“Why do You stand far off, O LORD? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?” (Psalm 10:1)
The heartfelt cry of the Psalmist reflects a question that rises in the heart of anyone who longs for Jesus to come and set this world right. As He tarries, many of us share David’s plea: “How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide Your face from me?” (Psalm 13:1).
The world has been experiencing a rising tempo and pitch of the prophetic signs pointing to Jesus’ soon return. In that same vein, perhaps the question is not so much “How long?”, but rather, “Why?” As in, “Lord Jesus, why are the signs of Your coming multiplying and converging like never before?” If we can discern the reason, then we will understand why God wants to telegraph the imminence of the Rapture and the nearness of the Second Coming.
There is Always a Reason
I readily accept two guiding axioms regarding God’s interactions with the world—including His prophetic pronouncements and our ability to recognize when they are coming to pass:
- God always has a reason for what He does.
- We can often (though not always) come to understand His reason.
The first axiom is built on our confidence in God’s revelation of His own character. He is not arbitrary or capricious. He does not act out of whim, rash indignation, or impulse. He is the uncreated Creator, the immovable Mover, the unjudgable Judge. He revealed His eternal nature and timeless existence when He told Moses that He should be called, “I AM WHO I AM,” or in shortened form simply, “I AM” (Exodus 3:14).
The Lord God later revealed His full Name as:
“The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression, and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and forth generations” (Exodus 34:6-7).
God is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient—all-powerful, ever-present, and all-knowing. He is the unchanging personification of reason, truth, and wisdom. And yet, because He is God, there are aspects of His unfathomable mind and unbendable will that are far, far beyond the comprehension of man. God has said, ” ‘My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ declares the LORD. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts’ “ (Isaiah 55:8-9).
In the immediately following verses, God affirmed that His word will accomplish all that He desires. As He put it, “My word which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty” (Isaiah 55:11).
So, based on God’s revelation about Himself, we can know that He has a reason for everything that He says and does, in accordance with His perfect will.
The second axiom flows from the first, and from the understanding that God has chosen to reveal Himself and His eternal plan to mankind: we can often understand His reason because He wants us to understand. That is why He spoke through prophets, and why He gave us the recorded Word of God. The Word of the Lord revealed through Amos put it this way: “Surely the Lord GOD does nothing unless He reveals His secret counsel to His servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7).
Sometimes, full understanding only comes over time. Even Jesus’ disciples did not fully understand all He had tried to reveal to them about His suffering and death until He had been crucified, buried, and resurrected. And prophets of old sometimes did not fully comprehend all that they were told to record, as Daniel recorded: “As for me, I heard but could not understand; so I said, ‘My lord, what will be the outcome of these events?’ “ (Daniel 12:8).
God’s response made it clear that understanding would be given to “those who have insight” in the End Time. Certainly, we are much closer to that time than Daniel, and with the advantage of hindsight and the full canon of Scripture, we can understand in ways he could not.
However, there is a definite limit to our understanding. Moses said that the “things revealed” would belong to mankind (“us and our sons forever”), but that there are “secret things that belong to the Lord our God” (Deuteronomy 29:29).
Since the various Signs of the Times were prophesied repeatedly, and since God emphasized the increase in magnitude and frequency that would occur toward the end as the signs themselves accelerated like birth pangs, there must be a reason He wants us to discern the nearness of the end.
The “Because” that Reflects God’s Own Heart
We could assume that God wants us to know that the end is near so that we can be encouraged. A mere signal that help is coming or rescue is imminent can offer great comfort to those who are suffering and increasingly desperate. Just like a prisoner of war or a castaway clinging to survival, the anticipation of deliverance can provide the incentive necessary to go on living. Without such anticipation, people in dire circumstances often give up and quickly succumb.
Upon discerning the convergence of end times signs, there is an aspect of mutual encouragement we should all pursue. The writer of Hebrews said that we should “stimulate one another to love and good deeds…encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24-25). But I believe there is another even more pressing reason God wants us to realize that the Rapture is near.
In order to understand why God wants us to recognize that Jesus is about to break from the heavens, we need to recognize why He has waited this long. He revealed to Peter that “The Lord is not slow about His promise (to come again), as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). Jesus is poised at the gates of Heaven, eager to come as a Bridegroom for His Bride (the Church). But He has tarried because it is the Father’s will that as many as possible are saved.
When I first heard that Jesus was coming again in the early 1990s, I was eager for Him to come quickly. I could not imagine Him waiting until the year 2000. As Y2K approached, I was ready for Him to come and take us out of a world growing darker by the day. And yet, here we still are, 25 years later. Which makes me ask: Aren’t you glad He did not come according to Tim Moore’s schedule? Had He done so, some of you reading this would have been left behind.
Having said that, He wants us to recognize that He is coming soon so we can cut through all the chaff and noise in our lives and redouble our efforts to share the Gospel with as many as possible. If we have the heart of Christ, we will want to urge everyone we can to “flee from the wrath to come”—and into the loving arms of our Savior. To use a football analogy, we’re inside the 2-minute warning. It is time to dig deep and play our hearts out. Countless souls that are precious in the eyes of God hang precariously over the ravenous mouth of Hell.
Jesus continues to tarry so that by all means as many as possible might be saved (1 Corinthians 9:22; 1 Timothy 2:4).
Are You Fully Engaged?
When Jesus comes, I am convinced that many professing Christians will be caught off guard. Convinced they are about His business, they may just be busy going through the paces of their faith. But those who realize that His coming is imminent have no excuse for not being fully engaged in serving as the Master has bidden.
The parable of the talents offers all the cautionary incentive we need. Let’s not bury the gifts He’s given us or refrain from serving Him boldly and enthusiastically in the time we have left. Those who invest wisely—whether of bountiful or limited means—will be called a “good and faithful servant;” those who do not bring a return on what they are given will be considered a “worthless servant” (Matthew 25:14-30).
Bold, enthusiastic service; investing in Kingdom activity; and serving as a watchman to warn that the Master is coming soon. Clearly, Satan would like to dull our enthusiasm, mute our witness, and discourage us at every turn. The same has been true throughout the Church Age and will still be true during the Tribulation. That is why Jesus’ first admonition when He began His great discourse on the Signs of the Times was, “See to it that no one misleads you” (Matthew 24:4).
God gave Daniel insight into the behavior of those who would not be deceived even by the smooth words of the Antichrist. He told Daniel, “…the people who know their God will display strength and take action” (Daniel 11:32). Like them, let’s not be lulled into complacency or lethargy as the Signs of the Times converge around us.
Let’s encourage one another to display strength—in such a time as this. And let’s take action so that as many as possible will come to repentance and not perish.
Jesus’ wrath will soon be kindled, but how blessed are all who take refuge in Him! (Psalm 2:12).
Thanks for the encouragement! God Bless!