When the Time Is Right
You must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn't really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.
— 2 Peter 3:8-10
We live in a culture in which everything happens fast. We don't have to wait for much of anything anymore. So when we're told to wait for the Lord's return, it can be difficult for us. We look around at our world and say, "Lord, come on. Look how bad it's getting! Have You forgotten? When are You coming back?"
But we must understand that God has His own schedule and is not bound by ours. Jesus came the first time at the appointed hour, and He will come the second time in the same way. The Bible tells us, "But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children" (Galatians 4:4-5, NLT). God watched this little world of ours, and He knew when the right moment in time had come.
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When Jesus arrived on the scene, the people were ready. The Romans ruled the known world with their vast system of roads, easing transportation. Taxes were high, morale was low, and morals were even lower. It had been four hundred years since Israel had heard from God . . . since a prophet had come . . . since an angel appeared . . . since a miracle had been performed. Then John the Baptist burst on the scene, announcing that the Messiah had indeed arrived. When the time was just right, God sent His Son. And when the time is just right, the Son will return again to this earth.
