there was Thomas who struggled also with the news that Jesus had even risen. No way was he going to believe that without seeing for himself the scars left on His side and in His hands. Every single one of the disciples had to feel sadness at the loss of the Leader they had followed for so many years. How could this even be true?

Then Jesus, knowing their discouragement and unbelief, makes several awesome appearances to the disciples to encourage them and demonstrate that His resurrection is real. But soon after those visits, Jesus leaves again to go to the Father. Suddenly, we see a whole new face in this group of disciples. They are no longer sad. There are no more down-cast faces walking dirt roads and questioning what had happened to their Leader. Now (in the book of Acts) we see bold disciples preaching the gospel to the hurting world who need Him. When Jesus left the first time, they were so confused and disappointed but when He left the second time from the upper room the disciples were suddenly called to action. We see Peter almost immediately calling forth another apostle to complete the 12. We read of them praying and witnessing, calling people to repentance and healing the lame just like Jesus did. The accounts of the book of Acts show us a group of apostles who set out to evangelize the world, risking their own lives to get the message out.

But what made the difference? Why didn’t they feel the same sadness as they watched Jesus ascend and leave them all behind the second time? Why weren’t they disappointed again?  I believe it was this message spoken by the mysterious men in white standing next to Jesus as He rose;

“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” Acts 1:11

A promise is proclaimed that Jesus is coming back! They now have hope. They had seen Jesus rise from the dead and appear to them once and now they are being told that He is coming back.  As His followers, they knew the next time He would not leave again.  The difference in their hearts was hope. Hope is a strong force. The momentum of hope propels the sad heart forward into the next moment fueling them with the courage to go on despite their sorrow. Hope sets our eyes on the promise of the future not on the pain of the present. With hope, the disciples began to evangelize the world with the wonderful message that their King was coming. The One who they followed and watched as He healed the hurting, raised the dead, and loved the unlovable, the One who spoke the truths of God with a wisdom like no other, and the One who laid down His own life so that the world could be forgiven, is truly coming back. The reality of the return of Jesus and the establishment of His kingdom is a huge part of the gospel message. In a world of despair, we must have hope, but biblical hope is definite and scheduled! The return of our Lord puts a stop to the pain, the sickness, and the dying that plagues us all. It puts a stop to sin and ushers us into a Kingdom that is especially prepared for us. Knowing this and being reminded of it will move our saddened hearts to joy.

When I was growing up there were so many proclamations being made in the world that Jesus is coming soon. Roadside preachers, people in parades amongst the crowds holding signs saying, “Jesus is Coming Soon” and my own mother always reminding me that Jesus could return any day. Looking around now I do not see as much of that in the world anymore. Those proclamations are harder to find. I have wondered if we Christians are being remiss by neglecting to proclaim that our King is coming. The evangelists of the book of Acts told the world that the return was at hand and a new world would come soon. They spread this blessed hope to everyone they could. With this article, I want to remind all of us that Jesus could come any day. I want to challenge us to tell others, that even though the promise was made so long ago, He still is coming. He has not forgotten us. Will you help me spread this hope to others? Do you feel the call to action the disciples did when you think about this blessed hope?  Let’s allow this hope to move within us. Its power will lift our down-cast faces toward heaven and cause us to watch for our King. And with joy, we will point to the sky as we proclaim that “Jesus is coming soon.”

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Tammy Hopson has been a Mitchell County resident since 1992 and lives in Red Hill with her family. She is a mother of six children and grandmother of 14. She has been a member of Hoyle Memorial Christian Fellowship in Lawndale, NC since 1992 and helps lead The HMCF Youth Group.

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