Maybe Sooner Than Later
“And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourneth for His only Son, and shall be in bitterness for His Firstborn.” Zechariah 12:10
Zechariah, an Old Testament prophet, wrote several prophecies concerning the first coming of Jesus Christ long before He was born in Bethlehem. This verse foretells Christ’s crucifixion and how that the Jews will believe on Him by grace at His second coming, the very One whom the Jews executed on the cross. The change to a third person (“mourn for Him”) from the first person (“look upon Me”) is common in prophetic literature (Bible Knowledge Commentary). In Zechariah 9:9, Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem riding on a donkey is foretold. We find this fulfilled in Matthew 21:1-11 when Jesus told the disciples where to find the donkey. They obeyed, brought the donkey and helped Jesus on it. When He rode into Jerusalem, the people placed palm branches in the path in order to honor Him, but just days later, they were calling for His execution.
In Zechariah 11:12, Judas’ agreeing to identify Jesus to the guards and soldiers for 30 pieces of silver is foretold. In Matthew 26:14-16, we have the account of Judas’ visit to the chief priests and asking them how much he could receive if he delivered Jesus unto them. There are several references to the first and the second coming of Jesus all throughout the Old Testament, so many in fact, that the events in Jesus’ life, His suffering, His death, and His resurrection can’t be coincidences. Psalm 22, written by King David, gives us several more prophecies concerning the mocking of Jesus, His suffering on the cross, including the piercing of His hands and feet, and the gambling by the soldiers for His garments. Concerning Jesus’ return to earth, Matthew 24:30; 26:64 and Revelation 1:7 all tell us that Jesus will come in the clouds and every single person will see Him. It is difficult to understand how a person in Singapore could see Jesus on the Mount of Olives in Israel, but we see events that occur around the world simultaneously by high speed internet everyday. Even without high tech, God could use His supernatural power to make it happen.
In this age of extreme turmoil, some folks are asking if the end of the world is near indicating that even those who do not know Christ as Lord and Savior still know that this old sin-cursed world cannot last forever. Of course there are many who never consider that one day they will be called into account for the life they lived and whether or not they received Jesus by repentance and faith. Revelation 1:7 also tells us that “all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him.” Jesus said in Matthew 24:31 that He would send His angels to blow a loud trumpet, and they would then gather His elect, the folks who have committed their lives to Him, from all parts of the earth. Christians refer to this event as the “rapture”, the gathering of believers who are living at the time of Jesus’ return. At the same time, believers who had already passed away will be resurrected first, and then those alive will join them to be present with Christ forever (I Thessalonians 4:13-18). This is what we know as the “first resurrection”. Folks are not all in agreement about the timing of the rapture. Some believe it will occur just prior to the seven year period of tribulation. Others believe that Christ’s followers will be removed half way through the tribulation, while others believe that Christians will go through the entire seven year period. I can’t say with complete certainty that the first group is right, but I sure hope they are. Scripture gives us hope that believers will not have to endure the tribulation, but some believe that Christians will suffer persecution. Many around the world already are suffering.
Considering the events of the past three or four months, many of us can’t help but wonder if Jesus’ coming is not that long away. Jesus said in Matthew 24:37 that the world would be in the same shape as it was in the days of Noah. Genesis 6:5 tells us that “God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” He told Noah that “the earth was corrupt” and “filled with violence” (Genesis 6:11). Have we reached that saturation point yet? Will God put up with much more of our violence, hatred, scheming, sin, and disobedience to His word? Do we have much time left to repent and place ourselves at God’s mercy? Whether Jesus returns in a few days, a few years, or many years, He will return, and He will come to judge the earth. Since all of the Old Testament prophecies concerning His first coming have come to pass, there’s no doubt in the minds of believers that the prophecies of His second coming will occur just as God planned. With all of this in mind, believers need to be living as if Jesus could return at any moment.